 sj |
||
|
||
BS: Is Religion a form of Mental Illness ???
|
|
|
Subject: RE: BS: Is Religion a form of Mental Illness ??? From: Wolfgang Date: 02 Dec 04 - 11:43 AM Wolfgang, the frightening thing for me is that you sound as if you actually believe those figures & statistics , and you had them too quickly to hand. (26 Nov 04 - 12:35 PM) Too quickly??? Now you're getting silly, 26 Nov 04 - 12:35 PM. I tell you two closely guarded secrets: (1) There are search machines around the web with the help of which you can search for documents with certain strings of characters in them (2) I'm a native speaker of German and therefore I know which words to expect in such a document. The rest is two minutes of my time. Wolfgang |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Is Religion a form of Mental Illness ??? From: Little Hawk Date: 02 Dec 04 - 02:35 PM I wish I had more time for this lovely thread, but I'm too darned busy today! Evidently, I HAVE a life after all... :-) |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Is Religion a form of Mental Illness ??? From: GUEST,Chongo Chimp Date: 02 Dec 04 - 04:45 PM "Is religion a form of mental illness?" If you're referrin' to the Jehovah's Witnesses...Yes! If you're referrin' to gorillas dancing the Dum-Dum so as to improve their possibilities of wreakin' mayhem and havoc and crushing their enemies...No! You gotta hedge your bets when it comes to this sort of thing. Some religions work better than others. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Is Religion a form of Mental Illness ??? From: Joe Offer Date: 03 Dec 04 - 04:00 AM It seems that in a great number of these posts, religious belief and organized religion is understood to be some sort of mindless abandonment of self to strict obedience to some sort of fundamentalist doctrine. In other words, religion is defined as fundamentalism; and since fundamentalism is bad, religion must be bad. I suppose that it follows that if religions have doctrines, then religious education must be indoctrination. I dunno. That's just not my experience. I had 16 years of Catholic education; and half of that was in a seminary, studying to become a priest. I suppose that some of my teachers were more interested in indoctrination than in education, but that wasn't the case with most of them. I learned to view Catholic teachings, practices, and organization with a respectful but critical eye - like a concerned citizen might view his country when the "other party" is in power. I ended up part of the "loyal opposition" in the Catholic Church, although I've always been proud to be a Catholic. In my town, the Christian religions fall generally into two groups - the born-agains, and the "mainstream" Christians and Catholics. The born-agains have their joint activities; and we mainstreamers have ours. The "mainstream" denominations all have some ivory-tower fundamentalists; but most of the people in these denominations seem to be quite open to a wide spectrum of thought, while feeling most comfortable in their own tradition and form of religious expression. they also seem to have a concern for those in the community who are in need. Anyway, my point is that religion and fundamentalism are not necessarily synonymous, and that we non-fundamentalist religious people can actually be reasonably stable and productive citizens (...given proper supervision and medication...). A beer now and then is all I need. -Joe Offer- |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Is Religion a form of Mental Illness ??? From: GUEST Date: 03 Dec 04 - 12:57 PM Joe , I like what you say .What worries me is that many people in Organised Religions - are in doctrinated into believeing other religions are truly bad or not the true way. I as a young Catholic was forbidden to enter any other church or Sunday School . I was checked every Monday morning by Nuns as to whether I had attended a combination of Confession ,Mass and Holy Communion and firmly beaten if I hadn't been to any , and especially if I said I had - but had'nt attended . They used to check attendance by asking supplementary / "catch " questions - who was the Priest or what colours were the vestments. The Nuns and Priests who oversaw this behaviour were evil nut cases . I watched the other day as some Catholics or Church of England ??returned to the Turkish Orthodox Church some 800 Year-old relics of a 2 Saints . Apparently they had been stolen during the Crusades The pomp, costumes and ceremony, must have cost a fortune. Do they actually believe 800 year-old bones are really the same bones and that they are magic or somesuch ? I reckon you must be "miles-round-the-bend" to accept all THAT and besides the whole thing is offensive when these Rich Organised Religions cannot look after their flock's corporal needs, by instilling into people that it's OK to keep having loads of children especially to those who can ill-afford them - and, who in his right mind would go get advice from a Celebate male ( a Priest ) for marital problems ?. Frightening . |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Is Religion a form of Mental Illness ??? From: Joe Offer Date: 04 Dec 04 - 04:45 AM I can't deny that all