Why Religion causes brain damage / mental illness / VIDEO

Yes, I was prompted by your words .. which brought the song to the front and center of my mind.

 

I disagree that religion causes brain damage. I'm not a member of any religion though I use to be. I was exposed to religion at a young age and liked what I was exposed to. As I got more experienced in the religion I had my issues but kept the faith because of what I liked in the religion.

I would agree that forcing something on someone might cause insanity but I don't don't think that religion of itself causes insanity...

Peace,
nunnies

 

Religion is deriving the collectively immersed individual (that's how religion determines belonging to the social milieu; we mean at this point Religion for meditation and fundamentally ritualism) unfortunately into the scientific membership of a Historical Community. Yes, it is mentally ill this way. There all of a sudden a local referendum, or an election(Sarah Palin stuff), and one learns to know himself not as psychologically functioning, but as looking at the other "encountered other person". Who decided that it be an encounter? They did. Soon there is the other decision that you decide the fact of encounter by oneself; the reason is you want to remember the event and they regard that you have this recorded for the next chance of doing "powerful things". Some even go as far as wishing to be historical figures and write that down maybe as a famous historical author.

I don't know; the rest is philosophy.

The other encountered person sees you as one too. Maybe for definition you should need to be a person. And the other person may be excellently regarded a collectively "successful" individual. Loveincarnate you are that; aren't you?

 

Greetings,

Because I know how some people internet stalk and follow others around the net and tell people what their stalkee says and does on other sites, I want to say that I am an agnostic again meaning that I don't believe nor disbelieve that there is a God (some entity that should be worshipped.)

Peace,
nunnies

 

religeous delusions are a hallmark of mental illnesses such as schizophrenia.

 

Yes, I have heard religion is a form of mental illness before.....and I start to believe it more and more.....
especially always seeing people preaching at people but never practicing what they preach.....great examples and makes me want to be delusional, too...lol

 

What a simplified, childish, one-dimensional way to look at things.

 

says who? You? please...spare me.....why?.... as it does not agree with the way you see things.....sorry......once again...a religious person ready to swoop down on another person...makes sense.

 

No, not because of that. Because it's something an angry, resentful teenager would say. Just like your reply.
But we can't really expect you to make a post longer than three sentences,ON ANY ISSUE, without "....", "lol", and any more depth than your typical hippy gibberish.
I'm out, good night.

 

adios

 

I actually agree with you. After my parent's divorce my mom filled herself (the hole in her life.... she never married or seriously dated again) with God and more should I say religion (and I mean taking it to an extreme... we always went to church but before it just wasn't that serious, ya know? I'm talking about her decided to switch to one of those evangelical mega churches and get WAY INVOLVED.... started listening to (lol) terrible Christian rock and just freaking out on her kids for anything that wasn't "perfect" by the churches standards)....

In any case, I was forced to deal w going to these things til I was 18 (moved out the day I turned 18 and if I would have refused to go.... which I did at various points... I was told, you either go or you move out now.)---

So after I moved out (and even a bit before then... I always pretty much still thought for myself and wasn't ever totally sure things "added up") I stopped going to church and although the spiritual aspect of God I never turned away from I didn't see things the same way. I started really really questioning and I was fine w that....good w that.. It was freeing. To come to the believe on my own that we are all One and a part of God and just having a deep peace that my "soul" is safe... but in any case, there is a point to this post and here it comes--- the point is.... after basically being brainwashed (or people attempting to brainwash me at least!) for many, many years I would have moments of doubt and DEEP FEAR. I mean bone deep fear. Like I did a bunch of ketamine once after a rave when I was 19 I believe and started thinking about hell and how I had to be going there and there is nothing I could do about it because I can't exactly fool God into thinking I believed all this shit all along... like, I didn't actually BELIEVE that I was going to hell or even that there was a hell like the churches taught but it instilled in me a DEEP FEAR of.... what IF I am wrong and then I go there? and That fear of what if I'm wrong and..... was just a bad, terrible fear that would sneak into my brain from time to time from a long time. I'm more or less rid of it now because I am solid in what I do believe in... but it took time and I think it is SICK for a parent or parents to subject their kids to that much fear.

Now I don't take my kid (soon to be kids) to any church currently, but I have taken him to the local Unitarian church a few times and will likely go back. I like how those churches give a religious/spiritual education from various religions...including Christianity but also including all the other main religions and even things like wicca. My point here is I may also at some point take my kids to various other churches but I will NEVER instill a fear in them of any God or any hell. I will teach them to explore different religions and spiritual quests and come to what they want..a combo of some or all or none.

