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Faith

Study: People Who Are ‘Spiritual’ But Not ‘Religious’ ‘Are More Vulnerable to Mental Disorder’

Jan. 4, 2013 12:44pm Billy Hallowell

Could spirituality without organized religion actually be bad for your mental health? A new study indicates that individuals who claim to be “spiritual,” but who lack an allegiance to a specific religion, may, in fact, be more likely to suffer from mental health problems.

The research shows that people who embrace spiritualism without religious constructs are at a potential mental-health disadvantage compared to those who are more traditionally religious (or even when compared to those who are atheists and agnostics). In addition to having greater mental health problems, these people are also more likely to take medication to deal with associated issues, the Telegraph reports.

The research, which was conducted by Professor Michael King from the University College London, among others, was published in the British Journal of Psychiatry. The shocking study came to the following conclusion: “There is increasing evidence that people who profess spiritual beliefs in the absence of a religious framework are more vulnerable to mental disorder.”

Professor Michael King Finds Spiritual People at Grater Risk for Mental Disorder

Photo Credit: AP

Of course, many would wonder what, exactly, this means. The Telegraph provides more information about the theological views of the subjects who were consulted for the study, offering up some clarity on the matter:

Of the participants, 35 per cent described themselves as “religious”, meaning they attended a church, mosque, synagogue or temple. Five in six of this group were Christian.

Almost half (46 per cent) described themselves as neither religious nor spiritual, while the 19 per cent remainder said they had spiritual beliefs but did not adhere to a particular religion.

Members of this final group were 77 per cent more likely than the others to be dependent on drugs, 72 per cent more likely to suffer from a phobia, and 50 per cent more likely to have a generalised anxiety disorder.

They were also 40 per cent more likely to be receiving treatment with psychotropic drugs, and at a 37 per cent higher risk of neurotic disorder.

In an interview with the BBC, King noted that religious people are similar to their secular counterparts, but that they tend, at least to a degree, to fare better on some indicators.

“They have less drug addiction, less alcohol problems, things like that,” the professor said of the faithful.

The total sample for the study was 7,403 English men and women who were randomly-selected. Aside from their religious views, the participants were also asked about their mental health.

King’s team noted that more research will need to be done before making definitive assessments and correlations between spirituality and mental health.

(H/T: Telegraph)

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Comments (218)

Timmy_NorthWest
Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:44pm
No Kaos Satan is BELIEVER in God.

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- WhiteFang
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 2:40pm
  Timmy_NorthWest,
  
  Satan believes our God exists but he does not believe “in” him, he believes “of” him, of God’s Almightiness.
  Satan also knows his time of mayhem is close to being finished. – Revelation 20:10
  
  Report this comment
- HellboundandDown
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 3:53pm
  ROFL! Rise Our Father Lucifer! SWAG! Satan’s Wishes Are Granted!
  
  Report this comment
- WildschweinJager
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 5:38pm
  Jesus is Lord and Savior of mankind.
  
  Report this comment
- sizzlinsexybeckster
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 6:21pm
  I’d rather be mental than boring!!! Oh… that reminds me… I’ve got to call in my 90 day prescriptions for xanax, paxil, prozac, chocolate, and ben&jerrys. Muahaha!
  
  Report this comment
- PATTY HENRY
  Posted on January 5, 2013 at 11:01am
  Anyone over the age of 8 who thinks Satan could be a hero knows NOTHING. Dude: He just wants to see you struggle and be frustrated, demoralized, depressed and then kill yourself… That is what EVIL IS…the opposite of GOOD.
  Of course people who cannot commit to wanting GOD in their lives are miserable. We were given this gift of Life so we could choose — if we can’t see the vast difference between TRUSTING GOD and trying to make Satan a Hero, then we deserve what we get…a big, black hole of nothing but pain.
  We didn’t make ourselves, we can’t control the universe…we are THE CREATED not the CREATOR.
  The sooner people get that in their heads…and the sooner they realize what they might not like about the Church is what flawed HUMANS have said/done about it…not GOD who created it…the better off all people will be. WE need GOD. HE wants US. What HE has prepared for us requires us to totally TRUST HIM…there is learning, but no baby-sitting in the life after this… if you want to know HIM…tell HIM. Learn to trust HIM, with every decision, every deal, everything. It will be the best decision of your life.
  
