Hypothesis: faith, is a sub-set version of Self-Deception... [View all]

...and a symptom of a medical condition.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-deception

i.e. faith is a symptom of a medical condition, a type of disease, specifically a disease of the mind, or by analogy, a mind-virus. Consequently, when a non-faithful individual engages with an individual who claims to be a member of the ‘faithful’ they should have the mind-set that the 'faithful' person is, metaphorically, infected with virus.

The non-faithful should fully acknowledge that a person expressing ‘faith’, who may be willfully ignorant (by definition) as a symptom, is not necessarily otherwise cognitively challenged. Therefore, they should be approached with robust logical arguments against the ideas they express and not be treated with personal derision, condescension or disdain. Such responses are not helpful, instead the non-faithful should focus entirely on the ideas themselves, that is, expose and discuss the roots of the deception as the problem. Also consider, furthering the mind-virus analogy, most ‘faithful’ were 'infected' while they were children, a time where the ability to effect skeptical review of bad ideas is almost non-existent, and their ‘faith’, their ‘disease’, so to speak, was implanted and took root early and was not/is not the result of a conscious/deliberate/informed choice on their part.

The overall hypothesis is that the 'faithful' should be treated/approached with the same empathy and compassion as someone who has a physical disease or some other mental condition.

They are not stupid and it’s not their fault. Their ‘faith’ is a symptom of a disease they were generally exposed to as children and they should be engaged and approached as such.

Discuss.