A leading neurologist at the University of Oxford said this week that recent developments meant that science may one day be able to identify religious fundamentalism as a “mental illness” and a cure it.
During a talk at the Hay Literary Festival in Wales on Wednesday, Kathleen Taylor was asked what positive developments she anticipated in neuroscience in the next 60 years.
“One of the surprises may be to see people with certain beliefs as people who can be treated,” she explained, according to The Times of London. “Somebody 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.”
“I am not just talking about the obvious candidates like radical Islam or some of the more extreme cults,” she explained. “I am talking about things like the belief that it is OK to beat your children. These beliefs are very harmful but are not normally categorized as mental illness.”
“In many ways that could be a very positive thing because there are no doubt beliefs in our society that do a heck of a lot of damage, that really do a lot of harm.”
I read about a study a few years back that discussed the connection that many schizophrenics and other severe mental illness sufferers had to fundamentalist religions and how difficult it was to treat them due to the fact that their choice of religion reinforced many of their most dangerous symptoms. (This is not the one I cite above, but it is similar.)
Personally I have always felt that the connection between mental illness and zealotry is quite obvious, but since we are talking about religion there are always those that refuse to see what is right before their eyes.
I often work with children who have rather severe behavioral and mental health concerns and I can certainly attest to the lunacy of the parents who embrace a fundamentalist faith. They are often suspicious of every therapeutic approach, and progress is rarely made while the children remain within their home. (I once had a client whose parents took them to an exorcism to drive out the evil spirits that were making him misbehave.)
Once out, and into a foster placement, the change in the child can be quite significant and rapid. But if there is an attempt to reintroduce them back into the home the same enmeshed pathology reoccurs.
The fundamentalist religions see voices in the head and sudden emotional outbursts in a significantly different way than does the mental health community.
So personally I cannot wait until we start to identify religious fundamentalism as a mental illness.
Please take note of the fact that Ms. Taylor identified certain destructive practices of some who may belong to fundamental faiths or not, without ever applying it to all people who consider themselves fundamentalists, because certainly many, even most, who do not beat their children or practice behavior or even spread hate, as do some atheists.
ReplyDeleteIt was you who made the leap to blanket all fundamentalists in the diagnosis - not Ms. Taylor.
I am liberal, agnostic, leaning toward atheism, agree with you on most political issues but am appalled at your continual intolerance and derision of and towards people who you do not see as being so enlightened as yourself.
Perhaps you need to consider that the fundamentalists are the ones who engender such a reaction. they are always attacking. There comes a point where even themost rational, intellectual says "enough" and begins to paint with a broader brush rather than identify specific individuals and circumstances.
DeleteThe far right (and the money behind them) have been devising attacks for a long time. It truly seems that only since McCain chose Palin did their irrational views begin to seem legitimized by her vocal, heated public voicing of them.
I cannot agree with you that Gryphen jumps to the wrong conclusion. We have seen too many instances where the fundamentalists have tried to push their views on us all Theiy are out to dominant the publicc and private arena with no tolerancce for anyone else. Why is it so wrong to be intolerant of them?
Tolerating them does nothing to settle them down; it seems to encourage their vicious attempts to demand conformance to their outrageous points of view.
Well it looks like Gryphen is entitled to his opinion just like you.
DeleteI totally agree with Gryphen and Anonymous 3:22. The fundamentalists that I am familiar with (this is a smaller sub-group of christians) are intolerant of anyone who is "different" than them. They want women to be submissive to men, they don't like Blacks, Hispanics, LGBT people,etc. When they are called out for trying to push their views on everyone else, they say they are being persecuted or being discriminated against. From my perspective, all that is evil in this world stems from fundamentalist religions.
DeleteThree Cheers for Anonymous @2:51 PM!! I completely agree with you! I am continually appalled that someone with the words
Delete"Morality is not determined by the church you attend nor the faith you embrace. It is determined by the quality of your character and the positive impact you have on those you meet along your journey"
at the top of his blog nevertheless makes it his life’s mission to continually belittle and berate any and all people of faith without regard to the “quality of their character.” In the world of Gryphen, unless you are an atheist like he is, you can’t possibly be a person of good character. You are simply just plain stupid. Oh, and dare to challenge Gryphen on his hypocrisy and just watch the IM flying monkeys descend for the attack. The Palinbots have taught them well.
I think "Faith" could be taken as a "cult". After all they all take ONE book that is more of a Myth and twist it into whatever meaning THEY Choose to believe.
ReplyDeleteAlso choosing to ignore science like the dead sea scrolls that are being translated and might add or takeaway from "The good book" Oh noes! we can't have that!
PSAnonymous2:51 PM
Your no lib.
lol liar.
www.miamiherald.com/2013/06/01/3426821/dear-abby-isolated-home-schooler.html
ReplyDeleteDear Abby: I’m a 16-year-old girl. I am home-schooled with one friend. I’m lonely, sad, mad and depressed. I have always wanted to go to a real school, but it’s not an option for me. My parents are against it.
She also says she's been cutting herself for a year. This is really serious. Her parents are obviously clueless. Poor kid.
DeleteI hope she does like Dear Abby suggests, that she tells someone she trusts, an adult. There needs to be some type of intervention from someone on behalf of the 16-year old. She cuts to alleviate the emotional pain caused by her loneliness. It will only get worse.
DeleteYou can't cure stupid.
ReplyDeleteI can attest to this. My mental health problems stemmed from my religious upbringing. For me religiosity was a symptom of my mental illness. By the way, I was diagnosed with acute paranoid schizophrenia. From my personal experience, I see the correlation that she's making and it's a valid point.
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree with the mental health issue, but IMO, this is a very slippery slope.
ReplyDeleteGiving the spanking of a child as an example of mental health problem leads me to think of : what will be next?
A very slippery slope, that can be abused by any oppressive system!
"You don't agree with what we are doing here? You are mentally ill and need to be re-programmed or institutionalized. Now, either agree with us, or we will treat you until you agree with us."
Re-education camps a la Mao Tse Tung or North Korea come to my mind.
They'll be able to cure religious fundamentalism?
ReplyDeleteOh thank GOD!
I'm glad that someone's willing to entertain the idea that fundamentalism could be considered a mental illness. I'm sick of reading about people letting their children die because their religion is against blood transfusions or is for laying hands and praying for faith healing while avoiding hospitals, doctors, and medicine. These kids are minors and have no voice nor choice in the decisions their parents make based on "belief".
ReplyDeleteWhat "God" would wish a child to die of a curable disease? Or an incurable disease for that matter?
It is indeed a slippery slope as Anon 4:44 suggested. I have no doubt that many religious individuals have an underlying mental illness and they chose religion as their mechanism to cope with themselves and their surroundings. To claim someone's religious fundamentalism is the result of a mental illness may be a step too far and a violation of that persons freedom of religion if we try to "cure" them. They first would also have to first recognize they may have mental issue before any medical treatment they could be started.
ReplyDeleteLook up the etymology, the word origin, of the term “cretin." Use Oxford's Unabridged. You will be amused (to say the least).
ReplyDeleteChicken or egg...
ReplyDeletePeople with tendencies toward mental illness become fundamentalists or fundamentalism leads to mental illness?
Would Ms Taylor agree that one of the most delusionary and destructive of the current belief systems in Feminism? I have long said that what Feminists really need is 'treatment'.
ReplyDelete