mental health of Conservative Christians

Conservative Protestants have three norms of which could cause mental problems: reading, worship, and prayer, according to Terrence Hill. These “deviations“ behaviors are called “norms” and defined as deviance by Hill.  Hill asks and answers the question “How might religious deviance contribute to symptoms of psychological distress?”  Hill intelligently implies Christians as those who would be affected by social comparison causing cognitive dissonance.  Hill adds “Cognitive dissonance theory states that perceived conflicts among cognitions, self-conceptions, and behavior can contribute to psychological discomfort”  Hill also proposes that “cognitive dissonance is one important psychological bridge between reference group commitments and mental health” which is high among conservative Christians.  This seems to be a stark generalization, given that many religious experiences include the like. For example, there can be a high level of dissonance and confusion in reaction to a Buddhist koan or a reaction to a mystical religion. Such is the path of enlightenment, frustration.  For example, the Trinity is a good phenomenon to talk about from any sector of Christian experience.  The Trinity, or Triune God, can be seen as difficult to conceive of for many; giving a level dissonance to anyone.  It is often referred to as a paradox, whereas I see it as a contradiction.  For my faith and religious understanding I accept contradiction as part of human experience on many levels. Simone Weil has helped with her section on contradiction in her volume Gravity and Grace. In any case, it seems that Hill is making a mountain out of a mole heel but this will not cause me to stop reading Hill’s research, as I can deal with contradictions and inaccuracies as a Conservative Christian.  A challenge or trial is not always a negative experience, especially for those in relationship with Christ; I pray this for Hill, and would invite him in for bread and wine, if he were to come my way, out of my own dissonance :)  Though I doubt he would get wind of my interaction with his research.             

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Let's spread MISINFORMATION

According to the government 2  + 2 = 5  and Math is racist. Let’s spread the Truth, which is misinformation.  Let’s spread misinformation all over the place, in every household, community, city, state, and nation(s).  We will not cave on the matter of Truth, no matter how much they say 2 + 2 = 5. No matter what the Party tried to press upon the mind of Winston Smith (in George Orwell’s “1984”), Smith would not succumb, until the end.  For us we will not succumb to the lies, i.e. truth is lies; math is injustice; truth is unjust and other opposites that are flipped on their heads, and are made into the real lies that they are feeding the world.  The Left is relentlessly programming young children, to young adults, to you. Media process has you under its spell.  Stop watching TV and movies, please.  You will find only lies there.  So let’s spread misinformation, while the government is calling truth to be lies. Government and media are vacuous ...
Read more

21st century prophecies

In 21 Lessons for the 21 st Century , the GREAT prophet spoke, saying mockingly, “After all, we are God’s nation, so the argument goes, so what’s good for our nation is pleasing to God.  There certainly are religious sages who reject nationalist excesses and adopt far more universal visions. Unfortunately, such sages don’t wield much political power these days” uttering the excellent, profound, and provocative words, “the handmaid of nationalism is religion” as well, “Religions, rites, and rituals will remain important as long as the power of humankind rests on mass cooperation and as long as mass cooperation rests on belief in shared fiction” and “past experiences of the whole of humanity, will become less reliable guides” “The Zionist story fails to ascribe any meaning to Chinese Empires, to the tribes of New Guinea, and to the Andromeda galaxy, as well as to the countless eons that passed before the existence of Moses, Abraham, and the evolution of the apes” and “eternity is at...
Read more

Dirty words

  “Conservative” and “liberal” have been words that have incited arguments (not necessarily fighting) in the 20 th century.   In recent times the word “conservative” has become a dirty/filthy word.   It has indicated “hate” “Hate-speech” “unlovingness” and derogatory terms attributed to it. Conservatives have become the dregs of society, as Hillary Clinton most popularly named them “the deplorables” Another dirty word “Christian” has entered the dictionary of filth.   Are you sick of it?    Some say God is going to rectify this whole cultural mess, others (like me) think that there is too much invisible power invested in taking the West down, as evident in politics and those who feed politicians the sustaining coercive philosophy that will drive Christians into small groups that meet in homes, the Left is powering up for the take-down. Stand firm always and wait to see the salvation of the Lord Adonai More later on words that when given capital letters...
Read more