What is the relationship between psychopathy and religion?

So can a person be cold in regards to empathy (cold empathy) and lack the ability to feel guilt and still believe in God? I realize many religious people believe that a connection to God has to involve emotions, the kind that make people cry during a service or go into some sort of rapturous state of being, but isn't it logical that one can use reasoning to be close to God? John Locke came from the standpoint that the universe itself held the key to understanding God, yet sometimes science seems distant from religion. Yet maybe psychopaths are able to bridge this divide and see religion either in esoteric context or...yes, logical terms.

I have known people who are highly religious but would score very high on any test of psychopathy. I have known religious people who are very emotional and would score low on such a test. Yet I have seen that it is generally the latter group that questioned their faith when challenged on some idealistic grounds while the former are far less inclined to let emotions destroy their paradigm in regards to belief in God.

For those interested here is a test in regards to psychopathy. Maybe post your score and your religious orientation?

www.arkancide.com...

a reply to: edward777

You realize that the PCLR is intended to be administered by a trained psychologist. Attempting to score yourself is pointless.

I had a 4 and I have strong faith. I am not a highly outwardly emotional person. I do have emotions, deep ones, but I have learned not to let them rule me. Spend enough time getting bullied and you learn to let your head rule your heart and to only let your heart have free reign with those whom you truly trust.

a reply to: edward777

22 was my score. It's funny it says Hilary on the bottom of the test. Maybe she took one?

I watched about a third of the video and may get back to it later, but In response to your OP... I feel like it is a little black and white.
Speaking for myself, I can at times be really emotional and need to cry but in regards to my connection with God, I generally get a sense of peace, well being and calm... I feel that when I truly connect with God, through the word or a sermon, my emotions are at peace and I'm not overly happy and excited or overly sad and depressed.. it's like a comforting sense of well being and I am balanced in my emotions.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who experiences this and I imagine that people of other religions than myself attain this calm state of being too... like through meditation or what not.

originally posted by: ketsuko
I had a 4 and I have strong faith. I am not a highly outwardly emotional person. I do have emotions, deep ones, but I have learned not to let them rule me. Spend enough time getting bullied and you learn to let your head rule your heart and to only let your heart have free reign with those whom you truly trust.

I have a friend who claims she is psychopathic and she says her belief is that maybe psychopaths are actually born (initially) with high emotions but due to early environment they learn to repress them. Maybe some people are better able to rewire their brain and become psychopaths while others keep their emotions but bottle them up?

originally posted by: luciferslight
a reply to: edward777

22 was my score. It's funny it says Hilary on the bottom of the test. Maybe she took one?

I think it is posted on an anti-Hillary Clinton website but the questions are valid. But as stated earlier one should not diagnose themselves and take it as proof of one result or another without someone certified to do so.

a reply to: edward777

My understanding is that psychopaths never properly had the emotions to begin with. They simply learn how to imitate them when necessary. None of that means they cannot be functional people; it just means they lack the same emotional triggers the rest of us have and must pretend and go through the motions in a lot of ways.

a reply to: edward777

Both hallucinate, many psychopaths and the religious fairy tale followers(doesn`t matter which "religion") speak to thin air!
Both talk to imagined beings. The religious fairy tale lovers call it praying...

a reply to: DerBeobachter

Psychopaths don't "speak to thin air", you're confusing them for schizophrenia or disassociative.

a reply to: edward777

I disagree that there is any relationship between religion and psychopathy, however, leadership roles in religion, politics and highly respected professions such as doctors, lawyers etc attract psychopaths.

I scored a 7 mostly because I lack some empathy for others. I also think the test is flawed without adding context.

ETA: I am not religious, but I am spiritual and I keep it to myself.

a reply to: edward777

If I were my own psychologist, I would have given me a four. I am very religious.

a reply to: edward777

When I did my dissertation decades ago . . .

The research at that time indicated that:

There's a BIG, repeatedly research confirmed difference between

INTRINSIC vs EXTRINSIC RELIGIOSITY.

INTRINSIC's believe genuinely at a heart level; apply their faith earnestly; do their good deeds as unto God selflessly; PRACTICE their faith--walk the talk naturally--in a 'flow' kind of way. They are much more SPIRITUAL and RELATIONAL with God and others than they are RELIGIOUS. Their relationships are above average on most significant measures.

Their mental health is significantly above average.

EXTRINSIC's put their 'faith' on like a coat on Sonday--say for business purposes; look good purposes; social purposes etc. On Monday, they can be as cut-throat as anyone. They do not believe genuinely though they may SOUND more shrilly RELIGIOUS than the INTRINSIC's. Their relationships are more conflicted; life fulfillment lower; work satisfaction and records lower and worse etc.

Interestingly, there seemed to be some SIZEABLE overlap between the EXTRINSICS and the "INDISCRIMINATELY PRO-RELIGIOUS" The groups were not identical but there was a LOT of overlap, IIRC. The INDISCRIMINATELY PRO-RELIGIOUS TENDED TO MAKE A LOT OF RELIGIOUS NOISE without walking the talk. Westboro Church comes to mind.

