My name is Sam and I’m a recovering Christian – is believing in religion or God is just a mental illness?

Question

Religion is a serious mental illnesses. It’s the inability to face the reality of life and the finality of death. It affects 85% of the USA and 75% of US victims are Christians. The more pathetic and desperate a persons life, the more likely they are to believe in a god. People with otherwise empty lives, are the strongest believers. It gives them false hope that there’s a higher meaning to their sad and pathetic lives.

Religious people are dangerous. They cannot think for themselves, but instead cling to every word the bible says. Religious fanatics can somehow throw out all scientific
evidence and replace it with the word of one book that has no credibility.

Recognising religion as a type of mental illness would be a good start to help cure this disease. We should develop support groups along the lines of Alcoholics Anonymous - “My name is Sam and I’m a recovering Christian ...”

Answer 1

I agree completely, preach on.

Answer 2

Unfortunately you have not established why, medically, psychologically, physiologically or scientifically this is a mental illness. As such, your premise is unproven. Beyond that, it is interesting to note that you think that this mental illness affects most people in this country. Not some, not a lot, but most. What other mental illness does this? None. Why? Because mental illness is an aberration, not the norm. So which one of us refuses to recognize reality? One who invents mental illnesses, or one who believes that he ought to be a better person?

Answer 3

Sure, it's a form of mental illness. Psychotic delusion. Just look at this list of beliefs:

*  a universe in which all that exists are the earth and heaven
*  solid 'firmmament' structure (the sky) seperating the earth from heaven (terrarium earth)
*  talking snakes (with legs) and donkeys
* shepherd staff turning into an asp
*  demons chased out of people and into pigs
*  friendly spirits
*  evil spirits
*  walking on water
*  multiplying loaves and fishes
*  food falling from the sky
* conception by a ghost
*  people raising from the dead
*  stopping the sun in its tracks
*  parting seas
*  people being bodily sucked up into heaven (which, by the way, lies on the 'other side' of the sky)
*  world-wide flood that drowned the earth to a depth of 40 feet above the tallest mountain
*  creating people from dust bunnies and ribs
*  magical tree of knowledge
*  god speaking from a burning bush
*  ritual cannibalism, by eating god in the form of a cracker.

It is quite evident that in a sane world, if someone were to go around asserting that ANY of those things represented an innate 'truth' pertaining to the nature of existence and reality, that person would end up being locked up in the 'State Farm for the Funny'. Oddly, though, MASS insanity seems to convey some sort of automatic immunity along with it, since hundreds of millions of people assert ALL of these things to be true, and nobody thinks anything of it (well... SOME of us do). Not only are these people NOT locked up, but it is considered to be bad manners... politically incorrect... 'intolerant'... to even call attention to the obvious insanity of these ideas. Yet approximately 87% of the adult population of the USA is INFECTED by what seems to be some sort of insidious brain virus, that is transmitted in the form of information.

Answer 4

Brother let ask a question if a new item is presented to you and your ask that who has created tht item you'll simply answer the creater or the designer, These Prophets day and night are the prove presence of God every thing around us is a proof tell you wht your getting confused are u tell u wht do a re search on all the religions are you'll find Islam the best.

Answer 5

christianity is the most true and others religions were made up by man, but christianity is the most true; it's like the laws and government of God's Kingdom. The evil spirits have told you that christianity is an illness. Illness comes from demonic possesion mostly and corruption of the flesh from the fall( christians don't get sick), how can a demon possess you and make you sick with christianity?

Answer 6

Hi Sam,
I am a fully recovered ex-christian. Welcome to atheism anonymous, thank you for your story. Have you read the book or the premise to the book "the god part of the brain" yet? It is a must read for those who are on the road to recovery. It reitterates what you have said above in a more researched and scientific way. Good luck to you and congratulations on your progress.

Answer 7

Sam...Love your story and hope that you find meaning in your life OUTSIDE RELIGION. Now, I am not saying you shouldn't question faith in a power greater than you or I (if there is one)...what I am saying is RELIGION is a crock of bleep as it's structured today. I suggest checking out the Uncommon Denomination at WWW.UUA.ORG because they're NOT MENTALLY ILL and don't subscribe to doctrine of any type. PEACE!

Answer 8

I would be lost and lonely with the love of my Father....no way I'm giving that up....though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I shall fear no evil because He is always with me...He is always there believe or not....no matter how dark my life gets there is always a guiding light...you either stay in darknes or follow it

Answer 9

Forgive me for believing that your Christianity, if it ever existed, was only an accident of birth.

Answer 10

1st you cant spell recognize. And I believe in God and am very well rounded, I think for myself, why? beause you can't think for me. And I think you are pathetic and hopeless, but God loves you anyway.

Answer 11

Wow.

Up until now I thought I had a pretty fair grip on reality.