Could untreated "Schizophrenia" in ancient times be a "fairly rational" explanation for all the...

Question

...spooky, irrational Biblical "GobbleDeeGook..."? (and I'm NOT talking about ethically and morally wise ideas on "good" human behavior...WE came up with THAT stuff on our own...) What I'm talking about are the fanciful, ridiculous "interpretations" of "natural disasters," and the extremes of "courageous" human behavior in the face of certain death...?
(and the fact that they were ancient savages without a clue as to the "nature" of Planet Earth...?)

Answer 1

The little books the prophets would eat before they prophesied and had visions were mushrooms. They also used about 9 pounds of marijuana flowers in their anointing oil. All of it was poured on the one being anointed. They tripped until they washed it off which was baptism.
Natural disasters were used to their advantage saying that god had done it. It's all easily enough explained.

Answer 2

I have often thought that. Many untreated and miss understood mental illness could explain a great many of the odd stories from that past that leave us wondering why nothing like that ever happens to people these days.

I know this a very un PC thing to say, but I'll say it any way. My Western Civ professor in college said that many historians believe that Mohamed was actually suffering from epilepsy and having seizures rather than visions.

Answer 3

Lets just say no one went to church,what do you think those people would be doing now, if they did not believe in a god?
not the bad ones the good ones.
If you were born an "ancient savage" what could you do ?
you seem to believe in death after life i know what i would prefer
To believe in life after death at least it gives me something
that you cant prove even after your death.
As for people who have schizophrenia most are paranoid
and hear voices in their head seems like a pretty normal
every day occurrence for what we call rational people to
experience, Don't You have an inner voice.
Do you think what happened in iraq was and still is savagery

Answer 4

Could be. Just think of the iron age and the toxic material that humans breathed to make iron tools and iron weapons. That type of pollution could very well cause certain types of mental illness.
Iron in the mothers blood stream could impact on the electrical system for stimulating or reducing some mental function or hormonal function.
I really think their is no question about the fact that what humans and animals ingest, absorb or osmosis through the wall of the intestines impacts the health of the organisms body and mind.
A good thoughtful question and thanks for asking.

Answer 5

Hallucinogenic states can be induced by eating certain plants or by fasting for long periods of time. Who knows---looking for logical explanations to most of the stories in the Bible is like looking for a shoe you lost in 1968---you're probably never going to find it----Blessings!

Answer 6

Sounds good to me too. There are other similar hypotheses to what you describe; poor diet and malnutrition can lead to a state of mind that can experience hallucination and there were no government approved diets back then and nobody even new what a vitamin was. This could quite easily explain a prophets 'visions'.

Answer 7

i think untreated disorders like you mentioned were the ' demonic possession ' cases frequentl;y mentioned in the bible.if you look at it closely it explains quite a lot. your questions are really interesting.

Answer 8

Primitivism and ignorance would explain their behavior. I'm sure some suffered from schizophrenia though.

Answer 9

No. Schizophrenia is a jangled misconception of reality. oh.... I see....

Answer 10

sounds good to me