Learned Helplessness and Religion

[Heyo]

Greetings,

as an introduction I like to offer a video that explains what learned helplessness is and gives some examples. If you already know what learned helplessness is, it isn't important to watch the video.

Now to the point: are religions using learned helplessness to keep their flock in the fold?

1. Especially messianic religions tell their believers that they need a redeemer. "Nobody gets to the Father but through me." This telling someone you are powerless, you can't make it on your own, you are dependent.

2. Believe in miracles. Believing in miracles is a typical symptom of learned helplessness. The hope that somehow the natural laws will be suspended to help you achieve what you think you can't do within the laws of nature.

3. Fatalism. Fatalism and/or determinism ("gods will will be done") is prevalent among the religious. (Though determinism also occurs in scientists.)

4. Promoting obedience. At least in the Abrahamic religions obedience is one of the highest values and disobedience the worst sin.

5. No (or limited) responsibility. Sinful human nature, weakness of the flesh and "the devil made me do it" are excuses for people who think they have no agency.

Some counter-religions, like Satanism, pick exactly on this. They proclaim their followers to be free agents with full responsibility.


Have you been told that you are helpless?

Do you think you are helpless?

 

[Spirit of Light]

Greetings,

as an introduction I like to offer a video that explains what learned helplessness is and gives some examples. If you already know what learned helplessness is, it isn't important to watch the video.

Now to the point: are religions using learned helplessness to keep their flock in the fold?

1. Especially messianic religions tell their believers that they need a redeemer. "Nobody gets to the Father but through me." This telling someone you are powerless, you can't make it on your own, you are dependent.

2. Believe in miracles. Believing in miracles is a typical symptom of learned helplessness. The hope that somehow the natural laws will be suspended to help you achieve what you think you can't do within the laws of nature.

3. Fatalism. Fatalism and/or determinism ("gods will will be done") is prevalent among the religious. (Though determinism also occurs in scientists.)

4. Promoting obedience. At least in the Abrahamic religions obedience is one of the highest values and disobedience the worst sin.

5. No (or limited) responsibility. Sinful human nature, weakness of the flesh and "the devil made me do it" are excuses for people who think they have no agency.

Some counter-religions, like Satanism, pick exactly on this. They proclaim their followers to be free agents with full responsibility.


Have you been told that you are helpless?

Do you think you are helpless?

I believe it means "Help your self, through the teaching" to listen and learn, then change one own being according to the teaching.
Not to just say "all my sins are taken, so I can do as I wish"

 

[Estro Felino]

Very insightful.
It deals with free will deniers.
Because if you deny free will, you obviously need a redeemer.


Free will exists. And it produces a victim-perpetrator cycle. Which can be avoided because Schopenhauer wrote so much about how free will is a double hedge sword, and it should be used wisely.
Schopenhauer added that it is possible to control our own free will (noluntas).


So...the psychological mechanism that denies free will, designs a helpless world, where men are basically unconscious and unaware.

 

[DharmaCatLamp]

Greetings,

as an introduction I like to offer a video that explains what learned helplessness is and gives some examples. If you already know what learned helplessness is, it isn't important to watch the video.

Now to the point: are religions using learned helplessness to keep their flock in the fold?

1. Especially messianic religions tell their believers that they need a redeemer. "Nobody gets to the Father but through me." This telling someone you are powerless, you can't make it on your own, you are dependent.

2. Believe in miracles. Believing in miracles is a typical symptom of learned helplessness. The hope that somehow the natural laws will be suspended to help you achieve what you think you can't do within the laws of nature.

3. Fatalism. Fatalism and/or determinism ("gods will will be done") is prevalent among the religious. (Though determinism also occurs in scientists.)

4. Promoting obedience. At least in the Abrahamic religions obedience is one of the highest values and disobedience the worst sin.

5. No (or limited) responsibility. Sinful human nature, weakness of the flesh and "the devil made me do it" are excuses for people who think they have no agency.

