Mental illness, perhaps. Delusion, most likely, but still possible. If someone belives in something that has no proof for being, like the pink elephant next to me, everyone else, would clearly call that person insane, retarded, whathaveyou. Point is, religion is accepted because it is common. We know christianity is false, look at where it came from. Whether a God exists or not, we dont know. BUT if The God, or one god, were not to exist, wouldnt all of those believers be delusional?
It's a minor delusion and probably not an insanity. God is incredibly unlikely but so is winning in vegas and yet we don't run through casinos yelling. "you're insane! you're gonna lose all your money. The odds are so far against you that thinking you'll win is delusional." We don't grab people at the supermarket who go to buy a lotto ticket and slap them in a straight jacket. It's just a bad bet. Crazy is the person who starts spending the lotto money before the numbers are drawn.
Kat, something caught my attention... Not attempting to pronounce a diagnosis. I presume that the "parasite" was a metaphor... but mayhaps you are closer, it naming it as such, to true state of affairs than not.
As for theism being mental illness, you're right, of course it's not. I mean, Newton (and many other bright minds) wasn't insane, was he?
Insanity and genius seem, anecdotally, to be linked; but I suspect there may be a cultural bias in play there. Regardless, it's worth the investigation it's getting, and likely more.
Just to clarify, I'm not Kat; she's a great friend of mine who has lots of opinions about this and so has commented a lot. :)
Parasite is a metaphor for my mental illness. Sometimes it's "demon" or "bitch in my head", but it's definitely not me. I don't think I have dissociative identity disorder, and I don't believe in thetans, so it stays firmly in the realm of metaphor, for me.
don't think it has to be negative to be abuse, just a falsehood. If you were raised to believe in the all powerful loving kindness of the invisible blatherskite it would still be psychological abuse. Teaching a child to believe in invisible, untouchable, improvable, fantasies is abuse. I really have no problem understanding that this is one of the strongest reasons society is tearing itself apart. A computer, given opposing commands crashes. I'm glad you survived mostly unscathed.
Atheists need to accept that it is a natural feeling evolved into humans to have theistic impulses. To say it is a mental illness just shows how isolated and naive some atheists are. I am not a theist in any way, but I still know that it is natural, human and reasonably sane, to personify misunderstood phenomena. It is sane because it is part of one's ability to psychologically integrate mysterious phenomena. Get over yourself, smug atheists, and listen to the reasonable ones like jumblebox!
If I believe my walls are pink, when they are in fact green, this is a mental illness. I could be a calm member of society, but I have a hallucination that affects a portion of my life. It does not have to affect myself or others negatively. But none the less, it would still be a mental disorder.
There is a difference between adversely affecting society, and mental disorder. Religion may occasionally be the first, but is most certainly the second as far as I'm concerned.
Believing in a deity is not a hallucination. Having seen an invisible being in the sky and having had conversations with it would be construed as a hallucination by some, even many.
But believing in a deity does NOT equal having seen or conversed with it.
Not all halucinations are auditory or visual hallucinations. Just because something is not seen or heard does not make it any less of a hallucination. Hallucination=Delusion=A false belief. It's my belief that a deity is false, so according to me, believing in one is a false belief. That doesn't make it truely right or wrong, because I do not know everything in the universe. You can call it false or not, and that is up to you. It's entirely subjective.
A delusion is a fixed false belief and is used in everyday language to describe a belief that is either false, fanciful or derived from deception.
In psychiatry, the definition is necessarily more precise and implies that the belief is pathological (the result of an illness or illness process).
As a pathology it is distinct from a belief based on false or incomplete information or certain effects of perception which would more properly be termed an apperception or illusion.
You don't have to get fiesty, SHEESH! I simply defined the two words, because you said that one *equals* the other.
Problem is, dictionaries often use words as "synonyms" that aren't. They can be used for *comparison* but that doesn't mean they have the same definition.
All I did was go to Wikipedia, and then went to external links from there. Most often those sites have external links as well.
No one should ever use only one source for "truth" nor definitions. It's too narrow.
Sorry, getting rated down when I thought I was being reasonable puts me on the defensive at times. And I thought that a dictionary was rather definitive for what a word means. Sorry if I got a bit out of hand in this thread.
