Socially normalising sins of the flesh...

Carl Emerson said:

You have stated the prevailing view quite well, and in the mean time mental conditions are rising sharply.
No room for a fresh approach then?
Would this condition have stumped Jesus as well?

Click to expand...

No, mental conditions are not rising sharply at all. No, this does not offend God. The premise of the OP is groundless and based on fears of metal conditions or anything "weird" about anybody who does not conform to imagined ideals in society. People are becoming more aware of how weird and different people outside their circle are and thinking others are less connected to God. Jesus had the correct approach which cannot be improved upon with freshness.

Matthew 7:12
“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Galatians 5:14
For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Proverbs 3:29
Do not plan evil against your neighbor, who dwells trustingly beside you.

Luke 10:27
And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”

Romans 13:10
Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

Matthew 19:19 s
Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Luke 6:31
And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.

I worked with a guy who had Tourettes Syndrome. He was 30 and was not aware he had it until recently. Yet all those around him knew of his condition. It kind of makes finger-pointers look stupid when they criticize a mental condition the other person is not even aware of. Who is the least respectful of the two?
Take note that Jesus did not heal everyone in the world of any particular condition. Only the handful He came in contact with.

1 Corinthians 10:24
Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.

Carl Emerson said:

This is a general modern trend - socially sanction sins of the flesh and make legal room for them.

Your thoughts?

Click to expand...

It's a very Christ-centered Trend and good for society.

What Does the Bible Say About Judging?
What Does the Bible Say About Neighbors?
What Does the Bible Say About Judging Sin?

Trying to maintain decent standards in such an emotional environment, which Western societies has degraded into is very difficult. When people of influence will cave into capricious waves of hysteria, very difficult to set a culture where sensible discussion is appreciated and the emotion is being poured out in this thread against the OP for even mentioning the subject. I don't know much about this disorder in question but I do know the Inflicted are given an instant pass for pretty much everything including blasphemy and I don't see how a sensible conversation about that can do any harm.

Jesus himself rebuked your premise to his disciples when they asked whether the man blind from birth or his parents had sinned. He told them that that was not the case.

Carl Emerson said:

Hi there,

Have you noticed this is a global trend.

Take 'Tourettes' for example - folks with this 'disorder' it is claimed cant help themselves from swearing and blaspheming.

How long will it be for them to be given legal sanction to behave this way given that it gets classified as a medical condition...

This is a general modern trend - socially sanction sins of the flesh and make legal room for them.

Mind you it is hard to mount a defence against such developments when the church shows little interest in developing ministries that combat such conditions with counsel, prayer, healing and if needed deliverance.

Your thoughts?

p.s. I am not intending to upset anyone who suffers from this 'condition' or knows folk who do.

Click to expand...

I read numerous definitions of Tourette’s Syndrome. It is primarily involuntary movements, nervous tics, making strange sounds, sometimes foul language.

Some unbelievers cussed, swore, got angry, voiced obscenities or used the Lord’s name in vain. It is legal, although not socially acceptable in some circles. People are called to do better than the dregs of society. Some of those who sinned were involved in substance abuse and died young.

Romans 6:23 KJV For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Carl Emerson said:

Hi there,

Have you noticed this is a global trend.

Take 'Tourettes' for example - folks with this 'disorder' it is claimed cant help themselves from swearing and blaspheming.

How long will it be for them to be given legal sanction to behave this way given that it gets classified as a medical condition...

This is a general modern trend - socially sanction sins of the flesh and make legal room for them.

Mind you it is hard to mount a defence against such developments when the church shows little interest in developing ministries that combat such conditions with counsel, prayer, healing and if needed deliverance.

Your thoughts?

p.s. I am not intending to upset anyone who suffers from this 'condition' or knows folk who do.

Click to expand...

I find people who have an aversion to swearing and foul language are self deceived in one way or another. What swearing does is, it breaks the trance that blinds people to their delusion. The protest isn't so much against the foul language, but against the effect of being woken up from their slumber.

p.s. I am not intending to upset anyone who suffers from this 'condition' or knows folk who do.

Carl Emerson said:

Hi there,

Have you noticed this is a global trend.

Take 'Tourettes' for example - folks with this 'disorder' it is claimed cant help themselves from swearing and blaspheming.

How long will it be for them to be given legal sanction to behave this way given that it gets classified as a medical condition...

This is a general modern trend - socially sanction sins of the flesh and make legal room for them.

Mind you it is hard to mount a defence against such developments when the church shows little interest in developing ministries that combat such conditions with counsel, prayer, healing and if needed deliverance.

Your thoughts?

p.s. I am not intending to upset anyone who suffers from this 'condition' or knows folk who do.

Click to expand...

Isn't this covered under freedom of speech? Thankfully we still have laws concerning disturbing the peace but they are being ignored right before our eyes. All the church can do is vote and pray.