Some counter-religions, like Satanism, pick exactly on this. They proclaim their followers to be free agents with full responsibility.


Have you been told that you are helpless?

Do you think you are helpless?

Part of the reason I am more interested in Dharmic religions and Taoism is because they have much more to do with us working towards something rather than just believing something. You get to be the one to practice and grow as a person, you get to try and figure things out. You can take a guru or a teacher if you want or you can try to figure it out. Especially in modern times you have mountains and mountains of texts, videos, articles etc that you can go through. You have practices you can test out for yourself.

In Hinduism you can open yourself up to god and maintain that devotional love or you can focus on knowledge and understanding.

I remember my time as a Muslim and how I constantly felt like I was under the gun while trying to serve Allah. I felt like I was constantly having to change behavior and constantly having to try and earn forgiveness. I felt like obedience to the Quran and the Hadith were the only line I had and that if I messed up even a tiny bit I was in big trouble. This added to the fact I discovered I wasn't straight didn't exactly help things.

After 4 years of that I just gave up on it. It didn't make sense and for a bit I became an antitheist. However I have found it in my nature to search out God and religion on way or another. Don't get me wrong part of the problem was the version of Islam I was practicing and I think people can have different religious traditions without it being exactly like my experience.

I've met numerous people who use God and religion as a crutch rather than as a friend / tools to better themselves. I think some people want to curl up in the blanket and I can't entirely blame them but let me tell you that when you learn to stand up it starts to feel a whole heck of a lot better than laying down.

 

[Secret Chief]

Have you been told that you are helpless?

No, but then I don't think the points you make are a part of my beliefs.

 

[Stevicus]

Greetings,

as an introduction I like to offer a video that explains what learned helplessness is and gives some examples. If you already know what learned helplessness is, it isn't important to watch the video.

Now to the point: are religions using learned helplessness to keep their flock in the fold?

1. Especially messianic religions tell their believers that they need a redeemer. "Nobody gets to the Father but through me." This telling someone you are powerless, you can't make it on your own, you are dependent.

2. Believe in miracles. Believing in miracles is a typical symptom of learned helplessness. The hope that somehow the natural laws will be suspended to help you achieve what you think you can't do within the laws of nature.

3. Fatalism. Fatalism and/or determinism ("gods will will be done") is prevalent among the religious. (Though determinism also occurs in scientists.)

4. Promoting obedience. At least in the Abrahamic religions obedience is one of the highest values and disobedience the worst sin.

5. No (or limited) responsibility. Sinful human nature, weakness of the flesh and "the devil made me do it" are excuses for people who think they have no agency.

Some counter-religions, like Satanism, pick exactly on this. They proclaim their followers to be free agents with full responsibility.


Have you been told that you are helpless?

Do you think you are helpless?

Good topic. I think popular culture has mixed messages regarding this, much of it influenced by religion, but also by the need for an obedient, conformist populace. I'm not sure if religion is the primary culprit in learned helplessness, though. There may be other factors involved.

For example, I look back at my grandparents' generation. They came from families where they were 1 of 13 or 14 children and everyone had to pull their own weight. They were out of school and working by age 12 or 13. They had to do for themselves and work hard at a young age, mainly out of necessity. Religion taught them to be obedient and respectful of authority, but not helpless.

One can contrast that with today's helicopter parents, who might only have 1 or 2 children (as opposed to 14 or 15) and want to keep them safe and warm and bottle-fed until they're 21. It's also reflected in the drinking age of 21 and other age-restricted laws relating to marriage, work, school, driving a car, and many other things which are a kind of imposed helplessness which children learn from a very young age.

It would also appear to be an extremely unnatural condition, considering how teenagers start to buck up against such restrictions when they get to that age. Nature says they're ready to go out on their own, but the law and their parents won't let them - not until they're 18 (or 21, to be able to have all the privileges of adulthood).

 

[Twilight Hue]

Greetings,

as an introduction I like to offer a video that explains what learned helplessness is and gives some examples. If you already know what learned helplessness is, it isn't important to watch the video.

