Christian views on mental illness.

[swee]

Nah.

 

[Bondman]

Thankyou, Bondman. Your post brought a big smile to my face.

God bless x

I think that may've been Jesus brought that smile, swee! I just love it when He does that.

Be always free of all guilt, dear one!

- Bondman and his Lady

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[BigNorsk]

Do you think...
1) People with mental illness are demon possessed?
2) Are sometimes not responsible for their actions?
3) That God can forgive a mentally ill person for sinning if that person was 'not in control' at the time of sin?
4) That God loves people with mental illness?
5) That other Christians can accept the mentally ill into their church, group or whatever?
Sorry if these questions seem stupid.

1. The vast majority of mental illnesses are a physical problem that at least some of the symptoms are mental. We see demon possession in the Bible to attest to the power of Jesus, but it really isn't very scriptural all these people who claim there are demons everywhere and possessing everyone.

First of all, because a person who is a Christian is indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and no demon can dwell in you if the Holy Spirit is there.

Secondly, the demons are not free. A lot of people just try to ignore the passages, but we are specifically told by scripture about the demons.

What is a demon? It's a fallen angel, that's what. God didn't make demons. Demons are the angels that rejected God, and just like other angels, there appears to be no basis that they reproduce. So where are these fallen angels?

Jud 1:6 NET.
(6) You also know that the angels who did not keep within their proper domain but abandoned their own place of residence, he has kept in eternal chains in utter darkness, locked up for the judgment of the great Day.
and
2Pe 2:4 NET.
(4) For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but threw them into hell and locked them up in chains in utter darkness, to be kept until the judgment,

So the demons are being kept locked up until judgement day. If someone is telling you that there is all kinds of demon possession, he doesn't accept that scripture.

2. Well in a way, we are all not responsible. We were changed by original sin. But we are responsible because our sins need to be paid for. Good News is that Jesus did indeed pay for them. Doesn't matter if you are mentally ill or not, if you think you can pay for your sins, you are wrong.

3. What sin can God not forgive? What sin is more powerful that Jesus' death on the cross? It sounds like your eyes are on yourself, take them from yourself and look at Jesus and there you will find assurance.

4. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whosever believes shall not perish, but have eternal life.

Do you see anything excluding you? If there was God's chosen people and there was those who were not, there would be food regulations to teach us of the clean and unclean. Of course mentally ill people are included in God's love.

5. Many Christians can do accept mentally ill people. Of course there are ignorant, bigotted people who claim to be Christians, but don't use them to judge others. Mental illness is extremely common, and many who suffer can be found to be Christians, they have had to rely on God.

1Co 1:26-29 NET.
(26) Think about the circumstances of your call, brothers and sisters. Not many were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were born to a privileged position.
(27) But God chose what the world thinks foolish to shame the wise, and God chose what the world thinks weak to shame the strong.
(28) God chose what is low and despised in the world, what is regarded as nothing, to set aside what is regarded as something,
(29) so that no one can boast in his presence.

I hope this helps you with your struggle,
Marv

 

[heron]

Well, this is a point where I disagree. In the last year on the forum, I have heard hundreds of stories of people who have visually seen or very convincingly experienced demons.
Click the links of the Greek definitions... it could also be interpreted as them having their home base in the subterranean regions.

2:4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment;

 

[phoenixgw]

Mental illness is not a fun trip, is it?

It has been my experience and observation that mental illness, like other destructive elements, are part of the metamorphoses (transformations) of life.

Whether one is living Lamentations 3, the book of Job, or even the Garden of Eden, the process is the same. Morphing involves 4 distinct processes:

1. Disintegration (coming apart)
2. Analysis (sorting through the rubble)
3. Consolidation (picking up the pieces)
4. Synthesis (getting things together)

It is natural when things start coming apart to want to "keep it together." This, I believe, is wasted energy. As a Christian, I find it more constructive to look forward to what I may be morphing into rather than lamenting about what used to be. May you find God's strength in your weakness.

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will"
(Romans !2:2).

 

[heron]

Phoenix, thanks for staying on task better than I did. (-;

 

[Bondman]

- snip -

Secondly, the demons are not free. A lot of people just try to ignore the passages, but we are specifically told by scripture about the demons.

What is a demon? It's a fallen angel, that's what. God didn't make demons. Demons are the angels that rejected God, and just like other angels, there appears to be no basis that they reproduce. So where are these fallen angels?

Jud 1:6 NET.
(6) You also know that the angels who did not keep within their proper domain but abandoned their own place of residence, he has kept in eternal chains in utter darkness, locked up for the judgment of the great Day.
and
2Pe 2:4 NET.
(4) For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but threw them into hell and locked them up in chains in utter darkness, to be kept until the judgment,

So the demons are being kept locked up until judgement day. If someone is telling you that there is all kinds of demon possession, he doesn't accept that scripture.

Well, this is a point where I disagree. In the last year on the forum, I have heard hundreds of stories of people who have visually seen or very convincingly experienced demons.
Click the links of the Greek definitions... it could also be interpreted as them having their home base in the subterranean regions.

2:4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment;

I was most intrigued by these verses. So did some checking. These are angels doing wrong obviously. And it does seem to clearly say that they're bound over in hell until the Judgment. And the context of the verses are warning us that if angels (greater than us) copped punishment like that, then we need to heed the warning of what will happen to us as sinners - if we haven't received Jesus as Lord and Saviour.

However these are sinful angels, and the verses don't appear to mean there are still no demons loose!

1. We know that Jesus cast demons out of people.

2. Then Jesus speaking His last words and commands to us says:

Mr 16:17 And these signs shall
follow them that believe; In my
name shall they cast out demons;
they shall speak in new
languages;

3. There are further references to demons in Paul's letters and James, and in Rev.16 there's reference to unclean spirits, being the spirits of demons, able to work miracles, and they were loose prior to Armageddon.

In all of these verses the base Greek word is the same, Strong 1142 and 1140 a derivative of 1142.



Thus to add to what heron said about experiences of people and demons here, along with what we know from mission field experiences, it seems to me that demons are alive and well and still free.

- Bondman (ministering the Good News of the Gospel)

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