BPD and Religion
Hi, I'm new here, but I noticed an article in the Advice section that explains how religion can help mental health? I was consistent for a while, trying to look into paganism. I kind of lost the spark to believe since my parents passed. I've looked at a bunch of different religions and not quite sure what the right path is. My mom made it so I could choose whatever religion I wanted by not baptizing me. Main question is, has a specific religion helped anyone here feel better mental health and physical health wise???
I want to try to believe again, if it can help!
@GreenScarab
Hi, welcome to 7 Cups!
I haven't really explored paganism, but it feels really beautiful and reverent from what I've seen of it. 💜 I don't consider myself to be religious nowadays but in the past I explored different religions and I've personally gotten a lot of benefit from a few different religions. Just sharing my own personal associations or what I feel has stuck with me.
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Taoism: things are allowed to do what they need to do, everything is naturally going where it wants, it's okay to allow things to go where they want, I don't have to do anything, extreme things are still natural things doing what they want to do, everything is allowed to exist
- Christianity: nothing belongs to me, it's okay to surrender, it's okay to lose myself, it's okay to be sad, it's okay to be gentle, it's beautiful to be vulnerable; there is something more powerful than me that is part of me but isn't me and isn't within my control and usually it knows better than me what is best
- Buddhism: everything is disintegrating, nothing really exists because everything depends on temporary conditions, everything is imperfect, words stop working if you push them hard enough or expect them to do things they can't do; but there is still experience when words drop away, there is still change and evolution over time, actions still matter insofar as they are embedded in a huge causal web of interdependence, and there are still patterns where certain types of actions tend to lead to happiness or suffering
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Hinduism: there are an infinite number of viable paths to the same truth, the best path is the one that is adapted to a specific person's needs and strengths, there are different dimensions of well-being and it is possible to construct systems that comprehensively address all of those different needs, all systems aiming at perfection just involve refining and accelerating natural processes that are already happening, body and mind are intimately connected, physical practices that manipulate the body and its vital energy indirectly affect the mind