The 6th sense of Godly appreciation is certainly not a mental illness.

Quote:

Originally Posted by WhiteSpade Re: Is religion a mental illness? I think , what TS meant when this thread was created is - "Is religion actually a mental barrier" that people find hard to break?" I guess the issue here is the choice of word used. It should be changed to "barrier" instead of "illness", since religion , IMO, is an issue that most people may struggle to overcome, for instance, "To convert or not? Should I become a Christian? " And in this case, it should not be termed as a form of illness.

Hi 'WhiteSpade', nope, sorry TS did UNQUESTIONABLY mean 'mental illness' as he clearly recounted his visit to IMH from which he explains arouse this question. I reject his argument upon the fact that it is fatally premised upon the 'association fallacy' of 'guilt by association' [wiki] e.g. "John is a con artist. John has black hair. Therefore, all people with black hair are con artists".

Quote:

Originally Posted by crimsontactics (25-02-2012) ... Is religion a mental illness? What caused me to spawn such a thought? ...paracosm [wiki]. This is a condition where a person conceive in his mind an imaginary entity and believes that it is actually a part of his environment. This incident had sparked my curiosity about the possible relationship between religion and mental illness.... ...The only difference is that religion is believed by a large group of people while an imaginary friend is only believed by one person, the patient himself.

The premise of his argument pivots upon the fact that since both God and the "imaginary entity [that the mental patient] ...believes.. is actually a part of his environment" share the similarity of being scientifically unprovable; as well as the fact that religiosity could in fact be racial/ cultural ("social norms", "social conditioning")- that to paraphrase TS, religion could be a case of mass hysteria.

His second point is merely a contextual elaboration of the first, it requisites no comment in so far that former can be disproved (i.e. that religion is the creation of the imagination (as 'paracosm' is the illness of the patient)).

I believe it was eminent philosopher Kant [wiki] who mentioned that man can only experience God in so far as his simplistic/ weak faculties (i.e. 5 senses), limited intellect allow him to (i.e. very little/ poor), a reasoning not dis-similar to that in

"The Blind Men and the Elephant" by John G. Saxe (poetry reading)

- that the failure of the 5 blind men to perceive the design of the elephant was no fault in the design of the elephant but the fault (excessive arrogance/ combativeness) in the attitude of the blind men exploring it- the failure of their expedition consequent to the counter-productivity of their combative discussion. I add that a sloppy attitude to religion is the best recipe for a sloppy relationship with God (as one perceives Him to be).

It is understood, due to the limitations in the typical material perceptive faculties (5senses) of humans that 6th sense (extrasensory perception [wiki]) is necessary for important decision making (perhaps even the basis of science and other useful human 'creations' to date)- God is thus by definition perceived best by the 6th sense- and also most consistently across witnesses insofar that God is 'real'. Few religious scholars (e.g. St Augustine, St Anselm, St Aquinas, Martin Luther and etc.) can be accused of being deranged during their peaks of theological epiphany- hence the direction and rationality of religious practice and belief (in the Context of Christianity that is)- these scholars being respected if not in their day and age, certainly today (by not servitude but reason, where Christian theology is concerned). It is however, seldom the case for a mental patient in hospital residence to produce any work of significant academic importance though of artistic significance it could possibly be.

The failure of the 5 material senses to adequately perceive God is no consequence towards the faithful practice of mainstream religion arising from centuries of scholarship, yet it is the significant derangement of the material senses (intrinsic or extrinsic) that lands a psychoticly dysfunctional [wiki] patient in hospital.

The deliberate association by TS of religion with mental illness might be criminal if done in malice; however, this isn't the case here as the tone of the TS question appears clearly honest and sincere; such discussion, though sensitive, allows the academic understanding of religion to advance along with other advances in this modern world so that religion can impact society in a good way (the reduction of poverty and misinformation reduces the misuse of religious ignorance to fuel hatred terrorism).
I appreciate the opportunity to clarify where the context arises and I hope that I have satisfied the concern of the TS in this respect adequately. Relevant questions are welcomed.

PS:
- '5 senses': sight, sound, taste, touch, smell.
- 'Religion' in this context refers solely to mainstream religion (e.g. Abrahamic/ Major Religious groups) and not some minority cult groups of questionable theology.
- Kant was NOT a Christian philosopher. I just mentioned him due to the applicability of his philosophy in this context.

Rgds all,
B.C.

=========

At: 

30May2012: Is religion a mental illness?