Is Bible Belief a Mental Disorder?

[Lotan]

The bible contains lots of details that we might normally expect to find in fiction; talking snakes, angels, resurrections, etc.

If someone sincerely believed, for example, that Gandalf created the universe, and that Bilbo and Frodo were prophets, and they decided, for example, to home school their children so that they would be indoctrinated in those same beliefs, wouldn't that constitute grounds for suspicion that the person suffered from a potentially harmful delusion?

I really don't see a difference between this and other forms of religious belief based on supposedly 'divinely inspired' scripture, christian or otherwise, with the exception that established religious belief enjoys the acceptance of society, more or less. Further, although irrational behavior is by no means exclusive to the religious, their beliefs are often a factor as is this recent sad case. (I don't know if this fellow is christian or muslim, or whatever, nor do I care) Or this one. An extreme case might be the Texas woman who crushed her children's skulls because she believed god wanted to test her. Hey, how about those people who think that natural disasters are god's retribution for homosexuality? The list is endless of course.

So that's the question...
Is Bible Belief a Mental Disorder?

[Cephus]

So because it is invisible it must be insane? Neutrinos pass through the Earth causing no effect on it and are invisible. Would it be insane to think they exist?

We can detect neutrinos. Please tell us how to detect God.

You are right about reality and sanity, but there is no rational reason to think that God is real, so I guess we're back at belief in God being insane.

[scorpia]

We can detect neutrinos. Please tell us how to detect God.

With a soul?

There is the age old claim that if one is a Christain and has the Holy spirit one can detect God. This however doesn't explain how someone who may not have already been a Christian can detect Him. The Bible has a better explanation; that those whose hearts are hardened against him and those which aren't is depends on God's choice where he reveals himself to those he want to. However, even this can in a way be seen as unsatisfactory so that leaves the presence of Jesus Christ on Earth approximately 2000 years ago to show his existance.

[McCulloch]

We can detect neutrinos. Please tell us how to detect God.

With a soul?

What is a soul? Can you show that any of them exists?

There is the age old claim that if one is a Christain and has the Holy spirit one can detect God. This however doesn't explain how someone who may not have already been a Christian can detect Him. The Bible has a better explanation; that those whose hearts are hardened against him and those which aren't is depends on God's choice where he reveals himself to those he want to.

It also makes the God somewhat unfair and arbitrary. Why wouldn't a loving God choose to reveal himself to all of those who are made in his image?

[Cathar1950]

Ok that book The Mind of the Bible-Believer is by Edmund D. Cohen from Prometheus Books. It is interesting and if you have some psychology back-ground it helps.
Now he would say that the concept of sin, in the NT or I should say Christian Testament(CT), is the power over a person.
But he goes into great detail in chapter 4 and I am getting back to it later some day maybe.
So the soul is a God detector? Cool, I guess.
I am not going to bore us with what is "the soul" or "a soul", I am just going with Mind for lack of a better understanding that would make sense and feeling that what they(writers of scripture) thought might make even less sense. It does seem mind, spirit an soul often overlap and the Greek concepts are sometimes at odds or different then the Hebrew. But on the other hand Greek thought can be seen as an influence in later Hebrew writings as well as plastered all over the CT(Christian Testament). Then again so is Persian ideas as well as Mesopotamian .
But if we are just talking about some vague aspect how does that help find or detect God?

Scorpia writes:

The Bible has a better explanation; that those whose hearts are hardened against him and those which aren't is depends on God's choice where he reveals himself to those he want to.

The bible has this and many more explanations any of which could be wrong. But it does show honestly that there is no answer except if God gives it to you and there is nothing you can do about it.
But what this amounts to is a person who sees fairies and if you don't see them it is because the fairies don't like you or something. This hardly counts as proof, evidence, a way to detect God or even revelation. So it might be construed as mental illness under some circumstances.
Scorpia writes:

However, even this can in a way be seen as unsatisfactory so that leaves the presence of Jesus Christ on Earth approximately 2000 years ago to show his existance.

You would think this would be true if all they said was correct and they could agree. But Christianities history as well as Ancient Hebrew history much of which is both Rhetoric and ahistorical, that's only attachment to history is when it was written the rest being myth, legends, and memories.
Our ideas about God are dogmatic, vague, traditional, popular, and cultish.
The human Jesus as "Christ" has replaced the aloft God with another almost hidden character, that does not bring God closer, but man as a fallen creature, farther away, with "spirit" as feeling.
I think A. N. Whitehead said some thing about feeling being a precursor to thought. So I am not opposed to something non-rational just irrational.
I also would think feeling and experience trumps revelation or a book. Yes it can add all kinds of silly ideas the ones that seem to last get put in a book but life is in the living and you get silly stuff too. The book is a good example of that. The bible is full of silly stuff.

[scorpia]

What is a soul? Can you show that any of them exists?

That depends on whether there is a distinction between a conscienceness and a soul

So the soul is a God detector? Cool, I guess.
I am not going to bore us with what is "the soul" or "a soul", I am just going with Mind for lack of a better understanding that would make sense and feeling that what they(writers of scripture) thought might make even less sense. It does seem mind, spirit an soul often overlap and the Greek concepts are sometimes at odds or different then the Hebrew. But on the other hand Greek thought can be seen as an influence in later Hebrew writings as well as plastered all over the CT(Christian Testament). Then again so is Persian ideas as well as Mesopotamian .
But if we are just talking about some vague aspect how does that help find or detect God?

You have a point that it was not a very good answer

The bible has this and many more explanations any of which could be wrong. But it does show honestly that there is no answer except if God gives it to you and there is nothing you can do about it.