the bad stuff happens. Sometimes, it does seem to be the rule, rather than the exception. But having worked in the Catholic Church all my life, I think I have had a wide variety of experience - and most of my experiences have been quite good. My best Catholic experience is my Friday volunteer job at a women's hospitality center in the poor part of town. It's run by four nuns (ages 55-75), and they coordinate a volunteer team of some 100 people. Our motto is "hospitality with dignity," and that's what we offer. "My" nuns are what nuns should be - and most of the nuns I know are like them. They do their very best to serve people, and they don't tolerate church leaders who do less. Now, I have to say that in my experience, most nuns are extraordinary, and most priests I encounter are mediocre (but still they're pretty good people). Most of the priests in Sacramento are foreign-born, and that's part of the problem. I've often said that that as an ex-seminarian, it's my duty to "keep the priests honest." I've been hard on a number of priests, pushing them to give better service to the people. Most of them respond quite favorably to my pushing. These foreign-born priests can be awfully lonely, and I think a lot of Catholics keep priests on a pedestal and don't treat them as human beings. There are some priests I would talk with about marital problems, but very few of them. I'd be more likely to talk with "my" nuns. When I was going through a divorce, I did talk with a priest - but he had a PhD in psychology. I think that for most of us, we seek counseling because we need somebody to listen, not to give advice. I know many celibate priests and nuns who are very good, impartial listeners. But in short, I guess I'd say that churches do have shortcomings, and they do have employees/priests/nuns/ministers/whatever who are inadequate - but all institutions and businesses have shortcomings, so why should we expect churches to be any different? I worked in a five-person government office during my last years of employment. In that office, there were two employees who were excellent, two who were mediocre, and one who was a fraud. I think that's about standard for a workplace. The women's center where I volunteer had six full-time staff members (four nuns and two lay women), and all of them are excellent. I can't say the same for all church organizations, but I do think that there are a number of extraordinary people doing church work. As for the 800-yr-old bones, I have mixed feelings. I don't think relics have any powers, but I do think it's fascinating that we have bones that have been held sacred for 800 years. There's probably a lot of history and experience connected to those old bones, and I do think there is value in preserving and respecting them. All the ceremony and pageantry is cool, too. It's a celebration of heritage, and I think it ought to be done up right. Hollywood is certainly more extravagant in its pageantry. Is it really necessary for churches to be austere and sterile, to leave the pageantry to the media? -Joe Offer- |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Is Religion a form of Mental Illness ??? From: The Shambles Date: 04 Dec 04 - 07:01 AM There is no doubt that those following organised religion do very good work. The fairly obvious point is that following these or holding a strong personal faith - is not a prerequisite for doing good work. Equally good works are undertaken by many non religeous bodies and individuals. Perhaps these folk are able to concentrate fully on these tasks and not be compromised by the demands of their organised calling? Or possibly sometimes be distracted when the the voices in their heads and the visions in their eyes - conflict with the feelings in their hearts? |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Is Religion a form of Mental Illness ??? From: GUEST,Betsy Date: 04 Dec 04 - 09:49 AM Joe and Shambles I'm sure you're both right to highlight the merits of the individuals - but my frustration comes from ( say ) watching last nights news from Iraq where Sunnis killed Shi'ites outside the Mosque. What drives people to horribly kill people of a similar Organised Religion ( as has happened in many disturbed parts of the world ) - purely because they think the other( branch of the )religion and it's members do not have the right to exist. You don't need me to catalogue all the recent Religious occurrences in various parts of the world of this kind , and therefore what I was asking is "Are these people mentally ill ?, and, if so has Organised Religion made them this way?. What else would drive anyone to contemplate and prepare to wilfully take peoples lives - just because you think your method of practising a religion is correct, and others is not? |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Is Religion a form of Mental Illness ??? From: Ooh-Aah2 Date: 04 Dec 04 - 04:04 PM Re. relics, I share the views of the last Pagan Roman Emperor, Julian, who referred to Christian churches as 'charnel houses'. Yuk, yuk, yuk. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Is Religion a form of Mental Illness ??? From: Little Hawk Date: 04 Dec 04 - 05:47 PM Habitually posting to Mudcat Cafe more than 25 times daily is a form of mental illness. