Mental Illness, why is it treated as a sin?

[Vickilynn]

Vickilynn~

I am not advocating "just repentance:. In healing ministry you go beyond that and cast it out.. whatever it is called.

Have you tried this with this Sister??

Blessings, Karen

Shalom Karen,

No one said YOU advocated anything. Actually, if you've read the thread, the topic is a split from another thread where people said those with mental illness should just repent. No one is referring to you Karen.

If she is a born-again Christian she cannot be not demon possessed and has nothing to be "cast out", that's not what we're discussing here. Please, let's stay on Topic. Thank you!

[Karen C.]

Vickilynn~

I am not advocating "just repentance:. In healing ministry you go beyond that and cast it out.. whatever it is called.

Have you tried this with this Sister??

Blessings, Karen

Shalom Karen,

No one said YOU advocated anything. Actually, if you've read the thread, the topic is a split from another thread where people said those with mental illness should just repent. No one is referring to you Karen.

If she is a born-again Christian she cannot be not demon possessed and has nothing to be "cast out", that's not what we're discussing here. Please, let's stay on Topic. Thank you!

I am on topic~Thank you...

Wwhen you make a statement about someone suffering with a "disorder" and the way you help them is not doing them any good. WHY wont you try something else?? You confuse the "possessed" word and that always will bring offence..

I am sharing what I believe the answer to the problem.

Blesssings, Karen

[Vickilynn]

I am on topic~Thank you...

Shalom Karen,

No dear, you are not, like it or not. Please read the OP post. You will see that this topic is not about your belief that something can be "cast out" from a Believer. This is about calling ill people sinners and telling them to repent.

Again, as the OP of this thread, we are not promoting or debating your opinions about demon possession or anything that you think can be "cast out" of a Believer. It is not on topic and we won't go there.

This thread has a specific topic as to why Christians will treat other Christians as SINNERS and tell them to repent when they are ill with mental disease.

[Karen C.]

I am on topic~Thank you...

Shalom Karen,

No dear, you are not, like it or not. Please read the OP post. You will see that this topic is not about your belief that something can be "cast out" from a Believer. This is about calling ill people sinners and telling them to repent.

Again, as the OP of this thread, we are not promoting or debating your opinions about demon possession or anything that you think can be "cast out" of a Believer. It is not on topic and we won't go there.

This thread has a specific topic as to why Christians will treat other Christians as SINNERS and tell them to repent when they are ill with mental disease.

Viskilynn~so as OP you want only to address the problem of labeling people you THINK have "mental illness" as sinners and telling them they need to repent?? That is what the topic is about???

You don't want to cover the possible answer to help them??

I am not trying to cause controversy..

Blessings, Karen

[Vickilynn]

I am on topic~Thank you...

Shalom Karen,

No dear, you are not, like it or not. Please read the OP post. You will see that this topic is not about your belief that something can be "cast out" from a Believer. This is about calling ill people sinners and telling them to repent.

Again, as the OP of this thread, we are not promoting or debating your opinions about demon possession or anything that you think can be "cast out" of a Believer. It is not on topic and we won't go there.

This thread has a specific topic as to why Christians will treat other Christians as SINNERS and tell them to repent when they are ill with mental disease.

Viskilynn~so as OP you want only to address the problem of labeling people you THINK have "mental illness" as sinners and telling them they need to repent?? That is what the topic is about???

You don't want to cover the possible answer to help them??

I am not trying to cause controversy..

Blessings, Karen

Shalom Karen,

I believe you are. And you are trying to hijack this thread to promote your own agenda.

You've been asked repeatedly by the OP to cease promoting your opinions about casting out demons and you refuse.

That topic has nothing to do with this thread and won't be debated here as it hijacks the topic.

We'll let the Mods handle this.

[Karen C.]

I am on topic~Thank you...

Shalom Karen,

No dear, you are not, like it or not. Please read the OP post. You will see that this topic is not about your belief that something can be "cast out" from a Believer. This is about calling ill people sinners and telling them to repent.

Again, as the OP of this thread, we are not promoting or debating your opinions about demon possession or anything that you think can be "cast out" of a Believer. It is not on topic and we won't go there.

This thread has a specific topic as to why Christians will treat other Christians as SINNERS and tell them to repent when they are ill with mental disease.

Viskilynn~so as OP you want only to address the problem of labeling people you THINK have "mental illness" as sinners and telling them they need to repent?? That is what the topic is about???

You don't want to cover the possible answer to help them??

