Depression cause by sin and not a real mental illness.

[Strangederby]

So says Malcolm Bowden in a short clip on 4though.tv A channel for faith, religion, morals and ethics.

Out of respect for these forum rules I will not post a link to the web page in question so here is a transcript:

"I consider that depression and many other mental illnesses are very deliberately decided by that person.

My name is Malcolm Bowden, I’m a committed evangelical Christian, and have been giving true Biblical counselling to many people with mental health problems. And from my experience, I believe that depression is a behavioural problem, rooted in pride, self-centredness, and self-pity.

True Christians, if they accept the Bible as being the Word of God, they will read in there many encouragements to live the full outgoing and loving Christian life. And a Christian, a TRUE Christian, should not ever be depressed, because he should be living his life for others, and he should have that peace of heart with God, when he knows that God has promised him a wonderful future in heaven with him.

Many depressed people turn in on themselves and feel that people are against them, the world’s not going right, they don’t appreciate how hard they’re working, they’re terribly proud of their situation, and try to be perfect in order to impress people, and people aren’t ultimately impressed, and when they suddenly deflate themselves, they fall right back into a pit of depression.

Man is basically so proud and so self-centred, he refuses to come to God in total humility. But that is ultimately what God is seeking from all of us, and we reject His requirements at our peril."


My response?

Dear Mr Bowden,

I would always defend your right to free speech and to believe what you wish but PLEASE if you have any compassion or empathy at all PLEASE stop counselling people.
Depression is a very serious problem and can have many causes, some of them to do with brain chemistry.
To advise a vulnerable person with depression that their problem is a manifestation of sin and pride is a wicked form of abuse. You should think seriously about the damage you are causing to people’s lives.

 

[Furious_Love]

It would have been good to hear of your response to this statement. Your thought would be an answer as to why you posted this topic.

As an addition could you please use scripture for your statements.

 

[Strangederby]

It would have been good to hear of your response to this statement. Your thought would be an answer as to why you posted this topic.

As an addition could you please use scripture for your statements.

My responce was as follows: "Dear Mr Bowden,

I would always defend your right to free speech and to believe what you wish but PLEASE if you have any compassion or empathy at all PLEASE stop counselling people.
Depression is a very serious problem and can have many causes, some of them to do with brain chemistry.
To advise a vulnerable person with depression that their problem is a manifestation of sin and pride is a wicked form of abuse. You should think seriously about the damage you are causing to people’s lives."

As for scripture? I could quote Job not being afraid to speak out about how he felt. : Job 7:6, 11
"My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, and are spent without hope...
"Therefore I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul."

More to the point I would point to Isaiah's prophecy concerning Christ. Isaiah 53:3-4 where Jesus is described as being "a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief". Would christians agree that it would be wrong to accuse Jesus of having the sin of pride?

 

[Thiscrosshurts]

I wonder why anyone who has love in them and can see the condition of the world would not get depressed.
Those who are pleased with the world system are the one suffering from delusion.
I would have blown my brains out long ago if I had not been given the joy of the Lord as my strength.

Wrong thinking and stress produces toxins in the brain so of course this will result in a chemical imbalance.

I a triage situation you have to stop the bleeding with whatever means you have at your disposal.
If you have power with God you can bring people out of it by prayer but if not then by all means use what you have including medicine.

In either case if something is not done to remove the stress and or wrong thinking then they will be back again.
Mr.Bowden does have some good points when dealing with mild cases only.

 

[philosopher]

I could never picture Jesus telling a depressed person to suck it up and other remarks which seem like borderline condemnation. Jesus would be compassionate, and willing to lend a helping hand to the person going through such sorrow. Why can't us Christians exhibit the same sympathy at times? I somehow think that the people who are so quick to roll their eyes, and excuse mental illness off as insignificant, are ones who have been fortunate enough to never have to experience it.

 

[farout]

Any counselor worth a speck of salt knows an A!C blood test can show if there is depression coused bu sugar levels.

There have been and are people who counsel who are ill equiped to render any help to those in need of true love and christian care.

This is one reason every pastor without seminary misses out on counseling training, at least enough training to know when a person presents more problems than they are able to help.

 

[lawrenceb]

in Him

Any counselor worth a speck of salt knows an A!C blood test can show if there is depression coused bu sugar levels.

...and what caused the "abnormal" blood sugar levels? The world's MD's never look at the root cause -- they merely treat $ymptom$.

In fact, one can get so far off-base with their own bodies that they cause their own death as a result: 1 John 5:16 says, "There is a sin unto death".

The point here is, for the born again, our body is the temple of the Lord. Why do we treat it so poorly (diet, etc.)? There WILL be consequences, physical and/or otherwise...

Derailing temptation is everywhere. A cruel lie. That’s what temptation is. We counter-attack by finding the appropriate truth and clinging to it, choosing to believe God’s truth and rejoicing in it, no matter how convincing the adversary's bluff seems. That’s exactly what Jesus did when he was tempted in the wilderness. The lies were most persuasive. Scripture was even quoted, but Jesus beat him by latching on to the appropriate word of God, refusing to accept anything contrary to it.

God’s promise to give us power over temptation, is often the truth to grab. In other situations, other truths may be required. If you have difficulty finding the specific truth appropriate to your trial, ask godly friends and family, or your pastor. We are set free not by positive thinking (by our own effort), but by looking to the God of the Bible. It is this method of attack that empowers you to beat depression.

The scripture urges us to become like past spiritual heroes who, through faith and patience, have received God’s promises. "That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises" (Hebrews 6:12). This key verse reinforces three things:

(1) God has promised you victory (Hebrews 2:18):

We might think we deserve to be abandoned by God and left a prisoner to sin. The Judge, however, treats us not on the basis of our self-evaluation, but on the basis of his declaration. The Upholder of the universe cannot break a promise.

Our almighty Savior has invested everything to ensure we win. The Almighty will not give up on you. Don’t give up on yourself.

(2) Faith is essential (Hebrews 11:6):

Our faith should reach the point where we are so certain of the promised victory that we rejoice in it before we even experience it. So forget your failures and instead focus on Christ’s success. Amazingly, your supernatural union with him makes Christ’s achievements your achievements. Celebrate!

And focus not on temptation, but on God’s love and beauty. Take your eyes off your own shortcomings and keep thinking about how wonderful God is, and how much he loves you. As you keep this up, faith and spiritual life will mushroom.

Loving, trusting, and enjoying God will follow almost effortlessly. It’s easy to trust someone that you know loves you so deeply and wants your very best, and who is so strong and wise. As you begin to fall in love with God, you will long to stay close to him, and in that closeness you will find divine protection.

Enjoy God and you’ll enjoy success. Don’t struggle, enjoy! That’s what faith is all about.

(3) The need for patience proves you might well feel like giving up, even though every thing is on track:

Hold on. Almighty God has vowed that you can do it. Don’t miss out by giving up that bit too soon. Your breakthrough is on its way!