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Religion Needs to “Get Real”

Updated: Jul 17

Emotionally damaged voters will determine the next US President



More than 50 million US adults (one of out every five) suffers from mental illness. More than one out of ten American youths experience the same emotional pain. The numbers are approaching "off the charts" levels, showing notable increases over the past decade.

During that same time period religious observance has begun to plummet – across Catholicism, as well as virtually every Protestant denomination. Poll after poll reveals that a life lived in conformity with traditional religious teachings is becoming a thing of the past.


While Covid shutdowns of houses of worship certainly had an impact, the pandemic only sped up a process that had already begun. Americans are less religious in practice, belief and observance. The trend is undeniable.


Bringing together these two data sets – an increase in emotional pain, as well as a decided movement away from religion – the question needs to be asked: is one causing the other, or has a cycle begun where one decline is feeding the other?


Religion – in addition to traditionally providing moral ramparts to bind the country together (the word "religion" means to bind, or tie), also helped generate an emotionally healthy population. Priests and preachers would remind their congregations of both the worldly and next-world benefits of adhering to a good Christian life. It was routine talk from the nation's pulpits.


But then the Sexual Revolution of the 1960s happened and most preachers eventually fell silent on birth control, divorce, co-habitation, homosexuality and so forth. All of these became more acceptable, despite some initial resistance from most of the nation's churches.


But what was not taken into account by the churches was the mental and emotional health impact on growing populations – generationally – as the "free love" movement swung into high gear.


American priests and preachers have failed to recognize the disconnect people feel in their hearts from God. Free Love is certainly NOT free; it has a dramatic cost.


Suddenly, various psychological and emotional support groups began forming in the wake – the carnage of the Sexual Revolution. The effects of rape, for example (date rape or otherwise), was easily passed from mother to family, children. Emotionally- unavailable, even neurotic, parents were unable to provide the love to which their offspring had a right. Children grew into adults biologically, but remained trapped in a painful, isolated childhood which colored their whole perception of the world.


As the decades have passed, all of this emotional illness has had a multiplier effect on the culture. Individuals who find themselves emotionally-stunted, even crippled, are eschewing marriage and children ("fur babies" is a never before experienced phenomenon, for example).


Young men, who have no understanding of their masculinity, have retreated into porn and masturbation at levels that threaten the very structure of the country's moral and intellectual fiber. Children – children! – are exposed to, and quickly become frequent participators in, video pornography while their brains are still physically forming – thus creating an almost impossible trap from which to ever free themselves.


Deep, deep feelings of self-hatred, being unlovable, begin to dominate their self-image and emotional isolation becomes the rule of the day. And yet, with all this pain, this agony of so many souls, there is too often an eerie silence from Catholic and Protestant leaders.


People are leaving churches and Sunday worship because – as they say quite often – they don't get anything from it. More strict observers respond – well, that's because you don't bring anything to it. But is that a fair response?


What, for example, of the case of a person in daily emotional pain who is simply incapable emotionally of "bringing anything" to it? Wouldn't it be incumbent on the leaders (they aren't called leaders for nothing, after all) to speak to the pain, the disconnect, that individual soul is feeling that God does not love them – or is, at best, indifferent to them?


Childhood trauma has been rising rapidly – trauma that cripples and imprisons the soul, and distorts its view of God as a loving Father ("Daddy" – as Jesus called Him; Abba). Not for nothing did the Incarnate Eternal Logos come to earth and speak about healing the brokenhearted and setting prisoners free. That was not just Him checking a box to fulfill a prophecy of Isaiah – it was real and true – literally.


Perhaps people who have never experienced the interior destruction of childhood trauma can never relate to any of this in any meaningful way; they should be on their knees hourly in great, unrelenting gratitude.


But for the readers who can relate, who understand this – either from their own life experience or those they love – it is real, too real. And, until religious leaders "get real" – the future damage will be incalculable.


And, consider this fine point – in a nation incredibly divided politically, politicos are constantly yammering on about super-thin vote margins of ten or twenty thousand spread over a half dozen or so battleground states. There are literally tens of millions of voters who are emotionally crippled, whose worldview – based on their own self-view and self-identity – will be the unspoken determinants of the outcome.


An emotionally healthy population is a spiritually sound population, and vice versa, and they will vote accordingly. But, what happens to a nation when its leaders, especially religious leaders, allow those in their care to become emotionally isolated, fearful, trapped and imprisoned in their own pain?


People don't vote their wallets. They vote their hearts.


Gary Michael Voris holds a graduate degree, Cum Laude, from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. Voris earned multiple awards for 40+ years of news media experience for writing, producing, and investigative work from the Associated Press, Detroit Press Club, Michigan Broadcasters Association, as well as four news Emmys in multiple categories. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1983 with an undergraduate major in Communications and a minor in History.


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4 Comments


Cag
Cag
Apr 10

The devil lives in wounds either from serious sin or trauma (not your fault but parents, generational) according to exorcists and then you become his property which he is not willing to give up easily. God is not bought back cheaply either, so the process of obtaining complete freedom is a very difficult hill to climb such that people go back down without anyone to encourage or pray for them. But know this freedom can come suddenly, usually right after you’re tempted to fall back down! Then it’s just the ‘static’ and fine tuning ( figuring out what desires are ungodly ego driven) to feel the love, get the healing and guidance from God. This can take a lifetime …


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With the drop in the frequency of the sacrament of confession, mental illness will continue to rise at a needless pace.

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Sick parents are reaping what they have sowed. They deserve what they have.

Americans have continued to vote for/support the Two Sick political parties who have destroyed our Country for the last 50 years.

( Republican Party snd Democrat Party )

These two sick Parties support and promote sickness and mental illness.


I do feel sorry for their children.

Their children are raised with the Leaders of their Country, Presidents like Trump and Biden, Telling them that two men having sex is not only"normal" but should be celebrated.

But at the same time their religious leaders tell them it is a Grave Sin.

The Leaders of their Country tell them That men can become women and that also is "…


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The impact that Trump made on this country, just as a result of his Supreme Court picks is invaluable. That would have never happened by voting for a third party candidate. The number of babies saved speaks volumes to me. Please point out the third party candidate that is not a sinner in need of God's mercy?

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