Belief in Organized Religion Isn't Just a Sham, It's a Mental Disorder

Since the beginning of recorded human history, the belief in (and search for) a higher power has been a constant. Naturally, with consciousness and self-awareness comes a nagging fear concerning what exactly happens after death. Up to today, there is little evidence in contradiction to a unifying force that created everything. In fact, the Big Bang Theory, which hypothesizes that an unfathomably small and powerful point of energy exploded into literally everything, is in direct support of the aforementioned higher force. But, for as long as this fear and curiosity about the afterlife has existed, people - flesh and blood - have taken advantage of it. Soon, though, with the remarkably rapid pace of cultural advancement in the modern era, the realization should come. It has been said and written in one form or another for centuries by countless philosophers, literary giants, scientists, and even several of the Founding Fathers. Belief in organized Fundamentalist religion is nothing more than psychosis on an exceptionally large scale.

According to the American Psychological Association (or APA), psychosis is a mental disorder that can range from minor affect up to an inability to properly function. The symptoms of psychosis, the APA says, are delusions of paranoia or grandeur, sensory hallucinations, and a mental deviation from reality, or, for the purposes of this essay, common sense. Belief of ancient religions, such as those of the Greeks, Egyptians, and Romans, would not qualify under this description. They were solely attempts to explain natural phenomena people simply did not understand at the time. But belief in one of the "big three" modern religions today - Christianity, Judaism, and Islam - certainly does. At the time they were written, the holy documents of today's "big three" were, like the ancient religions, just an explanation for what wasn't understood. But to ignore what science and common sense have uncovered in favor of these documents, and the dogma that comes with them today, exhibits all three symptoms of psychosis. Furthermore, this fear-induced mental handicap has directly caused some of the most evil and atrocious events in history.

Delusions of grandeur and paranoia are essential to the belief of one of today's religions. In terms of grandeur, it is integral in the principles of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism that those who follow one of the three are the "chosen people" of God, Yahweh, or Allah. Everyone else, including those who weren't religious, followed the wrong religion, or just hadn't heard of theirs, will be cast into a state of "isolation from God" upon judgement at death. (The term Hell is no longer kosher in many religious organizations.) This belief is neither justified or sensible. Additionally, the belief that prayers are answered by God perfectly fit into the same category. Thinking that, out of the six billion people on earth, the creator of the universe is listening to and granting the often selfish murmurs of one person is absolutely psychotic in nature. When applying delusions of paranoia to religion, the story of Adam and Eve immediately comes to mind. It is the first story in the Christian book of Genesis, and paints "Satan" as a scheming evil entity that plots against innocent people. In today's context, the concept of a scheming evil entity is the epitome of the classic paranoid delusion that "someone is out to get me". In society, this paranoia spurs some absolutely heinous action. One well known example is the Salem Witch Trials of the late 1600's. In colonial Massachusetts, dozens of people were literally burned alive for fear that Satan was possessing them, trying to conquer their small town. It was cold blooded murder stemming from nonsensical paranoia. Incidents like this aren't isolated in time or location, either. They continue to this day across the globe.

The second key facet of mental process needed for a diagnosis of psychosis is, of course, sensory hallucinations. There is little effort required to plainly see examples, glorification, and even encouragement of hallucinatory experience in organized religion. In the Torah (the Jewish holy script) and Bible alike, the tenets of how to live (the Ten Commandments) are revealed to the prophet Moses from a burning bush accompanied by a mysterious voice in the sky. These are the fundamental laws by which people are supposed to live their lives. They are the foundation upon which both respective faiths are based. And they were given to humanity by a burning bush and a voice in the sky. For those who grew up with organized religion, this is accepted without question. Today, as well, millions believe that a deity speaks to them or shows them earthly signs of its existence regularly. From an objective standpoint, it is obvious that in seeking God, these people are willfully trying, and often succeeding, in experiencing hallucinations.

The third - and hallmark - visible symptom of psychosis is an altered perception of reality. Those who believe in any organized religion not only tailor reality to fit within with their faith, they completely ignore it. Rejection of reality is an absolute necessity in order to rationalize the idea that a cosmic omnipotent being, whether it be God, Yahweh, or Allah, created the universe for the sole purpose of watching the events in humanity unfold. Take, for example, the Catholic idea of Transubstantiation. There are over one billion Catholics on earth. A billion people are taught that, through Transubstantiation, bread and wine during mass are literally transformed into the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ for the congregation to consume and thus cleanse themselves of sin. It is undeniable that this, like so much other dogma in every organized religion (Think the Christian virgin birth, Jewish seven plagues, or Muslim bodily resurrection after death.) needs its believers to blindly accept ideas that contradict reality.

Fear is perhaps the single most important factor in driving thought, belief, and action. And the concept of an eternity spent somewhere - or nowhere - about which nothing is known is downright frightening. From this fear, religion and the psychotic state it necessitates were spawned. In its name, countless atrocities, corruption, and mass psychological slavery have taken place over thousands of years. In order for global society as a whole to advance, this threshold of fear must be broken. The higher force that made that unfathomably tiny and powerful point of energy we now know as the universe may very well exist. There are few other ways to explain our capacity for empathy and self-awareness. But the burden of religion and the immense weight it carries must be shed for humanity to soar higher in the future. As a race, we will never reach our full potential until it is enough to be, instead of a "good, God-fearing person", just a good person.