Are we crazy or just deluded?

I recently received an e-mail from a friend whom I admire and respect. We have discussed religion and philosophy many times and I'm always particularly interested in what he has to say because he has been a practicing psychiatrist for well over 30 years. Here is the e-mail I received from him wherein he explains the difference between crazy (psychotic) people and delusional people. Emphasis is mine.

Dear Charlie

"I can tell you for sure that the delusion of god is as bad as the delusion seen in psychotic people."

"There is an essential difference: In a psychotic person, the delusion serves a purpose: to bring order into his chaotic mind and make sense of his deep-rooted fears and insecurities. He copes with his inner insecurity and fears by projecting them onto an external object such as the Mafia CIA or FBI. Others see him as psychotic because they do not share his delusion.

On the other hand, a deluded religious person's insecurities and fears are shared by almost everybody around him and therefore they do not consider him as psychotic. The religious person copes with his fear and insecurity by taking refuge in an external object such as god. Whereas a psychotic person sees the external object as a threat, (CIA Mafia etc) a religious person sees god as a protection from a threat. Since almost all people around him do the same, he does not have to face their hostility, ridicule and threat. In fact, his being a "god-fearing person" is considered an asset by his comrades in delusion. Not only that, if he ever declares himself as an atheist, he might not get a job, he might not get elected to office and, in fact, he might even lose a job. If he is a doctor, no one might come to him. Therefore, the god delusion is a socially sponsored, a socially shared and socially enabled delusion. Giving up this delusion poses a serious threat to the individual's inner security as well as his security in the society."

This whole subject brings to mind a joke that was going around when I was a youngster.

A man had a flat while driving along a street bordered by a high fence which protected the grounds of a mental institution. Removing the flat tire, he carefully placed each lug nut in the hubcap for safekeeping. Several inmates were watching all this through the fence. Then the guy accidentally stepped on the hubcap, tipping it over and spilling all the nuts which rolled into a storm drain. "Oh my god!" he exclaimed, "Now what do I do?!!

One of the inmates shouted to him and suggested he remove a nut from the other three wheels which would allow him to drive to an auto parts store a couple of blocks away.

The guy hadn't thought of that and he responded, "Hey, good idea! I thought you guys were crazy." To which came the reply, "Yeah, we are crazy, but we aren't stupid!"

More about craziness, delusions and stupidity later at charliesitzes.blogspot.com