Sad, so sad.... but true, all you said.... for me, if one finds that middle ground in this life, he is enlightened one!

To be fair to religion here you seem to be referring to Christianity which is only one of the six World Religions without counting the minors.

Process addiction (behavioural rather than chemical) is recognised by psychiatrists, particularly gambling, and so to ascertain if it is addiction then the effects on everyday life need to be reviewed to identify obsessional traits i.e. irresponsibility, behavioural obsession, detachment, mood swings and probably some others that a psychiatrist would be able to identify.

My thoughts on Religious delusion comes in degrees of a mental illness called Megalomania.

An extreme examples is Hitler was born and died a Catholic, he was a megalomanic where the universe evolves around him, like a God. On the Nazi belt buckle wrote God is with us. Politican, Religion and military all merge together. For good people to do evil things, that takes religion. To kill a man is not normal, yet if your enemies are demons killing is easy and a service to your personal God. Sounds like personal hell to me.

Many clergyman are world champion BS  artist.. A religious fanaticism. talking to God is a religious devotion, but when God talks back, behavior could be consider insane if it happened in front of us. John the Baptist lived in the wilderness and warned of the end of the world. Jesus Christ made his family worry he was a danger to himself.

Always fighting the good fight, onwards Christains soldiers as they are marching as to war. More people are killed in the name of God than for any other reason. You can only run political high office if you are Jewish/Christian. In Muslim countries their Religion is law in their Constitution.

Megalomania has a monopoly heirachary of control to the highest degree based on fear, and delusion of Grandeur like an example Trump.  It’s turns symptom of society to a form of schizophrenitic treadmill of debt and unsolvable problems. Always fighting the good fight, onwards Christains soldiers as they are the world champions of killing in world history. Allexzder the Great said war solves. Then came Christain crosses and hell concept were invented in Constantine's time of a military city Roman army in 284/5 AD, later an Emperor.

Psychiatrists have long pondered the connection between extreme forms of religious devotion and madness.
That religion itself is a willful delusion, the experiences could unhinge the mind as an example 90℅ of the world's wars are Religiously related.
New England Journal of Medicine published case studies of religious beliefs as the reason they committed unspeakable crimes, including a man known as “Patient F,” who killed his child because he believed he was being test by Abraham. In pockets of America where people take the Bible literally. As the the Bible is the Universal truth and knowledge, the be all and end all.

There exist spiritual belief systems that don't involve a God or deity of any sort; and also ones that are sex-positive in outlook on relationships and the way real humans actually live.

The monotheistic Western religions in the Abrahamaic tradition I've gradually become pretty anti-theistic towards, their concept of sin especially original sin I now see as vile, along with their concept of morality and ethics as externally imposed by the deity as absolutes. Those things have the appearance of being all about control and manipulation of the believers by the priesthood of the sect.

Christianity in particular I've eventually begun to regard as a rather vile mystery religion which is rooted in concepts of death and suffering. More open religious and spiritual beliefs, such as some of the neopagan world-views, some of the Eastern religions such as some forms of Buddhism and Zen I have a lot more time for; as well as some of the secular philosophical ideas such as those put forward by the likes of Confucius, Sun Tzu, Socrates and Plato, and others more recent.

Anything can be addictive. Ideas, people, food/drink . . the list is as endless as there are people to experience them - or choose them.

Perhaps for some people atheism is an addiction. That little surge of pleasure in thinking that your opinion in the matter is the only correct one correlates with certain neural activity, That proves that atheism is nothing but brain chemistry.(sarcasm)

If something runs your life, not enhances it, it's an addiction.

Tell you what... I've realised that learning about religion — or actually comparative religion and counter-apologetics — has become quite an addictive hobby for me. I love it! The more you learn, the more the petals unfold and the more obvious the origins and cross-connections become.

It's like levelling up in a video game.

Scientific research has shown that a profound religious experience activates the same centers in the brain as: an orgasm or other sexual stimuli, a drug high, an emotional high, or any other activity that floods the brain with dopamine. It's the addictive portion of the frontal (I believe ) lobe of the brain. Being an addictive/pleasurable experience the body registers the response i
n the same way. Therefore, all these activities have an addictive draw. That's why people who go into heightened spiritual states are stimulating the addiction reflex. Therefore, it's nothing more than chemical reaction in the brain.

I guess religion can be different things to different people. Some people are just taught to be that way from their parents. Some have a life changing experience and they cling to it. Some need it to keep them in line and not give in to their deepest darkest desires or vices.

If a slave doesn't know they're a slave, does it matter? Delusional people think what they know is reality. There is that old saying for a reason. Ignorance is bliss.

What amazes me is how some feel religion can save us from addiction.... I was in AA. Don't really attend anymore because of the dogma within that group. A "higher power" is going to cure our illness...... O_O Though AA is not a religion per se, they definitely push religious fundamentalism, and the whole guilt and shame game. Those in that group and other 12 step groups that are die-hards definitely fit the profile of replacing one addiction with another (in my opinion). The 12 step group and culture becomes their entire life.
Interesting topic you chose because those key points come up quite often in other message boards I follow for those of us who no longer believe in the crappy 12 step faith healing nonsense.....
Thanks for posting this.

By definition, any addiction is bad for you.
A "good addiction" doesn't exist.

Yep, I agree. The problem is religion control too much of our life and waste too much time. In ancient days people have lot of time so religion was a good concept to make society works. Humans have learned, accomplished, resolved, discover, evolve, but religion still preaches 500 bc facts, ok 11th century facts. As a kids I was confuse why are we paying these people to tell me stories, and sing songs, but then they force you, scare you, terrorize, you. Then people get immune and hypocrite. At 18, I was always short of time, so I decided to skip and as I got older the religious people look so much trapped, unhappy. I strongly think its an addiction, we have no need for it anymore. But I guess its good for some people.

It certainly has all the characteristics of an addiction.