  Report this comment
- Thomas
  Posted on January 5, 2013 at 8:30pm
  In Genesis 1 we see a short summation of what God is doing as He separates things and this separating has a point but religious theology misses it. The separation ends with the Tree of KNOWLEDGE of good and bad and right beside it was the Tree of Life which neither Adam and Eve had a desire for either. The were innocent and not knowing good and bad but this knowledge was intended for them for God had a point. By telling Adam not to eat of the Tree would bring the bad and consequences however God’s point here was the good which was the Tree of Life and only after eating of the Tree of Knowledge would Adam and Eve understand that The Tree of Life was the good. However before they could eat of the Tree of Life they had to learn how to return to their Creator so they were temporarily put out of the Garden but this was not permanent as many would like. Today many run in interpret this event and then go about looking for the guilty party and miss the whole point. God takes responsibility for this blessed event (yes it was a blessing but not many can see it this way for they would rather blame) and it is we have kept on perpetuating this by not choosing what is good which was the whole point. Blaming accomplishes nothing for we are responsible not God’s angels who only come to fulfill their mission for which they are sent and are detailed oriented. How about looking at this from God’s point of view rather than man’s, for we only seek to rid our self of guilt by placing it on one
  
  Report this comment
- Thomas
  Posted on January 5, 2013 at 8:38pm
  The idea of rebellious angels is a theological creation used for indoctrination. Exactly the weapon that the Pharisees used to try and control dismiss Jesus to others. God’s angels are Spiritual being with no reason for war for in Heaven there is no territory to fight over. God allows us to interpret the bible but our interpretation actually reveal what we are really after. Those who their theological (theory) interpretation is the way to God will always use weapons like their mystical devil and eternal hell everyone else who does not agree with them is going to. Jesus said the devil was Cain, the first murderer and liar in the bible and his offspring are the tares. People who have received translated bible have received something tainted with another’s already formed theology. Sad that many will never escape the indoctrination they have received. God is not a religion but a person and either you want to know Him or you are after something else. Actually most worship their brand of theology which has nothing to do with the Holy Spirit but just another man’s ideas about God. How about let God be your only educator?
  
  Report this comment
Timmy_NorthWest
Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:42pm
Deavon, feel sorry for you dude. Lack of understanding is your problem. Ya should try a church this Sunday it will fil up that empty hole inside you. You will feel less hostile towards others.

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- The_Jerk
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:56pm
  Too many churches are cash’en in on Christ. Too many theater productions. Hucksters.
  
  Report this comment
- Fubared
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 2:00pm
  One should always listen to a nazi on religion. Speak on jihad jerk, speak on, tell us how the new aryans really feel.
  
  Report this comment
- Stoneez
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 3:46pm
  Church isn’t what fills the “empty hole”. It’s where the “filled” gather to celebrate the One. Jesus Christ is not confined to the four walls of the Church. Some churches leave you feeling more hostile.
  
  Report this comment
- HellboundandDown
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 3:55pm
  Bunch together a group of people deliberately chosen for strong religious feelings, and you have a practical guarantee of dark morbidities expressed in crime, perversion, and insanity.
  H. P. Lovecraft
  
  Report this comment
mcsledge
Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:40pm
What is faith without Christ? NOTHING!

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- barber2
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 2:17pm
  PRICE: Gotcha. Go away Troll.
  
  Report this comment
- barber2
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 2:34pm
  MC: ” PRICE ,” another false ad troll, has gone away ! My comment was not aimed at you.
  
  Report this comment
- HellboundandDown
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 3:56pm
  If religion were true, its followers would not try to bludgeon their young into an artificial conformity; but would merely insist on their unbending quest for truth, irrespective of artificial backgrounds or practical consequences.
  H. P. Lovecraft
  
  Report this comment
- Max jones
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 4:26pm
  Searcher…..There is actually a very special ability, bestowed upon dedicated seekers and lovers of truth. This “ability” is called ‘discernment’. In some cultures this is called ‘wisdom’. In our culture its called politically in-correct…discriminatory…hateful.
  I have grown to rely upon my discernment. It is sort of like second sight or maybe a “sixth sense”.
  I really can tell immediately upon meeting someone, or even reading his words, if I will ever have any real contact with him. I tend to think we are all like this…..some folks just trust gut feelings more than others.
  
  Report this comment
- piper60
  Posted on January 5, 2013 at 8:57am
  u/nless it has an AK-47 and a block of C-4. Then you have the destined moral ruler of the world. And it’ll kill the one who says it isn’t so. Salvation Aemy band members make better neighbors!
  
  Report this comment
lylejk
Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:35pm
When I read the title of this story, why did my first thought come to be Shirley McClain? lolol

:)

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- searcher619
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:41pm
  Why?
  
  Report this comment
- Eastinfection
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:57pm
  Why?…
  
  Um.. maybe because, along with believing in “open marriages”, she’s an activist for New-Age Spirituality, practices Transcendental Meditation, believes in UFOs and has written books about telepathy and communicating with the dead.
  
  Report this comment
- OldSurfRat
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 2:30pm
  Hi there East
  
  Happy New Year!!! had not seen your dogs face lately.
  
