DD
If you lived someplace where the majority of people around you believed in Thor, you might find yourself being an athorist.
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| startingover | Re: Could religious belief be considered a sign of mental illness? | |
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| logic&reason | Re: Could religious belief be considered a sign of mental illness? | |
Who dares to deny the existence of Mighty Thor?
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| nicolaou | Re: Could religious belief be considered a sign of mental illness? | |
We have imagination, the ability to conceive 'the divine' in whatever way we see it, without religion. And if it is an idea within our heads, then it is as natural as dreaming. And just as our imagination and dreams can move us to do great things, so too can our ideation of the divine enable us to do what we might otherwise not. All true. But having this ability to imagine 'the divine' or to conceive of something beyond our ordinary perception does not make any of it real! Good grief, I'm sure there are plenty of case studies of patients who conceive of and live in a reality all of their own making - is that really so healthy? | ||
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| 5go | Re: Could religious belief be considered a sign of mental illness? | |
IMO In the past, no. In the present, maybe. In the future as our understanding of the universe and natural forces advances, yes. | ||
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| AuldSoul | Re: Re: Could religious belief be considered a sign of mental illness? | |
nic: My point is that to an impartial observer the beliefs of a religious person might appear very similar to those of someone who is truly suffering from a mental illness. No worries, mate. My point is and has ever been that the human does not exist who is impartial, therefore, I must assume you mean to speak for rocks or some other sort of observer besides human observers. This 'partiality' is very much a human trait, as I am sure you can readily agree, and I would submit that those who wish to eradicate partiality are wishing to eradicate an innate trait of humanity itself. The desire to observe impartially is a desire contrary to the nature of humanity, in my opinion. One might as well seek to fly unaided by anything external to oneself as to seek to observe impartially. Actively seeking to do that which is contrary to our nature is aberrant behavior, abnormal behavior. Dare I say, mentally ill behavior? No. I don't say mentally ill. Rather, I assert that it is more indicative of a social illness, seeking to distance oneself from phenomenon observed as though comprehension of the observed phenomenon will be somehow better through the attempt; as though clarity of explanation is deemed qualitatively and moralistically better than clarity of experience. I tend to lay aside such ideas as . . . silly. Rejecting the evidence of personal experience is a rejection of much of what makes me a human. I think I will happily continue to embrace personal experience as a valid source of information until I can clearly be convinced that is an unwise thing to do. Respectfully, | ||
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by AuldSoul:
Correct formatting | |
| IP_SEC | Re: Could religious belief be considered a sign of mental illness? | |
Answer to nics qwerstin: Yes. But we've all been there at one time or another. Religion, the ultimate mass psychosis, serves to unite the group and suppress the indivdual. Doesnt do much for the old noggin tho. Unite/suppress was a good thing to kickstart civilization. Tis time to grow up past the old crutch though. We are getting there, fast too | ||
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