7 reasons why religion is a form of mental illness

[Bloomdido]

Sigh, just another extreme view filled with half truths.

And religion is a common view filled with no truths.

 

[Anti-thesisofreason]

And religion is a common view filled with no truths.

Show me that there are absolutely no truths in religion.

 

[Bloomdido]

Show me that there are absolutely no truths in religion.

Old adage, it's up to you to prove the truth, not me to prove the negative. Want me to prove that upinwaths don't exist? Religion, truth? Please tell me which religion is the true one.

 

[Anti-thesisofreason]

Old adage, it's up to you to prove the truth, not me to prove the negative. Want me to prove that upinwaths don't exist? Religion, truth? Please tell me which religion is the true one.

You made this statement: "And religion is a common view filled with no truths."

And I asked you to show me that there are no truths in religion. Obviously you can't or you would have by now. Enough said.

 

[dogsgod]

You made this statement: "And religion is a common view filled with no truths."

And I asked you to show me that there are no truths in religion. Obviously you can't or you would have by now. Enough said.

There's a simple way to settle this matter, and that is to simply prove him wrong once and for all. Just tell us a religious truth, one that a person of non faith couldn't come up with. That's all there is to it.

 

[Dunemeister]

Article by Sweet Tea​

The Southern Skeptic Fairy​

I would like to propose that religious beliefs be placed in the DSM as a category of 'mental' for the following reasons:

(1) Hallucinations - the person has invisible friends who (s)he insists are real, and to whom (s)he speaks daily, even though nobody can actually see or hear
these friends.

(2) Delusions - the patient believes that the invisible friends have magical powers to make them rich, cure cancer, bring about world peace, and will do so eventually if asked.

(3) Denial/Inability to learn - though the requests for world peace remain unanswered, even after hundreds of years, the patients persist with the praying behaviour, each time expecting different results.

(4) Inability to distinguish fantasy from reality - the beliefs are contingent upon ancient mythology being accepted as historical fact.

(5) Paranoia - the belief that anyone who does not share their supernatural concept of reality is "evil," "the devil," "an agent of Satan".

(6) Emotional abuse - ­ religious concepts such as sin, hell, cause feelings of guilt, shame, fear, and other types of emotional "baggage" which can scar the
psyche for life.

(7) Violence - many patients insist that others should share in their delusions, even to the extent of using violence.

Sorry. Didn't see this was a DIR

 

[zenzero]

Friend Bloomdido,

7 reasons why religion is a form of mental illness

Religion is just a PATH or a WAY.
Whatever PATH/WAY one follows is his/her religion.
Everyone follows some path/way.
So, from your logic everyone [human] is ill.

Best Wishes.
Love & rgds

 

[Yerda]

There's a simple way to settle this matter, and that is to simply prove him wrong once and for all. Just tell us a religious truth, one that a person of non faith couldn't come up with. That's all there is to it.

That's a bit of a hefty requirement and not entirely relevent to what was said. If people are going to come in and make grand statements then they should be expected to support them.

 

[Anti-thesisofreason]

There's a simple way to settle this matter, and that is to simply prove him wrong once and for all. Just tell us a religious truth, one that a person of non faith couldn't come up with. That's all there is to it.

Jews do not recognize Jesus as the Messiah.

Protestants do not recognize the Pope as the leader of the
Christian world.

Christians see these as truths:

The Bible is the word of God.
Jesus is God.

Buddhists see the following as truth:

Life is suffering
The origin of suffering is attachment
The cessation of suffering is attainable
The path to the cessation of suffering

I'm sure I could come up with more given time.

​

 

[Metalic Wings]

So your plan is to lock up more than three-forths of the world in an asylum?

...

Someone sounds a little power hungry. Are you sure YOU don't hear voices?

 

[Bloomdido]

So your plan is to lock up more than three-forths of the world in an asylum?

...

Someone sounds a little power hungry. Are you sure YOU don't hear voices?

The plan is to educate people out of the need for religion as it tends to be stupid people that fall for it hook, line and sinker. Thomas Moore was made a saint after he had people burned for owning their own copy of the bible. Ask yourself why.

 

[Quagmire]

Article by Sweet Tea
The Southern Skeptic Fairy​

I would like to propose that religious beliefs be placed in the DSM as a category of 'mental' for the following reasons:

(1) Hallucinations - the person has invisible friends who (s)he insists are real, and to whom (s)he speaks daily, even though nobody can actually see or hear
these friends.

So where's the hallucination?

Def: "A hallucination, in the broadest sense, is a perception in the absence of a stimulus. In a stricter sense, hallucinations are defined as perceptions in a conscious and awake state in the absence of external stimuli which have qualities of real perception, in that they are vivid, substantial, and ..."

Perception and Belief are two completely different things.
Are you proposing that most religious people actually see or hear something that isn't apparent to the rest of us?

(2) Delusions - the patient believes that the invisible friends have magical powers to make them rich, cure cancer, bring about world peace, and will do so eventually if asked.

