Faith in religion is a mental illness

[Nooj]

Some said this to me on another site. Do you agree or disagree?

I doubt that person knows what a mental illness is.

 

[strikeviperMKII]

Life has taught me that the very idea of God is entirely subjective and not the least bit objective. So...no, your reasoning does not hold water.

Exactly. Stop thinking about the 'idea of God' and find out what he actually is.

 

[Photonic]

Exactly. Stop thinking about the 'idea of God' and find out what he actually is.

I am encompassing a physical deity in the same manner of speech. It's implied. Please do not attempt to misrepresent my language.

 

[strikeviperMKII]

I am encompassing a physical deity in the same manner of speech. It's implied. Please do not attempt to misrepresent my language.

I did not intend to misinterpret. My meaning was this: You used the phrase 'life has taught me', which is basically what I said life would do, if you have 'God' in it or not. The idea of God is not what God is.

 

[Panda]

By the logic present by guy in OP all beliefs would be mental illnesses wouldn't they?

 

[Secret Chief]

I wonder if I can get government money with that.

You might get better food in hospital

 

[Secret Chief]

By the logic present by guy in OP all beliefs would be mental illnesses wouldn't they?

Indeed. We all have belief in certain future events based on our past experience. Inductive logic gives us the faith in the sun rising next morning.

 

[Photonic]

I did not intend to misinterpret. My meaning was this: You used the phrase 'life has taught me', which is basically what I said life would do, if you have 'God' in it or not. The idea of God is not what God is.

I would say it's very much is the same thing, and representing him as anything other than that which humans have conceived of is just moving the goal post.

 

[strikeviperMKII]

I would say it very much is the same thing, and representing him as anything other than that which humans have conceived of is just moving the goal post.

That would be so if God were the idea of God first, and life second by human invention. That is not the case. We created the 'idea of God' to help explain what God really is. It's a logical fallacy that we can relate the two, but that is the point.

 

[linwood]

Some said this to me on another site. Do you agree or disagree?

It depends on the religion and it`s dogma but most western religions require one to delude themselves into believing the impossible.

Self delusion can be considered a mental "problem" at the least.

 

[SCHIZO]

Some said this to me on another site. Do you agree or disagree?

I am mentally Ill with Schizoaffective disorder. Faith in religion is nothing like mental illness. Trust me. I know. At least religion doesn't ravage the mind and try to destroy you.

 

[heretic]

disagree , it's a need, a desire that push human to create or accept religions to believe in .

 

[Copernicus]

Some said this to me on another site. Do you agree or disagree?

Absolutely disagree. I do believe that gods are imaginary beings, and there is a sense in which you could call that a "delusion" (as Richard Dawkins so famously has). The basis for calling it a delusion is that it is a belief held with no requirement of evidence and even in spite of counterevidence. But we probably all suffer delusions of one kind or another in that respect. Belief without requirement of proof (and even in the face of counterevidence) is very common in us. Faith in a god is within the range of normal behavior for human beings. Lack of faith is not as common, but it is still nothing like a mental illness. I might add that I have heard religious people call atheism a mental illness. These kinds of personal attacks on people for their beliefs are completely without merit.