Nov 26, 2020 23:00:00

Is religion a 'delusion'?

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Robert Persig explains , 'When one person suffers from delusions, it is called madness, but when many people suffer from delusions, it is called religion,' said evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins . In his book 'The God Delusion ', I strongly support this. In this way, the science news site Live Science discusses how to define religions and delusions, whose boundaries are often ambiguous.

Is belief in God a delusion? | Live Science
https://www.livescience.com/is-belief-in-god-a-delusion.html

As the new coronavirus infection raged in the United States, a church in Ohio was forced to rally, ignoring the warning 'Don't gather in one place.' A woman believer who received a CNN interview is, 'because I have received the blessing of the blood of Jesus Christ, not infected with a virus' to the interview and told is that of the.

Regarding the harmful effects of such religion, American psychologist Steven Pinker said on Facebook, 'Faith about the world after death is a vicious delusion, and you can cut off your life and live longer, safer and happier. It hinders such behavior. '

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Illness, often treated as a 'bible' in the field of psychiatry, defines delusions as follows:

A delusion is a fixed belief that cannot be changed by showing conflicting evidence. (Omitted) Obviously mysterious, incomprehensible to members of the culture, and not derived from normal life experience, is classified as a bizarre delusion. An example of a bizarre delusion is to think that one's internal organs have been removed by an external force and replaced with another's internal organs without leaving any scars or traces. An example of a non-trivial delusion is the belief that you are being watched by the police, despite the lack of solid evidence.

The problem with this definition of APA is the handling of the case where 'many people complain of delusions.' For example, if a man suddenly begins to claim that his penis has been stolen, it's almost certainly a bizarre delusion. However, in Europe, Singapore, China, Africa and elsewhere, there are records of frequent ' penis panics ' in which groups of dozens complain that their genitals have been stolen.

This indigenous phobia of castration is called ' Koro ' and is said to be a delusional disorder for Japanese people due to culture-dependent syndrome such as Paris Syndrome , but if Koro says 'many people If 'accepting as a common understanding' is no longer a 'strange delusion', the above-mentioned penis panic cannot be said to be a delusion.

This issue also applies to religion. Some religions that are widely believed in modern times, such as Buddhism and Christianity, are founders, but if 'widely believed' is a requirement that separates delusions from religion, then the religion before acquiring believers It's all a delusion of the founder.

Live Science argues that 'the definition of delusions, which treats most people in the world as ill, is clinically worthless,' argues about these issues that have a definition of delusions. .. On the other hand, it is also true that religion has the effect of deepening social ties and providing spiritual comfort and encouragement.

In response to the question, 'So what is the distinction between sound religious beliefs and delusions?', Live Science may be all about whether that belief is deepening community ties. Answered. He said that if any belief would distort social relationships and make social life dysfunctional, it could be called a 'delusion.'

Live Science also said, 'It seems unlikely that the question of what is a healthy religious belief and what is a morbid religious belief will be overwhelmed. I would like to emphasize here that even if you want to make religion a bad guy, I don't want to defend it. There are some good things about religion, but there are some things that Pinker has pointed out to be 'bad.' Unfortunately, many people share a small number of bad beliefs. It's far more dangerous than the beliefs shared by others. '