Posted by Lunatic on April 9, 2000, at 2:18:33
In reply to Psychosis is like this..., posted by boB on April 8, 2000, at 12:22:48
"Many practitioners classify most spiritual beliefs to be psychotic, under the
classification of magical thinking."Is this still true? I don't think it is based on my experiences. But if a persons belief is markedly different from common belief within the particular belief system then this may be a sign of delusional thinking. For example, if someone thinks they are Christ, God, or the Virgin Mary then its a pretty good bet they are delusional. But if you encounter someone who believes in "Faith Healing" and that person is a member of a large group of people with similiar beliefs, then that probably should not be considered delusional, because no one of us can claim "omniscience". Probably the best person to determine if someone is delusional concerning some belief is another person well versed in the same belief system. The psychological professions should not dictate what religious beliefs are valid or invalid because from a scientific point of view all they can be sure of is that they don't know.
poster:Lunatic
thread:29265
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000401/msgs/29387.html