Is Religion REALLY a Mental Illness ?

[idav]

Back in the day, before people knew about mental illness, they often blamed it on demons, spirits et cetra. Therefore, I contend that religion IS a form of mental illness. Yes, it was a POSITIVE form of mental illness, but it was mental illness all the same.
We are often taught to address mental illness as negative.I don't believe that. I believe that mental illness has given humanity a lot of things. If you are schizophrenic, then it would be easy before there was medicine or knowledge of it, to portray what you saw as visions given by God. Some people might think that is true, but personally, I don't. I believe they were visions given by God and meant for people to understand.
I think that Squares have tried to pass it off as if it is something they created. In my opinion, it wasn't and we have to thank people with mental illness for having those visions and relating them to us.
Do you believe this is true ? Or do you view ALL mental illness as being negative ? Do you acknowledge that it was thanks to the gifts these people possessed that we have the institutions and scriptures we have today ?

Imagination isn't typically seen as an illness but rather a gift. Also we tend to be smart enough to acknowledge the need for faith in some of these instances. Insane would be not knowing the difference between real and fiction. Sane people are able to acknowledge doubt. Faith through knowledge is fine, its blind faith which can be a bit insane.

 

[Quintessence]

I think that even religious people acknowledge this, though they use langage to distance themselves from it. There's no shortage of religious people who condemn extremism and fanaticism in their own religions.

An extremist or a fanatic is just someone who places especially high importance on religion, and who applies their religion to their lives with an especially high degree of sincerity and consistency.

I thought this thread was about mental illness, not extremism or fanaticism, and they are not equivalents unless we feel like tossing the DSM thorough a paper shredder.