RE: At what point does faith become insanity?
May 4, 2023 at 10:33 am
(This post was last modified: May 4, 2023 at 10:43 am by The Grand Nudger.)
If we find ourselves asking whether it's unreasonable to believe unreasonable things, and that the answer is no..I think we've pretty much abandoned the stated criteria. Meanwhile, the answer to the opq remains. At what point does faith become insanity? Alot - but it's a socially accepted kind, and immune to categorization on precisely those..and no other, grounds. Not even self harm or communal celebrations of self harm tip that intentionally frozen scale. If a person were to attach heavy objects to their bodies with meathooks and needles and dance through the subway they'd end up on a gurney in seconds..but if a bunch of people get together and do it they call it valid religious expression that would be inappropriate to comment on from a mental health standpoint.
It's hard to see it as anything other than a way for mental health to coexist as a profession (and the professionals as people) with an aggressive and aggressively unreasonable collection of contemporary faiths that...not for nothing, would've killed many more medical professionals if they'd objected more often or more strenuously to such behaviors. It's a shallow cover, at any rate, as mental health may be unwilling to poke that bear and call a religion disordered, but it has absolutely no problem treating disordered individuals with distinctly religious themes as, essentially, a big ole pack of lone wolves. Roll that around for a minute to truly wallow in the irony. We can't call a thing unwell because a bunch of people are doing it as a part of their valid cultural expression..but when they do the unwell thing that their faiths strongly compell them to do and it horrifies us..suddenly.....they're individuals again.
Personally, I think all of this, including peoples own perceptions about the issue, are a lingering effect of religious cultural framing. We're allowed, both culturally and professionally, to say that religions are untrue or unreasonable - but we are not allowed to say they are unwell..or..perish the thought..bad. This arrangement can only benefit the bad actors, and that's why it exists. These religions themselves..otoh, after having crafted such a negotiated settlement, do not respect it when apprehending and commenting on each other.
It's hard to see it as anything other than a way for mental health to coexist as a profession (and the professionals as people) with an aggressive and aggressively unreasonable collection of contemporary faiths that...not for nothing, would've killed many more medical professionals if they'd objected more often or more strenuously to such behaviors. It's a shallow cover, at any rate, as mental health may be unwilling to poke that bear and call a religion disordered, but it has absolutely no problem treating disordered individuals with distinctly religious themes as, essentially, a big ole pack of lone wolves. Roll that around for a minute to truly wallow in the irony. We can't call a thing unwell because a bunch of people are doing it as a part of their valid cultural expression..but when they do the unwell thing that their faiths strongly compell them to do and it horrifies us..suddenly.....they're individuals again.
Personally, I think all of this, including peoples own perceptions about the issue, are a lingering effect of religious cultural framing. We're allowed, both culturally and professionally, to say that religions are untrue or unreasonable - but we are not allowed to say they are unwell..or..perish the thought..bad. This arrangement can only benefit the bad actors, and that's why it exists. These religions themselves..otoh, after having crafted such a negotiated settlement, do not respect it when apprehending and commenting on each other.
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
