Could religous beleif be classed as a mental disorder if

[Stylesjl]

Not so many people beleived it? At least half the world's population beleives in religion of some kind. And so one could hardly call it a mental disorder or delusion if so many people beleive it (although in science and medicine, numbers of cases are meaningless)

After all there are many who have all kinds of whacked out beleifs or practices, and are called crazy. It is simply because they are minorities?

 

[Prince_Imrahil]

No, people believe what they learn. So it started as misinterpretation, (or from god if you will) used to the groups benefit, thus passed on. People grow up being taught it and by their learned reasoning (you can't reason god because he is beyond human endeavors) they believe it and thus, boom, religious people they become.

The rest of us simply don't accept reason that isn't reasonable.

No mental disorders, well, most of the time.

 

[Tee Kay]

Seeing as for most of recorded history almost 100% of humans have followed one form of religion or another, atheism could be consider a mental disorder.

Religion could be consider a mental disorder if it's extremist imo.

 

[Narz]

After all there are many who have all kinds of whacked out beleifs or practices, and are called crazy. It is simply because they are minorities?

Pretty much, yeah. Believing in UFO's or that George Bush is a reptile is no more preposterous than believing in Christ's resurrection or the virgin birth.

 

[plarq]

UFO is more ridiculous than most of religions. Heck, I think religion teaching against super-naturism (Nostradamus, astrology, etc.) and superstition plays a positive role in our modern society.

 

[Narz]

But religion is a superstition.

"Don't wander too far from the flock or bigfoot will get you!" vs. "Don't wander too far from the flock or God will get you!". I don't see a whole lot of difference.

 

[GenMarshall]

This smells like a sly trolling thread .

 

[Tee Kay]

But religion is a superstition.

"Don't wander too far from the flock or bigfoot will get you!" vs. "Don't wander too far from the flock or God will get you!". I don't see a whole lot of difference.

Superstition??? Religion is superstition??? No no no it's much more than that.

It's a code of values civilisations are based on. Don't discount religions as mere superstition.

 

[plarq]

But religion is a superstition.

"Don't wander too far from the flock or bigfoot will get you!" vs. "Don't wander too far from the flock or God will get you!". I don't see a whole lot of difference.

Even it's a superstition it's better than those supernature beliefs.
Religions prosecution is another story, but secular prosecution is no better.

 

[Shaihulud]

Well, mental disorder is mental abberation, if there are suffcient people subscribing to an illogical belief, then it isn't an abberation anymore, right? I think i read that in some moral relativism thing thread.

 

[warpus]

UFO is more ridiculous than most of religions. Heck, I think religion teaching against super-naturism (Nostradamus, astrology, etc.) and superstition plays a positive role in our modern society.

Please explain how superstition plays a positive role?

 

[ArneHD]

It might be filed under delusion if a minority of the local populous belive it.

Update: Wiki link. Look under psychiatric definition.

 

[Erik Mesoy]

Warpus, he may mean

"Religious opposition to [supernaturalism and superstition] plays a positive role".


[MANDATORY E-SARCASM TAG]
Also, I submit that athiests* have a mental disorder because they look at the fact that around 90% of the world's population is religious but in disagreement over the true religion and conclude that all religions are false. This is like Creationists hearing that scientists disagree over an evolutionary detail like punctuated v. graduated equlibrium and concluding that evolution is false.
[/MANDATORY E-SARCASM TAG]

*For whoever's sake, can you at least spell "religious" and "belief" correctly in the thread title?

 

[bathsheba666]

If God doesn't exist, it's hard to conclude it's anything other than a mental disorder.

I don't see what the number of believers has to do with it.

 

[warpus]

Warpus, he may mean

"Religious opposition to [supernaturalism and superstition] plays a positive role".

But that doesn't really make sense.. seeing as how religion is largely based on supernaturalism and superstition!

In fact, God, is the ultimate supernatural entity.

What he is saying doesn't make any sense to me.

 

[warpus]

If God doesn't exist, it's hard to conclude it's anything other than a mental disorder.

I don't see what the number of believers has to do with it.

It's far easier to argue that a ridiculous philosophy is a mental disorder if less people believe it.

 

[Mirc]

Not so many people beleived it? At least half the world's population beleives in religion of some kind. And so one could hardly call it a mental disorder or delusion if so many people beleive it (although in science and medicine, numbers of cases are meaningless)

After all there are many who have all kinds of whacked out beleifs or practices, and are called crazy. It is simply because they are minorities?

No, not at all. A reasonable belief (that doesn't ask you to run around killing people, or something like that) can never be called a mental disorder. Do you think that those who believe black cats bring bad luck (which I am not, probably because I have a black cat!) have a mental disorder?

And BTW you'd be surprised that almost 90% of the people are religious. AFAIK, the atheists constitute a little under 12% of the world's population.

 

[warpus]

Do you think that those who believe black cats bring bad luck (which I am not, probably because I have a black cat!) have a mental disorder?

I would say that people who actually believe this, instead of simply taking it in jest and applying it to everyday life, are stupid. Mental disorder might be stretching it a bit.

And BTW you'd be surprised that almost 90% of the people are religious. AFAIK, the atheists constitute a little under 12% of the world's population.

A lot of religious people don't actually believe in God.

 

[classical_hero]

If God doesn't exist, it's hard to conclude it's anything other than a mental disorder.

I don't see what the number of believers has to do with it.

And if God does exist, then opposition to his really a mental condition.

 

[Fugitive Sisyphus]

If you define religious belief as a mental disorder you have to define many other things as mental disorders as well.

For example, buying lottery tickets.