Schizophrenic Inspiration

Schizophrenia - Any of a group of psychotic disorders usually characterized by withdrawal from reality, illogical patterns of thinking, delusions, and hallucinations, and accompanied in varying degrees by other emotional, behavioral, or intellectual disturbances. Schizophrenia is associated with dopamine imbalances in the brain and defects of the frontal lobe and is caused by genetic, other biological, and psychosocial factors. (The American Heritage® Dictionary)

During the time the Bible was written, when a person hallucinated, it was thought of as being a spiritual experience. Today when a person hallucinates they are thought of as being crazy. However Christians have faith that people during Biblical times had no hallucinations. Society has, for the most part changed how it perceives people that "hear voices" or "have visions". They are viewed as mentally-ill, or under the influence of drugs. Here are a few examples...

Abraham

After these things God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here am I. "He said, "Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Mori'ah, and offer him there as a burnt offering upon one of the mountains of which I shall tell you." - Genesis 22:1-2

So Abraham hears "a voice in his head", which orders him to kill his son. Fortunately for his son, the delusion had a change of heart. Committing murder and then using the "God told me to do it" excuse, is relatively common. In the past, people who had no understanding of mental disorder, thought the creator of the universe was speaking to them. It is clear that Abraham, if he had done this during modern times, would have been arrested for doing what he did and placed into a mental hospital. There are a countless number of cases where a parent kills their child, and says that God told them to. I suppose the Christian moral here is: "if you hear a voice in your head, and this voice tells you to kill people, assume it is God and do it". On to the next biblical headcase...

Moses

Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Mid'ian; and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush; and he looked, and lo, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, "I will turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt." When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here am I." Then he said, "Do not come near; put off your shoes from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." - Exodus 3:1-5

So this Moses guy was wondering around in the desert and has a burning-bush speak to him. Let me put it this way, which is more likely the case...

A) The all-powerful creator of the Universe took the form of a burning-bush, then talked to some random guy in the desert.

B) A guy that was wondering around in the desert, had a hallucination.

Samuel

The LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you grieve over Saul, seeing I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons." And Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me." And the LORD said, "Take a heifer with you, and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.' And invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for me him whom I name to you." Samuel did what the LORD commanded, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, "Do you come peaceably?" And he said, "Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD; consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice." And he consecrated Jesse and his sons, and invited them to the sacrifice.- 1 Samuel 16:1-5



Moral of the story: Religious people, you must ignore the "voices in your head", and definitely do not carry on a conversation with them. Seek out professional help, you are not a prophet, you are insane.

Isaiah

at that time the LORD had spoken by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, "Go, and loose the sackcloth from your loins and take off your shoes from your feet," and he had done so, walking naked and barefoot-- the LORD said, "As my servant Isaiah has walked naked and barefoot for three years as a sign and a portent against Egypt and Ethiopia,- Isaiah 20:2-3

Which is more likely..

A). The all-powerful creator of the Universe told a guy to strip naked for some reason.

          B). Isaiah was insane.

Mental disorder has always been a part of humanity, it goes without saying. The people during that time had no understanding of it. It is understandable why they would believe that a hallucination was "an invisible guy talking to them". But in modern times, with our understanding of this phenomenon, it is difficult for the rational to understand the religious. When it comes to the Bible, all roads lead to ignorance. For what were thought of as prophets in the distant past, are now the psychiatric patients of today.