  This really comes down to the old “rock of ages”. Without a foundation a person will continue to float around. This leave them with nothing solid to stand on which then leads to insecurity and a lack of stucture.
  We all eventually strive to find purpose in our life. The age old question “Why am I here”?
  
  Eventually they feel let down by everything and no longer believe in aything which can lead to depression and then mental health issues.
  
  Report this comment
- searcher619
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 2:33pm
  Eastinfection:
  
  Ummm… Just because more people believe as you do does not make your views any more valid than hers. You do get that right?
  
  Report this comment
- Eastinfection
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 2:48pm
  Uh SEARCHER…
  
  The question was “Why” in reference to Shirley MaClaine vis a vis Spirituality, Organized Religion, and the Mentally Disturbed.
  Shirley, herself claims to be:
  Spiritual, yet
  critical of Organized Religion
  and questioning of her own Sanity.
  
  Also, correct me if i’m wrong but, i was in no way critical of her beliefs.
  Please read what people actually write instead of projecting your own inferences onto their vernacular.
  
  Report this comment
- Eastinfection
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 2:51pm
  PS… SEARCH…
  
  “Just because more people believe as you do….”
  
  That is certainly news to me as i have yet to meet anyone who “believes as i do”. No two snowflakes are alike.
  Again… read what is written rather than make assumptions.
  
  Report this comment
- Eastinfection
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 2:52pm
  Hey SURF…
  
  i had a swell NewYear. Hope you did too.
  Though i did pick up a nasty cold.
  Hate being sick.
  
  Report this comment
- Twobyfour
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 3:19pm
  She has a typical goofy newagey belief system.
  
  Report this comment
- booger71
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 3:25pm
  Was Anton Levay spiritual or religious, or just a progressive liberal
  
  Report this comment
- HellboundandDown
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 3:57pm
  “Belief is the death of intelligence. As soon as one believes a doctrine of any sort, or assumes certitude, one stops thinking about that aspect of existence.” -Robert Anton Wilson
  
  Report this comment
- Max jones
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 4:10pm
  yo dudes….seems to me to be the conflict between chaos and order. You can’t make orderly sense out of that which ye don’t understand! This is directly related to to “the love of truth”. This IS why we need the Rock…The foundation. People who run around with their heads in the clouds and their feet off the floor, can’t take direction, and wouldn’t have traction, if they could.
  Why do the Lord’s prophets teach with parables? Parabolic thought brings order to chaos.
  
  Report this comment
- Quiata
  Posted on January 5, 2013 at 7:32am
  @HELLBOUNDANDDOWN “Belief is the death of intelligence…(etc.)”
  
  Right back at ‘ya: “HEATHEN, n. A benighted creature who has the folly to worship something that he can see and feel.” -Ambrose Bierce
  
  Report this comment
- piper60
  Posted on January 5, 2013 at 8:59am
  Ditzy, Dizzy and Lucky. In the American theatre, an understudy who goes on for the star and scores a great success has “pulled a Shirley Mc<Clain.
  
  Report this comment
- redhed2020
  Posted on January 7, 2013 at 9:47am
  I discount quotes from famous fiction writers like R.A. Wilson and H.P. Lovecraft. Fiction is not exactly learned thinking.
  
  Report this comment
GuruMeditation
Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:34pm
Slow down already… Maybe it’s just because they are Brit’s, which are but a small geographical subset among the masses. We need a wider study. Until then it’s just gibberish.

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- Kaoscontrol
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:40pm
  “Spiritual” people seem to open themselves up to darkness as much as the light. Even Satan himself can acurately make the claim that he is a “spiritual” being.
  
  Report this comment
- GuruMeditation
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:51pm
  We’re all spiritual beings.
  
  Report this comment
- searcher619
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:51pm
  You are assuming your Satan actually exists.
  
  Report this comment
- WhiteFang
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:57pm
  Kaos,
  
  Yes, being “spiritual” does not necessarily mean a person understands truth.
  He could be spiritually blind and deceived by dark spirits, and Satan is the foremost of these.
  Could this be the reason we have thousands and thousands of false religions?
  
  Report this comment
- GuruMeditation
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 2:01pm
  BTW… I was just joking about the Brit’s. The study is lacking though.
  
  Report this comment
- Kaoscontrol
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 2:02pm
  SEARCHER619 – He’s not “MY” Satan, (though it seems based on your posts you may have a close relationship to him, yourself.)
  
  Report this comment
- searcher619
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 2:36pm
  Kaoscontrol:
  
  Classy. You had nothing to counter so you resorted to trying to insult me. And yes Satan is yours since he does come from YOUR religion.
  
