Believing that some (unproven and nonexistent) entity is going to solve all your problems
Few religious people believe anything so simplistic, and many religious believers have a much greater sense of personal responsibility and empowerment than the norm.
I'm not a religious believer, and only a few years ago I was an indignant anti-theist, but I can now easily accept that the decline of religion could be a factor in the rise in depression (having experienced much depression in my own life).
Some of the factors in religion that may reduce the propensity for depression include: a sense of meaning beyond one's self; a sense of belonging and community; a sense of the transcendent; the sense of fulfilment that comes from charity and/or service to others; having a set of stories, principles, metaphors etc that can help in working through difficult life problems.
Religion may not be for you, and the "benefits" I've suggested above may seem absurd given your own understanding or experience of religion, but please try to consider that perhaps the reason so many people still find it compelling is that there's more in it for them than there might seem from a simplistic assessment.
Few religious people believe anything so simplistic, and many religious believers have a much greater sense of personal responsibility and empowerment than the norm.
I'm not a religious believer, and only a few years ago I was an indignant anti-theist, but I can now easily accept that the decline of religion could be a factor in the rise in depression (having experienced much depression in my own life).
Some of the factors in religion that may reduce the propensity for depression include: a sense of meaning beyond one's self; a sense of belonging and community; a sense of the transcendent; the sense of fulfilment that comes from charity and/or service to others; having a set of stories, principles, metaphors etc that can help in working through difficult life problems.
Religion may not be for you, and the "benefits" I've suggested above may seem absurd given your own understanding or experience of religion, but please try to consider that perhaps the reason so many people still find it compelling is that there's more in it for them than there might seem from a simplistic assessment.