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Is Religion a form of Mental Illness ??? From: The Shambles Date: 04 Dec 04 - 06:56 PM "Are these people mentally ill ?, and, if so has Organised Religion made them this way?. This question is a bit like the chicken or the egg. It is human beings that first make the organised religions. If they are mentally ill - the religion is unlikely to be rational. If the founders are not mentally ill - there is nothing stopping the mentally ill from joining later. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Is Religion a form of Mental Illness ??? From: akenaton Date: 04 Dec 04 - 07:18 PM The quest for "Everlasting life",which is the basis of all religions, is the product of what I like to call "gods little joke"...the human brain. This massive brain has the ability to steer us to true happiness or absolute degradation and disaster. So salvation or damnation is in our own hands or heads Whether this could be construed as a form of mental illness,I just dont know. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Is Religion a form of Mental Illness ??? From: Amos Date: 04 Dec 04 - 07:27 PM Oh, Lord, forgive my little jokes on Thee; And I'll forgive Thy great big joke on me. Robert Frost, IIRC |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Is Religion a form of Mental Illness ??? From: Little Hawk Date: 05 Dec 04 - 06:14 AM The American obsession with female breasts is a form of mental illness. :-) (probably due to the Orwellian imposition of bottle-feeding on the last few suffering generations of North American infants). |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Is Religion a form of Mental Illness ??? From: Little Hawk Date: 05 Dec 04 - 06:14 AM Gigantic breasts, that is... |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Is Religion a form of Mental Illness ??? From: Amos Date: 05 Dec 04 - 12:21 PM Ya wanna watch that stuff, bottle-feeder trash-talker! You're messing with my religion!! Fr. Tacitus Aureolus, neophyte aspirant Temple of the Golden Curve |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Is Religion a form of Mental Illness ??? From: GUEST Date: 05 Dec 04 - 07:02 PM Wouldnt it be terrible if there were more mentally ill people to tidy up our streets at their own cost, try to be exemplary neighbours and bring their kids with them to meetings? Your not making much of an argument. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Is Religion a form of Mental Illness ??? From: GUEST,Ooh-Aah2 Date: 06 Dec 04 - 05:57 PM I can't stand people who bring kids to meetings - the damn things scream and wail all the way through. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Is Religion a form of Mental Illness ??? From: Little Hawk Date: 07 Dec 04 - 01:10 AM That depends on the kid. Republicanism is a form of mental illness. So is Democratism (is there such a word?). American elections are an enormous convulsion of mental illness on a national scale, and the American electorate needs emergency therapy NOW! |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Is Religion a form of Mental Illness ??? From: Joe Offer Date: 07 Dec 04 - 04:19 AM Maybe it's the ideologues who are mentally ill - those who mindlessly tie themselves to an ideology or guru, whoever or whatever it is. They have somehow lost the ability to question themselves - and that's when they're dangerous. We do look to various philosophies and theologies to answer the unanswerable questions of life - that's a natural consequence of being human. When we see absolute truth only in our own ideology, we become dangerous. -Joe Offer- |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Is Religion a form of Mental Illness ??? From: GUEST,daylia Date: 07 Dec 04 - 07:12 AM We do look to various philosophies and theologies to answer the unanswerable questions of life - that's a natural consequence of being human. There's the rub. The "answers" lie beyond theology and philosophy. Applying mental gymnastics to spiritual questions just creates confusion and argument, while generating even more questions. These approaches have failed, quite demonstrably, for millennia. When we gonna wake up? When we see absolute truth only in our own ideology, we become dangerous. This is a possibility, depending on the ideology. An ideology of say, love, noninterference and nonviolence, is pretty benign. daylia |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Is Religion a form of Mental Illness ??? From: Little Hawk Date: 07 Dec 04 - 11:00 AM Then too, unduly worrying about Britney Spears' latest marriage or what Ben Affleck is up to is probably a form of mental illness too...but on a pretty trivial level. I'm thinking about the magazines at the grocery checkout, and the people who actually buy them! :-) |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Is Religion a form of Mental Illness ??? From: GUEST,God Date: 08 Dec 04 - 02:05 AM Tut tut |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Is Religion a form of Mental Illness ??? From: Joe Offer Date: 08 Dec 04 - 06:57 AM Tut, tut, indeed. Joe Offer misspoke when he said:
