The news was recently dominated by the story of Shawn Hornbeck, allegedly kidnapped by a man who held him captive for four years. He was discovered when the man kidnapped another boy who was subsequently rescued.

Many were puzzled by the fact that Shawn was reportedly given much freedom as well as access to the Internet, but reporters, knowing he had mentioned threats that his captor would use a gun, immediately mentioned the possibility that Shawn was under the influence of the Stockholm Syndrome.

This Syndrome is a survival mechanism common to many hostage situations and comes into play when a captive cannot escape and is isolated and threatened with death. It allows the victim to bond with the captor, and occurs when the following conditions are met:

- Perceived threat to survival and the belief that one's captor is willing to act on that threat.

- The captive's perception of small kindnesses from the captor within a context of terror.

- Isolation from perspectives other than those of the captor.

- Perceived inability to escape.

As I listened to news reports, I realized that these symptoms fit (and explain) another phenomenon - how people can subscribe to the terrible doctrine of damnation and still believe they are worshipping a "loving" god.

Consider the "perceived inability to escape." An essential part of the god religions is that the god is said to have the power to read one's thoughts as well as actions. God becomes the ultimate jailer. He needs no chains or material boundaries, because one can never escape this mind control.

There can be no threat worse than eternal damnation, and hell-fire preachers seem to enjoy threatening listeners with the assurance that their god is quite willing to act on that threat. Only belief and good behavior can prevent your consignment to hell.

These same preachers, however, seem to instinctively realize that small kindnesses on the part of their god help further the Stockholm Syndrome, as they assure the believer that this god can dispense happiness and wealth through prayer to those he favors.

And of course, "isolation from perspectives other than those of the captor" insures that the hostage will remain under the captor's influence. Hence many religions preach that theirs is the only correct belief system.

People often make a total investment in religion - emotionally, socially, and financially. This makes them more likely to adopt an unreasoning belief to support and justify that investment. Studies show we are more loyal and committed to something that is difficult, uncomfortable, and even humiliating, such as initiation rituals of college fraternities or Marine boot camp. These can create a strong bonding - even if the bonding is unhealthy.

The Stockholm Syndrome, first named for a hostage situation in a Swedish bank where the captives bonded with the robbers, doesn't occur in every hostage situation. In another bank robbery, a police sharpshooter shot and wounded the terrorizing bank robber. After he hit the floor, two women picked him up and physically held him up to the window for another shot.

This shows that hostages can resist establishing a psychological dependency on a captor. If my theory that god-religions represent the Stockholm Syndrome is correct, it also indicates that religionists can and should resist the idea of a god who holds them hostage.