Delusion: "psychiatry defines the term more specifically as a belief that is pathological (the result of an illness or illness process). As a pathology, it is distinct from a belief based on false or incomplete information, apperception, illusion, or other effects of perception"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perception---wikepedia

So you're claiming that all religious people have some sort of mental disability or chemical imbalance? Any statistics for us?

(3) Denial/Inability to learn - though the requests for world peace remain unanswered, even after hundreds of years, the patients persist with the praying behaviour, each time expecting different results.

Wow so you're a mind reader too? You can tell what people pray for and what they expect?

Yes, you certainly are demonstrating several symptoms of mental illness for us here, although not in the way I'm sure you intended.

(4) Inability to distinguish fantasy from reality - the beliefs are contingent upon ancient mythology being accepted as historical fact.

"Inability". So you're saying religious people dont have any choice about what they believe? They have some sort of compulsion that forces them to believe whatever anyone tells them?

You obviously have knowledge of some religion that the rest of us arent aware of (how many arms and legs do it's adherents have btw?)

(5) Paranoia - the belief that anyone who does not share their supernatural concept of reality is "evil," "the devil," "an agent of Satan".

You believe that this is how most religious people see everyone else, or more specifically you?

((6) Emotional abuse - * religious concepts such as sin, hell, cause feelings of guilt, shame, fear, and other types of emotional "baggage" which can scar the
psyche for life.

Apparently so.

((7) Violence - many patients insist that others should share in their delusions, even to the extent of using violence.

I defy you to present a single case file of a patient exibiting these tendencies, ie., of resorting to violence in order to get anyone else to "share" thier delusions.


You obviously made all of this up, Bloomdido, on the spur of the moment without giving it much thought (and zero research).

I would suggest you;

a). Try studying religion before you take it upon yourself to offer a psychological disertation on religious people.
b). Study psychology before you take it upon yourself to pass a psychological diagnosis on anything.
c). pick up the dictionary once in a while.

 

[Apex]

The plan is to educate people out of the need for religion as it tends to be stupid people that fall for it hook, line and sinker.

So am I stupid, yes or no?

 

[OmarKhayyam]

So am I stupid, yes or no?

Not enough info to say.

 

[MSizer]

Even if you could prove that the traits you refer to are indicative of mental illness, religion is the result of these traits, so religion is not the illness. It was declassified as a mental illness because the current concensus among psychiatrists is that it is not a mental illness. For what it's worth, I agree with that opinion.

 

[Apex]

Not enough info to say.

No, according to Bloomdido all the information that is required is that I believe in religion.

It seems like there have been a lot of posters lately who have been dancing around calling all us believers stupid, or some other derogatory, but do not have the balls to just come out and say it to our faces.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

No, according to Bloomdido all the information that is required is that I believe in religion.

It seems like there have been a lot of posters lately who have been dancing around calling all us believers stupid, or some other derogatory, but do not have the balls to just come out and say it to our faces.

Do you have a strong desire or need for someone to call you stupid?

 

[Apex]

Do you have a strong desire or need for someone to call you stupid?

No. I get irritated when people constantly try and dance around something instead of just coming right out and saying it.

 

[Scott C.]

Article by Sweet Tea

The Southern Skeptic Fairy​

I would like to propose that religious beliefs be placed in the DSM as a category of 'mental' for the following reasons:

(1) Hallucinations - the person has invisible friends who (s)he insists are real, and to whom (s)he speaks daily, even though nobody can actually see or hear
these friends.

(2) Delusions - the patient believes that the invisible friends have magical powers to make them rich, cure cancer, bring about world peace, and will do so eventually if asked.

(3) Denial/Inability to learn - though the requests for world peace remain unanswered, even after hundreds of years, the patients persist with the praying behaviour, each time expecting different results.

(4) Inability to distinguish fantasy from reality - the beliefs are contingent upon ancient mythology being accepted as historical fact.

(5) Paranoia - the belief that anyone who does not share their supernatural concept of reality is "evil," "the devil," "an agent of Satan".

(6) Emotional abuse - ­ religious concepts such as sin, hell, cause feelings of guilt, shame, fear, and other types of emotional "baggage" which can scar the
psyche for life.

(7) Violence - many patients insist that others should share in their delusions, even to the extent of using violence.

Please say that you're not serious.

 

[OmarKhayyam]

No. I get irritated when people constantly try and dance around something instead of just coming right out and saying it.

If it makes you feel any better I assert and am prepared to defend the proposition that belief in supernatural being(s) who take a personal interest in the affairs of some each or all us is stupid. It is stupid because there is NO verifiable testable evidence for it. The ONLY evidence is the unsupported assertions of those claiming knowledge of such beings.

More.

In many cases those most vocal in their claims about such beings also benefit financially from others who share those same beliefs. A con game in short. And I assert that anyone taken by so obvious a con is engaging in stupid behavior.

Feel better now?