Now to the point: are religions using learned helplessness to keep their flock in the fold?

1. Especially messianic religions tell their believers that they need a redeemer. "Nobody gets to the Father but through me." This telling someone you are powerless, you can't make it on your own, you are dependent.

2. Believe in miracles. Believing in miracles is a typical symptom of learned helplessness. The hope that somehow the natural laws will be suspended to help you achieve what you think you can't do within the laws of nature.

3. Fatalism. Fatalism and/or determinism ("gods will will be done") is prevalent among the religious. (Though determinism also occurs in scientists.)

4. Promoting obedience. At least in the Abrahamic religions obedience is one of the highest values and disobedience the worst sin.

5. No (or limited) responsibility. Sinful human nature, weakness of the flesh and "the devil made me do it" are excuses for people who think they have no agency.

Some counter-religions, like Satanism, pick exactly on this. They proclaim their followers to be free agents with full responsibility.


Have you been told that you are helpless?

Do you think you are helpless?

Nope.

I feel helpless emotionally, but in reality there's always a venue that one can take. There's something to be said for self sufficiency and the drive that goes with it.

 

[wellwisher]

Very insightful.
It deals with free will deniers.
Because if you deny free will, you obviously need a redeemer.


Free will exists. And it produces a victim-perpetrator cycle. Which can be avoided because Schopenhauer wrote so much about how free will is a double hedge sword, and it should be used wisely.
Schopenhauer added that it is possible to control our own free will (noluntas).


So...the psychological mechanism that denies free will, designs a helpless world, where men are basically unconscious and unaware.

That is only half the story. Free will can also allow one to choose to be passive and submissive to an otherwise dynamic situations. If you willfully choice to be passive and submissive to teachers, instead of being contrary, one can learn easier from people who know more than you. If your will and choice is based on thinking contrary to adults, it will harder to learn from others who know more than you. Being submissive to God, by choice, takes will power, since it may be contrary to one's nature and the superego of culture, which demands it own submission.

There are things called repression and sublimation, where you willfully repress an urge. This builds up a dam, where neural potential collects. You then willfully help to preprogram the original urge; pathways, with something more advanced; new pathway.

This process will look passive to the extroverted outsider, since the person appears stationary and is not running around to be seen on stage in an extroverted way. But it is very active, on the inside, where the programming of the brain dwells.

Jesus would tell people to love their enemy. If you hate your enemy this causes dynamics that appear willful since it can be seen from the outside. Love your enemy is harder to do, yet it may not appear like one is doing anything, but being passive. Those who hate on cue; racism, use a repeatable subroutine, while those who learn to love their enemy, gradually will rewrite these circuits.

Many religions are strict with sex outside of marriage. Sex is a natural and instinctive urge that does not require will power. To repress this urge for sublimation takes will power. The choice to remain a virgin, may seem passive, since there is no dynamics of sex, but internally it requires a constant output of will power since this instinct runs very deep and the potential to act is always strong. Atheist culture tells you to go with the urge, since this is more willful? Things are backwards.

The go with it choice, has led to an even expanding social programs to deal with those who do not use will. These expenses are less with those who practice religions, due to willful sublimations. Free enterprise requires will power, since anything can happen, so one needs the ability to adjust via will. If you are deterministic linear and change occurs, one will not be effective in a free market. The political Left does not like the free market, due to less will power and more deterministic compulsion. driven by the superego of their leadership. Greed is not allowed by religion since this can get linear.

 

[Estro Felino]

That is only half the story. Free will can also allow one to choose to be passive and submissive to an otherwise dynamic situations. If you willfully choice to be passive and submissive to teachers, instead of being contrary, one can learn easier from people who know more than you. If your will and choice is based on thinking contrary to adults, it will harder to learn from others who know more than you. Being submissive to God, by choice, takes will power, since it may be contrary to one's nature and the superego of culture, which demands it own submission.

