In a time where it is so important to be politically correct and adhere to diversity and multiculturalism, many of us often question the essence of having faith, for fear of being controlled by religious doctrine.
The reason that this happens, is that many of us have suffered from being harmed by conservative, religious doctrine. Many members of the black community have experienced this in the form of sexual mistreatment. From being shamed about our interest in sex, to being judged about are homosexual interest, to being blamed for being sexually assaulted, when people use religion to judge others, this causes more harm then good.
But for many of us, the pain from the rejection caused by religious judgment, has left many of us faithless and alone. This is because instead of recognizing that the people delivering religious judgement are just as guilty, if not more so guilty then whatever judgment they are placing on others, we believe the messages of shame and guilt that are being placed on us and holding us back.
This is an example of misusing faith, not a definition of faith. It’s important for us to know the difference and not miss out on things that could make life more meaningful.
The importance of this message, therefore, is not to reinforce the religious judgment that may have harmed you in the past, but rather provide a resource as an outlet for you to begin thinking about the things that you might be missing if you are living a life without any faith. The faith that you choose is up to you, but living a life without any faith can cause you to live a life without many of it’s benefits.
Still not convinced that having faith has benefits???
See Below…
Faith Benefit #1
Faith teaches perseverance. If you live long enough, you will encounter moments that seem so unbearable that you just want to give up. It could be an unhealthy relationship, feeling stuck in your career, or dealing with the challenges of a toxic family dynamic. Whatever the challenge is, the disappointment associated with it is just so challenging that many people would rather quit and give up, rather than find a solution to their problems. But Faith provides an outlet because it introduces you to the concept of seeing the finished product even when the facts presented are not there. To have faith, it essentially means to believe in what you are doing. You might be still stuck in that unhealthy relationship, disappointing career, or toxic family, but having faith gives you the willpower to work through it. Without the faith, you will have nothing left. When life gets so overwhelming that you don’t know how to work through your problem, faith will see you through it.
Faith Benefit #2
Faith can help you find your purpose in life. Many people find their greatest accomplishments out of adversity. People often find that when they grow up in abusive families, they become really great parents. People who have experienced lost early on in life may later become law enforcement police officers, mental health professionals, and even life/health insurance brokers. I’ve known of adults who as kids lost parents to cancer and became doctors or kids who got teased about having crooked teeth became dentists. But when you’re in that moment of pain and loss, it’s the in your future that guides and direct you to your next level. If you use the faith of that time wisely, you will find your purpose in life.
Faith Benefit #3
Faith brings out the best in you. Giving up is easy. The one who finishes is the real hero. To finish college, you have to have faith that you will one day reach your graduation date. To get married to the love of your life, you have to have faith in true love. To come out, after being shunned for expressing homosexuality, you have to believe that being happy is better than living according to someone else’s rules. And to have a child after suffering from infertility, you have to believe in miracles. You see, a person cannot accomplish anything, unless they see themselves accomplishing it first. People who have limited vision, live their lives following the rules of others and also facing regret. But people who live by faith are more likely to truly meet their goals because they are living by the faith designed within them. They are not worried by the blueprint established by others because they’re too busy following their own faithful paths.
Faith Benefit #4
Faith exposes you to your inner power. Faith is important when you have nowhere else to go. When you have exhausted all your options and utilize every resource that you’ve known. It’s at that moment that your faith becomes bigger than ever because it shows you the potential that you have. You don’t need faith to enjoy Netflix and spend quality time with your children. You don’t need faith when you have money in your pockets, your bills are paid, or when you’re living a healthy lifestyle. You need faith when you’ve lost your job and don’t know how you’re going to pay next month’s bills; you need faith when you find out you have cancer; you need faith when your facing a legal issue and you have no idea how to navigate the legal system (and no money to hire a lawyer who does). You see, faith helps you find your inner power when you need it the most.
Faith Benefit #5
Faith teaches you compassion. If we’re really humble, you will recognize that no matter how much money, education, or resources that you have, you really are no different from the homeless or incarcerated person that you often overlook. Sometimes it’s mental illness that separates you; some of you benefit from the families that we were born into; other times it’s just opportunity that separates you. But faith teaches you to be connected to those people who are less fortunate than you, so that you could connect with them.
Faith Benefit #6
Faith helps to reduce mental health symptoms such as anxiety and depression. Most people will suffer from anxiety and depression at some point in their lives. Having faith is a useful tool because it helps you to believe in the opportunity of your ability to reduce your own symptoms. Contrary to popular belief, faith is largely associated with the science of behavioral health. Irvin D. Yalom created the term “installation of hope” which speaks to the importance of following a “path back to a sense of possibility in our lives when almost all seemed lost”. One of the most common psychotherapy techniques is cognitive behavior therapy, which speaks to the BELIEF that if you can change your thoughts, you can change your beliefs and behaviors associated with them. And therapeutic techniques which are based off of systems therapy which is used to facilitate marriage and family therapy is essential when it comes down to BELIEVING that if you can positively influence the system, individual anxiety and depressive challenges can be addressed and improved.
And the concept of psychotherapy is self is rooted in faith. What psychotherapist (even atheist ones) have probably not told you, is that they have to believe that they can support you in your goals to reduce mental health symptoms, to be effective. And faith, in case you have not realized it yet, is simply the belief in whatever it is that you’re trying to achieve.
So as you can see, faith holds a huge benefit to your quality of life. The absence of it, doesn’t mean that all hope is lost, but that your progress towards living the best life possible will likely decline.
But for many, so much damage has been done regarding the issue of faith, that faith remains a touchy subject. If the absence of faith is holding you or someone that you care about back, help is right around the corner.