Its seems there are too many of these comparisons of late. As someone who struggeles with depression and anxiety on a daily basis, AND has two seriously mentally ill family members I really get tired of the comparison.
First of all saying religious belief is a mental illness is flame-bait. But its also totally WRONG. I would guess that those posters who talk about religious delusions have never actually dealt with delusional people. I know relgious people and while I may not agree with what they beleive and even question some of their beliefs (yes- I know someone who claims to be able to speak in tongues) it is far from true delusional beliefs which if you want to put it in religous terms would be believing that Jesus and/or God talks to them and is telling them what to do. But that kind of thing isn't limited to religious beleifs thats for sure.
But knowing personally what I do about mental illness its not an apt comparison. NOT AT ALL. And it degrades the seriousness of mental illness a true problem in society(and with a strong organic component).
Even some of the posts that aren't necessarily directly comparisons make correlations that bother me ie the "why are so many relgious folks depressed"? Thats a generality that really bothers me..depression strikes many groups through out our society. I actually have heard about a great deal of COMICS that have depression but does that mean humor and depression are linked? Nope.
Also I would like to note mental illness runs in my family but my family is a pretty secular/atheistic group. Does that mean that atheists are mentally ill..no not at all so lets not turn it the other way.
To be fair I also don't believe that religious beliefs have anything to do with treatment. There was a thread recently about how a certain study showed a percentage of psychiatrists don't believe in God. So what? The treatment of mental illness (psychiatry) is a science. There are many many studies that show mental illness has more to do with brain chemistry than anything else. Plenty of studies that show that religious beliefs or lack of them have to do with how you are raised. So you can say one is nature and one is nuture I suppose. BUt I definitely don't believe in "faith-based" psychiatry anymore than "faith-based" medicine but thats a whole different topic.
But I do think that equating religion and mental illness has no place in this forum or anywhere else for that matter. It not only demeans believers but it demeans the seriousness of mental illness as well.