I am not trying to cause controversy..

Blessings, Karen

Shalom Karen,

I believe you are. And you are trying to hijack this thread to promote your own agenda.

You've been asked repeatedly by the OP to cease promoting your opinions about casting out demons and you refuse.

We'll let the Mods handle this.

Truly sorry to cause you so much commotion...

Blessings,Karen

[Vickilynn]

Truly sorry to cause you so much commotion..

Shalom Karen,

Not me personally, but the thread and thank you for sticking to the OP topic and not opening up a separate debate on demon possession. That's not what we're talking about.

[Vickilynn]

Shalom,

The OP once again, which deals with the SOLUTION to help these people:

Shalom,

This is a spin-off from a thread about Narcissism and whether that is a physical or spiritual condition.

My topic here deals with a wider range of mental illnesses and what should be our Biblical response to A CHRISTIAN with a mental illness and they display sinful, selfish and even destructive behavior.

Do we blame them?

Do we condemn them?

Do we accuse them?

Do we shun them?

Do we treat them as unrepentant sinners?

OR

Do we love them?

Bear with them?

Forgive them?

Help them get more of Jesus, the Word, prayer?

Tell them the truth of what they are doing? (most are unaware and if they are aware, they are usually unable to stop the behavior)

Do we try to help them by being patient with them, even when their behavior hurts us or damages us?

Do we love them as Jesus loves them and tells us to love them?

My friends, I have first-hand experience dealing with Christians with mental illness and have seen what some Christians do with their judgment and condemnation. I believe that is NOT the Biblical response.

Ask yourself, should Christians treat Christians with mental illness any differently than a Christian with any OTHER type of illness, say diabetes or cancer?

Sometimes, the cause of the person's mental illness is physical / chemical. Sometimes it is spiritual. Sometimes it is a combination. The point is, as with all things, we cannot see the person's heart, only their actions and if we judge them to be unrepentant sinners when in fact, they have a chemical imbalance and need medication, we are wrongly judging them.

I believe we need to love these people and try (if we are able) to get them help. If they are saved and know Jesus, we should help them get into the Word and a regular prayer life with accountability.

Perhaps Christian counseling and/or medication may help.

Most of all, WE Christians need to love them and bear with them, not turn our backs on them, shun them or accuse them of being unrepentant sinners. G-d knows the heart, we don't. Our responsibility is to love.

Matthew 22:

36"Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" 37And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets."

[Axxman]

Shalom,

Another example in my life I thought about today.

There is a precious sister in my LifeGroup who has severe OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder). She longs to free of her behavior, but she cannot control it. In fact, she does it without thinking about it and only sees the results.

She picks at her face until she is a bloody pulpy mess. Then, she is so embarrassed that she won't let anyone see her.

People have told her to just "repent of her sin" and she has tried as she says she loves Jesus. However, this disease is beyond her control and it has nothing to do with just repenting of sin. She has other self-destructive behavior as well.

As the Body of Messiah, we are to love her, encourage her, try to get her medical help and accept her in the love of Jesus. Not rebuke her or tell her to just repent and she won't cut herself again. That's not possible! She's ill and needs our help as well as our love.

That is what this thread is about.

Addictions are sin...OCD is an addiction, not a mental illness. If a person seeks God's treatment they will repent...seeking man's treatment leads to more oppression.

There is NO biological etiology to prove that OCD is a mental illness. It should be classified as nothing more than an addiction. If your friend has been prescribed addictive drugs to deal with this so-called illness then it is most likely that it has made the addiction worse...and has done NOTHING but drug the mind of your friend. When your friend's body needs more of the addictive drug her body/mind knows exactly what behaviors to exhibit to get more of the addictive substance. She now has two addictions to kick. Hooray for psychiatry!!

As I said before...the ideology behind drugging patients with alleged mental illnesses is a skinner box. She has been enslaved and oppressed by the psychiatric and pharmaceutical industries...which happen to work side by side, hand in hand.

I agree that love and encouragement for a sister in Christ is vital. However, to "pass the buck" and call it a disease and to drug her is NOT the solution...it is further oppression.

[Vickilynn]

Addictions are sin...OCD is an addiction, not a mental illness.

Shalom Axx,

How can you honestly say that?

This gal is not addicted, she is ill. She needs help. She cannot repent of what she has not willingly done. She no more can stop what she's doing than I could stop my cancer from killing my body. I am alive because G-d used medicine and drugs to help me. My OCD sister needs the same care.