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Exposing Psychology, Exalting Christ |
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| We Use Other Experts, So Why Not Use Psychotherapists?Question: "I would thoroughly agree [with James Sundquist's review of Psychology Debunked], if all the things said about psychology were true. Obviously the Bazlers had a bad experience or came across something deeply offensive in the course of their practice. They personify "Psychology" and I wonder to whom they are referring. Having neither read the book nor having any knowledge of them I cannot speak to that. And of course there are individuals who do practice the things they find to be against Christianity.. For every good therapist, there are plenty more who are bad. However, I cannot say that psychology in and of itself is anti-Christian. Psychology is about people; God created our psychological makeup, which went awry due to sin. As with anything, psychology needs to be brought under the Lordship of Christ. I would agree that practicing it without this is dangerous. "At the risk of drawing criticism and judgement, I will share that I have been in therapy myself on more than one occasion. I did not see any of the things there that are mentioned in this book review. No therapist I met with believed or practiced anything the Bazlers attribute to "Psychology." Rather than taking me away from God, therapy helped me see God more clearly; rather than teaching me to blame others, it forced me to face & deal with my own sinful responses; rather than focusing on myself and my self-esteem, it taught me healthier ways of relating (& therefore better reflecting Christ). The therapeutic relationship is just another relationship, albeit an intentional and focused one, whereby God can bring healing. God is the one who heals, not the therapist. Just as God is the one who heals the body, but that does not stop many of us from going to the doctor. God is our Teacher, but we still go to school and learn from others. We go to church and learn from our pastor. When we need legal advice, we consult a lawyer. When we need help sorting out our finances, we go to a financial planner. Why should it be different when it is our emotions and heart running amuck? Why not seek someone skilled in that area to help?" --CP, Internet Answer: In Psychology Debunked we do not focus primarily on bad experiences (which can frequently be subjective), but on the nature of psychology's teachings, and how they are in direct conflict and opposition to the teachings of the Bible. You say that psychology, in and of itself, is not anti-Christian. This is simply not true. All of psychology's founding fathers and major leaders (Freud, Jung, Adler, Rogers, Maslow, Fromm, etc.) are NOT Christians and do NOT include God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, or the Bible in any of their theories and treatments. Freud referred to himself as "the godless Jew who founded psychotherapy." Freud thought religion actually CAUSED mental illness. Jung received his theories from a "spirit guide" (read "demon") named Philemon. Jung thought Christianity and religion in general were imaginary coping mechanisms for dealing with mental illness. Why would anyone want to consult a psychotherapist trained in theories developed by godless men such as these? Bringing psychology "under the Lordship of Christ" amounts to bringing a false idol under the Lordship of the true God. This is impossible: "For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols?" (1 Cor. 6:14-16) However this is exactly what a Christian psychotherapist does when he or she uses the godless myths of psychotherapy, and then adds the Bible and calls it Christian. Later Paul exhorts, "Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing and I will receive you." (1 Cor. 6:17) God wants us to be separate from the godless help systems of the world. Psychology is a humanistic religion that worships and idolizes self and the therapist--not God. Psychology in general, and psychotherapy in particular, amounts to dealing with the questions and problems of life using your therapist as your guide and yourself as your strength--God is not in the equation at all. Psychology is the wisdom of the world, which Paul condemns (1 Cor. 1 and 2). The Bible teaches that "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." (Proverbs 9:10). Since there is no fear of the Lord in psychology, there is no true wisdom in psychology. Rather, Jesus Christ "has become for us wisdom from God." (1 Cor. 1:30) In Christ is "hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." (Col. 2:3) Paul warns, "Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy [and psychology is a philosophy of life] and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and YOU ARE COMPLETE IN HIM, who is the head of all principality and power." (Col. 2:8-10) If God says we are complete in Him, but someone claims that psychology/psychotherapy can help us IN ADDITION TO our personal relationship with Jesus Christ, then isn't that person calling God a liar? If we add to His words, He will rebuke us and prove US liars! (Proverbs 30:6) Christian psychotherapists are doing this very thing: they claim that God is not enough--now we need to add psychology to our mental help toolbox. Only God knows our hearts. Jeremiah says, "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind." (Jer. 17:9-10) Psychotherapists cannot peer into the heart and understand a person's thoughts and motivations. All they see is the external, which can be deceiving. Numerous studies have shown that psychotherapists are NOT skilled in helping people. In fact they are just as effective as someone on the street who shows empathy and possesses good listening skills. A bartender, taxicab driver or hairdresser will many times be just as effective as a psychotherapist. Studies have shown that the time factor (healing over time) is one of the biggest helps to healing--NOT the therapy itself. Seeing a doctor, lawyer or financial planner makes sense because they are not dealing with the invisible part of man, but instead with the laws of medicine, law and finance. But only God is the expert on the laws of the heart and mind and how they function. He is our doctor in this "invisible" area. The Holy Spirit is our Wonderful Counselor (Isaiah 9:6) to guide us into all truth, teach us, correct us, conform us into the image of Christ, and empower us to live satisfying and godly lives. If you do need to talk to someone, we would encourage you to save your hard-earned money and see a pastor or godly friend, who is trained in the Word of God, which is "useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man [or woman] of God may be THOROUGHLY equipped for EVERY good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17) If we are thoroughly equipped for every good work, the help of a psychotherapist becomes unnecessary. How did the saints live the Christian life for 1,800 years without psychology? Just fine.
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