Religion and Religiosity: The Double-Edged Power of Community by Stephen Wise

Religion brings individuals across the globe together by common belief, affording them comfort and belonging. It solidifies ties, forms identity, and gives purpose, creating a comforting community essential to well-being.

Belonging's Power

Faith communities provide essential assistance during crises, delivering emotional support, practical assistance, and stability, and reducing isolation and enhancing resilience.

Religious communities flourish on mutual living, providing solace in disaster, healing for the ailing, and aid in grief or dependency. Their rituals provide order, identity, and a sense of belonging.

Faith and Strength

Religiosity enriches the person. Prayer and observance create patience, forgiveness, gratitude, and hope, important components of emotional intelligence and happiness.

All religions emphasize altruism, compassion, and fairness, which promote community. Adopting these values produces a valued, caring environment.

When Community Ensnared You, Community support can be restrictive. Authoritarian religion can inhibit liberty, repress dissent, and impose conformity at the expense of well-being.

LGBTQ+ people can be rejected by non-affirming religious communities. Women tend to have few or no leadership positions. People with mental illness might be advised to “pray it away” rather than receive proper assistance. Those communities can cause distress and isolation.

Applying fear or guilt to enforce norms is damaging to individuals. Religious groups might suffer from groupthink and abuse power. When the group prevails over individual rights, religion's role as a protector shifts to being coercive.

Faith and Freedom Together

The dilemma is balance. Churches need to respect tradition and individuality. Members and pastors need to know when community standards improve or worsen life.

Healthy faith communities welcome change, reflection, and diversity. They understand that spiritual growth is more than obedience, and health is more than salvation and independence. Summary: Religion creates strong, inclusive communities that support meaning and belonging. In a world that is divided, religious communities must be champions of empathy, justice, and human dignity. 

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