Is Religion A Mental Illness?

Delusion falls on a continuum of cognitive dysfunction. Depending on how you define benign and illness will determine the level of harm. Religious belief is always a delusion.

http://questionablemotives.wordpress.com/2014/12/26/how-can-we-tell-the-difference-between a-mentally-unbalanced-individual-and-a-true-believer/

- - - delusion is an erroneous belief that is held in the face of evidence to the contrary. Fits religion to a tee. Of course, not every religious person is mentally ill in the clinical sense. However, the point on the continuum where you find harmful effects, much less serious mental illness, is difficult and debatable. THAT is the point of my comment. Nuance is difficult for some.

There are many examples of individuals with signs of mental illness attributed to religion. Please note, I am NOT saying ALL religious folks are mentally ill as such is clinically defined. I AM saying they are all deluded, and delusion DOES fall on a continuum from benign to severe illness.

These links present further support for my stance:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/31/kathleen-taylor-religious-fundamentalism-mental-illness_n_3365896.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_and_schizophrenia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvCkCnBTKGk

http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/PDF/Elizabeth%20Cosgrove%20Religious%20devotion.%20A%20risk%20factor%20for%20mental%20illness.x.pdf

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2255894/Spiritual-people-likely-mentally-ill-think-life-meaning.html

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2013/jan/09/spiritual-but-not-religious-dangerous-mix

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/24/religion-mental-health-angry-god-brain_n_3097025.html

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I end with this:   if you substitute "virus" for "religion" and "physical" for "mental", I think my point is clear.