Religious Fundamentalism Could Be Treated As A Mental Illness

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Hmmm… this might help with the enviromental cults etc… but it’d be a slippery slope IMO.
 
Blacksword said:
Might I gently suggest people calm down a little here? To be fair the researcher isn’t talking about religious people in total, but rather the small subset of fundamentalists. Are the posters upset about this story Catholic fundamentalists?
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Catholic means universal. Fundamentalists are minimalists (faith alone, bible alone). One can’t be Catholic and a fundamentalist (minimalist) at the same time. If someone accepts all of the teachings of the Catholic Church they are not fundamentalists. There are only two kinds of Catholics - orthodox or heterodox.
 
I have a feeling that some of the first victims of this new “disorder” are going to be traditional Catholics.
 
josephback said:
Fundamentalism and its often angry, vengeful God can do great harm to an individual and it would be great to fight it, but **I’m afraid something like this could be abused. Might not the Catholic Church then be labeled intolerant **religous fundamentalist for declaring itself to be “the sole Church of Christ”? Might we not see a crusade against thoughtcrimes that was a feature of Orwell’s 1984?
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My emphasis above.

The Catholic church is already being labeled as intolerant for its stand on abortion and same-sex unions by MSM like NYT and HP, so of course it could be abused.
 
irishpatrick said:
In your post above, replace the word “fundamentalist” with the word “Catholic.” Then perhaps you will what the real problem is…
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Do you mean that in treating people for their convictions many tomorrow will start to see Catholics the way they today see fundamentalists and set out to “cure them”? I guess I’m a little slow to catch your meaning.
 
josephback said:
Do you mean that in persecuting people for their convictions many tomorrow will start to see Catholics the way they today see fundamentalists and set out to “cure them”?
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To put this in perspective, such individuals have been trying to “cure” my Catholicism for years!
 
josephback said:
Do you mean that in treating people for their convictions many tomorrow will start to see Catholics the way they today see fundamentalists and set out to “cure them”? I guess I’m a little slow to catch your meaning.
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Yes! We have freedom of religion for a reason. We might not agree with certain groups, and we sure might think some are strange–yet, if we start thinking they are extremists, then who’s to stop people (tomorrow) from going after the next group, and then the next group, etc.?
 
irishpatrick said:
Yes! We have freedom of religion for a reason. We might not agree with certain groups, and we sure might think some are strange–yet, if we start thinking they are extremists, then who’s to stop people (tomorrow) from going after the next group, and then the next group, etc.?
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However, an individual who had been a part of such a group might seek out treatment for anxiety issues or PTSD due to the way she was treated when she was part of the group, or when she seperated from the group. There could even be some Catholic people, who were abused by parents, teachers, or spouses and while their distress isn’t caused by the actual religion, there is a religious aspect to their affliction because their religion might have been misused to control or manipulate them. I think it would be beneficial for therapists to be aware of this sort of situation and how to help the patient recover. (Preferably without loss of their faith.) I suspect that may have been what was discussed at this event and the whole “fundamentalist religion is a mental illness” angle is more of a sensationalized headline, the type of which makes Huffington Post what it is.
 
Allegra said:
However, an individual who had been a part of such a group might seek out treatment for anxiety issues or PTSD due to the way she was treated when she was part of the group, or when she seperated from the group. There could even be some Catholic people, who were abused by parents, teachers, or spouses and while their distress isn’t caused by the actual religion, there is a religious aspect to their affliction because their religion might have been misused to control or manipulate them. I think it would be beneficial for therapists to be aware of this sort of situation and how to help the patient recover. (Preferably without loss of their faith.) I suspect that may have been what was discussed at this event and the whole “fundamentalist religion is a mental illness” angle is more of a sensationalized headline, the type of which makes Huffington Post what it is.
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If a person is part of a cult, perhaps that might take place–yet, the mainstream religions do not fall into that same category. Anything can be called “Religious Fundamentalism” if things are taken to an extreme. One day, just believing in God could have a person labeled in such ways.
 
Allegra said:
To put this in perspective, such individuals have been trying to “cure” my Catholicism for years!
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One psychiatrist I saw for a very short time saw it as a symptom when I told him that I was going on a silent retreat. :mad:
 
lerapt78 said:
I have a feeling that some of the first victims of this new “disorder” are going to be traditional Catholics.
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You mean those pesky, uncompromising trads who love and appreciate their faith and live their Catholic identity to it’s fullness?
 