  Report this comment
- Max jones
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 4:44pm
  KAOSCONROL wrote
  
  “Spiritual” people seem to open themselves up to darkness as much as the light. Even Satan himself can acurately make the claim that he is a “spiritual” being.
  All were created as spiritual beings. Moving at the speed of light. Now, look at us, us…mired in the glop of corporeal existence, moving slooowly toward inevitable death.
  This is the bequest of the serpent, the originator of the “shady deal”. He’ll get what he thinks he wants. Without the Lord’s help, he makes mincemeat out of any man. He’s the prince of the air, he calls lightning down. So freaking attractive, seductive….beautiful, he could win everybody over….if he had the time.
  
  Report this comment
- GuruMeditation
  Posted on January 5, 2013 at 7:57am
  @Max jones: It’s good for all his time is short. Man I bet that ****** him off.
  
  Report this comment
- piper60
  Posted on January 5, 2013 at 8:54am
  Psychs have a strange habit of declaring themselves superior-and everyone else as “sick”-its been going on for more than a hundred years, since the APAurged a dictatorship of the therapists, since only they had declared themselves sane. And since obstreperous unbelief is currently fashionable in euro-weenie-land, self congratulatory studies therefore appear to order.
  
  Report this comment
Uechi
Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:33pm
Bull Hockey!

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Priscilla King
Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:33pm
Oops…I apologize, Gentle Readers. (Mean readers won’t think there’s anything to apologize for.) I laid some psychological truth on Foxholeatheist, which is likely to inflame him/her further, causing more offense to religious people. And it does look as if the rest of you are used to it.

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Timmy_NorthWest
Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:24pm
@fohholeathiest: wrong my man, you just showed your total lack of understanding of prayer. Prayer is powerful. You talk to God and let him no you need help. You forget, sometimes God says No.Or maybe you just are ingnorant.

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- DeavonReye
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:35pm
  Yes, . . .because when you answer with “Yes”, “No”, or “Wait”, EVERY “prayer” is [then] “an answered prayer”. It’s quite convenient, actually.
  
  Report this comment
RaydocX
Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:20pm
wow foxahole, trampling of your rights? you were forced to pray? to profess belief in a higher deity? where did you grow up, Afghanistan? holding back technology? on the back of unborn children, you truly believe that is technology? And that withheld technology failed to save your life from some hideous disease?

Sadly, the only ‘imposing of beliefs’ being attempted is by radicalized atheists… I am not demanding that you pray in school, only that prayer be allowed. I am not demanding you pay homage to the virgin Mary or Christ’s birth or death, merely that those who choose to celebrate or remember be allowed to do so including in a public place. By your rules, if you are a Duke fan, the NC Tarheels fan across the cubicle should not be allowed to wear their teams shirt on dress down day.

as to the article, it would seem many are afraid to embrace oganized religion based on fears about one or another of the religion’s teachings or positions… as churches are created by man they are imperfect, and there will be flaws in each.

Left to their own devices, though, ‘spiritual’ people wind up more susceptible to charlatans and to belief systems with their own inherent flaws and faults, but without the support network to nudge when needed and to recognize the fallacies and traps.

One of the traps is the dependence on pharaceuticals for treatment of situational (appropriate) depression, not to mention the overuse of pharm for ADD/ ADHD, and now adult ADD…

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- Freedomlover_US
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 2:25pm
  Prayer is allowed in school – forced prayer isn’t. Your 10 Commandments don’t belong in public buildings, since only 3 are laws. The far right is trying to shove this “Christian Nation” nonsense down our throats.
  
  What were saying is – go ahead and be as openly religious as you want. Don’t think it somehow makes you superior.
  
  Report this comment
- MrSunshine
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 2:58pm
  Freedomlover = Low Information Voter
  
  Report this comment
- Balpit
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 7:11pm
  Prayer is allowed in school? I didn’t know that. I’m guessing the teachers who forbid students from doing so in schools (even on their own free will) didn’t get the memo. As well as those who punish kids who do so anyway.
  
  Oh…you must mean prayer to ALLAH is allowed. Incidentally, some students were punished for refusing to pray to Allah. Where’s the outrage over that?
  
  I thought militant religiophobes attacked all faiths equally. Clearly, some faiths are more equal than others.
  
  Report this comment
Alex
Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:20pm
I’m laughing my head off at this one. For years, I’ve been enduring the condescension of “spiritual but not religious” people, who are SO above religion and therefore SO above me. Apparently I’m not open-minded enough for them…whatever that is supposed to mean. This study is just too rich. In a perverse way, I’m really enjoying this.

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- Walkabout
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:33pm
  Exactly.
  
  Sure there are scoundrels who join a religious organization. These same people will join any organization & try to climb to the top. They remind me of a lot of liberals, who join charitable organization like the FORD foundation climb the ladder & then pervert it.
  
