When is a belief system a Mental Disorder?

I was just reading an article about a man who believed God told him to kill someone and even though he didn't want to do it he felt he had to obey the word of god (his lawyers are claming the insanity defense).This got me thinking.... Many people hold views that clash with objective reality. When does holding irrational beliefs become a mental disorder? When do these belief systems become a concern for society?I'm interested in all views on the subject and any research that has been done.Some examples of views that seem to clash with reality and may or may not be evidence of mental problems:Belief in Magic, Spells, Wizards, Witches, etc
Believing the world is 6000 years old
Believing that you get 72 virgins through suicide bombing
Believing that Aliens built the Pyramids
Belief in crazy conspiracies (think Timothy McVeigh)
Other cult beliefts (ex. UFO cult that committed suicide)I'm interested in where the line is drawn between just being a "bit of a loon" and having a mental disorder.Here's a link to the article that got me thinking:A Killing in God's NameAnd another that discusses this concept as applied to fundamentalism:http://betterhumans.com/.../tabid/79/Column/313/Default.aspxI guess part of the discussion might involve how to define a mental disorder....This message has been edited by SuperNintendo Chalmers, 02-14-2006 12:03 PMThis message has been edited by SuperNintendo Chalmers, 02-14-2006 09:58 PM

We would need to try to apply the "Please think and post messages carefully" guidlines in this topic.Is this a "Faith and Belief" forum topic?Please, more input from other admins.Adminnemooseus

Moose, I do admit this has the potential to get quite heated.I certainly didn't intend this to be a "let's bash fundies because they are crazy" thread.I would certainly welcome people to present any other belief systems that people might argue are mental disorders or have qualities that might be considered evidence of a mental disorder.Maybe a better title would be, "Is fundamentalism an example of a belief system that could be considered a mental disorder".

...by discussingHow Do We Distinguish Faith from Delusion?orWhen Does Personal Belief Become a Public Concern?or something of that order. If the question begins by positing the notion that fundamentalists suffer from a mental disorder, even presented as a question, I think we will quickly descend into a flame war.But if we can discuss how to determine whether a personal belief crosses the Rubicon into a personal delusion/pathology and/or a public concern, maybe we can discuss general criteria before applying them to specific cases.

Would you like me to re-phrase the first post?I could approach the topic like you said "When does a belief system border on/become a mental disorder?" What types of belief systems are dangerous to the public body?The article on fundamentalism could be used as only one example. I would personally welcome the other side to try and argue that atheists are nuts if they would like

Having offered my input, I would prefer to defer to Moose.

I re-wrote the OP to be more general and not just about fundamentalist x-tianity.Faith and Beleif is fine if you choose to promote.Thanks!

Thread copied to the When is a belief system a Mental Disorder? thread in the Social Issues and Creation/Evolution forum, this copy of the thread has been closed.