Why Belief in God is the Tonic to All Pains
It was way back in time when Karl Marx stated that, “religion is the opiate of the people”. As powerful as the statement sounds, this is not just said in a metaphysical sense, but literal endurance. The interesting thing to note is that science has been able to prove through tests and studies that people who believe in God find it more bearable to endure pains of higher levels. Why? Because they are able to get over the idea of difficulty when they are focusing on the presence and power of God!
Here is what was discovered in an experiment. Oxford University researchers conducted an experiment in which 12 practicing Roman Catholics and 12 atheists were subjected electrical shocks for 12 seconds while looking at the picture of Virgin Mary. The whole time, subjects of the experiment were brain scanned and readings showed that Catholics were able to have high levels of tolerance as compared to non-believing participants. The level of pain was reduced by 12% for the believers as they were able to block out the pain due to their faith and belief system.
Virgin Mary with Blue Veil Praying
When asked about the experience, the believers explained that since they were looking at the picture of Virgin Mary they felt a sense of peace, safety, and calm even though they were in pain. Non-believers on the other hand experienced no such things when they received shocks while looking at the picture. This clearly shows that faith takes you to another level, another dimension, where people are able to let go of their fear and anxieties even when the situation seems helpless or hopeless.
This is not the first time that it has been discovered that believing people who are experiencing physical pain find it much more in their power to not only endure but to overcome that pain through the power of their faith. Studies show that cancer patients who have faith are more likely to fight with the disease and have high spirits until the end, even if the disease does end their life. Likewise, the caretakers of cancer patient are quicker to recover from the shock of their loved ones demise because they believe in God and His love for His creation. They understand that the patient is now in a better place and the loved ones will be seeing them in the afterlife.
This clearly depicts that belief in God gives a kind of assurance to the believer that all is not lost and that there is a higher entity looking out for them. It is this faith that allows people to fight for their lives and their causes, the acceptance that God will look out for them no matter what. This is the reason why religious people seem more comfortable and peaceful about their lives because they know that with prayers miracles do happen. Hence the saying that belief in God is the tonic to all kinds of pains of the world.
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