im gonna have to face it im addicted to god,

*warning large amounts of speculation coming up*

could the joy of god that christians feel be nothing more than an addiction to natural bodily chemicals such as endorphins and dopamine.

its been shown that dopamine can be learning based reward drug. could the constant learning via the church and bible lead to a constant stream of this drug being released?
endorphines cause many an athelete or average guy at the gym become addicted to working out, this got me thinking about the churches where people are encouraged to dance, sing and physically worship.
being part of something social and sharing a collective goal and community spirit are also things that would release happiness drugs in to the system and also play a major part of controlling the human mind. many people have become parts of huge and small organization because of the feeling being "part" of something makes us feel.

so if we add all these things together would it give a person a huge feeling of joy and well being?

*slightly offensive bit - christians look away*

like an addict in denial, would a christian argue black is white, up is down or anything so they do not have their drug taken away.

Originally posted by stellspalfie
*warning large amounts of speculation coming

like an addict in denial, would a christian argue black is white, up is down or anything so they do not have their drug taken away.

They should'nt feel bad a great man once said "Religion is the opiate of the masses"

Originally posted by stellspalfie
*warning large amounts of speculation coming up*

could the joy of god that christians feel be nothing more than an addiction to natural bodily chemicals such as endorphins and dopamine.

its been shown that dopamine can be learning based reward drug. could the constant learning via the church and bible lead to a constant stream of this drug being r ...[text shortened]... istian argue black is white, up is down or anything so they do not have their drug taken away.

what about all those guys that go around with itchy boxer shorts made out of jaggy nettles and beat themselves with stuff, what endorphins are they releasing?

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
what about all those guys that go around with itchy boxer shorts made out of jaggy nettles and beat themselves with stuff, what endorphins are they releasing?

I think you may have fallen in with a bad bunch, but there are endorphins produced by the body to deal with pain; long distance runners speak of an 'endorphin high'.

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
what about all those guys that go around with itchy boxer shorts made out of jaggy nettles and beat themselves with stuff, what endorphins are they releasing?

dopamine is also released during pain. which is why there are so many activities that involve pain that some people enjoy.
if you throw some of the x-rated pain activities into the mix with the examples from my op what do you get?.......opus dei!

Originally posted by kevcvs57
I think you may have fallen in with a bad bunch, but there are endorphins produced by the body to deal with pain; long distance runners speak of an 'endorphin high'.

mmm, then surely one would be more advised to go for a jog than self flagellate.

Originally posted by stellspalfie
dopamine is also released during pain. which is why there are so many activities that involve pain that some people enjoy.
if you throw some of the x-rated pain activities into the mix with the examples from my op what do you get?.......opus dei!

have you never seen the Shia festival of Muharram? eweeee!

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
have you never seen the Shia festival of Muharram? eweeee!

nothing that doesnt happen in soho after parliment closes for the night.

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
mmm, then surely one would be more advised to go for a jog than self flagellate.

Or both; get a friend to ride alongside on a bike in case yer arms get tired, but if the police pull you both over do not pretend you've never seen them before in your life because that was'nt funny at all.

Originally posted by stellspalfie
*warning large amounts of speculation coming up*

could the joy of god that christians feel be nothing more than an addiction to natural bodily chemicals such as endorphins and dopamine.

its been shown that dopamine can be learning based reward drug. could the constant learning via the church and bible lead to a constant stream of this drug being r ...[text shortened]... istian argue black is white, up is down or anything so they do not have their drug taken away.

I will be interested in knowing what poison you had loaded up yourself before writing a bilious post making fun of people who enjoy being close to God ! Surely this happiness is harmless compared to any other pursuit which purchases happiness at the cost of pain to others e.g noisy drunken and drug orgies etc.

Originally posted by rvsakhadeo
I will be interested in knowing what poison you had loaded up yourself before writing a bilious post making fun of people who enjoy being close to God ! Surely this happiness is harmless compared to any other pursuit which purchases happiness at the cost of pain to others e.g noisy drunken and drug orgies etc.

I would say to all people of religion you have judged, so you will be judged; deal with it.

Originally posted by stellspalfie
*warning large amounts of speculation coming up*

could the joy of god that christians feel be nothing more than an addiction to natural bodily chemicals such as endorphins and dopamine.

its been shown that dopamine can be learning based reward drug. could the constant learning via the church and bible lead to a constant stream of this drug being r ...[text shortened]... istian argue black is white, up is down or anything so they do not have their drug taken away.

All I know is that I'm getting the shakes. Quick, find me a Bible and a prayer cloth!!

Ah!!! Now I feel better.

Originally posted by rvsakhadeo
I will be interested in knowing what poison you had loaded up yourself before writing a bilious post making fun of people who enjoy being close to God ! Surely this happiness is harmless compared to any other pursuit which purchases happiness at the cost of pain to others e.g noisy drunken and drug orgies etc.

what poison was i loaded up on? well i wrote it just after lunch so i probably had a meal deal from the supermarket, i normally have the tuna, sweetcorn and heroin baguette with crisps and a bottle of whisky, £3.99, bargain!!!!

in what way do you feel i was making fun?
are you suggesting that because i wrote something you disagree with that i must be drunk or taking drugs? or were you suggesting that my thoughts were poisoned?
are you also saying that activity of worshiping god doesnt release dopamine?

Originally posted by stellspalfie
what poison was i loaded up on? well i wrote it just after lunch so i probably had a meal deal from the supermarket, i normally have the tuna, sweetcorn and heroin baguette with crisps and a bottle of whisky, £3.99, bargain!!!!

in what way do you feel i was making fun?
are you suggesting that because i wrote something you disagree with that i must b ...[text shortened]... ts were poisoned?
are you also saying that activity of worshiping god doesnt release dopamine?

Meh.

You sound a little jealous if you ask me.

So why not try it? Just roll up those sleeves, get on your knees and take a shot of them there drugs. If you don't like it you can come back to these forums and try to detox.

Originally posted by stellspalfie
*warning large amounts of speculation coming up*

could the joy of god that christians feel be nothing more than an addiction to natural bodily chemicals such as endorphins and dopamine.

its been shown that dopamine can be learning based reward drug. could the constant learning via the church and bible lead to a constant stream of this drug being r ...[text shortened]... istian argue black is white, up is down or anything so they do not have their drug taken away.

Interesting explanation for an observed phenomenon. Perhaps area of further scientific study? Here's part of an article I found online...I can't speak for its credibility (or lack thereof)...apparently this was an experiment conducted by one Andrew Newberg, director of the Center for Spirituality and Belief, University of Pennsylvania.

Other recent studies looked at the brains of Tibetan Buddhists in meditation and Franciscan nuns in prayer, then compared the results to their baseline brain activity levels.
Among other changes, both groups showed decreased activity in the parts of the brain that have to do with sense of self and spatial orientation — which suggests the description of oneness with God, of transcendence sometimes experienced in meditation or prayer.
Prayer and meditation also increase levels of dopamine, often referred to as the brain’s pleasure hormone

Same article:

Spirituality and belief don’t have to equate to religious faith, Newberg said. The feelings of enlightenment and well-being some derive from religion can come to others through from artistic expression, nonreligious meditation, watching a beautiful sunset or listening to stirring music.