Many people around the world follow a religion, whether it is Islam, Christianity, or Judaism. With these beliefs, they apply rules, and principles from their respective religion, and apply towards their normal life. A lot of these religions have different ways of approaching things that can help you in different circumstances. In this article, I will go over how different religions help you in different ways, and the benefits of them, mostly with mental health.
Islam
Muslims follow a book called the Holy Quran. This gives the blueprint on how you need to live your life. With this, they are able to live their life, according to the guidelines set, and it helps with a lot of problems they may encounter in their lives.
The first way it can help, and this applies to all religions too, is to be spiritually strong. To feel like God is watching over you through any struggles in life, could be comforting as it aids in making you feel like you are not alone, and builds a stronger connection with God. It is also will strengthen your belief, as in Islam, it is believed that this life is a test, and therefore every struggle put before you are a test you must overcome.
Another way is to make Dua’s. This is a call out to God, in which you could pray for many things. This includes aid with your mental health. This is another way Muslims are able to seek help and refuge with their Lord.
The 5 pillars are one of the biggest goals to achieve, and it could help you in your daily life. This is because it gives you a drive, and a motivation to aim for. Every Muslim must complete all the 5 pillars of Islam, which are Shahadah (profession of faith), Zakat (charity), Salah (prayer), Hajj (pilgrimage), Ramadan (fasting). This provides a goal that must be achieved in your lifetime, and it strengthens your fate overall. You may also find a big sense of accomplishment once you have completed Hajj, and Shahadah, while consistently completing the other 3.
Christianity
For Christianity, mental health is a subject that is getting recognised a lot more. At first, mental health was something that Christians did not deem important. Being mentally ill was something they believed should not be happening unless there were certain circumstances. For example, something like possession (in its extreme form). Despite all this, there are still ways you are able to give your life ease through your beliefs.
First of all, the prayers, and reading the Bible is one of the most important ways, as praying to God increases your bond with Him, and could ease you mentally, as it means you have faith that God will help you with what you need. Also, reading the Bible will increase your knowledge about Christianity, and stories about Jesus and many others. There are many stories in the Bible that could help you, as they detail different struggles of Jesus, and the sorrows he faced. It also shows you how he overcame these struggles. This is something that could motivate you to try to fight through your mental health.
Church is another way that can help you in your life, for many reasons. Firstly, going to Church every Sunday will increase your discipline towards religion. Discipline is something that can be applied to anything else you do. It also teaches you different things, as they lecture the people on different things, and topics of the Bible, analysing different areas in detail, and offering perspective, and context. There are priests, and knowledgeable people, that can help you if you reach out to them if there are issues you are facing, and different services they provide for circumstances you may be put through.
Judaism
Mental health in Judaism is either looked at as an issue of bad luck, or a punishment from God. In terms of mental health, it is something that still needs a lot of improvements. However, Judaism can still help you mentally in life in different ways. Firstly, a mezuzah is a very good way to remind you of God. A mezuzah is something you place next to a door, and you must touch it every time you enter/leave a room. This will constantly remind you of God, as it is something you will constantly be doing throughout the day, knowingly or unknowingly. A mezuzah for Jews is a very good way to stay connected to God, as it is an effortless, and easy way to remember Him.
Another way is to attend the synagogue daily, for the 3 prayers daily. Doing this regularly increases your commitment towards God, and therefore makes you a lot more disciplined. Although, you can also pray at home, praying at a synagogue could reflect a lot more dedication towards religion.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we have seen how different religions help with mental health, and regular aspects in life.
Firstly, I went through how the 5 pillars of Islam, can give you a motive, and goal to accomplish. Also, how the use of Dua’s and prayer can help you seek guidance from God. For Christianity, I went through the benefits of the Church. Specifically, how Christians are able to make use of the many services being made in the Church. Also, how the Bible holds many answers, and can increase your knowledge and spirituality. Becoming more knowledgeable, and learning new things, is effective as it can apply to your daily life. Finally, with Judaism, I spoke about the mezuzah, and how effective it could be as it can constantly remind you of God. This will give you a constant sense of support, and a feeling that God is always there for you. Also, how praying in a synagogue can help you stay more committed towards religion.
Having belief that there is a God, is one of the most relieving things you could feel, because it means you know you are being watched over and taken care of. No matter what circumstance you are facing.