Just an FYI, I didn't rate you down. I rarely EVER rate comments anymore. It's a waste of time, IMNSHO. ;)
Nah, I didn't see you "out of hand".... I've seen PLENTY of that by others, which is NOT reasonable! ;)
Yes, dictionaries are definitive; they give definitions. The only "problem" per se is that they do tend to use other words as examples that lead readers to believe the words to be synonyms, when they are examples only. Which is why I use other sources when comparing words. :)
I'm honestly not being a bitch here, just pointing out something that is extremely important....
When one does not have "extensive knowledge of psychiatric definitions" then one should not be diagnosing others as having mental disorders.
RRS (and others who've followed) HAS been diagnosing, using the DSM. But what they fail to mention is that they're taking a few lines of the definition for "mental disorder" and leaving out many KEY requisites.
And I wasn't clinically diagnosing others. I was just saying percieving things that are not truely there and lacking reasonable stimulus is not a sign of a healthy mind. This is just the observation of a layman. I'm no doctor yet, hehe.
You did to an extent, albeit stating it was your opinion. ;p
I was referring MUCH more so to those who don't know what they're talking about but DO give their diagnoses.
I know religious people who ARE insane, but countless who are quite mentally healthy. It's not theism itself that convolutes the mind; it's how extreme one takes it. This (extremism/irrationality) also applies to atheism, BTW. ;)
So refreshing to discuss without fighting. Seriously! :)
I agree that the true danger lies not in what one believes, but where they take it. It's the dogma a person believes that is the problem. And I don't mean the Christian Dogma, but rather dogma as in a set of beliefs.
For instance, the dogma used by Stalin and Hitler to run their people into the ground in persuit of domination. The dogma used by the leaders in the mid east to persecute some knowledge and dissent. And the dogma held by some Christians like the Westboro Baptist Church.
Clinical definition: delusion A false belief based on incorrect inference about external reality that is firmly sustained despite what almost everyone else believes and despite what constitutes incontrovertible and obvious proof or evidence to the contrary. (Cont.)
The belief is not one ordinarily accepted by other members of the person's culture or subculture (e.g., it is not an article of religious faith). When a false belief involves a value judgment, it is regarded as a delusion only when the judgment is so extreme as to defy credibility. Delusional conviction occurs on a continuum and can sometimes be inferred from an individual's behavior. (Cont)
It is often difficult to distinguish between a delusion and an overvalued idea (in which case the individual has an unreasonable belief or idea but does not hold it as firmly as is the case with a delusion). Delusions are subdivided according to their content. Some of the more common types are: bizarre; delusional jealousy; grandiose; delusion of reference; persecutory; somatic; thought broadcasting; thought insertion.
Theism isn't inherently a mental illness, but it can certainly exacerbate our tendencies towards insecurity, fear, anxiety, ect., to the degree that a state of mental illness is achieved. Ultimately, I'm not sure it's a worthwhile argument, as the knowledge that any ideology that cognitively takes us away from a pragmatic, rational view of reality will probably not serve us in a pragmatic, rational fashion is more than enough to warrant caution against it.
Of course, it could be argued that those who wish to see theism/religion supplanted with a more rational, pragmatic view and use the theism-is-a-mental-illness argument to do so, are in fact moving against the very principals of logic and rationality they claim to embrace. In any case, I agree with you and have enjoyed your vid immensely, and subbed.
Well said. I always hated that the "theism is a mental illness" argument.I always wanted to ask: "Are you a shrink? If so, can you prescibe me some drugs?" It's symptoms maybe similar aggression, "delusions", irrationality etc., but that's all it is... similar.
it is not diagnosed as an illness becuase most people are religious; this doesn't mean religion is a good thing: most people believe they are nice others disagree
I didn't mean to imply that religion was a "good thing". I just don't think it's a mental illness by the clinical definition.
Most people believe that they are happy/sad/ what-have-you too, but psychiatry has yet to determine or even define what those basic emotions even are, cognitively speaking.
One could stipulate that seeing how the vast majority of people on this planet ARE religious athiests, agnostics, etc., are the ones with the illness. (Note: hypothetical, not what I believe.)
I'm an atheist, but it's not based on FACTS as there are none in either direction; I've simply never believed in a deity.
Some believe that deities exist, others believe they don't. Neither are going by FACTS. Only belief.
There are no FACTS that can PROVE who is "right and wrong" in this issue. Perhaps some day, but not at our current stage of development and perception.
Defect or deficiency? So then, 80-90% of the world is defected and deficient? That's quite a claim.
