when is religion delusion ?

[kossai]

crosspost from tumblr .

there is this discussion which come across that feel strongly about , but just not quite comfortable to share as part of original post . so , will just make this here .
discussion is about whether or not cruel , and potentially racist , to label religious or other cultural experiences as delusion . this start in reference to physical shifters , some of who do tie experiences into religion or culture , but think important to say all around . ( kossai is not physical shifter , but experiences do come down to religion , and religion is extremely important in life . )

yes , under right circumstances , these things could potentially feed into each other . one could have religion that spiral out of control with delusions . one could have delusions that become part of religion . people can get hurt by this , and think when things change , important to try and step back - or trust someone else to step back - to assess safety and needs . 
but also really , really important to think about how people treat unfamiliar religions and cultures . without any care to understand , fair amount of people will outright label these things as pointless if not barbaric , and make case for erasure and genocide . this is not possible to " prove " in intellectual western consensus , therefore this is delusion , therefore this need to not exist . 

this is misuse of delusion as label , and especially psychosis and schizophrenia when people bring those in . misuse of these words contribute to stigma and pain - delusion is fanciful crush on someone who will never return , delusion is politician who talk up campaign which will then refuse to put in action , delusion is unfamiliar religion . those who need support with actual delusions , to understand this experience and how to cope , get nothing - and people continue to classify those with delusion , psychosis , and schizophrenia as scary , insatiable killers , because these actual experiences can be morbid and very stressful . 

really hesitate , then , to say that any cultural or religious experiences should inherently class as delusion or not . would much prefer for individuals to think and examine , not for anyone to pick and choose which whole experiences get to be " real and respectable " , and which ones not . to go down that road , try to decide which gods , which systems of magic , afterlife or reincarnation , which anything is inherently delusion ? this game is lost , completely overlook what is actually important in delusion and religion both . 

is reincarnation delusion - or shapeshift , or witchcraft , or whatever else ? on consensus level , why should any of that matter ? on individual level , only those individuals can answer . by all means , there will be times to say not here not now , or to call people out - crystals can not heal cancer , visions do not guarantee fate of mrs johnson next door , not all people want prayers - but when discuss personal experiences which generally have no impact or implications for anyone else , pretty cruel to try and pick apart , no matter how weird or apparently unrealistic .

and , because this is ( originally post on ) tumblr - yes , cults exist . yes , cults can bring delusion and whole host of mental health problems . but at that point , whether or not this is inherently delusion is far from only concern - and if aim to help active members of cult , one of least helpful points to bring up , which will very likely only drive those people further in . 

in any case , this is conclusion of kossai : 
yes , individually , religion and delusion can interplay , and yes , that can be dangerous . this can happen regardless of what that religion is , and where from . still , to make arguments that any entire religious or cultural experience is delusion , is honestly dangerous and unhelpful line to make , whether talk about major religions , minor and individual religions , or shitty little cults . 
as well , if someone say personal experience is part of religion or culture , respect that . if someone say personal experience is delusion , respect that . if someone say personal experience interplay between religion and delusion , where both aspects important , respect that . maybe these conclusions wrong , and will some day figure out . but there is no way to make that happen sooner without seriously hurt , if possible at all - not worth break trust and sense of safety .