Religion, nothing but group psychosis

Things atheists should stop saying

I mean, it’s the community that keeps people around. The rules and dogma push people who aren’t being served well by the community out.

So in group this is natural to say. But external, directed at religious peoples, it’s not going to do the work of bringing them into your community. It’s not welcoming and it serves to push people to build walls rather than promote a change in thinking.

So i think you’re right in the context of being in community with a believer, but the comment wasn’t about that to begin with.

Alternatively, it’s hard to see how much religion is pushed until you’re outside of it. It’s like the opposite of getting a new (to you) car or phone. When you are, all of a sudden you realize how saturated everything is with it. It’s like living off the end of the runway of an international hub airport, there’s no rest.

I don’t deny there’s an element of groupthink within the Christian community that keeps its participants ensnared in the system while also alienating potential partakers, but adding the word ‘psychosis’ - like the user i responded to did - is rather disrespectful of the Christian position. You’d be falling victim to the outgroup homogeneity bias where you perceive individuals separate from your in-group as being alike and less diverse than yours. Just because you see many delusional participants does not mean all participants are equally as delusional.

Classifying belief in Christianity as psychosis simply shows one’s ignorance as they think one can only be religious if they’re “insane” which is just not the case since there are many who participate in Christianity with perfectly reasonable reasons.

I’m an atheist, but i think it’s high time, as atheists, we stopped making these stupid ad hominem attacks towards differing ideas.

is rather disrespectful of the Christian position.

Labeling any idea thats “religion” as automatically worthy of respect is simply privelage speaking, at best. At wirst its deep stupidity protecting itself from analysis. Why should religious ideas not be subject to the same rigor we examine all ideas? What makes religious ideas so special in the arena of human ideas? You’ll get respect when you earn it, and not before. Subject your ideas to scrutiny and maybe we’ll stop accusing you of being in a cult.

It deserves its respect because it is largely practiced and is defended by many intellectuals.