In recent years, we’ve seen a rise in religious and spiritual practices in treating mental health and improving psychological well-being.
This was further proven according to a study from researchers with Baylor University, Westmont College, and Hope College. The study stated that people who consider themselves accountable to a god(s), faith, or even a spiritual higher power reported an increase in psychological wellbeing.
Whether we agree or not, humans are social creatures, and more often than not our psychological and mental health ultimately depends on positive and productive relationships.
Not only with our loved ones, friends, and families but also with the higher power we believe in.
This study focuses on theistic accountability, meaning believing in the existence of God, so when you embrace theistic accountability, you see yourself answerable to your higher power. You welcome responsibilities associated with faith, religion, and spirituality. Accounting to God helps you lead happy and positive lives, but is it always the right path?
From Religion To Responsibility: What The Study Says
The co-author of the study, Dr. Blake Kent, says, “So much of the research examines religious attendance but after confirming that church attendance was associated with our outcomes, we found that accountability to God helps explain a lot more of what is going on in that connection between religion and well-being.”
For instance, the results of this study noted that happiness varies daily compared to other outcomes and can be correlated with psychological as well as social factors that change almost daily as compared to accountability to God.
Dr. Byron Johnson, the co-author of the study, states that our religious systems can set external pressure on us to behave certainly. However, they also serve through our yearnings, moral beliefs, and religious motivation.
Simply put, our idea of psychological and mental wellbeing has turned inward. Psychological wellbeing can’t improve unless you internalize your experience. Once you turn your beliefs inward and let your accountability to God guide your ways, it can let you improve your self-awareness, improve your social connections, help cope with difficult situations, provide a structure for life, improves your sense of compassion, gratitude, or forgiveness, and learn from life’s many failures.
Is Accountability To God Always Positive?
Like all aspects of life, there are downsides to theistic accountability as well. I would like to use the term, “Blind Faith” here. While accountability to God and your faith can increase your psychological well-being, it can also act as a slow poison.
When you follow theistic accountability, you begin to (albeit unaware) live in fear. Believe it or not, religion is based on the idea of sin. It makes you believe that all humans are sinners and if they’re not purified, they will suffer in the afterlife. This fear of being condemned by your religious power can cause you to follow demands that may not be the right choice.
When you believe that you’re constantly watched by your higher power and will, one day, will be accountable to God, you begin to live in anxiety and fear. This can prevent you from living your life to the fullest. In some cases, this fear can even turn psychotic.
On other hand, theistic accountability also teaches you to behave in the best way possible aka be perfect. Trust me, no human being is perfect. But the fear of answering to God can cause you to strive for perfection. And if you fail to do so, you develop self-hatred. You begin to believe that you’re unworthy of your god’s love. This resentment towards oneself can be toxic for your mental, psychological, and emotional well-being.
Self-hatred is a slow poison. If you hate yourself, how can you love others? This kind of thinking can only lead to toxic behaviors such as violence against those who don’t share your ideologies, bigotry, prejudice, and more.
Following your religious ideologies may help you increase your inner knowledge and wisdom but it can also restrict you from growing and seeking knowledge. Religion can confine your thoughts and make you blind to factual evidence.
To blindly follow an ideology is to willingly restrict your perception, thoughts, emotions, and spontaneity.
All’s Not Lost…
While following or integrating religion (or spirituality) into your daily life and mental health treatment can have positive effects such as increased happiness, healthy self-esteem, lower anxiety, and lower depression rates, it can also confine your mind to follow a certain path, increase obsession, and behave in particular ways that, in turn, can harm your psychological well-being.
Theistic accountability or the idea that you’re accountable for your actions to God can twist your minds and thoughts into something akin to whimsical. It can cause you to turn against yourself and your loved ones.
If you believe that your religious and spiritual beliefs are harming your loved ones and are clouding your sound judgment, it is recommended that you seek professional help to prevent further challenges.
A therapist can offer guidance without supporting or rejecting your beliefs. Instead, they can help you seek treatment to define areas of doubt, identify symptoms of mental distress, and address any effects that religion is causing your mental and psychological health or well-being.
You can also connect with faith-based counseling to ease your way into therapy. Keep in mind that while religion can help guide you towards the righteous path, it can also make you stray from what is right.
Share your thoughts on how theistic accountability can affect your psychological well-being. For more, you can also connect with us on social media or drop us an email at [email protected].
Take care and stay safe!
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