When is a Religious Belief Delusional?

[polymath257]

It is hardly harsh enough.  But be that as it may we are concerned to clarify whether it accurately conveys what we wish it to.

I was encouraged by your comment about a fair-mind person. That said, it seems that atheist consensus is that religious belief may be accurately placed in the same category as delusion, but only in a highly imprecise way, like grouping house cats with tigers. Yes, they are the same species but still vastly different.

Both are incredibly irrational and inspire strange behavior in those holding those beliefs.

The only difference is that society is teaching one set of irrationalities, so people accept them without really thinking about them and feel general social discomfort when rejecting them.

But if society was teaching the existence of garden gnomes, would that make belief in such cease to be delusional? At the very least it is deeply, deeply irrational.

Tradition is a very poor excuse for accepting irrational beliefs.