Their mental health is a bit lower than that of the average atheist--who, at that time, scored a bit below the average/mean of the general population. I don't recall how significant that difference was.

And the INDISCRIMINATELY ANTI-RELIGIOUS had the lowest mental health of all the groups studied--as a sub-group.

I haven't researched such topics in decades. However, there was so much research already at that point--and it was so solid, I doubt things have greatly changed. Probably the groups and sub-groups have become better defined.

a reply to: edward777

Guilt and fear are not required to believe in God although some may because of this. The classification of the people you are talking about feel physical pain and discomfort at varying levels. They gravitate toward shelter, bathing, food to name a few. If they did not have that they would suffer. If they were in an accident and got hurt they would feel the pain.

If people break free of guilt and fear and still retain compassion for others that is a good thing. If they break free of those and don't retain compassion they are dangerous.

The Lord God in the new covenant is compassionate. The Lord God in the old covenant is said to be jealous. Jealous could mean envious or overly protective.

Compassion alleviates the suffering of the misfortune of those who feel envy among many other things. Envy of those who bathe in clean water while they are made to bathe in dirty water would cease to be an object of envy if compassionate people who had clean water shared their water and taught them how to keep it clean.

Remaining overly protective towards those who are compassionate could lead to the end of emotional and physical suffering for all while still occupying the flesh in an unaltered human body.

Transhuman can be achieved in a natural state using the natural feelings all humans already have with feeling relief after emotional or physical suffering. Relief which is found through Lord God can thoroughly positively change the human thought process and interactions with all others if allowed to be attached to the human brain as an ongoing sober feeling of relief eliminating any quest to further seek it or sell it. Transhuman does not have to require altering the human body with anything foreign. All that is needed is to streamline what was already inherited to us; relief. What was already created by God being "relief" in and of God self, found in thought and sensation is peace and our rightful inheritance upon existence. It is peace rooted in relief, relief in itself being common to all, and even among those psychologically labled, that is our inheritance, and which binds humans together as an intergalatical royal race both spiritually and physically.

total psychopath i got. I,ll go with that,no complaints here,its not always a bad thing

It's interesting you chose the word religion.

I see many fundamentalists around here who deny they are spiritual, yet they cling to science the same way beLievers cling to their faith.

I think you can see a psychopathy in many fundamentalist, be it religion, science, politics et al you could consider

Now as for psychopaths, this world trains people into becoming psychopaths, to losing their capacity to feel and care.

originally posted by: Raggedyman
It's interesting you chose the word religion.

I see many fundamentalists around here who deny they are spiritual, yet they cling to science the same way beLievers cling to their faith.

ABSOLUTELY INDEED. It's so refreshing to read someone with their eyes open and their brain on about such facts. Sigh.

I think you can see a psychopathy in many fundamentalist, be it religion, science, politics et al you could consider

I realize that in the body politic, the oligarchy has succeeded in giving FUNDAMENTALIST a bad name . . . bad flavor.

In my youth--it was positive--it meant someone who BELIEVED in the FUNDAMENTAL doctrines of the faith and fundamentally in the literal intent of most of Scripture. I saw that as good stuff and still do.

If folks have no fundamental values foundation--they are vulnerable for every cockeyed farce hell offers them.

Nevertheless, in your use of the term . . . yeah . . . 'fundamentalists' meaning hyper "true believers" in the Eric Hoffer sense . . . who are EXTRINSIC RELIGIONISTS whether about science or whatever values system--such folks are a hazard to themselves and to society.

Now as for psychopaths, this world trains people into becoming psychopaths, to losing their capacity to feel and care.

That's reached epidemic proportions in some respects. I wonder what part all the horror films, horrific violence in action films etc. . . . all the death and mayhem memes in so many movies . . . what part has all that played in numbing masses of people.

All the easier to shuffle them off as Eloi into the Maws of the Morlachs . . . for dinner . . . as the main course.

a reply to: edward777

It almost sounds as you're referring to someone who's amoral. I've always viewed such people as rather selfish and ego-centric with nary a charitable thought to their fellow man. In such cases, their arrogance would pretty much guarantee that they dwell in a religious vacuum.

I scored a 17. The max is 40? Is less than half a good score? Does that just mean I have psychopathology tendencies? haha I don't take advantage of others & never have. I answered 2 or 0 on most questions. I think a true psychopath would have a difficult time being honest with themselves about these questions.

I despise all organized religions.

originally posted by: edward777
What is the relationship between psychopathy and religion?

'Religion' is the congregation of those infected with the same strain of 'beliefs'!
A 'belief' is a pathologically symptomatic infection of the 'imagination', the ego! Vanity!

In a Reality that is actually 'make-believe', to 'believe' is insanity!
The strength of the belief infection correlates to the degradation of cognition and intellect into insanity!
Thus the symptomatic psychopathy of 'religion's believers'.