The truth about psychology
Q: I am very curious to know how do you view the latest comments made by John MacArthur at the Q&A panel discussing his view on mental illness ("there is no such thing as PTSD, OCD, ADHD, these are just noble lies").
I also think that most people are in more need of repentance, not therapy or medication when we are talking about these things, but is it biblical to assume that mental illness does not exist at all? I can understand that for secular and even for Christian counseling it's much easier to tell someone to take a pill to alleviate the effects of depression (for ex.) rather than having that person to work hard to discover the truths of the scripture - proper lamenting, parenting and disciplining, understanding the sovereignity of God, depravity and sin.
Can we extrapolate and then say that there is no such thing as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder?
A: Prior to the panel comments JMac has already addressed this in his book "The Vanishing Conscience" MacArthur makes his case against modern psychology by countering it with scripture. And in Our Sufficiency in Christ which underscores the truth that the only true remedy for suffering and pain in human life is found in Christ and in the transformative work of the Word through the Spirit.
MacArthur addressed the issue in the recent video clip (further) in the Church sermon on Sunday. He spent the whole hour explaining his comments from the Q&A panel which I hope you find helpful. And this final article came afterwards. (Besides the above books, also read The War on Children).
In addition, ACBC’s most recent podcast episode is a review on David Murray’s book on mental illness: A Christian’s Guide to Mental Illness.
Essentially, these psychological labels by the DSM (Diagnostic & Statistical Manual) are merely descriptors (descriptive criteria and categories/collection of syndromes for clinical utility), but they do not explain the etiology of mental disorders, let alone a supposed biological cause for these symptoms.
I’d also recommend these resources to you:
Greg Gifford’s podcast episode on "Mind vs Brain", and his conference session “Mind v. Brain: Cultural Confusion, A Mental Health Epidemic, and What the Bible Says”
Allan Horwitz’s book “DSM: A History of Psychiatry’s Bible”
Hannah Decker’s book “The Making of DSM III: A Diagnostic Manual’s Conquest of American Psychiatry”
Anne Harrington’s book “Mind Fixers: Psychiatry’s Troubled Search for the Biology of Mental Illness”
Jenn Chen who has a Doctorate Degree in Clinical Psychology, and a Masters in Biblical Counseling in Marriage and Family Therapy, is also a professor in biblical counseling. Has a book coming out this '24 Fall "Biblical Counseling and Mental Health diagnosis". This is in the new “critical issues in a biblical counseling” series.
https://biblicalcounseling.com/resource-library/podcast-episodes/til-188-a-journey-to-biblical-counseling/
https://biblicalcounseling.com/resource-library/podcast-episodes/considering-neuroscience-in-biblical-counseling/
https://biblicalcounseling.com/resource-library/podcast-episodes/the-noetic-effects-of-the-fall-in-psychology/
https://biblicalcounseling.com/resource-library/conference-messages/can-jesus-heal-our-trauma-panel-at-fbc-jacksonville/
Ernie Baker's book on understanding the psychologies
and Heath Lambert’s book on the doctrine of common grace were the first two.
https://biblicalcounseling.com/resource-library/articles/heath-lamberts-biblical-counseling-and-common-grace/ review
Also see
In light of Dr. MacArthur's comments and because it is mental health awareness month, below is a fascinating quote from Dr. Paul Minot, a practicing psychiatrist and professor at Tuft's Medical School. You can read much more at paulminotmd.com. He and many others in academics are saying there is little to no evidence for the "illnesses" in the DSM.
Dr. Chen does a good job in her book that is coming out to remind us to stay humble and that there are a few areas in the DSM where there is more evidence of pathology. Dr. Minot also has a podcast called, Straight Talk about Psychiatry.
Dr. Minot quote: "I’ve been practicing psychiatry for 38 years, and I absolutely love my job. I love my patients, my professional colleagues, and my coworkers. I couldn’t be happier with the work that I’ve chosen. But I have come to the conclusion that I am participating in the biggest scientific scam of this era.
Many billions of dollars are spent each year in an industry built on a corrupt body of pseudoscience, that has been maintained and exploited by monied interests for decades. This audacious scientific fraud has been more successful than any other of our day.
The assumptions of the general public are that we psychiatrists have a good understanding of how the brain works; that we can diagnose distinct disease states, of which we have some pathophysiological knowledge; and that we can prescribe treatments, usually medications, with full awareness of how it is that they benefit us. But every one of these assumptions is unequivocally and demonstrably false."
Psychiatry and Drug industry need there to be problems so they have customers who keep their business and income alive. If they can hook you on drugs and keep you trapped focused on your problems for decades (like the victimization industry of racism) then the ones in the scam gain a fat pocketbook. The overall loser is the patient cuz they can easily get their issue resolved in biblical counseling and move on in their life.
Dont fall for it.
Seek out a biblical counselor for the help you need to overcome your problems and sins.
<<< return to prev pg
Footnotes:
Info collected at the time of the Jmac Q&A discussion and right after.
Comments
Post a Comment