When Religion Is an Addiction [Paperback]

Robert N. Minor (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2007

An eye-opening and hard-hitting work, When Religion Is an Addiction not only puts the political activities of the right-wing in a new perspective, but explains how liberal responses have often enabled religious addiction to thrive. Dr. Minor applies contemporary understandings of addictions to the extreme Christian right-wing in the United States and concludes that for them religion is functioning as a process addiction. Crucial to the addictiveness of such religion is its obsession with human depravity, the ultimate expression of low self-worth. The emotional "high" of righteousness functions to eliminate the addicts' sense of personal responsibility for their teachings, their actions, and their actions' painful toll on other human beings. Religious addiction, he observes, often covers sexual addictions. And the current right-wing obsession with political campaigns and victories is the even stronger fix the addiction demands to cover growing fears of failure. Too often the responses of liberals have been like those of enablers in an addict's family who through their reactions prevent the addict from hitting bottom. Arguing about religion, for example, only promotes the addiction. In the final chapter Dr. Minor reveals a non-enabling way to respond to those people for whom religion functions as an addiction.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This is strong and alarming stuff indeed, but Minor makes his case so cogently that it is hard to argue otherwise. Fortunately, he leaves us with some hope.... His thinking is brilliant, and his clear, fluid prose a pleasure to digest. --Fred Schloemer, Ed.D, The Word, June 2008

This is strong and alarming stuff indeed, but Minor makes his case so cogently that it is hard to argue otherwise. Fortunately, he leaves us with some hope.... His thinking is brilliant, and his clear, fluid prose a pleasure to digest. --Fred Schloemer, Ed.D, The Word, June 2008

This is strong and alarming stuff indeed, but Minor makes his case so cogently that it is hard to argue otherwise. Fortunately, he leaves us with some hope.... His thinking is brilliant, and his clear, fluid prose a pleasure to digest. --Fred Schloemer, Ed.D, The Word, June 2008

From the Back Cover

From When RELIGION is an ADDICTION -- The religious right-wing is on a bender, and their current drink is political. *** John Bradshaw describes the "high" someone gets from feeling righteous as similar to the high of cocaine. *** There's a recognizable difference between addictive and non-addictive religion. *** Crucial is the conservative Christian teaching that people are basically so evil and lost that they deserve eternal, unimaginably abusive punishment from someone they are told is really a loving heavenly Father. *** Religious addicts blame God for their beliefs and activities. That eliminates personal responsibility for the addiction and its results. *** Addictive religion is often used to cover sexual addiction. *** The old "nice" liberal response that's been tried again and again hasn't worked. *** Remove the addict and the addiction from the driver's seat in our society and lives, through non-codependent, non-co-addictive strategies.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 157 pages
• Publisher: HumanityWorks! (August 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0970958129
• ISBN-13: 978-0970958129
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #334,989 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A national resource for information on gender issues and gay/straight relationships for organizations, businesses, educational institutions, and media outlets such as NBC and USA Today, Robert N. Minor, Ph.D. has been speaking, consulting, and leading workshops for fifteen years.

He is Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies at the University of Kansas where he taught for thirty-three years and was the chair of the Religious Studies Department for six. A native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he received the Ph.D. in Religion from the University of Iowa in 1975 and an M.A. in Biblical Studies from Trinity Divinity School in Chicago.

He is the author of eight books. His first five were scholarly writings on his first specialty, religious thought and practice in South Asia and their relationships to culture. His current research is on gender studies and the relationships of religion, gender, and sexuality. At the University of Kansas one of his popular courses is "Religious Perspectives on Selfhood and Sexuality." 

His newest book, When Religion is an Addiction was published by HumanityWorks! in St. Louis. Previously he wrote Gay and Healthy in a Sick Society: The Minor Details published by HumanityWorks! in November, 2003, which was a Finalist for the Independent Publisher Book Award in 2004, and was named in national reviews as one of the best gay books of 2003. His Scared Straight: Why It's So Hard to Accept Gay People and Why It's So Hard to Be Human, also published by HumanityWorks! in 2002 was named a Finalist for both a Lambda Literary Award and the Independent Publisher Book Award. In little more than a month from their publication, Menstuff.org, the premier men's issues website, named each of them "Book of the Week."

Dr. Minor also writes articles including two popular columns -- one a monthly column of analysis and opinion entitled "Minor Details" on issues affecting the progressive and gay communities which is printed nationally in on-line and print publications around the country; the second, "Romance and Dating," a bimonthly column for Baby Boomers on dating, romance, and relationships for the popular website, 50PlusPrime.com.

He is the parent of a thirty-two year old son. In 1994 he was a member of the Values Panel for the Kansas City Star (the daily newspaper for Kansas City) for its award-winning "Raising Kansas City Project."