“Someone who has for example become radicalised to a cult ideology – we might stop seeing that as a personal choice that they have chosen as a result of pure free will.…
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aaah…the deception of the world’s wisdom. Now Jesus could tell her a few things about pure free will…like how man might exercise it to the point where he loses eternal happiness. :rolleyes:
 
The Huffington Post is craptastic. I saw one article tht said the best way a woman to cope with divorce was to sleep around as much as possible to reclaim their sexuality. Total horse caca.
 
I wrote this on a blog six years ago:

Fundamentalism and Mental Health.
This next issue I tread as lightly as I can, at the same time I want to be clear about what I have encountered in fundamentalism.
I have met many a man who stands in the pulpit of a church when he should be sitting on a psychiatrists couch.
For every genuine man of God who serves faithfully, I have met men who suffer from depression, personality disorders, and even a few sociopaths. The worst of them take great delight in deception, railing against sinners (instead of offering love toward them in Jesus Christ), ridicule, and name calling.
They have no self, nor Spirit control. They are the masters of projection. They take their problem, and project it on others.Other more tender hearted men, dive into the river of depression and brand themselves failures.
Since I have not done a scientific study, I can only speak from my own experience and I have spoken to others who have reached the same conclusions. My experience has been in the world or “independent, fundamental, Baptists.
I AM NOT saying all fundamentalists have mental health problems. I AM saying however that the culture and philosophy that surrounds the movement can create an enabling of the problem.
What I have seen is a real problem that exists and cannot be dodged. My ordaining pastor has suffered from depression. I have seen others who have bi-polar and other disorders. These are people I have met, interacted with and whose ministries I have sat under.
That they are not Spirit-controlled is obvious. Their behavior reflects a deeper problem than just plain “meanness”. Many are fighting a deep mental disorder. It is interesting that in many of these types of churches, preachers discourage members of their congregation with mental disorders form taking any type of medication (this I have observed personally).
In fairness mental health issues are present with people in any denomination or group. However many people with mental health issues will flock to wherever their problem is enabled. If one is suffering from paranoia, the fundamentalist world is more than happy to indulge your fantasy (us four, no more). If one is suffering from severe depression, the negative drumbeat of the fundamentalist world view feeds that.
On the other hand I have met people who have hallucinations and hear voices who are quite comfortable in a more extreme charismatic church.
People with mental health issues will be attracted to more extremist groups which feeds into whatever the issues are. Painting with a broad brush however is not the answer. Mental health issues do exist and pastors and churches need to address them. Too often the response in fundamentalist churches is: ‘throw away your meds’, or ‘there must be sin in your life.’
The brain is like any organ of your body, if it is not working properly, it must be treated, not ignored or enabled.
 
pepipop said:
We’re all brainwashed, don’t you know. Get the strait jackets ready! 😃

huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/31/kathleen-taylor-religious-fundamentalism-mental-illness_n_3365896.html

*An Oxford University researcher and author specializing in neuroscience has suggested that one day religious fundamentalism may be treated as a curable mental illness.

Kathleen Taylor, who describes herself as a “science writer affiliated to the Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics,” made the suggestion during a presentation on brain research at the Hay Literary Festival in Wales on Wednesday.

In response to a question about the future of neuroscience, Taylor said that “One of the surprises may be to see people with certain beliefs as people who can be treated,” The Times of London notes.

“Someone who has for example become radicalised to a cult ideology – we might stop seeing that as a personal choice that they have chosen as a result of pure free will and may start treating it as some kind of mental disturbance," Taylor said. “In many ways it could be a very positive thing because there are no doubt beliefs in our society that do a heck of a lot of damage."*
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The author appears to be talking about cult ideologies and susceptibility to indoctrination as a mental illness that prevents people from choosing to join a cult of their own free will. She is not referring to religious fundamentalists in general.
 
meltzerboy said:
The author appears to be talking about cult ideologies and **susceptibility to indoctrination **as a mental illness that **prevents people from choosing to join a cult of their own free will. **She is not referring to religious fundamentalists in general.
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Not true.
What is “susceptibility to indoctrination”?
Free will.
It is a person’s free will to join any group, religious or political. The idea of brainwashing, as popular media portrays it, is a myth. Human beings are not robots.
People join groups because they want to. Because at that moment in time that group provides the answers they are looking for and a comfort zone they crave, good or bad. To dismiss it as a mental illness relieves the individual of any responsibility.
The ideologies that attract people replace the complicated with the simplistic.
And if thats a mental illness, both Democrats and Republicans in this country are cults.
 
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