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But in common vernacular, it means approximately this: the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, such as narcotics, to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma.org.Addiction SymptomsWhen does spirituality start looking like addiction On the Internet, checklists abound and include symptoms that would sound familiar to any addict or Al Anon member:Do you use religion to avoid social and emotional problems Are you preoccupied with religion to the point of neglecting work Would people who know you describe your religiosity as extreme or obsessive Does your commitment to a religious leader or institution take precedence over your children or other family relationships Does religion isolate you from outside friends and activities Do you use religion as an excuse when you are abusive to friends or family members Are your religious contributions financially imprudent Do you feel irritated and act defensive when someone questions your religion Psycho-Social Benefits To make matters even more complex, a set of beliefs can be false without being either toxic or addictive, and in some situation false beliefs may even be adaptive.

I am now 50, and I consider religion to be an imposed addiction — no different than holding a baby and shooting it up with small doses of heroin, increasing the doses as the baby grows."In recent decades, the idea of recovery from religion has taken root." — A former believerTo a medical researcher, the word addiction has a specific biological meaning.’ I’m still recovering from it. Many draw on the language and strategies of other recovery programs. The generations that entered into religion did so to escape alcoholism and other addictions (though it wasn’t called addiction back then). Recovery websites provide platforms for sharing stories, like exChristian.Recognising this, humanist and atheist groups have begun experimenting with how to create secular churches and humanist assemblies — communities that lack supernatural beliefs but that nonetheless meet regularly to channel wonder, provide mutual support, talk about deep values and inspire service.Blogger and former Christian Sandra Kee looks back at her family history and sees religion and addiction as a messy tangle: "My family for several generations was in a dysfunctional and addictive religious life, using God (or what we believed about God) as a drug."Former Mormon Brandon Olson is even more emphatic: "Karl Marx said it right, ‘Religion is the opiate of the masses.net, or offer support and help, like RecoveringfromReligion. In the future, secular spiritual communities of this type may ease the transition for people leaving a religion that feels unhealthy or addictive, or that no longer fits for other reasons.

These experimental communities are exploring how to keep some of the best of religion without supernaturalism and without the other parts that can lead religion to feel harmful. It took me until I was 40 to speak up and revoke my LDS cult membership. "I quit believing in a God when I was a teenager, but I was afraid of hell/damnation until I was about 35..Based on this definition some religious experiences seem a lot like addictions — at least that’s what former believers say. Part of my recovery is helping others get free," says Olson. Cord Rosary Suppliers Also, research suggests that participation in some forms of religious community or spiritual practices like meditation may have benefits independent of any truth-value in the community’s distinctive claims.Addiction aside, the bigger question may be whether a specific set of religious beliefs or practices contribute to well-being or harm "I’ve never been happier since I quit my 30-year addiction to Jesus. Many who remained in religion developed additional addictions as well. Many of the family who left religion simply traded for another addiction.