Featured Mental illness and the Baptist Chuch

Schizophrenia is not a sin!! The woman at my church who suffers from it is a truly Godly woman.

Being bi-polar is not a sin!! My student who was born with this mental issue did not sin by being born.

Depression is not a sin!! The couple at my church who lost their son in Iraq and almost lost their marriage over this due to the husband's severe bout with depression were NOT sinning. He got help and has recovered.

 

My young student who is bi-polar struggles to maintain his composure and temper sometimes. But he definitely knows right from wrong. He feels remorse and confesses that he needs help in controlling his thoughts and mindsets.

The meds help some and he does get counseling. But you can see the how hard some days are for him. My heart hurts for him. Some days he does well. Somedays he has to withdraw to keep from losing control.

 

If they prescribe drugs for something the patient does not have then yes, they should have their licenses taken away. But if they believe that mental illnesses don't exist, then they would be a proctologist - not a psychiatrist.

 

I suppose that depression could be caused by one's personal sin that they are not allowing God to deal with, yes. Christians who allow themselves to get into bondage of sin can definitely endure depression.

But there are so many more other factors that can be involved.

 

Or like the dear Christian man who was a psychiatrist for over 40 years who clearly saw that some mental illness was a result of sin and yet many were caused by chemical imbalances or brain deformities that were biological in nature just like diabetes or mental retardation.

 

Fred, are there overdiagnoses and over prescribing of meds for greed's sake in the realm of mental disorders? Of course, there are.

But there are overdiagnoses and over prescribing of meds for greed's sake in the realm of gastro-intestinal disorders, cardio disorders, and sleep disorders.

Good googly-moogly, just watch all the television commercials advertising the latest "wonder drug" for all KINDS of ailments. Then listen to all the side-effects and watch about six months later and you'll see all kinds of commericals from attorneys who will sue on your behalf if you took those meds.

Part of the medical industry -especially in the realm of medications - is booming business and money-making racket.

HOWEVER, one cannot discount the genuineness of quality and appropriate medications just because part of the industry is corrupt.

And one cannot claim that mental illnesses do not exist because part of the medical field is corrupt.

 

Brother, you are the only one who has brought up the term "chemical imbalance". I don't think I mentioned that.

I don't know what's going on in the brain of all the people in my circle who have been diagnosed with a mental illness. I personally know less than a dozen. I just know that in most of the cases of people that I know personally, the medications do help somewhat in controlling impulses and reining in improper behavior.

There's so much we don't know. But I just can't dismiss meds altogether when I've seen it work. And I just can't dismiss the concept that something can be wrong with the mind that has nothing to do with sin - because I have been witness to it.

 

Brother, marrying your cousin in not inbreeding nor is it a sin. The Bible is clear about what constitutes incest. And first cousins do not make the list.

Don't beat yourself up over this.