-GOD equals OCD?-

[Mr Slayer]

This is a bit bold hypothesis, perhaps, but I wish to discuss religion as an Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).

Take a woman, for example, that has certain rituals every day. Rituals that truly give her comfort and joy, even if it is a false joy in the long term. (I have even heard people that have said performing such rituals is like sex.)

Without them, severe anxiety engulfs her entire body and mind within hours, and the feelings washing over her are undescribably horrific.

Rituals described above are often a wide range of things like sheets folded perfectly, correct closing of a door and pictures hanging symmetrically on the walls.

It can take everything from one hour to a half day, doing nothing else except performing these rituals.

Religion is also consisting of rituals that give joy and comfort, and that people would feel insecure without. What if God is a perfect common denominator, a dominating peak of a series of rituals? Instead of having all of these separate fractions of things one must perform, one conveniently believs strongly and firmly in a deity and prays this aspect of security (God) to make sure he/she will live another day?

This is, of course, generalization. There are different kinds of OCD: s and different levels of Belief.

But OCD stems often from an individual's personal insecurity whilst religion is often seen as a saviour for "lost" people.

Could it be that religion and belief in God is nothing short of a grand OCD?

Edited October 1, 2006 by AshKatNah

[Cadetak]

I kind of get what your saying here. Your saying that people pray, do rituals, go to church because they kind of are dependant on it (like smokers and cigs)?

I guess that could work for some people but that doesn't work for all people. And it doesn;t discredit the history of religion like the bible.

I'm kind of confuse...I was public school educated lol!

[+Paranoid Android]

Interesting. I guess some could be OCD about ritualistic behaviour, but on the other side of things, it's not always about rituals. In my own life, I cannot think of a single ritual that I "simply have to do" as a Christian. I pray to God once a day (sometimes less, sometimes more, there's no clear pattern) though I don't need to pray to God, and I read the Bible every couple of days, give or take (again, no clear pattern) though i don't need to read the Bible. I go to church once a week, though skip it every once in a while *shock* - and yes, I don't need to go to church either.

But I do see how some people can take to religion and religious activities with obsession.

[EmpressV]

I was always under the impression that OCD's were a glitch in our brain like a skip on a record that keeps going back over the same track.

[Beggars]

i think i have OCD,not to sure though,like,if i bite the left side of my tongue,i gotta bite the right side twice,back to the left side,then the right side once,left side twice,right side once more,right said again,left side twice,right side once,left side once,right side twice,left side once again.then i'm done.same with hands,like if i hit something,but anyways.i think that religion could be a form of OCD in like the crazy church goers,but like,for me,its not really anything,not apart of my rituals,but i can see how if you've been going to church since you were young and you've always done it then it could be a form of OCD

Edited October 1, 2006 by A7X

[artymoon]

Survival could be labeled this. Life is obsessed with staying alive and reproducing.

[Mr Slayer]

i think i have OCD,not to sure though,like,if i bite the left side of my tongue,i gotta bite the right side twice,back to the left side,then the right side once,left side twice,right side once more,right said again,left side twice,right side once,left side once,right side twice,left side once again.then i'm done.same with hands,like if i hit something,but anyways.i think that religion could be a form of OCD in like the crazy church goers,but like,for me,its not really anything,not apart of my rituals,but i can see how if you've been going to church since you were young and you've always done it then it could be a form of OCD

Those are many...commas, dude.