A complete stranger is happy for you. You should be congratulated on getting help (so many people are afraid to admit they need or might possibly benefit from help) and I'm so glad that you are feeling better.
I do not like the certainty with which some atheists (Dawkins, RRS, etc.) assert that theists are mentally ill but I do understand the inclination to think there must be SOMETHING wrong with intelligent, questioning, science-minded people who believe in a god/creator/sky-daddy.
"I do not like the certainty with which some atheists (Dawkins, RRS, etc.) assert that theists are mentally ill"
Elaina,
When did Dawkins make that assertion? It is my understanding that it was around the time that RRS started making that assertion that Dawkins distanced himself from them.
I'll look for the clip that I'm remembering myself watching in which that assertion is made by the good Dawkins (whom I greatly respect despite what my comment may lead one to think).
Could he have said that at TAM? hmmmmm...
If I find the memory pinwheel for my thinking cap or if I find the Dawkins clip, I'll post it back here.
The closest I've heard him come to that was to call religion a "mind virus" but that was more of a metaphor and very different from the RRS assertion that it's a clinical disorder.
Theism is NOT a mental illness. As a member of the club (bi polar II , anxiety, deprssion etc. here), I got mental illness "down". Beieving in a power outside or part of us is not the same. All religions try to "point" to something with various interpretations. Big difference...Mental illness is not a choice. Belief in god is a perfectly acceptable notion, perhaps not "factual" but nevertheless part of the human experience. And meds would not change "their" position unlike ours. Great video
Brain washing, bad but not a mental illness. Free choice to believe without forcing those opinions on others in any arena (legal, education, govt etc) is not a mental illness. Delusions can be symptoms of a mental illness. It's not a good term to equate with religious belief. e.g. Antipsychotics, antidepressents, mood stabilizers would NOT have any effect on their worldview, unlike a mental illness. People who have never been there DON'T understand the term. I'm no fan of any "religion" here
Schizoaffective Disorder, Bipolar I Type, with PTSD and generalized anxiety here. I'm also no fan of religion, but to say that theists are mentally ill / delusional simply because they believe in deity(ies) is ridiculous.
IMNSHO, this tactic stems from the *extremist* atheists who are desperately grasping at straws in finding "new" and "better" arguments as to why believers are wrong. They feel they get to say, "HAH! See? I'm better than you!" They're trying to make themselves feel superior.
Can't we all just get along? We're all human beings!
ZiggyHungga 3 years ago
theist is not crazy. most god believers are just too fucking stupid to think. too stupid to process their thoughts base on reasons, fact, reality.
djfung 3 years ago
hi! great vid.
where have you been all my life?
heatherlynblue 3 years ago
Mental illness, perhaps. Delusion, most likely, but still possible. If someone belives in something that has no proof for being, like the pink elephant next to me, everyone else, would clearly call that person insane, retarded, whathaveyou. Point is, religion is accepted because it is common. We know christianity is false, look at where it came from. Whether a God exists or not, we dont know. BUT if The God, or one god, were not to exist, wouldnt all of those believers be delusional?
my666reality 3 years ago
It's a minor delusion and probably not an insanity. God is incredibly unlikely but so is winning in vegas and yet we don't run through casinos yelling. "you're insane! you're gonna lose all your money. The odds are so far against you that thinking you'll win is delusional." We don't grab people at the supermarket who go to buy a lotto ticket and slap them in a straight jacket. It's just a bad bet. Crazy is the person who starts spending the lotto money before the numbers are drawn.
ratholin 3 years ago
Kat, something caught my attention... Not attempting to pronounce a diagnosis. I presume that the "parasite" was a metaphor... but mayhaps you are closer, it naming it as such, to true state of affairs than not.
As for theism being mental illness, you're right, of course it's not. I mean, Newton (and many other bright minds) wasn't insane, was he?
holugu 3 years ago
From what I understand, Newton had an unfair share of personal... oddities.
jinitron 3 years ago
Insanity and genius seem, anecdotally, to be linked; but I suspect there may be a cultural bias in play there. Regardless, it's worth the investigation it's getting, and likely more.
jumblebox 3 years ago
Just to clarify, I'm not Kat; she's a great friend of mine who has lots of opinions about this and so has commented a lot. :)
Parasite is a metaphor for my mental illness. Sometimes it's "demon" or "bitch in my head", but it's definitely not me. I don't think I have dissociative identity disorder, and I don't believe in thetans, so it stays firmly in the realm of metaphor, for me.
jumblebox 3 years ago
No it's not a mental illness. It's child abuse! A version of Stockholm Syndrome.
tecnoblix 3 years ago
tecnoblix, theism is not child abuse unless the parents/environment teaches children the FEAR of God, etc.
