Placebo effect in religion

[defanatic]

When ever I get into a debate with Christians, it eventually winds down to (for I have done my homework, and they have not) look into your heart and see which is right. So, uh... I suppose they don't mean heart, but they mean what do I feel is right? Do I feel a God. Certainly, when I go to their conventions, there is an atmosphere of anticipation and hope (how do you describe this?). I feel slightly better. But is that because I want to feel better (e.g. placebo effect) or is it because there is actually a God.

Also, please don't hate me because I went to a christian convention.

Also, am I using the right term?

[Morilore]

I don't think placebo is quite the precisely correct term for this case. But there is no reason to believe that what you feel is evidence for some Great Sky Pixie.

[wolveraptor]

It's only considered a placebo when it has actual physical affects, which it does. Deeply religious people can use Sky Faeries to explain away all the horrible shit that goes on in their lives. Why do you think poorer people in more miserable conditions adopt religion? They need something to hang on to, something that guarantees an eternity of bliss, making the current suffering seem irrelavent. This has been shown to have effects on stress and anxiety. Soufi (sp?) mystics often use the group's almost hypnotic influence to minimize their reaction to pain. That's why you see them sticking needles and stuff in their bodies (though I doubt any are faithful enough to try that with a spear to the heart ).

[applejack]

Do I feel a God. Certainly, when I go to their conventions, there is an atmosphere of anticipation and hope (how do you describe this?). I feel slightly better. But is that because I want to feel better (e.g. placebo effect) or is it because there is actually a God.

Also, please don't hate me because I went to a christian convention.

Also, am I using the right term?

When you "feel" something, it's a physiological phenomenon, isn't it? I'd be interested to know of the biochemistry involved when someone is in the middle of an evangelical revival or mass and they've got their eyes shut, hands in the air, and look like they're doped up on something.

I also wonder if it can be physically addictive.

[Metatwaddle]

When you "feel" something, it's a physiological phenomenon, isn't it? I'd be interested to know of the biochemistry involved when someone is in the middle of an evangelical revival or mass and they've got their eyes shut, hands in the air, and look like they're doped up on something.

I also wonder if it can be physically addictive.

Well, I don't know if this is quite what you're looking for, but over in the "There is no God and you know it - blog" thread, Lord of the Abyss posted this link to an article about neurologist reproducing the effects of "spirituality" by activating certain parts of the brain.

[Shroom Man 777]

I get an erection when I think of leprechauns. Does this mean leprechauns are real?

[applejack]

Well, I don't know if this is quite what you're looking for, but over in the "There is no God and you know it - blog" thread, Lord of the Abyss posted this link to an article about neurologist reproducing the effects of "spirituality" by activating certain parts of the brain.

Actually, from that article, I was able to look for information about brain chemistry on various sites. They say that emotional experiences are associated with floods of monamines. I haven't been able to find which monamine spiritual elation produces (I wasn't trying very hard), but I'd guess it's dopamine. The one that causes pleasure.

Oh, and I think the phenomenon that defanatic is describing is psychosomatism. The broader definitions of the word define it as the influence of the mind on the body and vice versa.

Of course, it usually has to do with disease and not explicitly faith...

[Rye]

If they give that answer, the "look inside" just point out they manage to make it sound like autosuggestive nonsense.

[Alyeska]

Placebo is a noted element within religion. The BBC posted a study on Prayer that made this evident. They conducted a large scale study on prayer and its effects. They noted that when you prayed for someone else, there was no improvement. But when people prayed for themselves, there was a minor improvement. Prayer for ones self has a placebo effect.

[Magnetic]

I'm not sure if any of you would be familiar with the Brownville Revival that took place in the mid 90's or so. It started in Brownsville Florida when an evangelist came to that church (one of his stops). He was there for a week or so (not sure of actual time), but in one service a girl gave a testimony and started (seemingly) uncontrolable jerking motions, and people fell over under the power of the Holy Spirit. Now, there started a movement across the churches with praying for people, people having these 'jerking motions', being prayed for and falling over, laying on the floor (some for hours), some crying, some laughing, some not doing much but laying there, some hands up.

Now, during that time, I was intrenched in the fundamentalism and I went to such services. There was an excitement in the air, for sure. When I went down to be prayed for, I saw most everyone else falling over, so I did so myself, not because I got "knocked out" but because it was (to me) what I was supposed to do.

Now, eventually I started playing the bass for the worship team every Friday night. Now, I'm not sure what it was, but I honestly started feeling slight urges to . . . .jerk. It wasn't like what others were doing, but I felt them all the same.

I look back today at that experience and am not exactly sure what I was experiencing but I find it interesting that in church circles today, there is little talk or evidence of what happened at that time. It came on quickly and seemed to slowly fade away.