Author Topic: Is religious belief a mental disorder?  (Read 40681 times)

Agnostic007

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Is religious belief a mental disorder?
« on: July 10, 2018, 12:38:29 PM »
How can a rational person believe such nonsense?

IroNat

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Re: Is religious belief a mental disorder?
« Reply #1 on: July 10, 2018, 12:54:43 PM »
How can a rational person believe such nonsense?

Rational people can believe in things that make no sense and are scientifically impossible.

If you use logic someone will say you just need "faith".  Faith is the "out" that answers all rational questions.

"Just have faith".

I know highly educated Indian physicians who believe in Hinduism with it's numerous gods with six arms. Totally crazy stuff.

But whatever religion you believe in, that is the "true" religion.  The others are false.

Religions were invented to explain the unexplainable.  

What is the sun?  It's a god driving a chariot across the sky (Helios).

How does the earth stay in place?  A god holds it on his shoulders (Atlas).

Why do people fall in love? A being shoots you with a magic arrow.

Why is there so much evil in the world?  A woman ate a forbidden fruit and made god mad.

Other mainstream religions have equally nutty beliefs.  Christianity believes the father sent his son to die for our sins.  Why would he do that?  Why would a all-powerful god send his son to be tortured for humans?  Makes no sense at all.  "So we could be saved."  Saved from what?  From the all-powerful god?  What????

People need a reason to their meaningless lives or they would get depressed.  Humans would be even worse than they are.  No restrictions on behavior.  No limits.  No repercussions on evil.

We are specks on a rock spinning through an infinite cosmos.  It's hard to even think about that without feeling insignificant and meaningless.  It's too much for rational people to accept.

So they grab onto religion to give them a reason for being.

We are in the Milky Way galaxy (just one of innumerable galaxies).



These are many other galaxies in the universe (this is just a very few of them)


IroNat

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Re: Is religious belief a mental disorder?
« Reply #2 on: July 10, 2018, 01:04:24 PM »
Anyway, don't think about it too much or you get depressed.

Just have faith and it'll be ok.

There are no atheists in foxholes.

Agnostic007

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Re: Is religious belief a mental disorder?
« Reply #3 on: July 10, 2018, 01:15:21 PM »
Anyway, don't think about it too much or you get depressed.

Just have faith and it'll be ok.

There are no atheists in foxholes.

 ;)

IroNat

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Re: Is religious belief a mental disorder?
« Reply #4 on: July 10, 2018, 05:53:37 PM »
Humans are tribal animals.  They want to belong to something.

Organized religions are tribes.

The Catholic Tribe

The Jewish Tribe

The Muslim Tribe

The Atheist Tribe

Various Christian Tribes (Mormons, Presbys, Methodists, etc.)

There are sub-tribes in these major tribes.



jjfit

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Re: Is religious belief a mental disorder?
« Reply #5 on: August 19, 2018, 03:59:19 PM »
When I question life I always come back to the classic Socratic answer: that I know nothing. No matter how hard, how long you search for an answer it is always fruitless. Tired of your life being shit? Give it up to God. Scared of death? Give it to God. No one left in your life? Well God always is. Not saying I do believe in God or I don't, all I'm saying is, based on personal experience, is that I've tried to find the answer and always always always come back to nothing. I don't have to go back into the loop of question, I don't have to know anything, I don't have to even think, I can return to an animalistic state of mind and just do with no anxiety or regret etc.

Also Pascal's wager.

IroNat

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Re: Is religious belief a mental disorder?
« Reply #6 on: August 19, 2018, 06:59:19 PM »
When I question life I always come back to the classic Socratic answer: that I know nothing. No matter how hard, how long you search for an answer it is always fruitless. Tired of your life being shit? Give it up to God. Scared of death? Give it to God. No one left in your life? Well God always is. Not saying I do believe in God or I don't, all I'm saying is, based on personal experience, is that I've tried to find the answer and always always always come back to nothing. I don't have to go back into the loop of question, I don't have to know anything, I don't have to even think, I can return to an animalistic state of mind and just do with no anxiety or regret etc.

Also Pascal's wager.

You have to decide on your own meaning. 

Do good.  Help others.  Be a good person.

jjfit

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Re: Is religious belief a mental disorder?
« Reply #7 on: August 19, 2018, 08:04:32 PM »
You have to decide on your own meaning. 

Do good.  Help others.  Be a good person.

Yes, I personally agree with this. Life is what you make it. And if you believe in God you know that God helps those who helps themselves.

illuminati

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Re: Is religious belief a mental disorder?
« Reply #8 on: August 20, 2018, 12:53:01 AM »
You have to decide on your own meaning. 

Do good.  Help others.  Be a good person.


There is No Good & Bad in Nature

There is just survival & Propagation of your species

The rest are man made ideas & rules.

IroNat

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Re: Is religious belief a mental disorder?
« Reply #9 on: August 20, 2018, 04:53:34 AM »

There is No Good & Bad in Nature

There is just survival & Propagation of your species

The rest are man made ideas & rules.

True.

Las Vegas

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Re: Is religious belief a mental disorder?
« Reply #10 on: August 31, 2018, 10:36:04 AM »
You have to decide on your own meaning. 

Do good.  Help others.  Be a good person.

So which is it?  What you said first, or second?

IroNat

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Re: Is religious belief a mental disorder?
« Reply #11 on: August 31, 2018, 10:50:41 AM »
So which is it?  What you said first, or second?

