Religion: A form of psychosis?

[kojikun]

I've discussed the issue of what psychosis is with my grandmother (a liscensed clinical social worker). She says a major part of psychosis is delusions. Belief in things which are false.

She's Christian, and when I brought up the topic of religion being a belief in something false, she got defensive saying its not delusions and yet she never justified her view that religion wasn't delusion.

Technically, religion is very much a form of delusion. Possibly the most obvious and dangerous one.

Psychotic people are those people you see on the street who believe they talk to God. Priests are those people you see wearing black robes who believe they talk to god. THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE.

To go off on a slight tangent, psychology states that a delusion is a belief not held by the majority of someones culture or subculture. This basically means that anyone who doesnt "fit in" or "be part of the herd" is delusional, psychotic, and therefore requiring of "treatment" aka brainwashing.

[Darth Wong]

I've discussed the issue of what psychosis is with my grandmother (a liscensed clinical social worker). She says a major part of psychosis is delusions. Belief in things which are false.

Actually, delusions are observations of things which no one else can observe. A Christian who says he believes in God but has never claimed to actually see or hear God is not delusional. However, a Christian who claims to have had actual conversations with God is definitely delusional. You see a lot more of that among fundies; if you've ever been to a fundie-ridden pentecostal church, you'll run into people who claim to have had such conversations, or to have seen miracles, or to have "spoken in tongues" (it's pretty funny; they start babbling incoherently and everyone gets excited because they figure it's some kind of sign from God).

She's Christian, and when I brought up the topic of religion being a belief in something false, she got defensive saying its not delusions and yet she never justified her view that religion wasn't delusion.

Her definition of delusions was too broad. Religion can be delusional, however it is not necessarily delusional. It is possible to choose to believe in something even if you acknowledge that you've never seen or heard it.

Psychotic people are those people you see on the street who believe they talk to God. Priests are those people you see wearing black robes who believe they talk to god. THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE.

Yes, anyone who believes he has had actual conversations with God is definitely delusional.

To go off on a slight tangent, psychology states that a delusion is a belief not held by the majority of someones culture or subculture. This basically means that anyone who doesnt "fit in" or "be part of the herd" is delusional, psychotic, and therefore requiring of "treatment" aka brainwashing.

Psychology is a pseudoscience.

[Raptor 597]

I've discussed the issue of what psychosis is with my grandmother (a liscensed clinical social worker). She says a major part of psychosis is delusions. Belief in things which are false.

She's Christian, and when I brought up the topic of religion being a belief in something false, she got defensive saying its not delusions and yet she never justified her view that religion wasn't delusion.

Technically, religion is very much a form of delusion. Possibly the most obvious and dangerous one.

Psychotic people are those people you see on the street who believe they talk to God. Priests are those people you see wearing black robes who believe they talk to god. THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE.

To go off on a slight tangent, psychology states that a delusion is a belief not held by the majority of someones culture or subculture. This basically means that anyone who doesnt "fit in" or "be part of the herd" is delusional, psychotic, and therefore requiring of "treatment" aka brainwashing.

Once you start looking at religion from an analytical point of view it says up as long as a tin shack on the coast with a Catergory 5 hurricane. Yet people still believe it.

[Tosho]

I have to agree with Lord Wong. In my opinion the religion least likely to fall under your definition of phycosis is Bhuddism.

[kojikun]

But then the question must be asked: Is believing in someone elses delusion also a delusion? If someone claims to have spoken with god, is it not just as bad to believe he has done so?

btw: psychology says believing something period is a delusion. If i believe I AM god, I'm delusional. Observation doesn't matter much, atleast in psychology.

[Darth Wong]

But then the question must be asked: Is believing in someone elses delusion also a delusion? If someone claims to have spoken with god, is it not just as bad to believe he has done so?

btw: psychology says believing something period is a delusion. If i believe I AM god, I'm delusional. Observation doesn't matter much, atleast in psychology.

By that token, every psychiatrist who subscribed to "multiple personality disorder" for 20 years was delusional. Wait a minute ... maybe you've got a point

[kojikun]

See?

MPD is so mundane is not funny. But thats another thread entirely. LOL

[kojikun]

For the record:

I don't see much of a problem in believing anything in particular, so long as it doesn't adversely affect others against their will.

If you believe youre god and you wanna jump off a bridge to prove it, that your prerogative. If someone else wants to jump of a bridge to prove it, thats theirs.

But believing youre god and that gives you the right to kill someone is NOT good. My philosophy is 'do what you want to yourself and other voluntary parties, but noone else'.