Mental Health and Christianity
Mental health in the Christian home and beliefs that drive a wedge between family members are important modern issues. I cannot help but have compassion for those who experience division based on biblical interpretation. While this was part of the nature of creation, it is still painful to watch.
A common theme in my blog posts is compassion derived from Biblical texts. This includes the fallen angels, important figures in the Bible stuck in time, and the world around us.
Fasting
There is a common theme with those who have experienced a change from being unaware to being aware of the spiritual scene. That awareness passes during a period of realization of something deeper. The Lord tells Ezekiel not to mourn when his wife dies. Then Jesus taught His disciples not to look poor while fasting. Instead, they are to anoint their heads with oil and appear fresh (Matt 6:17). Of course I view fasting differently than others. I see fasting as a period without spiritual food.
Mental Illness
Certainly many mental illnesses have nothing to do with spiritual fasting. We are a product of our environment and the resulting product can be damaged. Life, of course, is a lesson. It’s a lesson of humility, love, and experiencing how ridiculous we behave on our own. That is why Jesus could boil the entire biblical lesson down to love your neighbor and your God.
I will add to the series of who is saved in the Bible through a rebuttal to a conservative analysis condemning same-sex or varied gender in Christian philosophy. It breaks my heart to think of children growing up in a home scared to death of what others think. This group has been beaten up and scared for too long. The issue, as I see it, is nobody scoured the Bible for ways traditional thinking may not be conservative enough. Progressives seem to accept the narrative, but I believe that is also wrong.
LGBTQ Impact
According to the Trevor Project’s Religiosity and Suicidality among LGBTQ youth, those who did not experience their parents using religion to condemn their sexuality saw a 51% lower suicide rate. This is one group I hope to reach with a more conservative application of Scripture. Perhaps these kids can find more love in their families if we can find a way to get out of our own way.
Call for Peace
I call for peace in nearly everything I write because that is the message of the Gospel, especially regarding mental health and Christian beliefs. We can focus on the negative but that leads to ignoring things like Jeremiah 28:9. That passage says anyone who says peace will come in the end is going to be right. The book of Job says the same thing in Job 21:29-30. This is a common concept blended into the mystery of life.
Let me know what you think after you have a chance to read over the rebuttals. I’ll plan to update the arguments after receiving feedback but this is meant to be an introduction. My upcoming book Mystery of Man covers this in greater depth and it has some seemingly shocking revelations. That said, I provide blog posts so people can understand they are saved. The books are for those interested in the intellectual side. In other words, the blogs are for hope and peace and the books are for those who want to find ways to dismantle the arguments.
Salvation should be free. Wisdom comes at a charge – Ecclesiastes 2:15 and 1 Cor 8:1 come to mind.