  Report this comment
- pigletrios
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:37pm
  I dont see how one can be spiritual but not religious……….this does not compute…..
  
  Report this comment
- searcher619
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:43pm
  If you are “spiritual” then you are religious. Not choosing to join a religious club does not make you non-religious. The fact that you hold ‘spiritual’ beliefs based 100% on faith means you most definately are religious.
  
  Report this comment
- Eastinfection
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:49pm
  PIGLETROIS…
  
  it means someone that believes in some form of God but doesn’t belong to a specific church, parish, or congregation.
  
  Report this comment
- AvengerK
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:51pm
  PIGLETRIOUS….these are people who do a yoga class and believe their “inner being” is enriched by it.
  
  These are the people who are “wiccan” or “pagan”.
  
  These are people who believe Anne Rice writes biographies not fiction.
  
  These are the Oprah believers. These are people with “Free Tibet” (with every purchase of $19.99 or more) bumper stickers on their Prius or Smart Car.
  
  These are people that believe in “Gaia”.
  
  Getting the picture?
  
  Report this comment
- Locked
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 2:04pm
  @Alex
  
  ” For years, I’ve been enduring the condescension of “spiritual but not religious” people, who are SO above religion and therefore SO above me. Apparently I’m not open-minded enough for them…whatever that is supposed to mean.”
  
  How do you know that these people you’ve been enduring happen to be part of the group that have mental disorders? If 20% of a group has a certain characteristic, it doesn’t mean that couple that you know have it.
  
  I’m not surprised by the results; people who describe themselves this way are often still searching and sorting out their own feelings and beliefs. This can be caused by many things: immaturity, disillusionment, or, yes, mental disorders. It’s likely that mental disorders have led them away from a confining structure that would not accept them or that they could not accept; in fact, I’d argue it’s more likely than the other way around, that a lack of firm convictions leads to mental disorders (as so many posters here seem to imply).
  
  Doesn’t matter, really. As Christians we are called to help the helpless; and no one is more helpless than the person who cannot find their way due to a malfunction in their own brain.
  
  Report this comment
ArmedAndReallyPissed
Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:11pm
The total sample for the study was 7,403 English men and women who were randomly-selected………
……………………There you have it. ENGLISH men and women.
If these had been AmeriKans living under a Communist Dictatorship like we are, the results would be much different. It gives a whole new meaning to “Vulnerable to Mental Disorder”. :)

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Zeus is THE Lord
Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:10pm
Religion is the salve for the weak…

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- Eastinfection
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:19pm
  …and bumper-sticker arguments are the salve of the boring.
  
  Report this comment
- Popp40
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:23pm
  Funny because you can say the same thing about the Democratic party
  
  Report this comment
- searcher619
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:45pm
  Sorry but wrong. You have any idea how full of yourself you sound? I think it’s a bit delusional of you to beleive you are better than the 90+% of the human population that is religious.
  
  Report this comment
- Walkabout
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 2:10pm
  …and bumper-sticker arguments are the salve of the boring
  ***
  That was so short, so devastating, & so correct.
  
  After I had laughed aloud, I was reminded of how how I had argued with you about 6 months ago, the only time. I also thought I should not argue with you much at all (if at any time) in the future.
  
  WOW!
  
  Report this comment
- Eastinfection
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 2:18pm
  i remember that debate, WALKABOUT.
  It was one of my first days here.
  Forever ruined my personal fantasies regarding Swedish Twins ;)
  
  Report this comment
- WildschweinJager
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 5:46pm
  @zoos
  
  Through weakness comes strength.
  
  Report this comment
- Greenwood
  Posted on January 5, 2013 at 4:46pm
  Hey Zeus………..Therefore I take pleasure in weaknesses, in insults, in cases of need, in persecutions and difficulties, for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am powerful. (2 Corinthians 12:10)
  
  Report this comment
Eastinfection
Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:05pm
Interesting coincidence but this seems to be a chicken/ egg thing.

Do some spiritual people avoid organized religion because they are mentally disturbed?

or are some spiritual people mentally disturbed because they avoid organized religion?

or better yet….

are some spiritual people socially ostracized by organized religion because they also happen to be mentally disturbed?

I’d put my money on #3. Social sub-groups don’t like to associate with mentally disturbed individuals, especially if they are overly spiritual, because they selfishly fear how it will reflect on themselves.
think about it…
if you’re going door to door preaching the gospel in a relatively sane manner, the last thing you want is for your partner in evangelism to be somebody who is obviously mentally disturbed for fear it will reduce your credibility…
it’s human nature to fear this potential association because you’re afraid your targeted convert will associate piety with insanity as a result.

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- Priscilla King
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:24pm
  True of many cases.
  
  Report this comment
.rjk
Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:04pm
It’s because “spiritual but not religous” means former hippie that took acid and still smokes too much pot.

