Why the Classification of Christianity as a Disease is Necessary

[rug]

By Harry H. McCall at 1/15/2013 First, let’s established an objective definition:

Disease: 1. An abnormal condition of an organism or part, especially as a consequence of infection, inherent weakness, or environmental stress, that impairs normal physiological functioning. 2. A condition or tendency, as of society, regarded as abnormal and harmful. (The American Heritage Dictionary, 2ed. 1985)

While the older definition of disease only considered the pathology of the cell as affected by bacteria, viruses or genetics; a more modern definition includes both mental illness and addiction in relation to Behavioral Medicine such as Alcohol dependency, Drug dependency, Post-traumatic stress syndrome, Sleep disturbance (unspecified) , Somatization, Stress reaction (acute to gross stress) and Tobacco abuse (unspecified).

This wider view of disease is backup by Dr. Drew Pinsky (TV’s Dr. Drew)who classifies an addiction as a disease: “A disease is a complex relationship between the genetic makeup of the individual and the environment that results in an abnormal state of physiology (called pathophysiology) reflected in signs and symptoms. Those signs and symptoms follow a predictable pattern (called a natural history). And that natural history has a predictable response to treatment."

http://debunkingchristianity.blogspot.com/2013/01/why-classification-of-religion-as.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FypxUn+%28Debunking+Christianity%29

Let's take a poll on this.

9 votes, 0 passes | Time left: Unlimited
	True
	5 (56%)
	False
	4 (44%)
	0 DU members did not wish to select any of the options provided.
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[cbayer]

1. Offensive bullshit from a hateful bigot.

I don't need to vote.

[rug]

2. It does cut through the coy sub rosa comments.

I'm taking bets.

[cbayer]

6. Oh, it's not something I haven't read right here before.

Those who need to use bigotry to maintain their own superior position show their asses, imo.

FWIW, this guy is Communication Engineer for the S.C. Dept. of Transporation (sic). He probably got all is psychiatric learning while riding his tricked out motorbike.

[rug]

8. Me too. Let's quantify it.

What is a communication engineer? Does that mean he uses a computer?

[cbayer]

9. Ok, I'll vote.

He might just use a telephone, lol.

[okasha]

14. If they didn't have religious folk to hate

they'd have to go back to hating people of color or LGBTs. Bigotry is always about the need to bolster a weak ego. The rationalization of the hatred is less important than the hate itself.,

[cbayer]

15. And that would be much less socially acceptable.

All the cool kids hate religion and religious people, lol.

[LeftishBrit]

21. Depends where and in which group

Overall, I would say there are a lot more homophobes than people who hate all religious people, and that the former is a lot more acceptable in most circles!

Of course there are plenty of religious people who hate OTHER religions and religious people, but that's a rather different matter.

Some of those who do hate all religious people are just the types who hate anyone who's different from them. But many are reacting to the homophobia, anti-woman attitudes, generally far-right ideology of the Religious Right, and/or to the violence that the religious fanatics of all faiths perpetrate. Is it fair for them to hate all religious people as a result? No, any more than it's fair to hate all Muslims due to 9-11, or all Catholics due to the paedophilia scandal, or all left-wingers due to the oppressiveness of most Communist countries, or for that matter all football fans due to the partisan hooliganism of some of them. But I can see how it happens, especially in places or settings where the religious right is dominant.

[CalFresh]

7. Well said cayer.

Some people just hate.

[skepticscott]

13. Would you consider

wishing that someone you disagree with and don't like would die "hate"?

[skepticscott]

12. Why are you denigrating

someone else's deeply held beliefs? What happened to your strident calls for "tolerance"?

If you really dislike him that much, why not just wish for him to die, the way you did for Richard Dawkins? If you do that enough, one of these days, your wish might come true.

[LeftishBrit]

16. To be fair..

I don't think CBayer was suggesting that Dawkins should physically die. She was suggesting that his views and influence should become extinct. Just as I feel about the Tories!

[skepticscott]

19. Uh, no...to be fair

She wished for him to be dead.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1218&pid=60184

And I hope Dawkins is going the way of his much beloved dinosaurs.

Not his ideas, not his influence...him.

But even if she got her much cherished wish for his demise, even if she could make it happen herself by wishing for it, there are plenty of other decent people who will not be silenced, and who won't make nicey-nice with religious idiocy demagoguery.

[LeftishBrit]

22. 'Going the way of the dinosaurs' refers to becoming extinct as a species, not dead as an individual

So if CBayer meant it in the way you interpret it, she would be basically wishing that all humans were dead. I'm sure she doesn't wish that! Presumably she meant that she wishes that Dawkins' viewpoint (or what she perceives as his viewpoint) would become extinct. I've often heard the expression used in this way. I might say 'I wish the free market ideologues would go the way of the dinosaurs' or 'I wish the political pro-life movement would go the way of the dinosaurs'- I don't mean that I want them all to drop dead; just that I want their viewpoint to become outdated and cease to exist.

I live and work not very far from Dawkins and have my antennae out for religious-right attitudes in and relating to my home area. The religious-right do exist in my backyard; do have a baleful influence; do collaborate with some American religious-right elements; and do sometimes use anti-Dawkins sentiment as an excuse/rallying point - so I think I'd pick up on real violent anti-Dawkins attitudes. I don't agree with CBayer, and neither wish nor expect Dawkins' views to become extinct - but I don't think she meant what you say.

[okasha]

20. The Oxford Dictionary defines a dinosaur

as a person or thing that has become outmoded or obsolete due to failure to adapt. I think it should be glaringly obvious that the phrase was used in that sense.

I'll bet a DU jury agreed.

[mike_c]

3. I presume a "yes" vote means "yes, I consider religion a form of mental illness...."

Otherwise I want to change my vote.

[rug]

5. That's how I read the article.

[Isoldeblue]

4. I can believe

in a God and Jesus, but know enough to avoid organized religion, like the plague............

[LeftishBrit]

10. Nope

I don't believe that Christianity is true. But I also don't believe in pathologizing everything with which one disagrees as a 'disease'.

[Fumesucker]

11. As a general rule no, as it is sometimes practiced yes

Some sects of Christianity I believe are genuinely harmful, others may be beneficial overall.

Not that it's really my place to judge but you did ask.

[struggle4progress]

17. McCall is a former fundamentalist, who considers Christianity synonymous with fundamentalism

Such confusion, of course, is widespread, being promoted continually by the fundamentalists and the rightwing authoritarians who fund them

[LeftishBrit]

23. Exactly.

[LARED]

18. An excellent example of

articulate writing that sounds good but is largely nonsense.