Positive Psychology, Scripture, and Becoming Fully Alive: Another Soul Dialogue

Nick (my imaginary friend): Ok, Greg, so far it seems like you’ve avoided the topic of positive psychology, Scripture, and becoming fully alive. Since it’s smoky this morning in Chico—the fires are taking their toll—let’s stop walking, and let me hear it all—whatever you’ve got to say. I’ll let you do most of the talking.

Greg: Let me start here this: When I was trained in the humanities starting at Cal, I learned from leading lights like Sigmund Freud that religion is an "illusion." (Today Richard Dawkins echoes this and calls religious belief a “delusion.”) 

Put in simple form: If you believe in God, you’re crazy. The stronger your belief, the crazier you are.

But here’s the weird thing: More sensible research, more scientific research—the kind backed up by quantitative and statistical analysis—leads to the opposite conclusion. By and large, religious belief leads to happier lives.

      

Four quick examples: First of all, one of the best resources for connecting faith ands science, the eSTEAM newsletter, which produced a whole issue on psychology. 

Second, the Greater Good Magazine at UCB (maybe my alma mater has learned something since I was there as an undergrad) has demonstrated the psychological benefits of forgiveness, which of course is a key teaching in Christianity.

Third, Health wrote about the “Five Surprising Health Benefits of Religion” like lower blood pressure, more life satisfaction, more resilience, healthier immune system, a longer life, 

And finally, even the HuffPo (not generally predisposed to propagating religious belief) published a piece on “Why Religion Is Linked With Better Health And Well-Being” 

You might say that, when we say yes to God, we say yes to happiness, the abundant life, and human flourishing. 

Chose one of the three for a description, but if you ask, Do I want one of these? The answer is Yes.

Nick: Ok, you’ve talked about the scientific studies. What about Scripture and human flourishing?

Greg: Just one example of many possibilities… I remember attending a conference on technology and faith where, at a lunchtime conversation, a bright, young physicist, who struck me as both articulate and ebullient, told me how she had struggled with depression. One of her problems was perseverating—thinking about the same thing over and over. The cognitive response she learned through her therapist was to let her brain saturate on positive thoughts—to  perseverate on positivity, perhaps. 

She pointed to Philippians as a beautiful expression of that work. Here’s how Eugene Peterson paraphrases a key verse:

Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.” Philippians 4:8, The Message

Nick: So there’s a way to wrap all these things together—positive psychology, Scripture, and becoming fully alive?

Greg: In a word, Yes.