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- Eastinfection
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:08pm
  where have i read that before?
  i must be trippin’ !
  
  Report this comment
- Priscilla King
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:24pm
  Also true in many cases.
  
  Report this comment
MrArbitrage
Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:03pm
Leftists are emboldened to an unprecedented degree
http://youtu.be/dzn_uM3ypW4

Divided we Stand. To unite with Democrats would surely place us in shackles

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.rjk
Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:03pm
It is because “spiritual but not religious” means former hippie that took acid and still smoke too much pot.

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mikem1969
Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:02pm
Next it’s going to be people who pass gas have a mental illness. Anything the left can use to give you a mental problem so you can’t have a gun. They had some nut job shrink say that kids that throw tantrums have mental illnesses. Anyone who has kids knows this is pure bs, they are trying to get what they want when mom or dad say no. No mental illness there. It is all a conditioning ploy so at some point in the future they can lump all of us into some mental illness category so they can keep us from buying guns if they have not come up with a way prior to that.

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- smokie
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:29pm
  Exactly. Look at all the ‘if someone does this, they might be crazy’ blurbs coming out. I despise Yahoo!, but I read all their stupid news so I can see what scheme Dear Leader is going to parade next.
  
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- blanco5
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:34pm
  Yours is the most plausible.
  
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B-Neil
Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:00pm
Scarlet letters, Witch hunt’s, tell me; is this the new era everone is talking about? People are so weak minded. The future is definatly going to be interesting. I pray to GOD not Organizations. I fear Organizations; they have a history and it wasn’t and isn’t pretty.

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- oldguy49
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:02pm
  more bull crap to fuel the war on christians…………..
  
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- FoxholeAtheist
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:11pm
  So basically, you admit you sit back and do nothing because that’s what prayer is.
  
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- Priscilla King
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:25pm
  @Foxholeatheist: Some people pray for help to do something, or guidance about what to do.
  
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- MrSunshine
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 2:57pm
  Good point Priscilla! Too many people treat prayer as a wish hotline and not a conversation with God.
  
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- Git-R-Done
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 4:06pm
  Foxhole – Yet you sit back and wait for the government to take care of you instead of working for yourself.
  
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ZAP
Posted on January 4, 2013 at 12:59pm
7,403 English men and women.This proves the English libs are nuts

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GhostOfJefferson
Posted on January 4, 2013 at 12:59pm
I can’t speak of the group, but my personal experience with “spiritual but not religious” has generally been with people who are three shades of loopy, and who believe in all sorts of humorous things (transcendental meditation, crystals, pseudo-paganism/wiccan, etc). That’s their right, not putting them down for exercising it, but they rarely strike me as individuals I wouldn’t trust to watch my pets overnight.

This is a generalization born only by anecdotal evidence of course, and offers no broad insight. I’m just saying pretty much all of the “spiritual but not religious” real life people I know are a can short of a six pack.

Now I’ll go on record as saying that a good half of the “profoundly religious” people I meet are nut bars as well. The other half are decent folk though. Who knows, someday I might meet a gazer of galactic crystals that makes me think “Yeah, now there’s a cool cat”. :)

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- GhostOfJefferson
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:11pm
  wouldn’t trust = “would trust”
  
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- Fubared
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:12pm
  Once again, well said-
  
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- Cavallo
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:15pm
  In other words, they were crazy before they became spiritual but not religious.
  
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- AvengerK
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:33pm
  You put it very well GHOST.
  
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SituationalGravity
Posted on January 4, 2013 at 12:57pm
Same kind of study that says Conservatives have brain malfunctions?

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- Timmy_NorthWest
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:08pm
  hi meteors.
  
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- GhostOfJefferson
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:14pm
  JZS
  
  What is it with you folks that you change handles all the time? Seems like you don’t want to be identified. Why not? Aren’t you proud of your positions and want to stand behind them, and not hide behind anonymity?
  
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- Eastinfection
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:21pm
  lol GHOST…
  
  they remind me of all the proud jihadists that always wear masks in public.
  
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- GhostOfJefferson
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:35pm
  @East
  
  Yeah, the low intellect/high emotion types that sully the good movie V for Vendetta by wearing a Guy Fawkes mask and thinking that they’re either anonymous or original. Anybody with ten cents worth of a clue can easily find my real life name and location, as I don’t hide it (and have posted it on this site before actually). If you can’t show your face while proclaiming a position, perhaps the position is not worth standing behind to begin with.
  
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- AvengerK
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:39pm
  JZS/METEORS/SITUATIONAL…..what is it with you creepy lefty trolls and all the screennames you have to hide behind? Is this something media matters said would be a good plan? Tell them it just makes you trolls look like bigger idiots.
  