I was raised in a religious environment, mainly Christian. Thing is, I was taught about the LOVE of God - not hell, sin, evil, etc.
When I was in 4th grade, I started hearing kids talking about hell constantly. I thought, and argued, that they were ridiculous.
I can see how those kids were "abused" but I was not. Nor many others like myself.
I never did believe in God, BTW. ;)
Katatawnic 3 years ago
don't think it has to be negative to be abuse, just a falsehood. If you were raised to believe in the all powerful loving kindness of the invisible blatherskite it would still be psychological abuse. Teaching a child to believe in invisible, untouchable, improvable, fantasies is abuse. I really have no problem understanding that this is one of the strongest reasons society is tearing itself apart. A computer, given opposing commands crashes. I'm glad you survived mostly unscathed.
tecnoblix 3 years ago
You're glad I survived "mostly" unscathed?
Do you know me?
Katatawnic 3 years ago
Atheists need to accept that it is a natural feeling evolved into humans to have theistic impulses. To say it is a mental illness just shows how isolated and naive some atheists are. I am not a theist in any way, but I still know that it is natural, human and reasonably sane, to personify misunderstood phenomena. It is sane because it is part of one's ability to psychologically integrate mysterious phenomena. Get over yourself, smug atheists, and listen to the reasonable ones like jumblebox!
burgermind 3 years ago
burgermind, you rock! :)
Katatawnic 3 years ago
From one "crazy" to another (lol), and non-believers at that.... BRAVO, standing ovation!!!
Katatawnic 3 years ago
If I believe my walls are pink, when they are in fact green, this is a mental illness. I could be a calm member of society, but I have a hallucination that affects a portion of my life. It does not have to affect myself or others negatively. But none the less, it would still be a mental disorder.
There is a difference between adversely affecting society, and mental disorder. Religion may occasionally be the first, but is most certainly the second as far as I'm concerned.
ajsb1986 3 years ago
Believing in a deity is not a hallucination. Having seen an invisible being in the sky and having had conversations with it would be construed as a hallucination by some, even many.
But believing in a deity does NOT equal having seen or conversed with it.
Katatawnic 3 years ago
Not all halucinations are auditory or visual hallucinations. Just because something is not seen or heard does not make it any less of a hallucination. Hallucination=Delusion=A false belief. It's my belief that a deity is false, so according to me, believing in one is a false belief. That doesn't make it truely right or wrong, because I do not know everything in the universe. You can call it false or not, and that is up to you. It's entirely subjective.
ajsb1986 3 years ago
A hallucination is a perception in the absence of a stimulus.
Hallucinations may occur in any sensory modality — visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory, tactile, proprioceptive, equilibrioceptive, nociceptive, thermoceptive.
Hallucinations are different from illusions.
Katatawnic 3 years ago
A delusion is a fixed false belief and is used in everyday language to describe a belief that is either false, fanciful or derived from deception.
In psychiatry, the definition is necessarily more precise and implies that the belief is pathological (the result of an illness or illness process).
As a pathology it is distinct from a belief based on false or incomplete information or certain effects of perception which would more properly be termed an apperception or illusion.
Katatawnic 3 years ago
Well excuse me, I don't have extensive knowledge of psychiatric definitions. All I used was the 'American Heritage
Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition'
ajsb1986 3 years ago
You don't have to get fiesty, SHEESH! I simply defined the two words, because you said that one *equals* the other.
Problem is, dictionaries often use words as "synonyms" that aren't. They can be used for *comparison* but that doesn't mean they have the same definition.
All I did was go to Wikipedia, and then went to external links from there. Most often those sites have external links as well.
No one should ever use only one source for "truth" nor definitions. It's too narrow.
