How Religious Fundamentalism Hijacks the Brain: Very interesting and thought-provoking article, even though it reflects an atheist mindset

Last updated on 17th Aug. 2019

How Religious Fundamentalism Hijacks the Brain by Bobby Azarian Ph.D., https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mind-in-the-machine/201810/how-religious-fundamentalism-hijacks-the-brain, 10th Oct. 2018

An extract from the article (part of the extract is repeated in a previous post and readers may please excuse that):

In moderation, religious and spiritual practices can be great for a person’s life and mental well-being. But religious fundamentalism—which refers to the belief in the absolute authority of a religious text or leaders—is almost never good for an individual. This is primarily because fundamentalism discourages any logical reasoning or scientific evidence that challenges its scripture, making it inherently maladaptive.

It is not accurate to call religious fundamentalism a disease, because that term refers to a pathology that physically attacks the biology of a system. But fundamentalist ideologies can be thought of as mental parasites. A parasite does not usually kill the host it inhabits, as it is critically dependent on it for survival. Instead, it feeds off it and changes its behavior in ways that benefit its own existence.

--- end extract from article ---

Now I do not entirely agree with the above extract. In particular, I do not agree with the part about absolute authority of religious text and/or leaders being almost never good for an individual. I think that is too blanket a sentence. If the sentence had additional words that limited its scope to violent fundamentalism that kills or maims innocent people OR emotionally hurts innocent people (e.g. by telling them that they will burn in Hell for eternity for not having accepted a particular deity as their saviour), then I may have tended to agree with it.
------------------------------------------------

Update: I think I should also say that I do not agree fully with this statement: "In moderation, religious and spiritual practices can be great for a person’s life and mental well-being." The statement has an implication that in more than moderation ("excess?"), religious and spiritual practices will not be great for a person's life and mental well-being. I think it is too blanket an implication. For those who are very deeply attracted towards the religious and spiritual life, more than moderation in these practices will give more joy and well being than moderation!

[I thank psychologytoday.com and have presumed that they will not have any objections to me sharing the above small extract from their website on this post which is freely viewable by all, and does not have any financial profit motive whatsoever.]