I'm sorry your grandma didn't have a more peaceful end. I suppose watching her suffer didn't give you a lot of confidence in the religion she espoused.
The anti-theist idea that perhaps religion is used as a way of avoiding reality more often than it is a way of facing it may be true. There is certainly a large group of religious folks who I would categorize as religion addicts--as in, they engage in certain behaviors/beliefs compulsively to feel better when the actual causes of their discomfort are not acknowledged or dealt with. There must also be the other group--those whose religion HELPS them to accept and deal with reality. This study doesn't suggest a prevalence of that mindset. One of the toughest realities is that of inevitable death. We all want to dodge it.
no subject
The anti-theist idea that perhaps religion is used as a way of avoiding reality more often than it is a way of facing it may be true. There is certainly a large group of religious folks who I would categorize as religion addicts--as in, they engage in certain behaviors/beliefs compulsively to feel better when the actual causes of their discomfort are not acknowledged or dealt with. There must also be the other group--those whose religion HELPS them to accept and deal with reality. This study doesn't suggest a prevalence of that mindset. One of the toughest realities is that of inevitable death. We all want to dodge it.