Carl Emerson said:

Take 'Tourettes' for example - folks with this 'disorder' it is claimed cant help themselves from swearing and blaspheming.

How long will it be for them to be given legal sanction to behave this way given that it gets classified as a medical condition..

Click to expand...

It is a medical condition. I'm not a doctor but it's painfully obvious that it is a medical condition that can't be helped. People can fight, they can take medicine but sometimes symptoms (like the cursing) still occur. We are in a fallen world with fallen bodies and Jesus knows that better than anybody. Even if it is technically sin, Grace covers it. A born again Christian is forgiven past, present, and future. As long as they do their best to control it and are saved, they're fine.

Carl Emerson said:

WRONG...

Read this... on the news today.

Stick to the truth...

New Zealand young people facing 'silent pandemic of psychological distress'

Your flaming is out of order.

I ignore any further posts from you.

Click to expand...

Your article is primarily about depression. I didn't see anything in it about Tourettes Syndrome. Yes, those who have Tourettes Syndrome may swear and blaspheme. It isn't a sin for someone to swear or blaspheme if they cannot control themselves.

and yes God can and does heal illnesses but not all the time. Sometimes all the prayer in the world will not help because it's not God's will. God instead has a plan to use the illness for a greater purpose. Tourette's is no exception.

Carl Emerson said:

Hi there,

Have you noticed this is a global trend.

Take 'Tourettes' for example - folks with this 'disorder' it is claimed cant help themselves from swearing and blaspheming.

How long will it be for them to be given legal sanction to behave this way given that it gets classified as a medical condition...

This is a general modern trend - socially sanction sins of the flesh and make legal room for them.

Mind you it is hard to mount a defence against such developments when the church shows little interest in developing ministries that combat such conditions with counsel, prayer, healing and if needed deliverance.

Your thoughts?

p.s. I am not intending to upset anyone who suffers from this 'condition' or knows folk who do.

Click to expand...

Interesting thread. However I think your terms are in need of better qualification to avoid misunderstanding. For example in the big picture, we all suffer the carnal mind in this world and there are worse things being said by our chosen leaders than what is seen coming from one who suffers from Tourette's.

Carl Emerson said:

Hi there,

Have you noticed this is a global trend.

Take 'Tourettes' for example - folks with this 'disorder' it is claimed cant help themselves from swearing and blaspheming.

How long will it be for them to be given legal sanction to behave this way given that it gets classified as a medical condition...

This is a general modern trend - socially sanction sins of the flesh and make legal room for them.

Mind you it is hard to mount a defence against such developments when the church shows little interest in developing ministries that combat such conditions with counsel, prayer, healing and if needed deliverance.

Your thoughts?

p.s. I am not intending to upset anyone who suffers from this 'condition' or knows folk who do.

Click to expand...

Neurological disorders are part of the fall. Mental illness is part of the fall. When God told Adam he would die he did not just mean a spiritual death or the physical act of death itself. When death was brought into the world it affected every aspect of our being. Our body deteriorates over time, our mind does too.

Going after people who have these illnesses and conditions does no one any good. Putting conditions in scare quotes helps even less. These people need grace and understanding. They should be corrected no doubt but it must be done with the understanding that their mind isn't all there, they have serious brain disorders that prevent them from fully understanding.

I don’t even know where to begin to refute the OP. I’m just thankful that neither my doctor or my pastor adheres to the same beliefs shared in the OP and in similar subsequent comments.

Nokomis said:

I don’t even know where to begin to refute the OP. I’m just thankful that neither my doctor or my pastor adheres to the same beliefs shared in the OP. I truly hope it’s not a popular belief either.

Click to expand...

Actually, if the op is suggesting that Tourette's is a manifestation of some type of demonic possession. That could be a sound reasoning depending upon how one defines Demonic. Many terms in psychology are just another way of saying the same thing. The first issue is metaphysical, are there demons, or entities that can inhabit a person and cause them to do things? On the physical level, what is in the subconscious mind and how does it get there?

I have heard that swearing in Tourettes syndrome is not as prevalent as we think, affecting only around one in ten people with the condition.
Coprolalia can be offensive to people, but it is probably far more distressing for the person affected by Tourettes since it is involuntary and not within their control.
This phenomena is uncomfortable to us, but it also challenges us to empathise with people we sometimes do not appreciate or understand.

So looking at your post again, I also noticed that You apparently espouse the belief that people suffering from ailments must have “sins of the flesh” causing the problem. There are more than one argument against that. One is that that is basically what one Job‘s friends said to him. God directly refuted them. The other argument is that maladies can have physical causes as well as spiritual. A lot of the mental health issues have been traced to brain chemistry. An imbalance of the chemicals can cause people to hallucinate or have nerve issues. It would be hard to say oh he over there is possessed, while she over there has a brain issue. Is God’s healing superior to man’s? Of course! Finally, and most importantly, who are you to judge whether or not someone else has sin? Last I checked, that was God’s role.