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- Eastinfection
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:44pm
  Good for you GHOST..
  
  Someone nosy could probably figure out my identity here as i have left many breadcrumbs in my wake but i do chose to be a little more discreet about my identity than you do. (perhaps this is because i don’t take full advantage of the 2nd amendment and some of our “peers” scare me a little ;)
  
  lol @ Guy Fawkes BTW. How sadly appropriate.
  
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Just_Us2
Posted on January 4, 2013 at 12:56pm
Not being a part of a religion is not the cause of mental illness…you are not a part of a religious group BECAUSE you are mentally ill and refuse treatment. I was a part of a chemical dependency ministry and plenty of people wanted to be a part of the group, get warm fuzzies but had no intention of actually changing or cleaning up. They wanted a social club with no rules. Religion has rules…for Christianity, the first is to love God and the second is to love your neighbor. These people did neither….they destroyed themselves, family and innocent strangers. They loved their drug of choice more than anything else. Since they could not function within the group, they lived outside but remained, “spiritual”. If you are going to be a part of ANY organized group, there are roles and responsibilities that must be adhered to, otherwise, you are not a group. Same goes for religious groups.

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- searcher619
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:48pm
  So if I do not hold any spiritual beliefs AND don’t belong to any religion does that mean I’m less likely to go nuts or be nuts?
  
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The-Monk
Posted on January 4, 2013 at 12:54pm
This study is complete non-sense…. IMHO this man is a quack looking for grants anyplace he can.

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/slms/people/show.php?personid=202
“I am a psychiatric epidemiologist who is interested in large scale national and international research. I have a particular interest in the design and conduct of cohort studies and randomised trials of complex mental health interventions in primary and secondary care. Clinical trials in this area are difficult to conduct because of the complexity of the issues including diagnosis, interventions and outcomes”
“My other interests include the epidemiology of sexual dysfunction, the stress and stigma faced by gay and lesbian people, the mental health of patients in the late stages of cancer and the role of religious and spiritual beliefs in mental well-being.”

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- The-Monk
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 12:58pm
  The more people he can say are nuts = the more business for him and his buddies…
  
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- Timmy_NorthWest
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:05pm
  Monk, IMHO the mental health industry really don’t help much. my wife has mental health problems and most shrinks just prescribe pills, and do little to really help the individual.
  
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- The-Monk
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:09pm
  Hi Timmy_NorthWest,
  
  I hear you….
  
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- searcher619
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 2:40pm
  His study is a joke. It’s been well known that people who do not have anything upon which to ground their world view tend to be prone to mental instability.
  
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- John655
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 3:09pm
  @Timmy
  
  My wife has mental health problems. It took her 10 years to get stable on drugs, but she did get stable and is now happy and healthy. But it also took her immense will power to keep functioning through those 10 years (in which she earned 2 Masters). I wish your wife the best and pray that it won’t take her 10 years. God Bless
  
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Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on January 4, 2013 at 12:52pm
Given that most of the Democrats follow blindly the spirit of Socialism and Communism, there may be some truth to it. Just look at Biden, Obama, Reid and Pelosi.

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- Dudley Do-Right
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 2:12pm
  Didn’t Saul Alinsky dedicate his book “Rules For Radicals” to Lucifer?
  
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- Freedomlover_US
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 2:18pm
  I vote Democrat because the Republican party has gone completely insane. I have a degree in Economics and I believe very strongly in capitalism. What I do not believe in is denying two people who are in love the right to marry; I do not believe owning a gun should be easier than getting a driver’s license; I do not believe poor people who can’t afford health insurance should be on their own, especially children; I believe Keynesian economics is true because we have enough recorded economic history that proves it.
  
  I am no Communist nor Socialist (doubt you even know what those words actually mean). I don’t want to take away your guns or your religion. Now calm the f()ck down.
  
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- Dudley Do-Right
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 2:37pm
  Freedom
  
  I believe you when you say you’re not a socialist or communist but when you vote democrat, you’re voting for a party with a large percentage of voters and politicians who do support socialism and communism. I would never vote for a democrat for that reason. Would love to hear your opinions about this video.
  
  http://vimeo.com/52009124
  
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- booger71
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 3:27pm
  I do not believe owning a gun should be easier than getting a driver’s license
  ============
  Then you obviously don’t believe in the Bill of Rights
  
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- Balpit
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 6:28pm
  Voting Democrat because the Republican party is “insane” is like eating beef instead of milk because milk isn’t vegan.
  
  If gays want to marry, they can get a civil union. Marriage is a RELIGIOUS institution; civil unions are secular, state institutions. Forcing churches to honor SSM violates “Separation of Church and State”, like forcing Jews to serve pork and shrimp at Synagogue potlucks.
  
