OCD and the religious function of the mind.

With OCD, one thinks incredibly black and white. Within Christianity, this could be seen as something that is considered sinful / evil and something that is considered good / righteous. In Hinduism, one must refrain from 'evil things' in order to avoid adding up negative karma, which prevents an individual from breaking the cycle of perpetual reincarnation. Within other traditions, spirits can be seen as evil or benevolent (although there are also neutral spirits depending on the tradition, such as Shintoism).

In order to 'cleanse' the evil, one would pray if they were a Christian, if they were a Hindu they would recite a mantra, or if they practiced Shintoism they would ritualistically bathe themselves. There are many different examples of this purification of "sin" or "karma" or "uncleanliness" in other religions as well - pretty much all of them.

And, both from a psychological and an anthropological perspective, there is an obvious religious function in both the psyche and culture - it is practically undeniable. Every society that has existed has been religious. This religious aspect of humanity is most prominent in the form of ritual, which is an essential aspect of human health, development, and religiosity. Ritual, from an evolutionary perspective, literally kept us alive.

However, within OCD, something has gone terribly awry. Regardless of how many times one purifies themselves through their 'rituals' (compulsions), the sin never feels forgiven. There is no trust - only doubt. In effect, we think perhaps we didn't perform the ritual 'well enough' to 'please the gods', so to speak, so we must wash our hands until they bleed, so we must neutralize the sinful thought, so we must run circles around our mind until we feel as if we have successfully rationalized the thought, or until we feel as if we are crazy.

God is never pleased with us, so to speak, so we continue to pray (compulsions) and take His silence as proof of our damnation. We take our perpetual engagement with the 'sin' - (intrusive thoughts) as proof of our inherent evilness. Surely we will be sent to Hell, surely we will forever be reincarnated as an ever-increasingly miserable version of ourselves, and surely we will die and have lived a half-assed life.

This is, of course, untrue. Not that religion is untrue, but that the cognitive framework revealed above is untrue. The real truth is that these rituals do the opposite of their suspected function, and that is they tear us farther from God, which, if you are not religious, you view under these characteristics: joy, truth, faith, and love.

OCD rituals are, in effect, always vain, because they are an attempt to pacify nothing - an attempt to appease a false god that does not exist. There is no deadly illness on your hands, you are correct about your sexual identity, you are not living in a simulation, and you did, indeed, leave the door locked. I believe this is one meaning of the warning to "not worship false gods" because they do not exist: they are nothing, a distraction keeping you from God, who is love and joy.

Consequentially, with a condition such as OCD, which is centered on doubt, the cure is trust and faith, which gives you the courage to start or continue your ERP therapy, which gives you the strength to go outside and to start living. The more you have trust and faith and live the way your OCD is preventing you from living, the more you will see your condition begin to improve, and perhaps even remission. OCD hates trust more than anything, which makes sense as it is it's greatest enemy.

I think this is one meaning of Jonah and the whale in the Bible. To put it simply, God has a great task for Jonah, an arduous one full of uncertainty and adventure. Jonah, being fearful & anxious, decides to run from God. While on a boat in the middle of the ocean, God sends a storm after Jonah. Recognizing the calamity is from God, in order to save the life of the others on the boat Jonah throws himself overboard, which calms the storm and saves the passengers. God then sends a whale to save Jonah, where he spends 3 days in his belly. From then on, Jonah abides by God and completes his quest: unlocking the true adventure of His life through faith.

The storm is your anxiety, your doubt, your fear. It's what's keeping you back. It's the OCD. The ocean is uncertainty, life, adventure, and God's calling for your life - it's your purpose. Having faith and trust in God, that he will calm the storm once you dive into that ocean and save you, will give you the strength to overcome any intrusive thought that stands in your way.