What Does Critical Thinking Mean To You?

Since paralyzed wakefulness involves the sub-conscious, the subjects underlying beliefs will factor large in how they respond to the paralysis. As a new believer, I would have immediately concluded that a demon had me in its grip. I also would have concluded that Jesus set me free. I still believe these things to be true, but I wont argue against critically allowing for other possibilities. (Praise Jesus!)

You answered your own question: Consensus decides what is valid. Consensus is a requirement for objectivity (although consensus doesn't necessarily indicate objectivity). If there was any consensus about a delusion it wouldn't be a delusion.

Its a broad term, it covers a lot of different stuff. Not all of them make you an abnormal person.

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Normal states[edit]

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Brief hallucinations are not uncommon in those without any psychiatric disease. Causes or triggers include[9]

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Falling asleep and waking: hypnagogic and hypnopompic hallucinations, which are entirely normal[11]
Bereavement, in which hallucinations of a deceased loved one are common[9]
Severe sleep deprivation[12][13][14]
Sensory deprivation and sensory impairment
caffeine intoxication
extremely stressful event
Subtypes[edit]
Subtypes of psychosis include:

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Menstrual psychosis, including circa-mensual (approximately monthly) periodicity, in rhythm with the menstrual cycle.
Postpartum psychosis, occurring recently after childbirth
Monothematic delusions
Myxedematous psychosis
Occupational psychosis
Stimulant psychosis
Tardive psychosis
Shared psychosis
Cycloid psychosis
Cycloid psychosis[edit]
Cycloid psychosis is psychosis that progresses from normal to full-blown usually within a few hours, not related to drug intake or brain injury.[15] In addition, diagnostic criteria include at least four of the following symptoms:[15]

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Confusion
Mood-incongruent delusions
Hallucinations
Pan-anxiety, a severe anxiety not bound to particular situations or circumstances
Happiness or ecstasy of high degree
Motility disturbances of akinetic or hyperkinetic type
Concern with death
Mood swings to some degree, but less than what is needed for diagnosis of an affective disorders
Cycloid psychosis occurs in people of generally 15—50 years of age.[15]

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Medical conditions[edit]

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A very large number of medical conditions can cause psychosis, sometimes called secondary psychosis.[9] Examples include:

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disorders causing delirium (toxic psychosis), in which consciousness is disturbed
neurodevelopmental disorders and chromosomal abnormalities, including velocardiofacial syndrome
neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease,[16] dementia with Lewy bodies,[17] and Parkinson's disease[18]
focal neurological disease, such as stroke, brain tumors,[19] multiple sclerosis,[20] and some forms of epilepsy
malignancy (typically via masses in the brain, paraneoplastic syndromes, or drugs used to treat cancer)
infectious and postinfectious syndromes, including infections causing delirium, viral encephalitis, HIV,[21] malaria,[22] Lyme disease,[23][24][25] syphilis[26][27]
endocrine disease, such as hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, adrenal failure, Cushing's syndrome, hypoparathyroidism and hyperparathyroidism; sex hormones also affect psychotic symptoms and sometimes childbirth can provoke psychosis, termed puerperal psychosis
inborn errors of metabolism, such as Succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase deficiency, porphyria and metachromatic leukodystrophy[28][29][30]
nutritional deficiency, such as vitamin B12 deficiency[31][32]
other acquired metabolic disorders, including electrolyte disturbances such as hypocalcemia,[33] hypernatremia,[34] hyponatremia,[35] hypokalemia,[36] hypomagnesemia,[37] hypermagnesemia,[38] hypercalcemia,[39] and hypophosphatemia,[40] but also hypoglycemia,[41] hypoxia, and failure of the liver or kidneys
autoimmune and related disorders, such as systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus, SLE),[42] sarcoidosis,[43] Hashimoto's encephalopathy,[44][45][46] and anti-NMDA-receptor encephalitis[47]
poisoning, by therapeutic drugs (see below), recreational drugs (see below), and a range of plants, fungi, metals, organic compounds, and a few animal toxins[9]
some sleep disorders, including hallucinations in narcolepsy (in which REM sleep intrudes into wakefulness)[9]

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Psychosis can even be caused by familiar ailments such as flu[48][49] or mumps.[50]

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Psychosis - Wikipedia

Seems to me the confirmation bias is very often on the side of the debunkers. They DON'T want to believe in the reality of these things, they NEED to believe that the mind does it all, that it's a hallucination or a psychosis, it freaks them out to think things aren't quite as "science" tells them they are. The clue is the kneejerk certainty. It takes some real critical thought to sort some of this stuff out. Edited by Faith, : No reason given.

I don't think anybody is seriously defining belief as a psychosis. There may well be a correlation between the two though.

I believe that the earth is far older. My friends who are Pastors usually disagree with me...but since we cannot find consensus, we dont argue about it very much. They have faith stemming from the Bible (as taught literally) whereas my faith sprung from subjective experiences...I think.

Critical thinking is the exact opposite of kneejerk certainty. Critical thinking means deliberately deciding what every move of your knee should be - and after you've moved it wondering if you got it wrong.If you could ever admit that the Bible might be wrong, your knee might not jerk so much.

You're quite right, we don't want to believe these things - we want them evidenced and then we can accept them.You have absolutely no evidence that the stuff you're talking about is anything other than psychological. And I have to say, the more you talk about it, the more convinced I am.I worked in a mental hospital for a few months, once you've seen that, you know what a mess a brain disorder can make of what you think is reality. (I met two Jesus Christs there btw)

Which was my point. That it's the debunkers like you who have the kneejerk certainty.

Sounds to me like you have a serious inability to think critically, meaning an inability to distinguish between mental illness and experiences of real spirits. People believing they are Jesus Christ is a mental illness. Nothing anyone has described here is in such a category. And yes you believe what you WANT to believe, regardless of the actual evidence.

Our whole point is that you only show us belief. You never show us evidence, logic, reasoning, or critical thinking.

So how do you use critical thinking to differentiate between mental illness and real spirits? Show us how it is done. What tests do you use? How do you know those tests are accurate? That is called psychological projection. You are projecting your own dogmatism onto others.

Which is why you are skeptical even when tested, looking to hone or tune the result/s with further testing. Which is why you are skeptical even when tested, looking to hone or tune the result/s with further testing.Keeping an open mind you can (and most likely necessarily do) consider this to be the best approximation to {reality} you can reasonably obtain at this time, yet it is subject to change.The interference imho comes not so much from considering them, but in resistance to revision when more information suggests it.

And you are wrong about that, and unable to recognize how your own opinions rest on bias and belief.

I guess we could tit for tat each other forever -- no you're the one projecting, no you are -- but what would be the point?. I believe the criteria for differentiating the demonic from the mental illness is quite clear in the descriptions themselves, and your inability to see it doesn't bode well for any effort I might put into trying to demonstrate it beyond that.(I might suggest, however, that the demonic could very easily be involved in any kind of delusion, such as that one is Jesus Christ.)Edited by Faith, : No reason given.