Leonardo Posted June 25, 2014 #1 Share Posted June 25, 2014 Nigeria atheist Bala 'deemed mentally ill in Kano state' A Nigerian man has been sent to a mental institute in Kano state after he declared that he did not believe in God, according to a humanist charity. Mubarak Bala, 29, is said to have been forcibly medicated by his Muslim relatives, despite being given a clean bill of health by a doctor. The International Humanist and Ethical Union say a Lagos-based group has asked a lawyer to take up his case. Kano is a mainly Muslim state and adopted Sharia (Islamic law) in 2000. source Quite a few theists make posts pointing out the discrimination and persecution of theists by non-theists, so I wanted to redress the balance a little. Is not believing in something that cannot be seen, touched, tasted, smelled or heard - cannot be detected, observed or measured in any way - a sign of mental illness? 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emma_Acid Posted June 25, 2014 #2 Share Posted June 25, 2014 Any excuse. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJ50 Posted June 25, 2014 #3 Share Posted June 25, 2014 source Quite a few theists make posts pointing out the discrimination and persecution of theists by non-theists, so I wanted to redress the balance a little. Is not believing in something that cannot be seen, touched, tasted, smelled or heard - cannot be detected, observed or measured in any way - a sign of mental illness? NO! It is a sign of using a of logic when dealing with the topic. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rlyeh Posted June 25, 2014 #4 Share Posted June 25, 2014 (edited) Not talking to imaginary friends is a mental illness.. who knew? Sharia law is the problem, theocracies rarely play nice with non-believers. Edited June 25, 2014 by Rlyeh 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IBelieveWhatIWant Posted June 25, 2014 #5 Share Posted June 25, 2014 (edited) Not talking to imaginary friends is a mental illness.. who knew? Yeah go figure, seems like following rules that were written by a mere moral and passed off as the laws of an almighty entity isn't as crazy as not believing in it.I tried to make this as non offensive as I could. Edited June 25, 2014 by IBelieveWhatIWant 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eldorado Posted June 25, 2014 #6 Share Posted June 25, 2014 I reckon we are all looking for something or someone to worship and adore. Gods, the stars, money, another person... it seems like a human need. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davros of Skaro Posted June 25, 2014 #7 Share Posted June 25, 2014 This Man is sick! Quick! Show him a Tree, a pretty Sunset, put a Mirror to his Face, and then show him the verse that says God did it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davros of Skaro Posted June 25, 2014 #8 Share Posted June 25, 2014 I reckon we are all looking for something or someone to worship and adore. Gods, the stars, money, another person... it seems like a human need. Man is looking for that unexpected squirt of Appple Juice. (For those that know what I am talking about, give a like this.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ealdwita Posted June 25, 2014 #9 Share Posted June 25, 2014 Not talking to imaginary friends is a mental illness.. who knew? Mental illness becomes more likely when that imaginary friend answers! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IBelieveWhatIWant Posted June 25, 2014 #10 Share Posted June 25, 2014 I reckon we are all looking for something or someone to worship and adore. Gods, the stars, money, another person... it seems like a human need. Not necessarily, personally I don't adore or worship to anyone human or otherwise. Sure there are people I take influence from to learn to better myself but I wouldn't consider that "worshiping" or "adoring". It's just the majority of the population that seem to need reassurance that life on Earth isn't all for nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Walker Posted June 25, 2014 #11 Share Posted June 25, 2014 (edited) source Quite a few theists make posts pointing out the discrimination and persecution of theists by non-theists, so I wanted to redress the balance a little. Is not believing in something that cannot be seen, touched, tasted, smelled or heard - cannot be detected, observed or measured in any way - a sign of mental illness? It is, clinically, such an abnormal condition in humans, and goes so much against evolved human thought processes, that it might be considered so. I disagree but it is easy to see why this position is held.Belief has nothing to do with knowledge or evidence .It is about a thought process which operates to give us meaning and understanding of things which are unknown and presently unknowable.Thus the lack of evidence for god means nothing when it comes to belief. There are so many factors in our minds operation from childbirth, and in our environment which almost "compel" us to believe in gods, that when a person does not, others think,"Well what is wrong with their mind?" There are also compelling sociological and anthropological evidences that society and community is so dependent on the sort of social trust and cohesion which operates within a group of believers, that when an individual says "I do not believe," it immediately puts them outside the group, and hence outside their mutual "protection" of those within the group. Exaggeration always help me look at such issues Suppose one million people belived in god and one man said, "I do not" How would al the rest think about him and treat him? Is it not very likely that the would be considered somehow mentally deficient, if not mentally unwell. Anyone who defies the majority in any way always runs the risk of such labelling. Where they defy them in something as important /fundamental as the belief which defines their world view then there are two choices Either they are crazy or you are. Now who is gonna admit that they are ? Edited June 25, 2014 by Mr Walker 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IBelieveWhatIWant Posted June 25, 2014 #12 Share Posted June 25, 2014 It is, clinically, such an abnormal condition in humans, and goes so much against evolved human thought processes, that it might be considered so. I disagree but it is easy to see why this position is held. Belief has nothing to do with knowledge or evidence .It is about a thought process which operates to give us meaning and understanding of things which are unknown and presently unknowable.Thus the lack of evidence for god means nothing when it comes to belief. There are so many factors in our minds operation from childbirth, and in our environment which almost "compel" us to believe in gods, that when a person does not, others think,"Well what is wrong with their mind?" There are also compelling sociological and anthropological evidences that society and community is so dependent on the sort of social trust and cohesion which operates within a group of believers, that when an individual says "I do not believe," it immediately puts them outside the group, and hence outside their mutual "protection" of those within the group. The reason it might be thought of as weird is because for thousands of years we have been told that there is an almighty creator. It isn't due to how our brain works from childbirth, it's due to the mass "brain washing" (best word for it) that tell us that something must have created us and there fore have a plan for us. Basically it's just a way to control and condition people. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leonardo Posted June 25, 2014 Author #13 Share Posted June 25, 2014 It is, clinically, such an abnormal condition in humans, and goes so much against evolved human thought processes, that it might be considered so. I disagree but it is easy to see why this position is held. Belief has nothing to do with knowledge or evidence .It is about a thought process which operates to give us meaning and understanding of things which are unknown and presently unknowable.Thus the lack of evidence for god means nothing when it comes to belief. There are so many factors in our minds operation from childbirth, and in our environment which almost "compel" us to believe in gods, that when a person does not, others think,"Well what is wrong with their mind?" There are also compelling sociological and anthropological evidences that society and community is so dependent on the sort of social trust and cohesion which operates within a group of believers, that when an individual says "I do not believe," it immediately puts them outside the group, and hence outside their mutual "protection" of those within the group. Exaggeration always help me look at such issues Suppose one million people belived in god and one man said, "I do not" How would al the rest think about him and treat him? Is it not very likely that the would be considered somehow mentally deficient, if not mentally unwell. Anyone who defies the majority in any way always runs the risk of such labelling. Where they defy them in something as important /fundamental as the belief which defines their world view then there are two choices Either they are crazy or you are. Now who is gonna admit that they are ? So, your argument is that anyone who holds different beliefs than others can rightly be considered "mentally ill"? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJ50 Posted June 25, 2014 #14 Share Posted June 25, 2014 I reckon we are all looking for something or someone to worship and adore. Gods, the stars, money, another person... it seems like a human need. I don't want to worship or adore anything, never have, even when I was a Christian. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leonardo Posted June 25, 2014 Author #15 Share Posted June 25, 2014 I reckon we are all looking for something or someone to worship and adore. Gods, the stars, money, another person... it seems like a human need. You're probably right - although I wouldn't necessarily use the words "worship" or "adore". I think it is psychologically beneficial to hold to some belief in something "greater than ourselves" (as in, our individual selves) but this something might be an abstract human value such as 'justice', 'equality', etc. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJ50 Posted June 25, 2014 #16 Share Posted June 25, 2014 You're probably right - although I wouldn't necessarily use the words "worship" or "adore". I think it is psychologically beneficial to hold to some belief in something "greater than ourselves" (as in, our individual selves) but this something might be an abstract human value such as 'justice', 'equality', etc. Why do you think that? I don't feel the need to have a belief in an entity greater than myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambelamba Posted June 25, 2014 #17 Share Posted June 25, 2014 So, your argument is that anyone who holds different beliefs than others can rightly be considered "mentally ill"? He actually believes that God is a physical being whom he has a regular contact with. To MW, God is an empirical, undisputed fact. No wonder why he believes that atheism is a mental illness. Reading his post ruined my sleep. I gotta drive 50 miles to shoot a commercial this morning and I am upset now. It's 4:30 in the morning in So Cal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambelamba Posted June 25, 2014 #18 Share Posted June 25, 2014 Why do you think that? I don't feel the need to have a belief in an entity greater than myself. Well, if Neil DeGrasse Tyson's speculation is correct, there are more advanced and evolved lifeforms out there. Just a nitpicking. Sorry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrooma Posted June 25, 2014 #19 Share Posted June 25, 2014 Sharia law is the problem, . nailed it. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leonardo Posted June 25, 2014 Author #20 Share Posted June 25, 2014 Why do you think that? I don't feel the need to have a belief in an entity greater than myself. I never said "entity". The belief might be in a cause - like "justice", as I said. Also, I never said it was a 'need', but that such a belief would likely be psychologically beneficial. I base this on humans being social animals, and the possibility that such thinking is 'hard-wired' into us, albeit expressed in many different ways through a variety of beliefs. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eldorado Posted June 25, 2014 #21 Share Posted June 25, 2014 Not necessarily, personally I don't adore or worship to anyone human or otherwise. Sure there are people I take influence from to learn to better myself but I wouldn't consider that "worshiping" or "adoring". It's just the majority of the population that seem to need reassurance that life on Earth isn't all for nothing. I don't want to worship or adore anything, never have, even when I was a Christian. Aww. You've never worshipped a lady, or man? Never been in love? Never mind, you still have time on your side. Good luck! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Merton Posted June 25, 2014 #22 Share Posted June 25, 2014 We have submission/dominance instincts that manifest in different people and cultures in different ways. Religion has a strong element of that, as does politics (bowing to the king). Modern celebrity cults probably would not exist if lots of people didn't have such feelings. I think, though, that, as with most of our instincts, we are heterogeneous. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IBelieveWhatIWant Posted June 25, 2014 #23 Share Posted June 25, 2014 Aww. You've never worshipped a lady, or man? Never been in love? Never mind, you still have time on your side. Good luck! Being in love does not mean worship. If you worship the one that you love that just means that you're whipped Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eldorado Posted June 25, 2014 #24 Share Posted June 25, 2014 (edited) Being in love does not mean worship. If you worship the one that you love that just means that you're whipped Tsk, tsk. From the mouths of babes. You'll find her/him someday. (If you're lucky) Edited June 25, 2014 by Eldorado Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJ50 Posted June 25, 2014 #25 Share Posted June 25, 2014 Aww. You've never worshipped a lady, or man? Never been in love? Never mind, you still have time on your side. Good luck! I am married and have been for nearly 45 years, but I never worshipped my husband, anymore than he would worship me, what a horrible idea! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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