Katatawnic 3 years ago
Sorry, getting rated down when I thought I was being reasonable puts me on the defensive at times. And I thought that a dictionary was rather definitive for what a word means. Sorry if I got a bit out of hand in this thread.
ajsb1986 3 years ago
Just an FYI, I didn't rate you down. I rarely EVER rate comments anymore. It's a waste of time, IMNSHO. ;)
Nah, I didn't see you "out of hand".... I've seen PLENTY of that by others, which is NOT reasonable! ;)
Yes, dictionaries are definitive; they give definitions. The only "problem" per se is that they do tend to use other words as examples that lead readers to believe the words to be synonyms, when they are examples only. Which is why I use other sources when comparing words. :)
Katatawnic 3 years ago
P.S.
I'm honestly not being a bitch here, just pointing out something that is extremely important....
When one does not have "extensive knowledge of psychiatric definitions" then one should not be diagnosing others as having mental disorders.
RRS (and others who've followed) HAS been diagnosing, using the DSM. But what they fail to mention is that they're taking a few lines of the definition for "mental disorder" and leaving out many KEY requisites.
And they're being rational?! LOL
Katatawnic 3 years ago
And I wasn't clinically diagnosing others. I was just saying percieving things that are not truely there and lacking reasonable stimulus is not a sign of a healthy mind. This is just the observation of a layman. I'm no doctor yet, hehe.
ajsb1986 3 years ago
Dr. asjb1986,
(Kidding! lol)
You did to an extent, albeit stating it was your opinion. ;p
I was referring MUCH more so to those who don't know what they're talking about but DO give their diagnoses.
I know religious people who ARE insane, but countless who are quite mentally healthy. It's not theism itself that convolutes the mind; it's how extreme one takes it. This (extremism/irrationality) also applies to atheism, BTW. ;)
So refreshing to discuss without fighting. Seriously! :)
Katatawnic 3 years ago
I agree that the true danger lies not in what one believes, but where they take it. It's the dogma a person believes that is the problem. And I don't mean the Christian Dogma, but rather dogma as in a set of beliefs.
For instance, the dogma used by Stalin and Hitler to run their people into the ground in persuit of domination. The dogma used by the leaders in the mid east to persecute some knowledge and dissent. And the dogma held by some Christians like the Westboro Baptist Church.
ajsb1986 3 years ago
Clinical definition: delusion A false belief based on incorrect inference about external reality that is firmly sustained despite what almost everyone else believes and despite what constitutes incontrovertible and obvious proof or evidence to the contrary. (Cont.)
GH0ST1NTHEMACH1NE 3 years ago
The belief is not one ordinarily accepted by other members of the person's culture or subculture (e.g., it is not an article of religious faith). When a false belief involves a value judgment, it is regarded as a delusion only when the judgment is so extreme as to defy credibility. Delusional conviction occurs on a continuum and can sometimes be inferred from an individual's behavior. (Cont)
GH0ST1NTHEMACH1NE 3 years ago
It is often difficult to distinguish between a delusion and an overvalued idea (in which case the individual has an unreasonable belief or idea but does not hold it as firmly as is the case with a delusion). Delusions are subdivided according to their content. Some of the more common types are: bizarre; delusional jealousy; grandiose; delusion of reference; persecutory; somatic; thought broadcasting; thought insertion.
GH0ST1NTHEMACH1NE 3 years ago
Cited source:JOHN F. ABESS, M.D.
GLOSSARY
Terms in the field of Psychiatry and Neurology.
GH0ST1NTHEMACH1NE 3 years ago
Theism isn't inherently a mental illness, but it can certainly exacerbate our tendencies towards insecurity, fear, anxiety, ect., to the degree that a state of mental illness is achieved. Ultimately, I'm not sure it's a worthwhile argument, as the knowledge that any ideology that cognitively takes us away from a pragmatic, rational view of reality will probably not serve us in a pragmatic, rational fashion is more than enough to warrant caution against it.
creepsomber 3 years ago
Of course, it could be argued that those who wish to see theism/religion supplanted with a more rational, pragmatic view and use the theism-is-a-mental-illness argument to do so, are in fact moving against the very principals of logic and rationality they claim to embrace. In any case, I agree with you and have enjoyed your vid immensely, and subbed.
creepsomber 3 years ago
Any religion which encourages people to believe that the end of the world could be a good thing is terrifying.
Maybe not a mental illness, brainwashing is what I would call most or it.
PowerAndPerception 3 years ago
Well said. I always hated that the "theism is a mental illness" argument.I always wanted to ask: "Are you a shrink? If so, can you prescibe me some drugs?" It's symptoms maybe similar aggression, "delusions", irrationality etc., but that's all it is... similar.
