Angry

[Celticroots]

The Christian attitude towards mental illness is terrible. Post something about depression, OCD, or another disorder, and you'll often get the typical "you don't have enough faith." response. Well that's not what faith is. It's believing God will be with you regardless and even if He doesn't "heal" you then He's still there. I frankly get sick of hearing how people were "healed." I have to wonder if those claiming that were diagnosed by a psychiatrist or psychologist or diagnosed themselves.

I would never go to a church to get help for mental health issues unless the counselors there had proper credentials and worked with many people with various mental illnesses like depression, anxiety etc, and didn't blame it on the patient.

When I speak about my struggles, another typical answer is "Are you questioning that God can do anything?"
No. I am being realistic. God can heal (He's the reason i am here at all) but sometimes He chooses not to. My parents were confronted all the time with heartbreaking stories of other parents' whose babies died. And we hear horrible stories today.

So, sometimes, the answer to prayer regarding healing is no. I wish it wasn't, but it is what it is

So it is regarding mental health. Many good Christians who love God, who've undoubtedly asked Him to take away the unwanted thoughts, crushing sadness, more times than we can count. Then we realize that, hey, maybe the answer is no for reasons we may never fathom.

The ignorance regarding mental illness makes me angry and sick. And I think if some people can be so misunderstanding and compassionless, then what about God? I bet God chastises people for illnesses they never wanted, or blames them for not "trying" hard enough.

This "healed" stuff can equally apply to people with physical disabilities. Tell a parent whose child has a severe physical disability or cognitive impairment that they don't have enough faith and see where that gets you. They'll probably share the same anger I do as I have my share of physical disabilities as well.

This is mainly a rant. I just want to know I am not alone in my anger regarding this. To those who do struggle with mental illnesses of every stripe who have answered, thank you.

 

[Silmarien]

The Christian attitude towards mental illness is terrible. Post something about depression, OCD, or another disorder, and you'll often get the typical "you don't have enough faith." response.

Mmm, I think it's more a Protestant problem than a Christian problem, but yes. I have definitely noticed this as well. I would say to ignore those parts of the Christian world who force reality to fit their theology rather than the reverse.

I would never go to a church to get help for mental health issues unless the counselors there had proper credentials and worked with many people with various mental illnesses like depression, anxiety etc, and didn't blame it on the patient.

I actually would, since I don't think spiritual and psychological issues can be easily separated out. I have OCD as well, and since I'm not really interested in taking medication for it, the only real option is behavioral therapy. There's a long tradition of spirituality revolving around controlling one's thoughts particularly in Orthodox theology--one of these days, I'm going to need to grab Fr. Anthony Coniaris's Confronting and Controlling Thoughts: According to the Fathers of the Philokalia. He's a priest who does work in psychiatry as well, so it should be interesting.

 

[Winken]

"You just didn't have enough faith" is deplorable. How much faith is enough? (That ought to produce a debate). The simple Truth is that Faith IS. It doesn't come in amounts. FAITH itself is the substance, the evidence.

 

[RaymondG]

The simple Truth is that Faith IS. It doesn't come in amounts.

The bible seems to suggest that faith does come in amounts and can be increased..

"but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. "
"but having hope, when your faith is increased, that we shall be enlarged by you according to our rule abundantly,..."

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

I actually would, since I don't think spiritual and psychological issues can be easily separated out. I have OCD as well, and since I'm not really interested in taking medication for it, the only real option is behavioral therapy.

There may be several other options, some simple and inexpensive, some complicated and high dollar, and all mixes thereof ..... (many different options are described in many good libraries, might be worth looking into)

 

[Basil the Great]

This thread reminds me of a heated debate by two members of a Bible study group that I was in long ago. One of our members was disabled. He did not attend a gathering that we had at a restaurant one evening and just as well, as some angry words were exchanged between a Lutheran and a Charismatic Evangelical. The Lutheran guy was upset because the Charismatic fellow was telling the disabled guy that God could heal him, probably if he were to have enough faith, though I am not certain how he put it to the disabled guy. I finally told the two of them that the restaurant was not the time nor the place for such a discussion.

As for mental health issues, I recall that one of the big tv preachers back then was pretty much against counseling, even counseling by Christian pastors, as he felt that God could take care of one's troubles. What was interesting is that one of his assistants was on the panel that day and he tried to convince the tv preacher that there was a place for Christian counseling. As I recall, the tv preacher finally relented, but only grudgingly so.

 

[Sarah G]

Suggesting that someone suffering from an illness, disability, disorder or syndrome simply isn't a real Christian or doesn't have enough faith is horrible and ignorant.

Suggesting that someone who overcomes their afflictions temporarily or permanently wasn't really ill or suffering in the first place is horrible and ignorant.

I read somewhere or other that we shouldn't judge others. Some people say we should love one another and forgive one another. I dunno I read that in a book somewhere.

 

[RaymondG]

You can't force anyone to believe in God. Likewise, you can't force anyone to believe in the healing power of God.

No one without the power to heal others should be commenting on why someone outside of themselves is not healed.

That being said, I see no problem with one believing that God can heal all manner of sickness and diseases.

 

[GeorgeJ]

That being said, I see no problem with one believing that God can heal all manner of sickness and diseases.

Agreed, but not at the expense of telling folks or insinuating that their mental illness is caused by demons and they need to pray to get them cast them out.....especially since that is against the rules of this forum.

 

[dysert]

That being said, I see no problem with one believing that God can heal all manner of sickness and diseases.

Of course God *can* heal all manner of sickness and diseases. That's not the issue. The issue is the ignorance of people. For some reason, lots of people tend to separate mental illness from physical illness and treat the former as some spiritual shortcoming or worse. Mental illness is a brain problem, just like a broken arm is a body problem. Neither is "spiritual", and to imply that someone with a mental illness is spiritually sick just speaks to their own ignorance.

 

[GeorgeJ]

The issue is the ignorance of people.

 

[RaymondG]

Of course God *can* heal all manner of sickness and diseases. That's not the issue. The issue is the ignorance of people. For some reason, lots of people tend to separate mental illness from physical illness and treat the former as some spiritual shortcoming or worse. Mental illness is a brain problem, just like a broken arm is a body problem. Neither is "spiritual", and to imply that someone with a mental illness is spiritually sick just speaks to their own ignorance.

Yet we can't let the ignorance of a few, over shadow the good news. GOD can heal all manner of sickness and diseases...... we shouldn't hid this from the few who would be healed because of the many who aren't or because of the few who feel the need to add judgement to this message.