Medication has deflated my interest in controversial theology...

Sorry to hear your health problems.

It's a good thing you trust your healthcare (yours must be great). I don't, or at least not where I live where the hospital service across different hospitals in my city have a tendency to be lazy, incompetent, bloated egos, and only cares about money.

This is my experience when a loved one got sick. I'm not giving them any more money by pursuing healthy lifestyle from now on.

I am writing this as evidence, that at one point I believed as much as you could possibly believe about scripture and now it has all be drugged away

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Intriguing. I have a friend who used to experience supernatural things and they went away with medicines.

Seems to keep people -in-line with the thinking of everyone else in society.

(maybe something you can take from this, is that the more controversial you try to make your theology, the more likely to be exhausted you will be (when trials come!)?)

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Same experience here brother! You know when you're finally hitting the nerve (of the devil). He's gonna come at you real hard.

Lots of prophets have died for this. Don't think a substantial Christian life is easy or only faces petty problems. People start dying or suffering horrible fates once they start doing something important that might actually change the world for good.

Gottservant said:

...at one point I believed as much as you could possibly believe about scripture and now it has all be drugged away...

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One of the most important teaching in the Bible is that you love your neighbor as yourself. Do you not agree with that, after the medication? Is it not good teaching anymore?

1213 said:

One of the most important teaching in the Bible is that you love your neighbor as yourself. Do you not agree with that, after the medication? Is it not good teaching anymore?

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The Ten Commandments doesn't count as controversial theology, those are core theological beliefs.

Medications are intriguingly "Orthodox or mainstream beliefs-friendly".

I also had a friend who had controversial Christian beliefs who went back mainstream/orthodox after medications. Their beliefs switched overnight immediately after taking medications!

Didn't just happen to @Gottservant ....Really really strange stuff...

You think it's like horror sci-fi stuff. But these things happen for real!

Gottservant said:

That's what I'm talking about, right there, brother - thank you!

It does literally change how expressive you are spiritually.

Scary!

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The prophets are few among many. Obviously, there's something special about them.

Perhaps these medications turn off or reduce our ability to perform "critical thinking" to determine if something is true or false.

This way, our "herd instincts" will take over critical thinking. "Follow the majority" will be foundational principle.

Ironically, those who posses the truth are few among many. It's the majority who are often deceived / manipulated by those in power or those who run things.

Gottservant said:

Yeah, see this is sort of what is interesting. I have just stopped caring about my neighbours - not in a dire way, just that I do not seek out ways to be a hero to them. For example, previously I might have been suspicious about who are terrorists and by implication, who are not... now I just see us all as terrorists? So the doing as I would have done to me, has sort of backfired because what I expected to be done for me was unreasonable, when people are not.
...

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That is interesting. For me, all my actions are based on reasons. It would be interesting to know how could medicine remove reasoning or those reasons.

timewerx said:

...I also had a friend who had controversial Christian beliefs who went back mainstream/orthodox after medications. Their beliefs switched overnight immediately after taking medications!..

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Can you give one example of a belief that vanishes with medication?

1213 said:

Can you give one example of a belief that vanishes with medication?

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1 John 5:19
John 15:19

Not a typo and then we have:

Luke 6:26
1 John 2:15-17

And finally, the supernatural - they stop believing / acknowledging its existence; They stop believing they possess any spiritual gift (if they had).

Those are fairly controversial teachings as the average or mainstream Christian would think it's okay to love things in the world and being popular / loved by everyone is a good thing (The Bible says the opposite). That life would be easier as you will be showered by God's blessings (The Bible says the opposite).

And the finally the gift of prophecy, visions, etc. The Bible speaks of God pouring out His spirit so that the young and old would have it, and yet medications (and possibly food) suppresses it.

Medicines seem to make you think that everything is "awesome" instead of the truth that something is wrong with our world and also seems to suppress any belief of the supernatural (it reduces belief of Christianity to mere traditions only).

timewerx said:

And the finally the gift of prophecy, visions, etc. The Bible speaks of God pouring out His spirit so that the young and old would have it, and yet medications (and possibly food) suppresses it.

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That is also interesting claim. I don’t think person really had God’s spirit, it that happens. Bible tells Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth. Could medicine make person reject truth?

timewerx said:

Medicines seem to make you think that everything is "awesome" instead of the truth that something is wrong with our world and also seems to suppress any belief of the supernatural (it reduces belief of Christianity to mere traditions only).

