Loneliness and Belief

I guess it depends what you mean by "necessary". Is it "necessary" to give up believing in Santa Claus if that belief makes you happy? From a social acceptability point of view it probably is necessary to give up believing in Santa. Religious beliefs are however socially acceptable. Is social acceptability the measure that should be applied? I don't know. Social pariahism aside - Would you recommend that a Santa believer who cites the same reasons for their belief as you do for yours gives that belief up? Is there a point of absurdity or untenability where a belief no matter how nice it makes you feel becomes something that you are better off without?I don't really know the answer but my inclination is to think there must be a point where a belief becomes so irrational as to indicate a mental problem of some sort. It depends how far you take it and what your natural inclinations are. If you are someone who is prone to sometimes hearing voices in their head that tell them to do terrible and wicked things a rational approach to your problem, thinking about what the most likely cause of these voices is, can only be considered superior to the alternative of embracing those voices as real. For the majority of normal people it is probably fairly harmless. We all hold some beliefs that are not entirely rational. We wouldn't be human if we didn't. Be true to yourself but don't listen to the voices unless they say nice things.