Have you ever looked up the traits of someone that is possessed? It is the same as bipolar.
Okay. I’m starting to understand your point, but you are still generalizing the bipolar population based on what you’ve observed in your few bipolar acquaintances. And you’re ignoring medical facts… You say, "The way I see it, X, Y, or Z is physical," when factually, X, Y, or Z is mental.
Hmm. Your argument is non sequitur. Here’s how.
You state that demonic possession looks like bipolar, and bipolar looks like demonic possession. Same thing to you. Demonic possession=bipolar disorder. A=B.
Let’s take a look at the site that explained signs of demonic possession, which I gathered from all the sites you listed. Here are all the signs that don’t have to be present in a person to diagnose him/her with bipolar disorder:
Note: These sites also said to make sure that these symptoms are not due to mood disorders (like bipolar) before you label someone possessed.
1) Embarrassment, shame, or guilt due to uncontrollable behavior (Btw. Anyone can be embarrassed if they acted out of personality. As a matter of fact, lack of embarrassment/shame/guilt of such behavior might indicate other mental disorders.)
2) Auditory/olfactory experiences
3) Amnesia
4) Glossolalia, xenoglossia, polyglossia, polyglossic vocals
5) Confusion
6) Sacred aversions
7) Retrocognition or precognition
8) Rreternatural occurrences
9) Constipation
10) Unnatural power of persuasion
Not quite the same. In fact, the only symptom of bipolar that has to be present for diagnosis that match the signs of demonic possession is severe mood changes—for a bipolar person, the cycling between mania and depression. Every other “demonic sign,” such as violence, lust, profane language, etc., is unique to the bipolar individual. Not every bipolar person acts violently or swears excessively when depressed, or acts promiscuously or greedily during periods of mania. For my bipolar and CHRISTIAN friend, when she is low, it’s severe depression, like she’s mourning. She just wants solitude. In her manic states, she exercises excessively and even gets others motivated to go on her annoyingly long jogs. She is way more optimistic of the world, which is not unhealthy or demonic at all. With the right diet, social stimulation, and medication, she has typical emotional stability.
The Bible shows some examples of people who have convulsions, are crippled, or cannot speak because of the demons inside them. None of those Bible explanations are included in the links you provided (at least the ones I saw), with the exception of uncontrollable behavior, which could include convulsions. I know of no bipolar people that have convulsions, or are crippled or mute.
Does A still = B when it only shares one true symptom? A person suffering a grand mal seizure would share more symptoms off your “list of signs that possessed and bipolar hold in common”, than bipolar people themselves, if you wave a flashing cross in front of the poor person. Schizophrenics can experience many more of those symptoms daily, but I don't think you ever said that they were possessed. That makes you argument kind of shaky, my friend.
In any case, I think we will just have to agree to disagree. =)
In Christ,
River