Of course not that’s ridiculous.This is just another example of how non believers think they are superior to believers just because they were unwilling victims of indoctrination and did not come to any conclusions about belief on their own.They just unfortunately could not overcome the brainwashing .

Technically yes. It's what they do with those delusions that matters though. Do you fly planes into buildings and burn witches with it or do you do charity work with it? Still then it's a delusion even if they're a charitable person but at least there are good people with religious beliefs. There's some cognitive dissonance there because likely they worship a god that is a maniac but I'll take one of those pick and choose christians over one of those hate filled literalists any day.

IMHO religious people are delusional... They are seeking to please someone or something that doesn't exist.

Very much so

Quintessentially so.

I respect their freedom to believe in god or gods or some supreme being if that is what they choose to do. However, I do not have to agree with or share their beliefs or spend time listening to their unfounded notions about an afterlife or pie in the sky.

I can't give any answer except yes. They are deluded by themselves and by others, willingly in many cases.

Thank you all for your responses! Glad to see that I’ve joined such a flourishing and intelligent community!

I went to church with my sister this evening to hear my niece sing and had to mentally replace the lyrics with spaghetti monster for their god name in order to keep from rolling my eyes at every song. I had no idea the whole evening was going to be a christian rock/pop concert. I kept trying to remind myself that this form of spiritual expression helps some of these people through rough times but I couldn't help but feel a mixture of sadness and amusement at the spectacle. The concepts of delusion and self-deception both came to mind as I watched them dance with their arms in the air staring at the ceiling.

I wouldn't say delusional, but self-deceptive. As a relatively intellegent animal we understand what the future holds for us and it scares us when we start thinking about being no more. So much so that we are willing to buy into ideas that bring comfort to our death anxiety. Because the fear of "being no more" is so ingrained in us, we construct ideas that deny our vulnerabilities. This denial is built into our social institutions and culture in many forms, religion/god being one of them. Culture is a product of the human mind, therefore it is a reflection in how the human mind works, denial as self-deception is part of that, both cutural and psychological.

Nope... I like to be Nice.

Definitely!

I think if you are raised on religion it's ingrained. I think they know it's false just feel they are trapped. Can't say so or they risk relationships etc. It is a great network if you are in sales. I always walk away when someone says they are religious in order for me to believe they are honest. They aren't. I know that I am more moral than any Christian I've ever met

YES. Absolutely.

Yup!

YES

It really depends on the religion. If I consider Judah/Christian I would definitely say there is a level of delusion if they have been presented with facts, otherwise I consider the person(s) misinformed. Other religions like Buddism it harder to say they are delusional because it a faith that can't be proven at this point in history.

Yes.

De·lu·sion·al
dəˈlo͞oZH(ə)nəl/Submit
adjective
characterized by or holding idiosyncratic beliefs or impressions that are contradicted by reality or rational argument, typically as a symptom of mental disorder.

Yes, they have been deluded. But not usually in the sense of having a mental disorder. They are just caught up in a bunch of lies that seem to be confirmed by those around them.

No - again live and let live if it floats your boat go for it !

Absolutely, its a way of people ex specially ones who have children, to die and neaver seeing your children again is such a fear that it could be easy to let the mind calm one down by telling it that, oh yea you will see them again ,in the after life! Its all most as bad as having a child die while the parent is still alive, its fear of loss!

I'd hesitate to use the word delusional. The word is heavily loaded and brings to mind the kind of break with reality that requires hospitalization or institutionalization. I do think that theists believe things that aren't true, but I think they're mostly reasonable and intelligent people who compartmentalize or keep religious things in a separate "brain file" that is impervious to other critical thinking functions. We're all capable of it when it comes to our deeply held beliefs.

Under certain circumstances we each have the potential to buy into delusional thought and belief. I believe it is part of human condition. This is why we need not be afraid to question.

Yes

Well, we all are delusional in some aspect.
Many religious people want to feel like things will be OK when they die, want to feel like someone much bigger and stronger is looking out for them (the Bible says the opposite, but most people don't read it).

It's like the Christine Baranski quote in Bowfinger, "I think it was a beautiful lie.."