Have churches become too reliant on recovery programs and psychology/psychiatry?

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Katia

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Aug 29, 2021
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I have been around the proverbial block a time or 2, and have been fortunate to witness the Church for a long time since being born into it, and been associated with it ever since.

I remember how in the 1970's, Preachers called this Mental Illness [Demon Oppression], not Possession, but Oppression. And I have witnessed [countless times], where these people were prayed for and would report back for years ""Never"" having Suicidal Thoughts ever again. Or, never dealing with what else it was they thought was attacking them, like the Demonic Oppression of Depression, Anxiety, Worry, and things that when you dwell on the [issue problem] that ultimately results into feeling trapped and helpless with no way out.

But today, there are TWO forms of Psychiatry.
1. the one who diagnoses you
2. the one who prescribes the medications

And that has become the [Faith in God] first Choice since the early 1990's, Science!

And I am thankful for many achievements and discoveries in Science.
But Science has no answer to the Battle of Demonic Oppression.
Science [does not] even know Demonic Oppression exists.
Much of those in Science [ARE] Demonic Oppressed!

If God healed those people I witnessed first hand being prayed for in the 1970's and 1980's and 1990's and they continued coming back FREED of Demonic Oppression, God WANTS to be doing it Right Now for YOU!
My personal experience with the church is different from yours and I am happy for you. When I return to church it will be to worship God and to receive Holy Communion. I like the hymns if they are reverent. As far as the Pastor, he is just a human, like me.
 

Dino246

Senior Member
Jun 30, 2015
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See through what? Are you a deformed genitalia person? I don't understand the passion about this. It's creepy.
I see through your attempts to twist the conversation to your benefit.

If you care to read back, you will see that I wasn't the one who brought up the subject.
 

JaumeJ

Senior Member
Jul 2, 2011
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Yes, of course. Most medications are like that: they only deal with the symptom and not the cause if the issue. In my practice, if anyone was on medication I encouraged them to seek help for their internal healing.

I'm sorry you had to got through that. Is is too often a common occurrence in the States.
It is good to hear your input on this subject. Although I do go to a doctor when I truly need to, it is not uncommon for me to do as they say at first.
What I mean is, when I was first diagnosed with a bone deterioration ailment, the doctor gave me something for the pain. It gagged me with one dose and I have not taken more again. Some natural ways of treating the entire body instead of a symptom has helped me immensely. The same holds true for when statins were given me. The side effects were so prominent I could only take one dose,. I resorted again to whole body treatment instead of treading cholesterol alone, and my following update at the doctor showed no cholesterol.
I could go on, but I am already getting beyone the bore level.
If I knew one, I would go to and M.D. who treats the entire body and not the sympoms but I think they went out with the horse and buggy.
Now for some green tea and no sugar.. that was my last change for you probably gueed it already.
God bless you and keep up the good works.
 

Pilgrimshope

Well-known member
Sep 2, 2020
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In the Christian News forum there's a recent thread about the wife of a pastor of a California megachurch who committed suicide. A link in the thread leads to an article which states: "Hilken had taken her life after suffering from mental health troubles."

I don't want to make light of the tragedy of this situation or the pain it has caused all those involved; however, it does make me think about how reliant the church has become on mental health professionals and recovery programs. I realize there may be situations where a person needs professional help, but is depression one of them? It seems to me, depression is an problem that the love of Christ was tailor-made for.

If Jesus came that we might have life, and that more abundantly, why the need for all kinds of human programs when we already have "the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes"? (Romans 1:16)

Should churches continue to be reliant on these humanistic methods or should it start to detach?
I think of this disturbed man I probably would be sent to round the clock therapy in an institution and shot full of mind numbing meds theses days but God is a better healer and deliverer surely where faith is lost this won’t be considered

“And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him.

And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.

But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him, And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not. For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit. And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many.

And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.