There are things called repression and sublimation, where you willfully repress an urge. This builds up a dam, where neural potential collects. You then willfully help to preprogram the original urge; pathways, with something more advanced; new pathway.

This process will look passive to the extroverted outsider, since the person appears stationary and is not running around to be seen on stage in an extroverted way. But it is very active, on the inside, where the programming of the brain dwells.

Jesus would tell people to love their enemy. If you hate your enemy this causes dynamics that appear willful since it can be seen from the outside. Love your enemy is harder to do, yet it may not appear like one is doing anything, but being passive. Those who hate on cue; racism, use a repeatable subroutine, while those who learn to love their enemy, gradually will rewrite these circuits.

Many religions are strict with sex outside of marriage. Sex is a natural and instinctive urge that does not require will power. To repress this urge for sublimation takes will power. The choice to remain a virgin, may seem passive, since there is no dynamics of sex, but internally it requires a constant output of will power since this instinct runs very deep and the potential to act is always strong. Atheist culture tells you to go with the urge, since this is more willful? Things are backwards.

The go with it choice, has led to an even expanding social programs to deal with those who do not use will. These expenses are less with those who practice religions, due to willful sublimations. Free enterprise requires will power, since anything can happen, so one needs the ability to adjust via will. If you are deterministic linear and change occurs, one will not be effective in a free market. The political Left does not like the free market, due to less will power and more deterministic compulsion. driven by the superego of their leadership. Greed is not allowed by religion since this can get linear.

Both attitudes are required. To know how to use our willpower to be assertive, effective and so on.

And the will not to take those decisions that might harm you and others.

 

[Balthazzar]

Greetings,

as an introduction I like to offer a video that explains what learned helplessness is and gives some examples. If you already know what learned helplessness is, it isn't important to watch the video.

Now to the point: are religions using learned helplessness to keep their flock in the fold?

1. Especially messianic religions tell their believers that they need a redeemer. "Nobody gets to the Father but through me." This telling someone you are powerless, you can't make it on your own, you are dependent.

2. Believe in miracles. Believing in miracles is a typical symptom of learned helplessness. The hope that somehow the natural laws will be suspended to help you achieve what you think you can't do within the laws of nature.

3. Fatalism. Fatalism and/or determinism ("gods will will be done") is prevalent among the religious. (Though determinism also occurs in scientists.)

4. Promoting obedience. At least in the Abrahamic religions obedience is one of the highest values and disobedience the worst sin.

5. No (or limited) responsibility. Sinful human nature, weakness of the flesh and "the devil made me do it" are excuses for people who think they have no agency.

Some counter-religions, like Satanism, pick exactly on this. They proclaim their followers to be free agents with full responsibility.


Have you been told that you are helpless?

Do you think you are helpless?

I think in some circles maybe, but typically speaking, those with religious affiliations are more so inclined to active betterment than helplessness. Sure, some teach an afterlife, but that doesn't equate to instilling helplessness. Determinism? Depending on how you view it, it is more relevant than not, given we are all subject to our environments. Our choices are determined by our realities. Miracles could be viewed as a moment of awe. Perspectives change - Attitudes, I would think, determine how we understand things.

 

[Heyo]

I think in some circles maybe, but typically speaking, those with religious affiliations are more so inclined to active betterment than helplessness.

What makes you think so? Do you know of statistics that lead in that direction or do you propose a mechanism, based on religious practice?

 

[Balthazzar]

What makes you think so? Do you know of statistics that lead in that direction or do you propose a mechanism, based on religious practice?

Based on charitable efforts alone. It's not so much religious practice as it is an effort in societal betterment.

 

[Heyo]

Based on charitable efforts alone. It's not so much religious practice as it is an effort in societal betterment.

And how many initiate charitable efforts?

 

[Balthazzar]

And how many initiate charitable efforts?

Exactly the amount who do. It's like asking how many still believe Santa comes down the chimney to deliver gifts. Social betterment is less a charitable act and more so an act of civil humanities, but then the term charity is applied to humanistic efforts for social betterment.