GH0ST1NTHEMACH1NE 3 years ago
it is not diagnosed as an illness becuase most people are religious; this doesn't mean religion is a good thing: most people believe they are nice others disagree
mattfox06 3 years ago
I didn't mean to imply that religion was a "good thing". I just don't think it's a mental illness by the clinical definition.
Most people believe that they are happy/sad/ what-have-you too, but psychiatry has yet to determine or even define what those basic emotions even are, cognitively speaking.
One could stipulate that seeing how the vast majority of people on this planet ARE religious athiests, agnostics, etc., are the ones with the illness. (Note: hypothetical, not what I believe.)
GH0ST1NTHEMACH1NE 3 years ago
What an excellent video! I appreciated your approach and speaking from your heart. Blew my mind.
wanman0813 3 years ago
Maybe not illness. But most certainly a defect or deficiency. If you must disagree, fine. Theists disagree with FACTS, too.
indignant99 3 years ago
I'm an atheist, but it's not based on FACTS as there are none in either direction; I've simply never believed in a deity.
Some believe that deities exist, others believe they don't. Neither are going by FACTS. Only belief.
There are no FACTS that can PROVE who is "right and wrong" in this issue. Perhaps some day, but not at our current stage of development and perception.
Defect or deficiency? So then, 80-90% of the world is defected and deficient? That's quite a claim.
Katatawnic 3 years ago
A complete stranger is happy for you. You should be congratulated on getting help (so many people are afraid to admit they need or might possibly benefit from help) and I'm so glad that you are feeling better.
I do not like the certainty with which some atheists (Dawkins, RRS, etc.) assert that theists are mentally ill but I do understand the inclination to think there must be SOMETHING wrong with intelligent, questioning, science-minded people who believe in a god/creator/sky-daddy.
Peace
Elaina43 3 years ago
"I do not like the certainty with which some atheists (Dawkins, RRS, etc.) assert that theists are mentally ill"
Elaina,
When did Dawkins make that assertion? It is my understanding that it was around the time that RRS started making that assertion that Dawkins distanced himself from them.
CousinoMacul 3 years ago
Hi Javier,
I'll look for the clip that I'm remembering myself watching in which that assertion is made by the good Dawkins (whom I greatly respect despite what my comment may lead one to think).
Could he have said that at TAM? hmmmmm...
If I find the memory pinwheel for my thinking cap or if I find the Dawkins clip, I'll post it back here.
Elaina43 3 years ago
The closest I've heard him come to that was to call religion a "mind virus" but that was more of a metaphor and very different from the RRS assertion that it's a clinical disorder.
CousinoMacul 3 years ago
I'm looking for that clip, too; the RRS made it very clear that Dawkins was endorsing that statement. I think it was in their radio studio.
jumblebox 3 years ago
It is good to see others speak up on this issue. I agree. Great vid.
mconn2112 3 years ago 2
Theism is NOT a mental illness. As a member of the club (bi polar II , anxiety, deprssion etc. here), I got mental illness "down". Beieving in a power outside or part of us is not the same. All religions try to "point" to something with various interpretations. Big difference...Mental illness is not a choice. Belief in god is a perfectly acceptable notion, perhaps not "factual" but nevertheless part of the human experience. And meds would not change "their" position unlike ours. Great video
trainerlife 3 years ago
"Theism is NOT a mental illness."
Brain-washing and delusions are examples of mental illnesses.
Onithyr 3 years ago
Brain washing, bad but not a mental illness. Free choice to believe without forcing those opinions on others in any arena (legal, education, govt etc) is not a mental illness. Delusions can be symptoms of a mental illness. It's not a good term to equate with religious belief. e.g. Antipsychotics, antidepressents, mood stabilizers would NOT have any effect on their worldview, unlike a mental illness. People who have never been there DON'T understand the term. I'm no fan of any "religion" here
trainerlife 3 years ago 2
Schizoaffective Disorder, Bipolar I Type, with PTSD and generalized anxiety here. I'm also no fan of religion, but to say that theists are mentally ill / delusional simply because they believe in deity(ies) is ridiculous.
IMNSHO, this tactic stems from the *extremist* atheists who are desperately grasping at straws in finding "new" and "better" arguments as to why believers are wrong. They feel they get to say, "HAH! See? I'm better than you!" They're trying to make themselves feel superior.
Katatawnic 3 years ago 2