They may not have answers, but they can come up with some interesting hypotheses to consider. And yeah, I suppose that's somewhat of an answer. -Joe Offer- |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Is Religion a form of Mental Illness ??? From: Little Hawk Date: 08 Dec 04 - 10:57 AM ...to ponder the imponderable... :-) |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Is Religion a form of Mental Illness ??? From: Joe Offer Date: 08 Dec 04 - 01:27 PM Ayup, Little Hawk. Exactly so. I ain't done yet. What various philosophies and theologies are supposed to do, is help people to see things from a variety of perspectives, to look more deeply into the lives we live and find meaning in them. "Ideology" is a different thing - that involves swearing loyalty to a code of answers and submitting to the authority of whoever is in power. Ideologues hate philosophers and theologians - but too often, the ideologues take over the power structures of churches and political parties. Philosophers and theologians are busy contemplating daisies, and they have little use for positions of power - so we get stuck with ideologues at the top of many of our churches and political parties. Philosophers and theologians don't make very good administrators, so maybe it's good that they're not at the top. Perhaps its our mistake in looking at structures from the top, instead of from the grass roots. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Is Religion a form of Mental Illness ??? From: The Shambles Date: 08 Dec 04 - 01:56 PM Philosophers and theologians are busy contemplating daisies, and they have little use for positions of power - so we get stuck with ideologues at the top of many of our churches and political parties. Philosophers and theologians don't make very good administrators, so maybe it's good that they're not at the top. Perhaps its our mistake in looking at structures from the top, instead of from the grass roots. Joe I can't really believe you (of all people) are writing this stuff............. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Is Religion a form of Mental Illness ??? From: Little Hawk Date: 08 Dec 04 - 04:35 PM Some philosophers do make good administrators, Joe, but you are right that power structures are usually taken over by idealogues (and pragmatists), and that leads to trouble. Shambles, perhaps you have never taken the time to contemplate a daisy with proper attention. :-) With a sufficiently quieted mind (unknown to most people) you could see a number of the grander archetypes of the Universe revealed in a daisy. This is obvious to the enlightened, but meaningless to the unenlightened...or the "clever", as they are sometimes called. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Is Religion a form of Mental Illness ??? From: akenaton Date: 08 Dec 04 - 06:11 PM "To a mountain daisy"....On turning one down with the plough...April 1786. Wee modest crimson tipped flow'r, Thou's met me in an evil hour; For I maun crush amang the stoure, Thy slender stem; To spare thee noo is past ma pow'r Thou bonnie gem. Alas! its no thy neebour sweet, The bonnie lark, companion meet Bending thee'mang the dewy weet W'i' speckled breast, When upward springing, blythe to greet The purpling east. Cauld blewthe bitter biting North Upon thy early humble birth; Yet cheerfully thou glinted forth Amid the storm, Scarce rear'd above the parent earth Thy tender form. The flaunting flowers our gardens yield High sheltring woods and wa's maun shield, But thou,beneath the randombield O' clod or stane, Adorns the histie stibble field, Unseen, alane. There in thy scanty mantle clad, Thy snowy bosom sun-ward spread, Thou lifts thy unassuming head In humble guise, But now the share uptears thy bed, And low thou lies! Such is the fate of artless maid, Sweet flowr't o' the rural shade, By loves simplicity betrayed, And guileless trust, Till she like thee, all soiled is laid Low in the dust. Such is the fate of simple bard On lifes rough ocean luckless starr'd Unskilful he to note the card Of prudent lore Till billows rage, and galesblow hard And whelm him o'er. Such fate to suffering worth is giv'n, Who long with wants and woes has striv'n, By human pride or cunning driv'n To mis'ry's brink, Till wrench'd of every stay but heav'n He, ruin'd, sink! Even thou who mourn'st the daisy's fate, That fate is thine -- no distant date, Stern Ruin's ploughshare drives elate Full on thy bloom, Till crushed beneath the furrow's weight Shall be thy doom! Robert Burns ......Best wishes to Joe and Hawk.....Ake |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Is Religion a form of Mental Illness ??? From: Joe Offer Date: 08 Dec 04 - 07:28 PM Well, I didn't say that I was a philosopher/theologian, Shambles. It has already been determined that I am a ruthless machiavellian despot. I do admire the philosophers and theologians, though - and then I send them off in chains to be burned at the stake, and I crush their monutain daisies beneath my heel... -Joe Offer- |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Is Religion a form of Mental Illness ??? From: The Shambles Date: 08 Dec 04 - 08:08 PM Some philosophers do make good