He was a member of the Communities Against Hate Crimes Task Force of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Kansas and the Diversity Advisory Committee of KCPT, the public television station for Kansas City, MO. He serves on other boards and task forces, such as the Advisory Board of the nationally acclaimed Center for Religious Experience and Study of Kansas City, the LGBT Task Force of the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas and Western Missouri, and the Organizing Committee of Kansas City Jobs with Justice as its Co-Chair.

He is past president of the Board of Directors of the Lesbian & Gay Community Center of Greater Kansas City, and currently a member of the Board of Directors of the American Men's Studies Association and President of the Board of Directors of Ecumenical Christian Ministries of the University of Kansas.

"Bob" leads workshops on gender roles, homophobia, and racism for universities, colleges, churches, businesses, government organizations, and community and religious groups throughout the US as well as workshops for non-heterosexuals on personal growth beyond "coming out" and how to be a healthy activist. He is a regular conference presenter for the NGLTF's "Creating Change " Conference, and for PFLAG, locally, regionally, and nationally. He worked closely with the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation in its Kansas City "Communities of Faith" projects. In 1999 GLAAD awarded him its Leadership Award for Education.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars abusive religion, April 10, 2008

By 

J. Craddock (Burnsville, MN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: When Religion Is an Addiction (Paperback)

Religious beliefs can serve as an important function in our lives and many people have an intense faith that inspires them to serve their individual beliefs with an expression of fervor. But, ever since I've personally experienced some very shocking and depraved religious "mob " type behavior, in my own family and community, that I've also observed taking place so prominently across the country, I've been searching for answers to understand this troubling conduct and how to deal with it.

Not only does Dr Minor give tips on how to manage around this disorder, but he very clearly explains how so many churches have actually inspired this atmosphere by turning from the traditional gathering places, that used to inspire the parishioners into moral behavior that would honor God, into places that now inspire the parishioners to honor and satisfy their own self absorbed ambitions and to serve themselves with prestige, position, power and money. Dr Minor describes these churches as "Opium Dens" that are using flashy technology to spew out audio and visual messages to heighten an "addictive high" experience because a "high"of righteousness can deliver a feeling of superiority and safety.

Performing and communicating religiously can be a very admirable thing because religion is mostly viewed as representing goodness, love, kindness, joy, peace, and love - with a promise of an elevated afterlife. That's why it is so easy, for emotionally wounded people, to hijack and then use religion as a convenient and attractive charade. It's a proven fact that nothing can anesthetize and cover up toxic shame and fear better than religion. Not only have we seen countless examples of religious and political leaders.... who have used religion to escape their own unacceptable reality and double lives, (i.e. Ted Haggard, molesting Priests....) but we can see how so many are also shamelessly using it to maximize their own profits and power.

In this excellent book Dr Minor explains how the religious right has misused and thus corrupted religion in this way and turned it into a drug they've become addicted to - all to divert their focus away from their real or imagined shameful problems onto satisfying their own insatiable selfish purposes to feel blameless, virtuous, pure, superior and especially RIGHT. He also points out how some Christian beliefs may be contributing to that fanaticism.

Christianity teaches that even though humans are created in "God's perfect image," we are still broken, depraved and flawed beyond any capacity to change anything ourselves. In other words, while taking personal responsibility is considered to be a virtue, Christianity teaches we have absolutely no "human" ability to repair ourselves. We can't feel valuable unless God loves us.

All across this country, power hungry religious leaders, who claim to speak for God, are pointing out to their gullible followers that even though God is inclined to love them, despite their awful worthlessness, the promise of forgiveness, joy, peace, love, hope, health, safety, material prosperity, mansions, BMW's, diamonds, and a perfect harmonious fellowship with God can't be achieved unless they give more money, pray longer, serve better, worship oftener, read and study the Bible harder, keep their questions quieter, follow the rules closer.... and there are always some other faults they need to over-come before they can enjoy God's favor. After all, God tells us we are living under a death sentence and deserve unimaginable abusive punishment for an unimaginable time period if we don't believe and perform correctly. In the end all this very conditional love, that is fed as the "good news,"generates the very shame that often leads to addictive behaviors. It takes a lot of energy to constantly run from a brutal and vengeful God, who can never be appeased, and from the hated incessant devil that never gives up.

Since the human body tends to adjust to an addiction, it eventually requires an ever larger dose. Just like the consumption ritual of alcohol, the religious fanatical rules, rituals and prayers also only work temporarily, so they must be repeated again and again - first weekly, then daily, then hourly, then more potent, and harsher, and more rigid, which must also be imposed onto or adopted by others.