And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him. Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.”
‭‭Mark‬ ‭5:2-9, 15, 18-19‬ ‭KJV‬‬

This mentally disturbed man met Jesus the healer and deliverer of man and it turned out he didn’t need therapy , incarceration , chemical mutations of brain function , but the source of his issues were purely spiritual in nature and he simply needed to meet the lord and acknowledge him

just as today folks think this is foolishness , in those days they rejected it because of fear. Many things of the world seek after our faith and attempt to replace what we trust in meds , doctors and therapists ….

in the entire Bible it seems like God can deal with any and every issue man has if we look to him for the solutions
 
Nov 26, 2012
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Depression as other ailments isn’t a problem. It’s the symptom of a problem. The church is just as guilty misdiagnosing problems as the world is. The poor lady was seemingly a Christian who was married to a seemingly Christian man. They were active in their faith. By all evidence they had Christ in their lives. What they also had was horrible information from the church. Christ doesn’t solve our problems. Faith in Christ gives us access to supernaturally endowed wisdom to solve our problems. She didn’t need to read the Bible that tells Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply. That’s what He told them, not us. We need to utilize our Holy Spirit resource to determine what God wants and plans for us individually. My goodness, three youngsters can drive you nuts. Six in five years is obviously tragic. I’ve witnessed how the hormones mess with logic and have seen postpartum depression up close. She never had time to bounce back. Sad…just sad.
 

CS1

Well-known member
May 23, 2012
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Sometimes the Depression is due to losses and suffering, and sometimes it is biochemical, as in Bipolar folk. I agree that the church has not been a supportive as it could have been. The LGBT, in my opinion, not for us to judge. I don't advocate it but I am not God to see into their hearts.
to say that LGBTQ is ungodly is no more judgment to drunkness is ungodly.
 

Lanolin

Well-known member
Dec 15, 2018
23,460
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i can give you a whole list of prescription meds that people have taken, that Ive even taken that practically poison your body

I have even been told by doctors that the meds they prescribed for me have possible side effects and that I could kill myself with them!

Thank the Lord He set me free!

as for painKILLERS well they are the worst...I supoose if you want to support the drug industry, by all means consume as many opiates as you can.
 

Aaron56

Well-known member
Jul 12, 2021
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If I knew one, I would go to and M.D. who treats the entire body and not the sympoms but I think they went out with the horse and buggy.
Now for some green tea and no sugar.. that was my last change for you probably gueed it already.
God bless you and keep up the good works.
Today, they are called "functional practitioners" or will be under an umbrella of "Functional Medicine". They're still out there and their numbers are growing. For serious matters I go to a physician who was classically trained but began functional medicine when his friend was cured of sickle-cell anemia.
 

ResidentAlien

Well-known member
Apr 21, 2021
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There can be no "fixing" of the problems within churches and denominations which have chosen to be non-biblical and adopted humanistic or worldly ideas and ideologies. Once they choose to go off the rails, they never come back. If you don't believe this write a letter to one of the pastors who are involved and see what kind of response you get.

Write to Christianity Today and ask them why they have become Leftist when there was no reason to do so.
Franklin Graham: Christianity Today is Leftist Magazine
https://www.toddstarnes.com/politics/franklin-graham-christianity-today-is-leftist-magazine/
Yes, I totally agree. I just don't believe it's too late to sound a warning. Maybe it will prevent others from following this same course.
 

ResidentAlien

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Apr 21, 2021
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They might have programs for Depression but I don't think its talked about enough in our of the church. We as church members need to be a rock to those who have Depression and should understand Mental illness is not someone's lack of faith. You can have all the faith in the world and still be depressed at times. Reminds me of the story of Elijah in 1 kings 19

Elijah had what I would call bipolar Depression because one moment he is slaying false prophets and making it rain and the next he is running and hiding from Jezebel. I don't see a lack of faith but I do see Depression.
I agree with you about the church being a rock for everyone, especially the depressed.

However, I don't believe depression is a mental illness. Psychiatry has made it a mental illness and built a whole cash-cow industry around it. Depression is normal, but if a person thinks they now have a mental illness and need to depend on Dr.s and medication, it just makes things worse.

I do believe there are genuine mental illnesses but depression isn't one of them. It's basically like saying alcoholism and drug addiction are diseases.
 

ResidentAlien

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Apr 21, 2021
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Someone may crucify me upside down for this. But I'll say it because it needs to be said. Depression and Anxiety have become the catch words of recent times. Before that it was "ADD and Ritalin".

You really have to look at someones lifestyle as a whole. Are they eating right? Are they exercising? Are they maintaining the proper mindset? So often we fill ourselves with garbage. Remember "Garbage in and garbage out"? It's AMAZING how when we fill our lives and our minds and our bodies with the proper fuel "Faith, Family, Fitness, Finance" and concentrate on fueling ourselves correctly, all those little "depressions" seem to be so much easier to deal with.