It also makes the God somewhat unfair and arbitrary. Why wouldn't a loving God choose to reveal himself to all of those who are made in his image?

Romans 9:14-21;

What shall we say then? Is God unjust? Not at all! For he says to Moses, "I will have mercy upon whom I have mercy, and I will have comapssion on whom I have compassion." It des not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy. For the scripture says to Pharoh: "I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the Earth." Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.

One of you will say to me: "Then why does God still blame us? For who resists his will?" But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, "Why did you make me like this?" Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?"

But what this amounts to is a person who sees fairies and if you don't see them it is because the fairies don't like you or something. This hardly counts as proof, evidence, a way to detect God or even revelation. So it might be construed as mental illness under some circumstances.

I have met people who have claimed to have seen ghosts. They are not considered insane.

However, even this can in a way be seen as unsatisfactory so that leaves the presence of Jesus Christ on Earth approximately 2000 years ago to show his existance

You would think this would be true if all they said was correct and they could agree. But Christianities history as well as Ancient Hebrew history much of which is both Rhetoric and ahistorical, that's only attachment to history is when it was written the rest being myth, legends, and memories.

Who is "they?"

[McCulloch]

It also makes the God somewhat unfair and arbitrary. Why wouldn't a loving God choose to reveal himself to all of those who are made in his image?

Romans 9:14-21;
What shall we say then? Is God unjust? Not at all! For he says to Moses, "I will have mercy upon whom I have mercy, and I will have comapssion on whom I have compassion." It des not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy. For the scripture says to Pharoh: "I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the Earth." Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.
One of you will say to me: "Then why does God still blame us? For who resists his will?" But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, "Why did you make me like this?" Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?"

Unless I am misreading Romans 9, Paul shows that God is unjust and arbitrary and then boldly claims that God is not unjust.
Can you answer the question of why a loving fatherly God would withhold his compassion on one of those he has created in his own image? Clearly, according to Christian mythology, he does. Apparently, none of us who are condemned by your God are to blame, your God has hardened our hearts. Amazing Grace indeed!

[Cathar1950]

"they"
I think I meant those that have a mental disorder?
Maybe those that think we are God's garbage and he is just picking out some stuff to use, the rest goes in the fire.
scorpia wrote:

I have met people who have claimed to have seen ghosts. They are not considered insane.

Are they? How do you know they are not sane? How do you explain what they saw?
McCulloch wrote:

Unless I am misreading Romans 9, Paul shows that God is unjust and arbitrary and then boldly claims that God is not unjust.

It does not sound sane. Paul didn't always make sense, I mean he wasn't God or anything and he could have been wrong and insane.
I would say it could be a mental disorder and it would be interesting to see how bible believers fair among others in the mental health department.

[scorpia]

Can you answer the question of why a loving fatherly God would withhold his compassion on one of those he has created in his own image? Clearly, according to Christian mythology, he does. Apparently, none of us who are condemned by your God are to blame, your God has hardened our hearts. Amazing Grace indeed!

Romans 11: 25-32

I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Isreal has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:

"The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins."

As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies on your account; but as far as the election is concerned, tey are loved on account of the patriarchs, for God's gifts and his calls are irrecoverable. Just as you who were at one time disobediant to God have now recieved mercy as a result of their disobediance, so they too have now become disobediant in order that they too may now recieve mercy as a result of God's mercy to you. For God has bound all men over to disobediance so that he may have mercy on them all.

So maybe he doesn' do it forever.

Are they? How do you know they are not sane? How do you explain what they saw?

They're not insane because I know them!

As for what she saw, details are sketchy on my part, but I think it had something to do with some picture that flew off a wall. I had said it was probably the wind. But she said it was inddors and the doors were closed, the windows shut. I said it could have been some tremour. Or the picture was not hung on properly. It was claimed that there was no tremor and the picture did not just drop. I couldn't come up with any more explanations so I let the matter drop. If she wants to believe in ghosts it doesn't do her harm. For all I know there might be, or at least some kind of spirit. I could not come up with anymore explanations anyway.

Maybe those that think we are God's garbage and he is just picking out some stuff to use, the rest goes in the fire.

*shrugs* Maybe. But then, made in his image or not, what are humans to God? Maybe I'm a piece of garbage that is meant to go in the fire.

[Cathar1950]

They're not insane because I know them!

Scorpia don't make us question your sanity.
I know what you mean I have experienced weird stuff in my life but I question my sanity all the time. Ok, maybe there isn't a real question.
Now Paul still sounds like a nut.

*shrugs* Maybe. But then, made in his image or not, what are humans to God? Maybe I'm a piece of garbage that is meant to go in the fire.

I hope your wrong!
Maybe we read to much from people with low self esteem?
I think it was Whitehead that said we have given the worse attributes of Ceasar to God. Maybe they just had issues with their fathers and projected.

[Cephus]

We can detect neutrinos. Please tell us how to detect God.

With a soul?

Please demonstrate that a soul exists. It's nice to make claims, but do try to back them up.

There is the age old claim that if one is a Christain and has the Holy spirit one can detect God. This however doesn't explain how someone who may not have already been a Christian can detect Him. The Bible has a better explanation; that those whose hearts are hardened against him and those which aren't is depends on God's choice where he reveals himself to those he want to. However, even this can in a way be seen as unsatisfactory so that leaves the presence of Jesus Christ on Earth approximately 2000 years ago to show his existance.

Then if God is going to hide from me, why should I bother believing in him? Being selective and punishing people that he chooses not to reveal himself to makes God a sadistic bastard.

Of course, you can't prove that Jesus ever existed either, and there's plenty of evidence to show that Jesus, at least as described in the Bible, never lived. So again, where is your evidence?