Religious Extremism 'May Be Categorised As Mental Illness

[cronus]

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/05 ... 59267.html

Religious Fundamentalism 'May Be Categorised As Mental Illness & Cured By Science'

Religious fundamentalism and cruelty to children may one day be treated in the same way as mental illness, a neuroscientist has speculated.

Kathleen Taylor, a research scientist at Oxford University’s Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, says strong negative beliefs could be eradicated using techniques already in the works.

Dr Taylor was speaking at the Hay Literary Festival in Wales when she was asked what she forsaw as positive developments in neuroscience in the coming years, The Times reports.

She replied: “One man’s positive can be another man’s negative. One of the surprises may be to see people with certain beliefs as people who can be treated.

“Someone who has for example become radicalised to a cult ideology – we might stop seeing that as a personal choice that they have chosen as a result of pure free will and may start treating it as some kind of mental disturbance.

“In many ways it could be a very positive thing because there are no doubt beliefs in our society that do a heck of a lot of damage.

(continued)

[MrJonno]

You certainly could categorise religious extremism as a mental illness, you could also call religious moderation a mental illness and in fact atheism one as well (which some people have done) but it basically the concept of mental illness becomes meaningless where its used to broadly

[FBM]

Did you finish that sentence? To broadly what?

[MrJonno]

Saying great swathes of people are mentally ill when they generally go about their lives without thinking they have a problem and not generally affecting anyone else should never seen as a mental illness. There are a lot of religious nutters out there, very few commit crimes, the majority of people on the planet speak to a sky fairy that almost certainly doesnt exist and often think he talks back. They are delusional but are functional

[FBM]

Lots of people with mental illnesses are functional. Doesn't mean that they are healthy.

[Audley Strange]

I think anyone who accepts the basic premise of "God" who chooses not to live their life rigidly by that which they believe are the commandments of that God are mentally ill. If you believe that something actually willed itself and the universe into being, that is omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient and is constantly judging your actions and you choose to disobey that knowing the choice is eternal damnation you are (within your belief) a danger to yourself and others.

[MrJonno]

Lots of people with mental illnesses are functional. Doesn't mean that they are healthy.

Fundamentally disagree, doesn't matter what a person thinks or believes if it doesn't interfere with their life (as they see it) or others its 'healthy'

My wife was a example, she thought the microwave had been hacked by an unknown person and was talking to her, while fucking weird it only became a mental illness when it started telling her people were trying to kill her and she started calling the police.

Same with talking to yourself or hearing voices which in most cases is actually quite normal

[JimC]

I think anyone who accepts the basic premise of "God" who chooses not to live their life rigidly by that which they believe are the commandments of that God are mentally ill. If you believe that something actually willed itself and the universe into being, that is omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient and is constantly judging your actions and you choose to disobey that knowing the choice is eternal damnation you are (within your belief) a danger to yourself and others.

I will disagree with you here, Audley...

The people in the category you describe are simply doing a minor conform to the tribe they live in, with (quite likely) an internal roll of the eyes to the absurdity of it all. Possibly a little weak, but very, very understandable...

[cronus]

Sense of humour is a key. When they kill you for a cartoon then they are clearly taking their own bull all too seriously.

[Audley Strange]

I think anyone who accepts the basic premise of "God" who chooses not to live their life rigidly by that which they believe are the commandments of that God are mentally ill. If you believe that something actually willed itself and the universe into being, that is omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient and is constantly judging your actions and you choose to disobey that knowing the choice is eternal damnation you are (within your belief) a danger to yourself and others.

I will disagree with you here, Audley...

The people in the category you describe are simply doing a minor conform to the tribe they live in, with (quite likely) an internal roll of the eyes to the absurdity of it all. Possibly a little weak, but very, very understandable...

Then they are not believers in God, but affecting a survival posture, that's sensible. Those who actually have a belief in God, I am speaking about. Try and actually consider the meaning and ramification of that as an actual belief, rather than lip service and tell me that not to obey it would be sensible. I know people who literally, figuratively and actually believe in God and in Hell yet still do things they know they will be damned for. That to me is a mental illness, to accept the premise an conclusions of an argument and then to endanger oneself by dismissing or ignoring those conclusions.

It is literally the action of someone who is insane, let alone infected with a symbolic parasite.

[JimC]

OK, I see what you are saying, a true disconnect, rather than "lip-service"

I will reply biblically...

"By their fruits ye shall know them"

If that belief system has virtually no effect on their every day behaviour, I will call them mistaken, but not insane...

[rainbow]

Sense of humour is a key. When they kill you for a cartoon then they are clearly taking their own bull all too seriously.

Explain this. If an omnipotent being doesn't want to be insulted, why don't they smite the cartoonist themselves?

[Audley Strange]

So if I thought that there was a giant gnu that had a haemorrhoid that burst and brought forth the solar system and that the Gnu sniffs out humans who masturbate and drowns then in cosmic Gnu-dung for all eternity and one of those things it expected me to do was burn infants. I'm mistaken, not insane?

Well thank fuck for that!

I can keep on burning Kids though right?

[JimC]

So if I thought that there was a giant gnu that had a haemorrhoid that burst and brought forth the solar system and that the Gnu sniffs out humans who masturbate and drowns then in cosmic Gnu-dung for all eternity and one of those things it expected me to do was burn infants. I'm mistaken, not insane?

Well thank fuck for that!

I can keep on burning Kids though right?

No, bad fruits...

[Audley Strange]

So if I thought that there was a giant gnu that had a haemorrhoid that burst and brought forth the solar system and that the Gnu sniffs out humans who masturbate and drowns then in cosmic Gnu-dung for all eternity and one of those things it expected me to do was burn infants. I'm mistaken, not insane?

Well thank fuck for that!

I can keep on burning Kids though right?

No, bad fruits...

Yeah I get it, one should be judged by one's actions. I am, I think it takes an action to convince oneself that the big book of bullshit is literally true, and then another to convince onself that while that is the case, it's alright to cheat.

Is not simply a mistake, it's mental Jim. It's like you deciding that while you are hired to teach maths, and know how to teach maths and know you'll get into trouble for it if you don't, but then saying "fuck it, let's make a class porno kiddies, who's going to know?"

Willfully wrong. Insane, not just in error. ( referring to the class of those true believers who do not live by their God's law.)