And because addicts see themselves as victims, they must punish their victimizers, who are way more sinful and therefore preventing them from living a "perfect" life and from achieving their just rewards. (Feminists, different churches, blacks, Muslims, immigrants, Communists, socialism, liberals, Humanists, gays, science, teachers/professors, lawyers, (expect corporate lawyers) government..... and even taxes. (Except those their children and grandchildren will have to pay) They always need to find yet another paranoia and invent a new object of terror to defeat - which is why their witch hunts can never end.

Just like a typical alcoholic, pretty soon a religious addicts abilities to logically reason and view anything in more than one way becomes impaired. Their rational thoughts are suspended, and they become so self absorbed that they even believe themselves to be so holy and therefore exempt from all the rules they hold others to. Not only are they justified to break laws, but also to hurt others. This self worship is used to elevate their self-worth, keep their own horrible sense of fear, shame and failures at bay and feel better about themselves. In other words, for a religious addict, to escape those painful realities, the causes always need to become bigger and even more evil in their minds - which could be why they always seem to focus on still another sinner and another issue to direct their punishment, fear and hatred against. Since they no longer believe in their own sin, they externalize all the evil which leads them to regularly notice a twig in the eyes of others but never the log in their own.

However, Dr Minor has observed that politics has become the new more potent drug for those whose "high" from their church and prayer activities and their Bible readings and study is no longer powerful enough. He believes that the religious addict's ever increasing search for the "high of righteousness" - which has been described as equal to the high of cocaine" has led them to enter the political system in their pursuit for an even greater "fix." What could provide a more potent "rush" than the potential control of the lives in an entire nation via creating a new constitution amendment outlawing gayness, turning government into a theocracy and using the military to eventually even control the world?

This is an example of what happens when an addiction turns from a personal matter and becomes so out of hand that it negatively and illogically affects massive amounts of people all around them. History is full of such horrific events where God was turned into a weapon to control, kill and beat people down.

While religion has always been the best device to mislead and manipulate people, it's been just frightening to observe how the misuse of religion by fundamentalist churches, their media programs all the way to the Congress and the White House, has led to such ultimate corruption and betrayals. In my own opinion, their addictive behaviors have destroyed any good in their religions and instead have revealed their horrible hatred, vicious intolerance, unjust judgments, and mean spiritedness. They proclaim since they alone have the ultimate truth, they have the right to impose it on everyone else as well. This is the Christianity the religious right is posturing and representing for all the world to see and LOATH - doing incredible damage to Christianity and REAL Christians all over the world.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dont judge a book by its cover (or title)..., August 21, 2007

By 

Mad Max (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: When Religion Is an Addiction (Paperback)

First, I'd like to note that I've talked to many, many people who judge this topic before reading about it.

Not in a bad way necessarily - folks might giggle at the thought of their sister/brother/cousin, etc., who is a religious fanatic. Or, folks might scoff at the concept of religion as addiction, thinking that the author is being hyperbolic, or exaggerating a metaphor.

But this is not at all the case. In this book, the author quotes a variety of experts & demonstrates that brain physiology, social function, etc., of some religious activities can parallel other addictions such as drugs and alcohol. This is the "high" of self-righteousness.

If you're unfamiliar with this concept (called "process" addictions), you might want to take a look at some of his sources. The most accessable readings include: When Society Becomes an Addict, The Addictive Organization: Why We Overwork, Cover Up, Pick Up the Pieces, Please the Boss, and Perpetuate S, Escape from Intimacy: Untangling the ``Love'' Addictions: Sex, Romance, Relationships, & Incest and Sexual Addiction.

But the main point of this book is not really to explain the addiction - it's to point out how many of us *enable* the addiction. We might excuse it, deny it, scoff at it, overlook it, defend it... and maybe the most popular response, we try to be nice & get along with them. All of these responses actually enable the behavior, and just set up a vicious cycle of crazy-making.

The bulk of the book is about how and why this addiction has grown into public life - particularly, the political domain. This is mostly due to mainstream society who enable the addiction (primarily, the media & so-called liberals). But you will also see examples of how to stop enabling religious addicts in your own life.

So if you disagree with the premise (that religion can be an addiction), this book might change your mind. And if you agree with the premise, think again - you might actually find the book more disagreeable than you think. You might even discover that you've accidentally enabled a religious addict.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Eye-opening and hard-hitting, May 15, 2006

By 

Discriminating Reader (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: When Religion is an Addiction (Fairness Project Lecture Series) (Audio CD)

This CD will probably anger right-wing religious addicts. Addicts who are in denial -- unless they are in recovery -- don't like someone pointing out to them that they're addicted. But it is an eye-opening analysis for people who understand addictions and wonder what's wrong with the Christian right-wing. Explaining why they don't listen, are unable to understand how they hurt people, and why they are so obsessed with political victories, Dr. Minor has uncovered the keys to dealing with these people. The advice is very practical. I can't wait for his book on the subject this fall.