4 ms·

While I agree this borders on the literally insane, that line of thinking starts down a slippery slope. At what point do we consider any religious beliefs that

While I agree this borders on the literally insane, that line of thinking starts down a slippery slope. At what point do we consider any religious beliefs that have deleterious effects on oneself to be mental illness? I still believe in self-determination, even if that determination leads to killing oneself.

itisamentalill 4y ago
[flagged]
- voakbasda 4y ago
  Again, while I agree with this sentiment, I think self-determination should still win the day. It is far too easy to be labeled as mentally ill and be committed to unwanted treatment. That has been tried in the past, and it never ends well. If someone is mentally ill and refuses treatment, that needs to be respected, up to the point that their beliefs begin to cause harm to others. Of course, that conclusion begs further questions. Should unwelcome proselytizing be considered an attempt to do harm? Should it be permissible to indoctrinate children into religion? These are not easy questions to answer without grossly infringing some individuals' rights to free speech and religion.
unethical_ban 4y ago
Arbitrary societal consensus is how. It doesn't seem too wild to use irrational belief in something (faith) to make oneself happier through tough times. It does seem wild to spend your final days in a pit alone until you starve/dehydrate to death painfully.
- throwawaymaths 4y ago
  Starvation is quite euphoric. After about three days of not eating I feel fantastic.
- satellites 4y ago
  The trouble with arbitrary societal consensus is that it’s arbitrary. And not necessarily any wiser than an individual’s personal desires. These monks aren’t impulsively killing themselves, they seem to be towards the end of their lives anyway and are choosing how they want to go out. I don’t see what’s wrong with that. I might prefer to be in hospice hopped up on drugs when I pass, but I won’t claim to be morally superior for it.
michaelmrose 4y ago
> At what point do we consider any religious beliefs that have deleterious effects on oneself to be mental illness? Religion is basically always a socially acceptable mental illness that we not only tolerated but encouraged because it has been a part of civilization since before we formed the basic premises for what constitutes a civilization.
- shrimp_emoji 4y ago
  It's perfectly normal to have imaginary friends (especially when you have no one else to help get you through rough times).
- lazide 4y ago
  For any society to exist, we have to pick something to believe in. And anything we pick, will have contrary evidence or not make sense at least some of the time. That doesn’t make it an illness, unless it produces massively negative outcomes.

itisamentalill 4y ago

[flagged]

voakbasda 4y ago
Again, while I agree with this sentiment, I think self-determination should still win the day. It is far too easy to be labeled as mentally ill and be committed to unwanted treatment. That has been tried in the past, and it never ends well. If someone is mentally ill and refuses treatment, that needs to be respected, up to the point that their beliefs begin to cause harm to others. Of course, that conclusion begs further questions. Should unwelcome proselytizing be considered an attempt to do harm? Should it be permissible to indoctrinate children into religion? These are not easy questions to answer without grossly infringing some individuals' rights to free speech and religion.

unethical_ban 4y ago

Arbitrary societal consensus is how. It doesn't seem too wild to use irrational belief in something (faith) to make oneself happier through tough times. It does seem wild to spend your final days in a pit alone until you starve/dehydrate to death painfully.

throwawaymaths 4y ago
Starvation is quite euphoric. After about three days of not eating I feel fantastic.
satellites 4y ago
The trouble with arbitrary societal consensus is that it’s arbitrary. And not necessarily any wiser than an individual’s personal desires. These monks aren’t impulsively killing themselves, they seem to be towards the end of their lives anyway and are choosing how they want to go out. I don’t see what’s wrong with that. I might prefer to be in hospice hopped up on drugs when I pass, but I won’t claim to be morally superior for it.

michaelmrose 4y ago

> At what point do we consider any religious beliefs that have deleterious effects on oneself to be mental illness? Religion is basically always a socially acceptable mental illness that we not only tolerated but encouraged because it has been a part of civilization since before we formed the basic premises for what constitutes a civilization.

shrimp_emoji 4y ago
It's perfectly normal to have imaginary friends (especially when you have no one else to help get you through rough times).
lazide 4y ago
For any society to exist, we have to pick something to believe in. And anything we pick, will have contrary evidence or not make sense at least some of the time. That doesn’t make it an illness, unless it produces massively negative outcomes.