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FoxholeAtheist
Posted on January 4, 2013 at 12:50pm
This is true. There are some real nutter butters out there who believe in all sorts of things. Holistic medicine, fluoride and immunization conspiracies, ghosts, ESP, New Age voodoo, and Libertarianism, just to name a few. These people claim to be “spiritual yet not religious”. They are equally responsible for the problems and the condition of the planet and societies ills. Sometimes they can be worse as they turn a blind eye to the troubles the religious bring on the rest of us.

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- Timmy_NorthWest
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 12:53pm
  or it could be that people who are prone to mental health issues are unable to commit to a religion.
  
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- tonypro
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 12:57pm
  I was going to say that the statement ‘Spiritual’ But Not ‘Religious’ is an oxymoron, and is only being used to make people of faith look bad,….
  
  ….you know kinda like the way you make people without faith look bad.
  
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- FoxholeAtheist
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:04pm
  As an Atheist, I don’t talk to an invisible friend nor do I believe in the supernatural. I am not superstitious. The religious and spiritual on the other hand, are quite insane.
  
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- FoxholeAtheist
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:10pm
  It’s amazing how you religious folk function.
  
  Believe me, I tried to be civil to you superstitious types, but your constant trampling of my rights, the way you hold back technology and progress in health and science, and the imposing of your beliefs on others lead me to believe that you can never be reasoned with.
  
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- naughtycal
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:14pm
  Then there are those that believe only in Democratic party talking points. And can’t rationalize how someone would value freedom over the progressive government servitude policy. Or that who can spend your way out of debt . Or that George Bush spenting 500 billion more than he’s taking in as Unpatriotic. But Obama spending 1.6 trillion year more than he’s taking in is patriotic. Or that giving Haliburtin a government contract is cronism, But spending ten times that amount to unions isn’t…..Yeah I can certainly see how being a Democrat is a mental disease.
  
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- Priscilla King
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:31pm
  Agnostics are honest. Humanists believe in something believable. Aggressive atheists are emotionally stuck, lashing out against other people’s beliefs, probably because they still share those beliefs but aren’t happy with them. Therefore, Foxholeatheist, you may not be insane but you definitely have some issues.
  
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- GhostOfJefferson
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:38pm
  If you cannot separate a religion or spiritual belief system from a socio-economic political system, then you’ve already blown your credibility, Foxhole. I really don’t care what *you* interpret libertarianism to be, that is immaterial, fact is that it is an identified and recognized socio-economic political belief system, just like any other. Your need to make it “spiritual” speaks to me of your insecurities in your own world views.
  
  Just sayin’.
  
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- AvengerK
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:45pm
  You’re a devout liberal aren’t you POXHOLE?
  
  From Dr. Lyle Rossiter author of “The Liberal Mind”.
  
  “The liberal agenda’s basic principles are not only antithetical to our most cherished liberties; they are also directly contrary to all that is good and noble in the human enterprise. The Liberal Mind is the first work to explain why modern liberalism appeals to the irrational tendencies of the human mind. It is the first work to explain how liberalism can be defeated.
  
  In the course of this analysis, The Liberal Mind asks and answers the following critical question: Why would anyone want a political system that restricts personal freedom instead of enhancing it; denounces personal responsibility instead of promoting it; surrenders personal sovereignty instead of honoring it; attacks the philosophical foundations of liberty instead of defending them; encourages government dependency instead of self-reliance; and undermines the character of the people by making them wards of the state?”
  
  The two major goals of the modern liberal agenda: the Modern Parental Society and the Modern Permissive Culture, and why they violate the basic principles of freedom.
  
  Again..you’re a devout liberal aren’t you POXIE?
  
  Enjoy…
  http://www.libertymind.com/
  
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- Fubared
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 1:59pm
  No such thing as an actual foxhole atheist. Oxymoron, mostly moron.
  
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- circleDwagons
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 2:12pm
  @Fox. LOL sometimes the imaginary friends respond :) One day you will meet my Saviour, God bless you
  
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- malleus-maleficarum
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 2:24pm
  There’s having a belief, (whatever anyone wants to believe, not meaning ‘faith’) and being a zealot and/or just going on the attack to cause a scene. I’ll let you figure out where you fall.. I’d say know your audience, but clearly you do, yet you still go on the attack against judeo-christian beliefs on a right leaning webpage.. Try that on a Muslim site. I’m begging you to try…
  
  Freedom to exercise a religion (or not) is completely different that attacking others for their beliefs. You do realize that your comments cross the line into hatespeech right?
  
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- AvengerK
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 4:13pm
  Amen King Diamond…can I use “amen” in your presence?
  
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- Eastinfection
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 7:11pm
  lol AVENGJERK..
  
  if you do your fate may not be mercyful.
  
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