Religion and Spirituality in Psychiatry

356 Philippe Huguelet and Harold G. Koenigplace to begin. God is fundamentally supposedto be non-coercive with respect to the humanwill; God entices us by attraction rather than bypushing us from behind. The human capacity tochoose God’s will naturally implies the freedomto choose against God’s will as well. Christian traditioncalls the act of choosing against God’s willsin and suggests that it is sin that is the cause ofvarious forms of suffering. Thus, suffering is oneof the most obvious effects of sin, not in the sensethat God punishes sinners by making them suffer,but in the sense that sin is in a variety of ways itsown punishment. In other words, the natural consequencesof sin result in suffering and pain, notin the full and flourishing life that God intended.4. THE BIBLEThe Bible is composed of many individual bookswritten by men whom Jews and Christians believewere divinely inspired. Judaism and Christianityare Bible-based religions and neither could havesurvived by oral tradition alone. The Bible is themost globally influential and widely read bookever written. Thus, being such a vast and complicatedbook, it is important to provide clinicianswith insight into these writings that are likely toinfluence their patients.Many religions (including those based onthe Bible) may use sin and guilt as methods thatinfluence their members’ behavior, as well asthe way that symptoms of psychiatric illness areexpressed.The Judeo-Christian tradition has been asignificant force in defining the “natural” roleof Western women. Unfortunately, the Biblewas written and edited over the course of morethan a thousand years in a largely male-dominatedsociety so that no consistent feminine“model” emerges (except figures such as Debraand Ruth in the Old Testament, and Mary inthe New Testament). Overall, women in the OldTestament were valued primarily as mothers, aswas typical in Middle Eastern society in the secondmillennium BC. Some negative portrayals ofwomen, described as a man’s possession whoserole was to be silent or described as the seductiveand manipulative person are found throughoutthe “wisdom” literature of the Hebrews. Suchscriptures have been used by men to rationalizeabusive behavior, even in Western countries.This chapter also discusses homosexuality,an issue that divides societies and families. TheBook of Levitical Laws, as well as other scriptures,condemns homosexual behavior. Christians arenot obligated to follow these laws, yet many continueto condemn homosexuality (based on thewritings of the Apostle Paul), even though mostpsychiatrists no longer consider it to be a mentaldisorder.The history of Christian religious healing isreviewed and demonstrates that sick individualswho participate in religious rituals may feel betterpsychologically and physically, at least temporarily.However, some self-serving Christian healerscan also be viewed as charlatans. Due to its complexity,the Bible can often be interpreted to suitmany purposes by those who wish to justify theiractions or manipulate the actions of others forpersonal gain. Nevertheless, the mentally ill oftenread the Bible to reaffirm their faith in a God whopersonally cares for them and is always presentfor them. In their reading, they may discover apassage that relates to their experiences and hasspecial meaning to them that helps them to continueliving and enables them to function.5. NEUROPSYCHIATRYEmotions, thoughts, and behaviors have theirorigin in the brain. Besides questions about therelationship of the soul to the brain, it is importantto know what neuroscientists have discoveredabout religion.For example, brain-imaging studies haveshown that regions of the brain associated withmystical and spiritual experiences are located inthe frontal and temporal lobes. However, suchresearch is not always consistent, and reportsmay differ depending on the particular researchgroup reporting.Neurotransmitters are chemicals that relaymessages between the neurons in the brainacross a gap called a synapse. Some benefits of