Religious Belief = Mental Illness: A More Venomous Response

[cbayer]

205. Have you taken a look at the DSM lately?

The criteria for making a diagnosis,( based on specific symptoms, onset, duration, course) are defined and based for the most part on empirical evidence.

Seriously, you are making the same kind of argument one might hear from a climate change denier or creationist. You just keep saying it's subjective but refuse to even look at the science.

I will concede that there are areas that do remain somewhat subjective, but even they have data driven diagnostic criteria. I refer primarily to diagnoses generally seen on Axis II, like personality disorders.

I'm going to guess that you education and experience in the medical field is very limited. Your ideas about normal functioning are interesting but not really valid. If you are born with a big hole in your heart, it's not about preferences.

Once again, I will point out that the clinical definition of delusion includes hanging on to a belief despite clear evidence to the contrary. In light of that, religious beliefs don't fit that criteria. You can make up definitions and continue to make the claim that religious people have a mental disorder, but it has not basis in fact. One might even suggest that hanging on to such a belief despite evidence to the contrary comes closer to meeting the delusion criteria than your run of the mill religious belief.

You need to fact the fact that religious beliefs are not normal for you but are normal for lots of people. They are also not damaging for most people. They are also really not any of your business unless they somehow impinge on you.