I was recently sent an article that appeared in the newspaper by a relative of mine. The article was titled "Are Spiritual People Less Stressed?". Under this guise the article went on to say that religiosity is good for mental health and companies should foster "workplace spirituality". The article cited the research conducted by Dr. Roxane Gervais that was published in the British Psychological Society (http://www.bps.org.uk/news/religious-employees-may-be-happier). My initial reaction was that of disgust and did not feel like responding to the person. But then I couldn't contain my urge to respond. But before that I did some research on the topic and the paper and did not get much credible details on the actual research done and the methods used. Below is the response I sent this person:

"It is no wonder that religion is the opium of the masses. Taking studies like these at face value and coming up with opinions is a mark of a stupid and closed mind. If you need to really be open minded, then you should really read the actual research that was conducted by Dr. Gervais who states that religious people are happy in the workplace and also read other papers that talk about how religious beliefs and practices are linked to hysteria, neurosis and psychotic delusions. If you are stating that religiosity and spirituality makes the mind impervious to sadness or anxiety etc, then yes it might be true given that it makes the mind dull and deluded. You could as well recommend a person having an anxiety attack to use drugs to pacify him. If you are really open minded enough why don't you recommend and send articles on using drugs to counter anxiety and depression. One needs to be open minded, but not so open minded that their brains fall out. I'm afraid that is what has happened to many people - their brains have fallen out! At the end of the day all this religiosity and spirituality (in the name of religion) is just falsehood, irrational and dangerous. Here are some references and critic on the study by Dr. Grevais. Dr.Grevais did the study with just 34 people (mostly women) employed in the Caribbean,. I could easily gather 34 people and publish a study that says the exact opposite. It is sad that people don't know how to evaluate an information for whether it is true, valid and meaningful. They just seem to believe whatever the newspaper prints. Before forwarding any information, check to see if it is valid, true and meaningful."

http://www.atheistnexus.org/forum/topics/it-s-helpful-to-be-religious-at...

I'd much happy to hear your views on this topic and possibly how you would have responded.