I know I have to watch my kids w my mom because I KNOW the lady means well. She's still VERY into the things church wise that she was before. She already has taught my son Jesus love me and other songs. But I don't mind at this point because I know she is not scaring him. And I won't allow them to go to church w her I don't think. And I also have made it known "yep, that is what Nana believes".... I won't hesitate when the kids are older though AT ALL, for a SECOND.... to have a talk with my mom if she does what I'd consider pushing things...taking things too far w my kids... I will teach my kids to respect her religion but my mom will HAVE to respect me and my husband as the PARENTS and if she oversteps, even after being told, I won't hesitate to do what needs to be done if necc., including cutting her off (though I'd try to avoid that).

 

Actually though, with that said... I do not think religion or being religious is usually a sign of mental illness. I believe people CAN take things so far that it can be a sign of a mental illness. But I also believe as long as people are not forcing their believes-fear-upon other people then religion can actually be a good coping mechanism and tool for people and keep people more mentally balanced, for lack of a better phrase. So as long as people are not extremists in their religious believes, actions and thoughts, there is a lot of good that can come from prayer, and other aspects of religion like the various forms of help and support people get from belonging to a religious community.

 

There are a lot more people out there that have never even realized just how insidious, much less confronted that kind of irrational fear deeply ingrained in them from their religious upbringing...it's part of whats wrong with our society.

I'm glad you are one of those who managed to escape your brainwashing, AmericanTerrorist :2thumbsup:

 

Thank you. Believe me, me too! That fear that would come and go but when it would come it would be intense was something that I wished to be gone for a long time. And finally it was... pretty much because now I've finally told myself over and over the same thing so many times that it's so automatic that it has actually made the fear not even come at all anymore because instead I think the things I told myself (if that makes any sense at all!)

My only thing now is just waiting and watching the future to make sure that my mom doesn't (with good intentions but intentions don't mean shit) do the same thing to my kids (she won't, but knowing in my mind there's a good chance I may have to actually do something to make sure of that.)

 

are you making a religion
is that a philosophy
or just a really stupid idea ??????????


this science shows that some drugs/toxins can burn out some neural pathways
and that religion can do the same damage as such poisons known to close down certian circuits

religion is the opiate of the masses
thats why elite choose real opium aka heroin !!!

Cocaine is the real thing
Soda pop is for diabetic alcoholic obese slothful idiots

Elite choose Cocaine over opop everytime !

A spiritual discipline is NOT a religion
it can never be recreated or shared or taught
it is a unique experience.

Religion is taught
that makes it programming NOT a spiritual experience !

Anything taught isnt worth learning
anything for sale isnt worth buying
anything legal isnt worth doing !

 

People would rather die than confess to believing incorrectly and that is insane. We are born with strong neural connections and breaking those to form many more complex networks is painful. I would rather exist in ecstasy and not have beliefs. It's a changing reality we live in and rarely will a belief contain every facet and outcome reality entails.

I can understand that people want to protect themselves. It's hurtful to think we didn't protect what we love. Trying to prevent negative outcome will take a great deal more evolving.

 

Source? And if it were true, would it follow that all religious people are mentally ill? Your proposition is itself a product of defective mental functioning; the fallacy of projecting a finding for a small part of a population to the whole population.

 

Lot's of psychotic people experience a break not being able to difference between fantasy and reality. It has features like drugs where the mind can't wrap around deep questions. The loss is when deep questions arise about plan simple and perhaps facts that have always been known.

I don't think all religious people are mentally ill. Relgious people are good and try to do good. Sometimes good people are led astray, it happens.

 

I'm pretty sure the DSM mentions delusions as hallmark features of many psychological disorders; one would probably just have to cite the DSM-V in it's entirety since delusions are mentioned in quite a few places throughout, I'm quite sure.

Being religious on its own wouldn't fit the DSM-V criteria for a delusion, however, things such as "seeing God", or other fantastical "manifestations", for lack of a better word, almost certainly would. I'd imagine that the claim of talking to a burning bush that said it was God or something equally loopy in some cases might get one admitted, and probably given some strong drugs such as Haldol, or some similar antipsychotic.

 

An "increase in religiosity" is a hallmark symptom of schizophrenia, as are thoughts of grandeur (what is more grand than thinking the entire universe has been created with you in mind?)