Recently I have been reading a book, nearly done now, called "Under the Banner of Heaven". It is about some FUndamental Mormons (the ones who practice polygamy andwho are not accepted as LDS among regular members of the SLC based church.
In this book, while explaining the attempted insanity plea for a fundy LDS murderer, they had several psychiatrists (both LDS and non LDS) explaining insanity. The argument I thought was interesting was when the defense brought up his very unorthodox beliefs (they sounded nutty to me-and would be considered so by most LDS folks also). The defense said that some of his convictions proved he was insane. He spoke of spirits invading his body, God talking to him, etc, etc. The prosecutions witnesses including an LDS person said that basically, religion as practiced by one person is insanity on its face. Believing in an invisible God who can read your thoughts, who can control the forces of nature, who will speak to you, whom you speak to, believing in spirits and their ability to have power over you, for good or evil-its all insane-if it is ONE persons belief. IF, however, you get enough people believing the same thing-it is just religion. And that seemed to be the big difference between religiously insane people and religiously sane people. If you are a lone crazy person, that is just what you are. If you can get followers, you are a guru, religious leader or prophet. (politician, radical business leader, social reformer, etc). They pointed out that believing in the virgin birth, transubstantiation, trinity, resurrection, god speaking to prophets, heaven . . .all the rest of the religious beliefs we can think of-are insane. If you believe it alone you are a crazy person. A GROUP of crazy people is a religious (or otherwise) movement.
Its not just cults, people!