Lisa and Ryan,
I think it's great what you are doing by exalting our Lord Jesus
and sharing the gospel. I am a grateful believer and follower of Jesus
Christ, and have watched him work miracles in my life and the lives of
others. He has brought me out of a lifestyle I did not have the power to
bring myself out of ( drugs, immorality, etc), and my biggest desire is
to serve and be sensitive to what the Holy Spirit is teaching me and
revealing to me through prayer and His Word.
The reason I am e-mailing you though is in response to your views
on psychology and it's treatment so I may share with you the areas that
I agree and disagree and why. First of all, I do agree that people and
Christians must turn to Christ for guidance and help with their
psychological problems just as should be done with all aspects of their
life. God's power can heal any illness and disorder, but he may also use
the disorder for his good purpose, and to bring those who are suffering
close to him. Sometimes it takes those types of circumstances for
someone to realize their need for God to pull them through. Let face it,
God can heal without any kind of medicine for any kind of illness
(cancer, disease, etc.). However, God can also work through medicine and
does. I agree that doctors are taking normal childhood behaviors, normal
feelings and tribulations and treating them with psych meds. There are
normal unpleasant emotions we must deal with and turn to God to help us
with. I believe people need to take responsibility for their actions and
stop using mental illness as a copout for their crimes.
[The Bazlers] Agreed!
Does this mean there is no such thing as psychological disorders?
Of course not!!!!There are many devout Christians who live for Christ,
yet have a true and serious mental disorders that can be fatal if not
treated. For example, depression. There is normal depression due to
circumstances or hardships in life, then there are those that are
depressed with suicidal tendencies and feelings that are beyond normal
sufferings and challenges of life. I have a brother who is a paranoid
schizophrenic and is not in touch with reality, yet his medication has
helped him dramatically. I know people who are sincerely in love with
the Lord who are terrified to leave their homes from panic attacks, yet
medication has helped them. There are people who have committed suicide
or can't function due to these things.
[The Bazlers] This comes
down to the question of what "help" means, biblically. See
http://www.psychologydebunked.com/email0705_home.htm.
Who are you to say that God
can't use these medications to help people who truly have these
disorders. If you feel that God can't work through psych meds, than you
probably shouldn't go to the doctor when you have and infection or life
threatening illness because that would make you a hypocrite. Besides,
the chemo might have horrible side effects right? Never mind the fact
that you will die in 2 years if you remain untreated. (That would be
foolishness right?)
[The Bazlers] You are
confusing medical issues with mental ones. We support true science where
it exists, i.e. if you can take an objective test that shows you have a
mental disorder, and the treatment has been found safe and effective,
then by all means we should be treated by the doctor (and prayer doesn't
hurt of course). But there is no science behind the diagnosis and
treatment of mental disorders, so taking a drug is like playing Russian
roulette with your brain. These are mind-altering drugs
no different than illegal street drugs like speed, cocaine and the
hallucinogenics. One is socially accepted, the other is not. See
http://www.psychologydebunked.com/email0508_Q&A.htm for more.
My point is God can and does use medicine for physical and mental
illnesses, and you are underestimating God if you think he will only
work through medicine in one of those two areas.
[The Bazlers] The field of
psychiatry is very similar to witchcraft: magic potions to bring you
into a mind-altering state. Even the drug labels themselves say
something to the effect of "the exact mechanism by which x drug operates
is not known." Furthermore, there is no objective testing of the
presence of the mental disorder, and no objective treatments of that
disorder. It's a philosophical treatment more than a scientific one. And
that philosophy is based in the godless view that man is a creature
controlled and manipulated by chemicals, with no moral and spiritual
components. Behavior cannot be right or wrong, and change cannot be
affected by God in that person. God can use science, but He can't use a
philosophy that contradicts His word, and psychiatry is 99% philosophy
and 1% science and certainly contradicts His word.
God will heal as he chooses, be
it immediately/ miraculously, over time, or through medicine. I have
seen him work both ways, and he has done so in my life.
[The Bazlers] Yes, He is
gracious and meets us where we are at, based on our understanding and
how much light we've received. But now that you've received more light,
what will you do with it? :)
I hope that you will pray and
reconsider what you are teaching because it could cost someone their
life.
[The Bazlers] It could also cost
someone their life if we stop what we're doing. We believe we are
preventing people from killing themselves and others by publishing
information the doctors and drug co's want to hide. See
http://www.ssristories.com/index.php
for a list of thousands of violent acts, most of which were
committed by completely normal people who started taking SSRI
antidepressants and other psych drugs,
and lost their minds.
I was almost killed in my
experiences in my life before I turned it over to Christ, and he has
healed me and is using my experience for his good purpose, and to spread
the gospel, and he has worked through medicine, even if it is only
temporary.
[The Bazlers] Praise God
that He helped you. We don't want to condemn, just enlighten.
You say "No
one can objectively prove you have a mental disorder" yet you
cannot prove that people don't have a mental disorder.
[The Bazlers] True, but
would I undergo chemo if the doctor just talked with me for five minute
then declared, "you have cancer. You need chemo?" Of course not. But
that is exactly what happens when the doctor declares after a five
minute conversation, "you have bipolar. You need an antipsychotic." or
"you have depression. You need an antidepressant." I should only take
a toxic, mind-altering drug if I knew for a fact it treats a proven
mental disorder safely and effectively. To date, the drug co's track
record is to push lethal drugs that have NOT been proven safe and
effective onto people who have never been shown an objective test that
they have an organically based mental disorder. This should be criminal
behavior, and in the real medical world, a doctor would be considered
unethical for prescribing unsafe drugs to someone, esp without proof
they have the condition they are being treated for.
This letter is not intended to
be mean spirited, or bitter. I can see by your website that serving the
Lord is your priority, as is mine. I think it's awesome that you are
trying to reach out to people and bring them to Christ. Many Christians
don't witness and share the gospel as Christ has commanded. I think it's
awesome that you guys are obeying Him and serving. I agree that people
shouldn't just run to a psych for any or every little problem, and that
many people are using/ abusing medications as quick fixes to their
problems instead of turning to God. There are quite a lot of people that
don't truly have the condition they are being treated for,
[The Bazlers] And that's the
focus of our ministry: everyday people with everyday problems, not those
in psych wards who are hearing voices and banging their heads against
the wall.
but there are also people out
there that truly have some things wrong that are beyond "normal", and
that can't be denied.
[The Bazlers] Yes. We have
commented on these types of cases (see
http://www.psychologydebunked.com/email0609_Q&A.htm) but it is not
the primary focus of our ministry.
I wish you a fruitful life,
and I will pray for you. God bless.........
[The Bazlers] Thank you
for such a kind and gentle email. If only everyone who emailed us could
be as level-headed and truth-seeking as you!! God bless you as well and
we hope our replies have helped. Some concluding exhortations:
Bottom line--psychology and
psychiatry are philosophies, not sciences (in fact, psychology literally
means "study of the soul" and psychiatry "treatment of the soul", and no
one else but God knows, and has jurisdiction over, the soul of man). The
Apostle Paul warns us of following the world's philosophies because it
cheats, plunders and spoils us from the life God desires for us:
Col 2:8 Beware lest any man
spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the
tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after
Christ.
He goes on to tell us
that we're complete in Christ--we don't need
psychology and psychiatry:
Col 2:10 And ye are
complete in him, which is the head of all principality
and power:
