Can religious belief which is seen as exclusively right be seen as a category of mental disorder?

Question

Example: is a taoist from China going to hell even though he has never had any chance to get into contact with christianism?

I believe this extreme position is rare, but I've seen it repeatedly.

Is there any literature about it?

Thanx

Answer 1

Bonzo, man... [headshake] That position is a little extreme in itself, don't you think? :)

Yes, naturally rigid people who practice religion can often become very judgmental and illogical in their theology.

This isn't necessarily the fault of the religion, it's usually the fault of the person who only perceives their rigid interpretation of the faith.

Taken to an extreme, it could cause a psychotic break. (From literature, I quickly remember the mother in Stephen King's first novel "Carrie" as a prime stereotypical example...)

Basically, when a person finds himself contradicted by something in reality, he has a few choices: He can either reexamine/realign himself, he can deny the new input, or he can somehow reinterpret it to support his current beliefs.

A rigid person will always deny or reinterpret. The ego is too fragile to accept change. If they are very rigid, their reinterpretations of reality will be frightening to see and can actually result in a mental condition.

And if the new input is forced on them and they can no longer deny it, they often just shut down.

I wouldn't classify your example about the Taoist as a mental disorder, per se. I'm not trying to split hairs here, but it looks more like a logical fallacy or an unfair judgment.

(I think many people in different religions have been guilty of not following through their interpretations of their beliefs to the inevitable logical conclusions. Thus, they aren't even aware how absurd their position is, if applied thoroughly. That's a fallacy/mistake, not a disorder.)

Answer 2

All religious belief is a sign of mental disorder. It is a psychological crutch for those who have not outgrown anthropocentrism and still think that the universe is just a backdrop for human affairs. Rather than accept death as the end, they pretend that they have a soul which carries on after the body has ceased functioning. They are not dissuaded by the fact that there is not a shred of evidence in the real world to support this - hence, they suffer from a mental disorder.

Answer 3

before each and every thing, non secular idea become/is classed as a psychological sickness in places like the former Soviet Union, communist China, North Korea, etc. So in simple terms understand who you're inadvertently entering into mattress with, once you propose that non secular idea will be a psychological sickness. that is what a number of the most brutal and ruthless political platforms in the international have believed. As for the "rightness" of my faith vs. the "wrongness" of alternative religions: inspite of the actuality that i'm Catholic, i believe that there is a few actuality to different religions besides. a minimal of to the quantity that they reflect Catholicism.

Answer 4

Speaking only for myself:
Any "belief system" or thought that sponsors the premature death of the host organism must, in some way, be considered an illness.

Further. No matter WHAT belief you have (even NO belief), you are going to SOME religions hell for it.

Answer 5

A casual stroll through a lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything.
-- Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

http://www.positiveatheism.org/hist/quotes/nietframe.htm

Answer 6

Is living a life of dillusion a mental disorder? If so, then my answer to your question is yes.