Religion
In reply to the discussion: Simple Question about Culpability.. [View all]Phillip McCleod
(1,837 posts)..tho no doubt there's a seed of a premise in the question. to answer..
no i'm not saying 'religion is crazy' OR that 'violent zealots are crazy' and not that some disorders lead to belief systems, either. i'm asking about the cultural permissiveness toward religious belief, and when we draw the line and tell somebody that they need to seek help.. *before* they experience a trigger event and hurt someone, rather than after.
believers like to believe that god(s) speak to them in various ways, send messages and omens. that's fine when it's a quiet voice that the supplicant must strive to hear by quieting their own mind. probably good mental discipline. kinda zen.
but when god is actually *talking* .. or the devil is standing vividly right in front of you telling you to kill yourself (happened to my schizophrenic cousin.. uh.. every day for years) .. then we want those individuals to find some real help. not the preacher. not the church counselor in the basement. not someone who's going to say, 'it's okay..' but someone who's gonna say, 'hey, let me help you get some real help'.
are we priming people to lose their shit, by so readily accepting everyone's beliefs as valid?