If being delusional is a symptom of a psychological disease then it follows that religious people are sick?

Question

Being delusional (in other words, not being able to see the real world as it is, living in the world of fantasies) is a symptom of being sick. Many religious people believe in things like angels, Armageddon, devil, Noah's Arc, etc. Isn't it logical to conclude that they are sick?

Answer 1

There is also the well known delusion that we will win the war in Iraq or that it was over when Saddam was overthrown.Many also have the delusion that God is on their side from many sides of this Delusional Gulf Oil War. Many people may be basing some of their delusions on someone Else's special effects too. Are UFOs a delusion also? You have to admit there are many convincing delusional photos and videos.

Answer 2

Is having faith a psychological disease? When you turn the key to start your car, do you have faith in that it will turn over? If so, then you must be sick as well. Who is to judge there are or are not angels, the devil, Noah's Arc, etc? No one has been able to prove or disprove these things and you won't really know until you start pushing up flowers from the bottom side. If these things give people comfort and a sense of well being, then who are we to judge?

Keep in mind there are many more of those who aren't religious and are truly psychologically sick.

Answer 3

"Our two minds .... One is an act of the emotional
mind, the other of the rational mind. In a very real
sense we have two minds, one that thinks and one that
feels" (Daniel Goleman, Emotional Intelligence,
Bloomsbury Publishing, London, 1996, page 8).

The Upanishads call the emotional component of mind as
Chitta and the rational component of mind as Manas.
Chitta is connected with intuition and imagination.
Manas is connected with logic and reason. Arguing
every thing in terms of logic appears very logical.
However, logic has its own limitations:

In the 1930s, Austrian mathematician Godel proved a
theorem which became the "Godel theorem" in cognition
theory. It states that any formalized 'logical' system
in principle cannot be complete in itself. It means
that a statement can always be found that can be
neither disproved nor proved using the means of that
particular system. To discuss about such a statement,
one must go beyond that very logic system; otherwise
nothing but a vicious circle will result. Psychologist
say that any experience is contingent - it's opposite
is logically possible and hence should not be treated
as contradictory.

During 1800s, Anthropologists had a problem as to how
to classify human beings. One researcher proposed the
expression "intelligent animal". After advanced studies
on monkeys, it was dropped. Another researcher proposed
"tool using animal". After observing some animals
making wooden tools and sharpening them with knife like
stones, it was dropped. Another researcher proposed
"weapon using animal". A decade ago, a rare film was
shot in African forests. One short monkey was hit very
badly by a big monkey. The short monkey prepared a
wooden knife using stones and hid it on the top of a
tree. After some days, when the big monkey came to
attack the short monkey, it ran up to the tree for the
weapon it has hid and killed the big monkey. The one
thing that the anthropologists found with any group of
human beings, even if they did not have contacts with
the out side world for thousands of years, is
spirituality with some form of religion. So, man is a
"spiritual animal" if you want to call him that way.

The Upanishads say that "Manush" (human) was so named
because he has "Manas" a mind higher than that of the
animals which realises the divinity in creation. It was
present since the creation of human beings. Religion is
the characteristic feature of most of the human beings.
It is as eternal and and as unchanging as the Almighty.
Disbelief by a few will not affect it.

Citta can go beyond the limits of what is real and sense
all that is there in the relam of parapsychology. Chitta
works more dominatly in females than in males.

The Upanishads say that the working of Chitta and Manas
are opposite in nature. Modern psychologists have also
observed it but they are not very sure of it:

"At the same time, reason sometimes clearly seems to
come into conflict with some desires (even while not
being in conflict with others) giving us the impression
that reason is separate from emotion".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reason

Answer 4

I would be delusional if I believed something that wasn't true - that I am Jesus for example. If I hold on to this belief despite evidence to the contrary, I am delusional.

However, if there really was a Noah's ark, if there is a devil and if angels really do exist, then it really is not delusional to believe in their existence. One would then be mistaken to believe those things were fairy tales - or delusional in your way of thinking.
I happen to believe that God created a perfect world and it became messed up by sin and this explanation better fits the facts than to believe that all of this came about by a big bang or evolution. If you are right, then we are the product of random chance with no real significance in this world.
It will be hard to disprove Armagedden, since it is a future event. With angels and demons, it would also be hard to disprove their existence (since they are not neccesarily able to be seen). If you are wrong, then YOU are delusional (by your definition). I happen to believe all those things exist - or will happen. But you most assuredly are right that my convictions are strong and are not going to be torn down and if I am wrong about those things then you could argue in a powerful way that I truely am delusional. In my delusional world there is a God who loves us and will make things right and who now gives us a chance to have a life that has meaning and purpose. People have significance in this worldview and none in the other. Sounds like a powerful delusion to me. Think I'll read more of my Bible and get another dose.

May God grant you and I the ability to see things as they truely are - not how we wish them to be. May God show you or I if we are wrong.

Answer 5

No, no more than Astronomers are nuts for naming the milky way. Or that there is a huge Volcano in Japan, have you seen either? I believe in good and bad because I have seen it. I have seen evil. I am a retired psych.social worker. Ever talked to another personality of a IDD? I had one who said she was 7-looked me right in the eye and told me all about my life. Not good things. Ever talked to a serial killer? They know exactly what they are doing. There are cases many years ago that were diagnosed over-religiosity. Well that would be 96%of the population according to polls. Like 'House' says: people lie. I have inherited depression/anxiety and mood swings, medicated I am great. Am I insane? Are there angels? All around me for as long as I can recall: When I was a child my mom threatened to stab us all while we sleep (that is sick) so I couldn't sleep until Jesus came down from Heaven and held me safely in His arms, it still works today. I think what most people are looking for is proof of everything. Yet, 90% of people fall in love and marry: how do they know they are in love, its a feeling not a tangible object. If this isn't enough email me.

Answer 6

No, it is logical to think they are delusional. Dawkins got calls from psychologist asking him not to use the word " delusion " in the title of his book, as it was reserved professionally to mental health people. Rather illustrative of the disdain scientists have for social scientist that the books title, " The God Delusion ", remained the same. Talk about delusion; your in the right section.

Answer 7

Your reasoning is pretty good. And you may be onto something. If you don't go too far with it, because the kinds of delusions you talk about are pretty mild and benign...like believing that politicians are telling the truth. But 98% of the world will not like where you're going with your train of logic.

Answer 8

Perhaps your line of thinking pertains to a sudden conversion to such faith beliefs. Those who have been raised in such an environment of fervent belief, may have come upon this state more slowly, and adapted to this way of thinking in a more gradual and socially acceptable manner.

Inching along as it were, instead of jumping in head first.

Answer 9

It is all a matter of opinion , and what the population considers normal , larger the percentage of people that believe in the same thing is therefore considered normal , so you can quantified from that point of view .

Answer 10

well its not fantasies to them. its more of believing things as they are. it sounds logical though...i'll keep that in mind.