God personal nature of God, with early references to his name as Krishna-Vasudeva in Bhagavata or later Vishnu and Hari. Ahura Mazda is the name for God used in Zoroastrianism. "Mazda", or rather the Avestan stem-form "Mazdā-", nominative "Mazdå", reflects Proto-Iranian "*Mazdāh (female)". It is generally taken to be the proper name of the spirit, and like its Sanskrit cognate "medhā", means "intelligence" or "wisdom". Both the Avestan and Sanskrit words reflect Proto-Indo-Iranian "*mazdhā-", from Proto-Indo-European mn̩sdʰeh, literally meaning "placing ("dʰeh") one's mind ("*mn̩-s")", hence "wise". Waheguru (') is a term most often used in Sikhism to refer to God. It
Is Religion Dangerous? surveys suggesting a strong link between faith and altruism. He cites extensive studies to show that there is little or no evidence that religion ever causes mental disorders, and that overall religion is a positive contributor to mental health. He specifically addresses and rebuts the claim that religious belief is a delusion. He quotes the definition in the "Oxford Companion to Mind" as "a fixed, idiosyncratic belief, unusual in the culture to which the person belongs" suggesting that "most great philosophers have believed in God", and that the many religious people who exhibit a high degree of rational ability "...