V-A: I don't know of any reliable way of distinguishing madness or epilepsy from "divine revelation"
I dunno. Mohammed? LIke it or not, I'd say the Dar al Islam is a civilization. I'd also say that Mo was epileptic.
Joseph Smith? Mormonism isn't exactly a civilization, but I'd say he built some happy families. Dunno the diagnosis, whether he was mad or simply a con artist who fooled himself.
And on the other hand, there've been quite a few civilizations with divine rulers: Mesoppotamia, Egypt, Japan, the Aztecs, the Inca.
But there have also been plenty without them: Rome, Athens, our own US.
This is all very interesting, but doesn't get to the question AG and I were discussing: she has had experiences that she attributes to the Spirit giving her a glimpse of the Divine (if I understand correctly). I'm saying if such a thing happened to me, I'd treat it as a symptom and see a doctor (and hope friends and family would, if I were too caught up in the experience). How do you tell the illusions from the real thing, in the case of yourself, and in the case of a loved one?