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It would be interesting to know how that happens.

Gottservant said:

Hi there,

So I am not singling any one out (if you want to show sympathy you can), but now that I have been on medication for a while now: I am not experiencing (theological) highs and lows. I simply do not have a taste for controversy in the Bible at all. By the same token, I am not interested in past views of the Bible changing either: I just don't have the strength to pursue them.

The Bible says we overcome the Devil by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony, and that's about where I am. I am writing this as evidence, that at one point I believed as much as you could possibly believe about scripture and now it has all be drugged away - but I remember that my works will follow after me, if I die in the Lord from now on.

It is hard, I used to feel really special, like my interpretation of the Bible was going to be believed by everyone, that I would just walk up to the pulpit and start preaching wonderful things - now I just wait.

Don't be scared of medication, that's not my intent - I'm just saying sometimes the will of God is simpler, because that's all there is...

(maybe something you can take from this, is that the more controversial you try to make your theology, the more likely to be exhausted you will be (when trials come!)?)

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That's ok. Maybe you're growing in Christ, too.

Years ago, I loved debate. I loved feeling like I'd won, was special, or understood things that others did not.

Now, I don't care as much. I'm just trying to follow Christ, and be faithful. God bless you. It may be your medication, or it may be a natural personality shift. Either way, God loves you.

1213 said:

That is also interesting claim. I don’t think person really had God’s spirit, it that happens. Bible tells Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth. Could medicine make person reject truth?

It would be interesting to know how that happens.

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Paranoia. A bit of it is good.

Between "everything is awesome" and "something could be wrong with the world"

Is a huge difference in fundamental principle. Many teachings in the Bible is based on the notion that "something could be wrong with the world". It takes a certain degree of paranoia to realize and look further. Proverbs 14:15

What if the medication removed all paranoia?

I don't think medication can manipulate your memory to suddenly think differently. However, it can be a source of influence, a very strong one.

timewerx said:

Paranoia. A bit of it is good.

Between "everything is awesome" and "something could be wrong with the world"

Is a huge difference in fundamental principle. Many teachings in the Bible is based on the notion that "something could be wrong with the world". ...

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But it is usually based on reason, something is wrong, because….. At least for me, arguments are based on some reason. For example things are wrong because people don’t love others, which is why they do bad things to others. That can be so, regardless of my feelings or emotions. I can understand that medication could remove feelings and things that are not based on reason, but could they remove things that are based on reason? And if beliefs are not based on reason, should they be rejected anyway, even without medication?

Gottservant said:

Hi there,

So I am not singling any one out (if you want to show sympathy you can), but now that I have been on medication for a while now: I am not experiencing (theological) highs and lows. I simply do not have a taste for controversy in the Bible at all. By the same token, I am not interested in past views of the Bible changing either: I just don't have the strength to pursue them.

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Maybe that's good.
Controversy, and controversial arguments, don't do much good. Unless you're surrounded by neighbours and family who regularly pick fights about Christianity, or want to argue about verses in the Bible, there's no need to pursue controversy. Far better to immerse yourself in positive, faith-building words, teachings, worship and so on.
Rest and build yourself up.
If you need to defend your/the faith at some later stage, you'll then be well enough to do so.

Gottservant said:

I am not trying to be anybody's hero anymore.

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Did God ever want you to?

I do try to stay out of the controversial area because I cringe rather loudly at some of what I would consider the horrors of what's often found there..

However, I think when we come to a saving knowledge of Christ its so major (for lack of a better word or expression) that we are sure this new knowledge or understanding of God is something that can save the world, (which it absolutely can) and we feel so much love from God and feel so special to have been given this understanding (because God loves us, and cares for us!) that we are sure this translates to our purpose being something huge..

Then one day, we wake up and find we aren't quite as special as we may have thought, because God does indeed love many and some might actually make better teachers than ourselves.

And we realize that Christianity really does and can translate into an ordinary life, and we also are ordinary in many ways, even while having this extraordinary connection with God.

The emotional high at one point will come to a normal medium as we finally get to where we learn regular daily living with Christ..

Of course, this won't change the extraordinary connection to God, and it doesn't change our desire to be a vessel for God's purpose, but it does allow for the idea that the vessel we are going to be may be far smaller than it felt in the beginning..

I don't know what medication your talking or what your walk in Christ has been, but if your finally finding the middle, the place where you will level out and just fit, it's a good thing...

I'll keep you in my prayers..