In Summary: Stop making excuses for not fueling yourself well. Do it, and see the difference.
Good points.
 

Katia

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Aug 29, 2021
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i won't judge: but it never been a gender issue. Rather it's always a question of sin.The exception where those that needed 2 b heal as a testimony
I'm confused. I've been lurking in this conversation and wonder how Gender Issues got into it? Psychologists think it is real and there are lots of different positions on it. The churches have been condemning about it. Just listening in.
 

Katia

Active member
Aug 29, 2021
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I agree with you about the church being a rock for everyone, especially the depressed.

However, I don't believe depression is a mental illness. Psychiatry has made it a mental illness and built a whole cash-cow industry around it. Depression is normal, but if a person thinks they now have a mental illness and need to depend on Dr.s and medication, it just makes things worse.

I do believe there are genuine mental illnesses but depression isn't one of them. It's basically like saying alcoholism and drug addiction are diseases.
I think that most Depressive Conditions come from loss, or unfulfilled desires. Drugs might help temporarily but should be very short term. The church if they would step up to the plate with real understanding could do better than the Psychological community and drugs. I feel sad that most don't.

Now, in the case of Bipolar and Schizophrenia and some others are serious and you don't just pray that away, and anyone who thinks so is dangerous, IMHO Sometimes there is simply a legitimate mental breakdown and handled with compassion and love, and perhaps short term drugs, it can be remedied. I would not want to be standing close to anyone who says it is daemon oppression.
 
Aug 20, 2021
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I think that most Depressive Conditions come from loss, or unfulfilled desires. Drugs might help temporarily but should be very short term. The church if they would step up to the plate with real understanding could do better than the Psychological community and drugs. I feel sad that most don't.

Now, in the case of Bipolar and Schizophrenia and some others are serious and you don't just pray that away, and anyone who thinks so is dangerous, IMHO Sometimes there is simply a legitimate mental breakdown and handled with compassion and love, and perhaps short term drugs, it can be remedied. I would not want to be standing close to anyone who says it is daemon oppression.
Dino246 said:perhaps you are confusing mixed-up biology with mixed-up identity. There are actually cases of the former, which have nothing whatsoever to do with the current cultural confusion over gender.I said that demons r unasex and it's a rationalzation
 
Aug 20, 2021
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Katia i have heard a demon tell my sister 2 take her life. one day she did.I have suffered from what thought was Schizophrenia it turn out to be alcohol psychosis.Have no malice toward fallen angles but they r real.Alcohol,drugs = bad decisions give them more control in one life.
 

Dino246

Senior Member
Jun 30, 2015
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Using the REPLY function is really easy, but for some reason you seem to be having trouble with it. Click the button, wait for the system to prepare the post, and then start typing on the next blank line. If you delete anything, you'll likely mess it up... as you have done here.

The words are "unisex" and "rationalization". There is no evidence in Scripture that demons are "unisex", and you're trying to avoid admitting that you are wrong.
 

Katia

Active member
Aug 29, 2021
493
219
43
PDX

Katia

Active member
Aug 29, 2021
493
219
43
PDX
Using the REPLY function is really easy, but for some reason you seem to be having trouble with it. Click the button, wait for the system to prepare the post, and then start typing on the next blank line. If you delete anything, you'll likely mess it up... as you have done here.

The words are "unisex" and "rationalization". There is no evidence in Scripture that demons are "unisex", and you're trying to avoid admitting that you are wrong.
GRRRRR. There are those who are terrorized by one parent or the other and that can influence Gender. The churches have been criminally useless in that area. Feminism and the LGBT group muddy the water. I feel nothing but compassion for the abused who later turn to a life a crime. There are Christian groups who operate rescue houses but I do not know what their success figures are.
 
Aug 20, 2021
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Using the REPLY function is really easy, but for some reason you seem to be having trouble with it. Click the button, wait for the system to prepare the post, and then start typing on the next blank line. If you delete anything, you'll likely mess it up... as you have done here.

The words are "unisex" and "rationalization". There is no evidence in Scripture that demons are "unisex", and you're trying to avoid admitting that you are wrong.
k neither [male or female now that is in the bible]I been wrong like a septillion times 1000000000000000000000000 or 1 followed by 24 zeros