The translators and interpreters of the Bible have a lot to answer for.

I've been told, by people who can speak Hebrew, Aramaic, etc, that the "rod" referred to in the Bible is the shepherd's crook, used for gently guiding the sheep out of danger and on to the correct path, *not* a rod used for striking.

By the way, Catholics regard both the Old Testament and the New Testament as the Bible.

It's true that religious people are more likely to be stable - and it's also true that people who go off the deep end cling desperately to religion to give themselves some balance, often coming up with odd interpretations through their distress and unreality.