Tell me what I said first and second.

Not sure what you are referring to.

Las Vegas

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Re: Is religious belief a mental disorder?
« Reply #12 on: August 31, 2018, 12:42:56 PM »
Tell me what I said first and second.

First:

Quote
You have to decide on your own meaning.

Second:

Quote
Do good.  Help others.  Be a good person.

The second appears to cancel the first.

???

Please advise further.

IroNat

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Re: Is religious belief a mental disorder?
« Reply #13 on: August 31, 2018, 12:46:29 PM »
First:

Second:

The second appears to cancel the first.

???

Please advise further.

Decide for yourself, Rico.


Las Vegas

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Re: Is religious belief a mental disorder?
« Reply #14 on: August 31, 2018, 01:49:46 PM »
Decide for yourself, Rico.



Following that advice isn't deciding for one's self, though.

???

IroNat

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Re: Is religious belief a mental disorder?
« Reply #15 on: August 31, 2018, 03:01:14 PM »

Primemuscle

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Re: Is religious belief a mental disorder?
« Reply #16 on: August 31, 2018, 03:17:02 PM »
How can a rational person believe such nonsense?

Which religious belief are you talking about?

Las Vegas

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Re: Is religious belief a mental disorder?
« Reply #17 on: August 31, 2018, 07:04:32 PM »
IroNat: How confident are you in the belief that you "decide for" yourself?

IroNat

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Re: Is religious belief a mental disorder?
« Reply #18 on: September 01, 2018, 04:59:51 AM »
IroNat: How confident are you in the belief that you "decide for" yourself?

I'm just trying not to fall off the Great Turtle's back.


Humble Narcissist

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Re: Is religious belief a mental disorder?
« Reply #19 on: September 05, 2018, 06:15:59 AM »
Rational people can believe in things that make no sense and are scientifically impossible.

If you use logic someone will say you just need "faith".  Faith is the "out" that answers all rational questions.

"Just have faith".

I know highly educated Indian physicians who believe in Hinduism with it's numerous gods with six arms. Totally crazy stuff.

But whatever religion you believe in, that is the "true" religion.  The others are false.

Religions were invented to explain the unexplainable.  

What is the sun?  It's a god driving a chariot across the sky (Helios).

How does the earth stay in place?  A god holds it on his shoulders (Atlas).

Why do people fall in love? A being shoots you with a magic arrow.

Why is there so much evil in the world?  A woman ate a forbidden fruit and made god mad.

Other mainstream religions have equally nutty beliefs.  Christianity believes the father sent his son to die for our sins.  Why would he do that?  Why would a all-powerful god send his son to be tortured for humans?  Makes no sense at all.  "So we could be saved."  Saved from what?  From the all-powerful god?  What????

People need a reason to their meaningless lives or they would get depressed.  Humans would be even worse than they are.  No restrictions on behavior.  No limits.  No repercussions on evil.

We are specks on a rock spinning through an infinite cosmos.  It's hard to even think about that without feeling insignificant and meaningless.  It's too much for rational people to accept.

So they grab onto religion to give them a reason for being.

We are in the Milky Way galaxy (just one of innumerable galaxies).



These are many other galaxies in the universe (this is just a very few of them)


Yes and rational people also believe crazy stuff like abiogenesis and the Big Bang Theory.  I don't know about religion but how can anyone not believe in a creator?

illuminati

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Re: Is religious belief a mental disorder?
« Reply #20 on: September 05, 2018, 01:38:06 PM »
Yes and rational people also believe crazy stuff like abiogenesis and the Big Bang Theory.  I don't know about religion but how can anyone not believe in a creator?

How can anyone Believe in a Creator ?
Who then created the creator?
It’s a never ending question.

Does it matter who what or how we got here
We are here for a brief time Just enjoy it.

Agnostic007

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Re: Is religious belief a mental disorder?
« Reply #21 on: September 05, 2018, 03:30:00 PM »
How can anyone Believe in a Creator ?
Who then created the creator?
It’s a never ending question.

Does it matter who what or how we got here
We are here for a brief time Just enjoy it.

excellent point. How, why who what where are all interesting questions, but in the big picture, it doesn't impact my life one iota so it's not worth getting overly focused on.

Humble Narcissist

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Re: Is religious belief a mental disorder?
« Reply #22 on: September 06, 2018, 04:45:18 AM »
How can anyone Believe in a Creator ?
Who then created the creator?
It’s a never ending question.

Does it matter who what or how we got here
We are here for a brief time Just enjoy it.
I was responding to IroNat's post.  The question you posted holds true for both those who believe in creation and those who believe in Big Bang Theory.  It is a never ending question either way.

Man of Steel

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Re: Is religious belief a mental disorder?
« Reply #23 on: September 06, 2018, 01:52:06 PM »
Everything that begins has a cause.  God transcends time, space and all that we know and don't know.  He is alpha and omega.  He is self-existent and has always been.   Since he stands outside of time he has no beginning and therefore is uncaused.   The creator is not created.     

Asking the question "who created God? and who created that thing that created God?" is a valid question but creates an infinite regression.

Now how does God self-exist and be uncaused?  I don't know. 

Hope all is good with each of you.

MOS out!

Man of Steel

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Re: Is religious belief a mental disorder?
« Reply #24 on: September 06, 2018, 01:52:53 PM »
Religious belief is definitely a mental disorder for some.   I say abandon religion and simply follow Christ.