administrators, Joe, but you are right that power structures are usually taken over by idealogues (and pragmatists), and that leads to trouble. As for pragmatists - this is is a word that is now used to mean pratictical people - and not people like me who spend quite a lot of time thinking about the place of daisies in the world. The word is used now to describe a practical approach - but the roots of it really means and describes those who like to mind other people's business. Where these people get to administrate - whatever they are trying to administer tends to get lost to the process of administration. The Spainish Inquistion is good example. Which no one expects............... |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Is Religion a form of Mental Illness ??? From: Little Hawk Date: 08 Dec 04 - 08:11 PM Yes, Joe, again and yet again! The finest and truest of heart are cynically used and then cast aside by the little minds to whom they lighted the way...and condemned by men not fit to walk in the dust of their shoes. As happened at Rouen in 1431. As happened to Jesus and many others. Akenaton, thanks! Great poem. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Is Religion a form of Mental Illness ??? From: The Shambles Date: 09 Dec 04 - 01:47 AM Well, I didn't say that I was a philosopher/theologian, Shambles. It has already been determined that I am a ruthless machiavellian despot. -Joe Offer- Not too sure if the former or the latter has even been claimed let alone been determined. However, what probably worries me just as much, is your apparent certainty that you are not ruthless machiavellian despot or could never turn into one. In the same way that other's certainty before - has allowed them to think that their ruthless oppressions, (based only on their beliefs) were perfectly justified and just jolly good fun, when they were lighting the fires and tightening the screws on the rack. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Is Religion a form of Mental Illness ??? From: The Shambles Date: 09 Dec 04 - 03:46 AM Or when forcing someone to sit in the 'comfy' chair. We may possibly have been able to reach heaven - or at least the stars - long ago if ruthless machiavellian despot Popes, had not been allowed to declare that stating the fact that the earth went around the sun - was heresy. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Is Religion a form of Mental Illness ??? From: Amos Date: 29 Aug 05 - 07:16 PM RELIGION Religion is a defense against having a religious experience. Joseph Campbell quoting Carl Jung The Power of Myth |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Is Religion a form of Mental Illness ??? From: Bill D Date: 29 Aug 05 - 08:11 PM still not profound after being posted in two threads...but still sorta cute. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Is Religion a form of Mental Illness ??? From: *daylia* Date: 29 Aug 05 - 08:46 PM I still want to know if Illness is a form of Mental Religion. I suspect so. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Is Religion a form of Mental Illness ??? From: Amos Date: 29 Aug 05 - 11:00 PM Bill D: I disagree. It is deeply profound, IMHO! DO you think of it as mere word-play? Perhaps a religious experience is not consistent with your disciplined and logical world-view? A |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Is Religion a form of Mental Illness ??? From: The Curator Date: 30 Aug 05 - 09:54 AM Having spent 26 years working in psychiatry there is no doubt about the connect between mental illness and religion. Saw it and tried to treat it. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Is Religion a form of Mental Illness ??? From: Bill D Date: 30 Aug 05 - 09:58 AM (tried to post this at 12PM EDT, but Mudcat quit as I was typing) "deeply profound"? *shrug* We can simply differ, but I will say that no, I don't think it is 'merely' wordplay. It obviously makes a statement about the Human psyche which may, in some cases, explain an attitude, but it seems to me it also depends on one's having a prior particular notion of what religion and 'religious experience' are...or should be. It is not whether *I* have had, or can have a religious experience, but whether the aphorism can be defended in its sorta absolutist form. "Religion is.." doesn't allow for much latitude. Can't religion be a LOT more than that? And can't many people espouse religion who do NOT use it in a defensive mode?...etc...etc... I do see the point of the aphorism, and I even agree that it has a 'ring' of relevance to it: I just don't see the succinct, narrow construction of the phrasing as having much universal force. Perhaps 'cute' was a bit too dismissive, but I have seen lines about religion and its experience that I thought had much greater .....for want of a better word...'depth'. Sorry...just one old disciplined, logical curmudgeon's view. (and you know...I haven't really decided yet whether the concept of 'religious experience' IS consistent with my world view. I tend not to admit them, but I have to deal with the fact that others report them and refer to them. Perhaps it IS largely a linguistic thing...or at least a conceptual thing