I attended a church that had an adverse reaction to seeking help for mental health issues. They would just "encourage" you to read your Bible more and memorize more scripture. An atheist friend of mine confronted me as to why I wouldn't seek medical help. When telling her the church's attitude, she asked if I had diabetes would the church NOT want me to seek medical help? The answer was: of course they would! So why, she asked, is your mental health, not important enough to see a doctor? I went and got the help I needed. A couple of years later, I was at a women's conference and the speaker talked about mental health. She said, "When you have a physical problem, don't you seek a physical solution? Your brain is part of your physical body, created by the Lord! Don't ignore it because the church has an attitude against seeking medical advice for mental health issues. It's time for the stigma to stop!" I had already sought help by that time, but hearing her say those words, "set me free" from the condemnation imposed on me by others. She also pointed out the many, many scriptures where King David, Jonah, Elijah and others were depressed. I believe the Lord included those instances in scriptures to let us know we are not alone, and even people that the Lord used mightily, could have times of mental anguish. Thank you for addressing this most important subject in your writings.
Thanks for sharing your experience. I posted this on Facebook and got people commenting about how people need to trust the Holy Spirit. I agree, we should lean on the Holy Spirit. We absolutely should pray. But - here's an extension to your analogy - But if an antidepressant that changes your body's chemistry, works, doesn't that say it's a medical/chemical issue and not a spiritual one? I just hate how many people suffer because they've been told it's a faith problem, when it may not be!
Exactly! That's why it resonated with me when she said, "Your brain is part of your physical body, that the Lord created". Why does the church think it's only spiritual? Of course, we should always seek the Lord and read scripture. What my atheist friend said also opened my eyes. "Would they tell you to seek the Lord and pray if you had diabetes?" Which is what she actually asked me, and I was shocked when I realized, that NO they would NOT discourage me to seek medical help for diabetes, but because it was "in my head", then basically, it was all my fault...
As someone who has been on antidepressants since 2002 and anti-anxiety medication since 2020, thank you for this post. When I was diagnosed with chronic depression, I was probably at the most evangelical I had ever been. I was singing in the praise and worship band at church, spending most of my free time at church. I was deeply committed and hadn't even begun to deconstruct my faith yet.
Looking back at my college years, I realize now that during my sophomore year, when I was living in a house sponsored by the campus church, attending Bible study a couple of times a week, and surrounded by fellow Christians...I spent the entire summer and fall in a deep, dark, clinical depression. I didn't realize it at the time, but looking back now it's crystal clear.
So anyone who tells me that depression and anxiety mean your faith is too weak? Sorry, they're wrong. I know they're wrong. If depression could strike me when I was at my strongest point in my faith, when I was so completely assured that the Bible was 100% literal and written by God? That proves it isn't a matter of faith.
If someone came at me now with that, I would say, "Okay, then take off your glasses and pray that God will heal your sight. Quit taking your insulin and pray that God will heal your diabetes. Oh, you can't? That's exactly why no one can pray depression or anxiety (or being gay) away."
Sorry, obviously this is an issue I get very salty about! But I appreciate your post.
I attended a church that had an adverse reaction to seeking help for mental health issues. They would just "encourage" you to read your Bible more and memorize more scripture. An atheist friend of mine confronted me as to why I wouldn't seek medical help. When telling her the church's attitude, she asked if I had diabetes would the church NOT want me to seek medical help? The answer was: of course they would! So why, she asked, is your mental health, not important enough to see a doctor? I went and got the help I needed. A couple of years later, I was at a women's conference and the speaker talked about mental health. She said, "When you have a physical problem, don't you seek a physical solution? Your brain is part of your physical body, created by the Lord! Don't ignore it because the church has an attitude against seeking medical advice for mental health issues. It's time for the stigma to stop!" I had already sought help by that time, but hearing her say those words, "set me free" from the condemnation imposed on me by others. She also pointed out the many, many scriptures where King David, Jonah, Elijah and others were depressed. I believe the Lord included those instances in scriptures to let us know we are not alone, and even people that the Lord used mightily, could have times of mental anguish. Thank you for addressing this most important subject in your writings.
Thanks for sharing your experience. I posted this on Facebook and got people commenting about how people need to trust the Holy Spirit. I agree, we should lean on the Holy Spirit. We absolutely should pray. But - here's an extension to your analogy - But if an antidepressant that changes your body's chemistry, works, doesn't that say it's a medical/chemical issue and not a spiritual one? I just hate how many people suffer because they've been told it's a faith problem, when it may not be!
Exactly! That's why it resonated with me when she said, "Your brain is part of your physical body, that the Lord created". Why does the church think it's only spiritual? Of course, we should always seek the Lord and read scripture. What my atheist friend said also opened my eyes. "Would they tell you to seek the Lord and pray if you had diabetes?" Which is what she actually asked me, and I was shocked when I realized, that NO they would NOT discourage me to seek medical help for diabetes, but because it was "in my head", then basically, it was all my fault...
As someone who has been on antidepressants since 2002 and anti-anxiety medication since 2020, thank you for this post. When I was diagnosed with chronic depression, I was probably at the most evangelical I had ever been. I was singing in the praise and worship band at church, spending most of my free time at church. I was deeply committed and hadn't even begun to deconstruct my faith yet.
Looking back at my college years, I realize now that during my sophomore year, when I was living in a house sponsored by the campus church, attending Bible study a couple of times a week, and surrounded by fellow Christians...I spent the entire summer and fall in a deep, dark, clinical depression. I didn't realize it at the time, but looking back now it's crystal clear.
So anyone who tells me that depression and anxiety mean your faith is too weak? Sorry, they're wrong. I know they're wrong. If depression could strike me when I was at my strongest point in my faith, when I was so completely assured that the Bible was 100% literal and written by God? That proves it isn't a matter of faith.
If someone came at me now with that, I would say, "Okay, then take off your glasses and pray that God will heal your sight. Quit taking your insulin and pray that God will heal your diabetes. Oh, you can't? That's exactly why no one can pray depression or anxiety (or being gay) away."
Sorry, obviously this is an issue I get very salty about! But I appreciate your post.
Exactly. It's like they refuse to see the contradiction.