Nature too can provide order, escape, and evidence of God's existence. Yet not all who seek spiritual solace through these means find it, due in part to feelings of depression and past experiences with religion. Issues of responsibility also press forcefully through these narratives. Given prior moral and religious beliefs, individuals have a strong need to feel innocent. Most come to see God not as punishing but as forgiving and providing strength.
Spirituality also assuages guilt about the past.
Many also seek to hold others partly accountable for the infection or its consequences. Spirituality and morality help to address issues of responsibility and fate, and offer hope. Robert Klitzman is assistant professor of clincial psychiatry at Columbia University. This is his third book .