At what point does faith become insanity?

[The Grand Nudger]

Still the worst possible flex. There are plenty of things that by any number of coherent and consistent criteria would definitely be considered disordered were it not for their normalcy in a given community.

Just think, actual nuts react even more poorly to the slightest whiff of a suggestion that there may in fact be something deeply unwell about some beliefs.

[Belacqua]

DSM-5 definition of mental disorder
A mental disorder is a syndrome characterized by clinically significant disturbance in an individual's cognition, emotion regulation, or behavior that reflects a dysfunction in the psychological, biological, or development processes underlying mental functioning. Mental disorders are usually associated with significant distress or disability in social, occupational, or other important activities. An expectable or culturally approved response to a common stressor or loss, such as the death of a loved one, is not a mental disorder. Socially deviant behavior (e.g. political, religious, or sexual) and conflicts that are primarily between the individual and society are not mental disorders unless the deviance or conflict results from a dysfunction in the individual, as described above.

If we're talking about medical definitions of insanity, it is normal to say that insanity impairs one's ability to function well in society. So in the above definition, the word "dysfunction" is key. And the idea that to be a disorder, a condition is usually "associated with significant distress or disability in social, occupational, or other important activities."

In other words, insanity means you're troubled. It doesn't mean you believe something which we far superior atheists think is silly.

I think, for example, that somebody who is into QAnon isn't necessarily insane. Misinformed, yes, but not insane. But if it gets to the point where his QAnon obsession makes him lose his job and his family, and he moves to a trailer in the desert and starts shooting at police, then he may well be insane. It has become self-harm.

So I think that if someone faithfully practiced the Catholic mass, even to the point where he believes in the whole bread=body thing, it doesn't necessarily mean he's insane. In fact some people get a lot of comfort from this -- if their religion makes them feel that they are integrated with the Logos of the universe and blessed by grace, it could give them a source of happiness that isn't available to you or me. I'm not saying we should believe whatever makes us happy -- only that we can't judge other people's sanity based on how far their beliefs deviate from our own.

The last time I was in Florence I went to a church to see frescoes by Maso di Banco. I was sorry to find that they were in a chapel which was closed to tourists, and only open to people who actually wanted to do what the church was there for -- pray. As I was rudely peering around the gate, a very well-dressed and entirely sane-looking man came in, crossed himself, knelt down, and prayed for about five minutes. It occurred to me that he had a source of comfort and happiness which will never be available to me. Of course I don't know anything else about him, but I see no reason to believe that his metaphysical or supernatural beliefs made him insane.

[The Grand Nudger]

You have no idea what his beliefs were. Could be fruitier than breakfast cereal, but you saw him pray and figured he's kosher? Lots of nuts pray.

[Mister Agenda]

When someone cannot function in their society, conduct their affairs within thei society's reasonable expectations; or is a danger to themselves or others. I think that's a practical standard.

In the USA, not only do some extreme religious practices come under this heading (like polygamous child marriage) but so do some ideologies (like Sovereign Citizens).

[Neo-Scholastic]

Sounds like Fake Messiah is hostile to multiculturalism.

[Fake Messiah]

Sounds like Fake Messiah is hostile to multiculturalism.

You know, when someone considers me to be a satan or the antichrist, I don't consider it to be multi-culturalism but insanity.

[h4ym4n]

At what point does faith become insanity?

Mutilating my penis as a sacrifice to jesusgod days after my birth is pretty insane

[Belacqua]

jesusgod

Circumcision is an Old Testament rule. It's very much optional for Christians.

In my limited experience, majority-Catholic countries tend to have majority-uncut cocks. 

So what you want to say here is "Jews are insane." (Don't worry if that seems anti-Semitic, you're among friends.)

[The Grand Nudger]

Yes, the ot jews were what we'd consider disordered. In fact, we actually -do- consider anyone with that particular complex of narcissistic racism disordered. In a mental health world that makes huge carvouts for religiously motivated ideation, those poor fucks are still out. Hence the identity crisis of contemporary abrahamics - particularly those who believe that they are returning to some original traditionalist well. They end up arriving at all sorts of maladaptive beliefs in that effort, even within the community of other contemporary christians.

Disordered nuts like that also go places where they believe that they can have a conversation with god. It's a good thing it takes more than talking to imaginary people to launder ethnocentrism.......

[Nay_Sayer]

When the thing you pray to answers back.