that in hung up in linguistics) durn...now you've got me pondering again, and you know how distracting that is! |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Is Religion a form of Mental Illness ??? From: Amos Date: 30 Aug 05 - 11:25 AM Curator: I find your summation to be so summary as to be devoid of real information. Is what you associate with mental illness, from your clinical experience, primarily religious thought per se? Or organized religious doctrine? Or badly misconstrued popular misconceptions of the religious dogma which once was based on religious doctrine which in turn was once based on religious thought which MAY have been based on an actual religious experience? IS your perspective of "mental illness" defined? Defineable? Does it emphasize adaptation to the environment as the highest earmark of mental health? Is it predicated on the animal like nature of mankind? Does it include ANY metaphysics, or is all such outside the scope of your definition of mental health? Enquiring minds want to know! A |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Is Religion a form of Mental Illness ??? From: Ebbie Date: 30 Aug 05 - 02:14 PM Be careful: Ya never know where another human being is going! When my daughter was 12 years old, she began attending church. Had she requested it, I would have woken her but she set her alarm and got herself up and on her way. This despite having been brought up in a non-religious household. We had often talked about ethics and moral codes but the subjects were never confined within religious thought. I admired her for forming her own path. And when she wanted to attend a summer church camp I paid for it. As she grew older, I was candid in my own lack of organized religious belief but I bought her books that supported her burgeoning beliefs. Together we voluneteered at various soup kitchens and we actively cultivated friends of other cultures and races. I thought she was as liberal as I. Ha! She went off to college, met a man from a conservative, religous family who, it developed, are also politically conservative. Today, at age 43, she is as conservative as they. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Is Religion a form of Mental Illness ??? From: Bill D Date: 30 Aug 05 - 05:08 PM yep...it happens. She made her choice, evidently freely and according to her needs. My brother did much the same......I don't agree with him, but it suits him. He tried preaching a bit to me...briefly.. *grin*, before I made it clear I was a hopeless case. In his case, religion is sorta what saved him from drugs, alcohol and spending money like water. I don't know if what he had qualifies as a 'mental illness', but he sure was a mess for a few years. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Is Religion a form of Mental Illness ??? From: Amos Date: 30 Aug 05 - 05:14 PM The use of religious doctrines to "stave off chaos" is well known; theproblem I have with it, though, is that the chaos remains unfaced and unhandled, and the temporary seawall of a stable doctrine with which to ally oneself, and thus fend off confusion, is as bad as deciding to "become your mother" because "she always knew how to handle things" and you were too confused to figure it out. It works temporarily, but the tradeoff is you end up being your mother. A |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Is Religion a form of Mental Illness ??? From: Little Hawk Date: 30 Aug 05 - 07:37 PM EVERYTHING is a mental illness...when carried to extremes. And this thread has the stupidest title in the history of this forum. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Is Religion a form of Mental Illness ??? From: Mrrzy Date: 30 Aug 05 - 08:06 PM Nowhere near, Little Hawk! I would say that someone who persisted in their belief that little green men from Mars were responsible for natural phenomena would be considered mentally ill; I don't understand why if it's God, instead, that isn't. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Is Religion a form of Mental Illness ??? From: Little Hawk Date: 30 Aug 05 - 08:10 PM Well, I can't say I've met anyone yet with that particular "little green man" belief, Mrrzy, so I can't say... ;-) But I've met plenty of insane people with very conventional beliefs and behaviour. I see little point going on about little green men or about "religion" when we have much realer wolves at the gate on any given day of the week. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Is Religion a form of Mental Illness ??? From: Tirghra Date: 31 Aug 05 - 11:04 AM Little green men from Mars aren't responsible for natural phenomena? Hell, now I'm going to have to rewrite my entire book... Tirghra |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Is Religion a form of Mental Illness ??? From: Bill D Date: 31 Aug 05 - 03:24 PM Little green men from Mars are responsible for UNnatural phenomena. ;>) |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Is Religion a form of Mental Illness ??? From: Georgiansilver Date: 31 Aug 05 - 03:55 PM Little green men from Mars are not responsible for the Christian healings that take place...the modern day miracles.....are they? Best wishes, Mike. |
