Christianity and Psychology--This Marriage Needs a Divorce

For most of my life, I did not look at things from a Christian perspective, and so it was not until I went to college for the first time that I began to question the contributions that psychology was bringing to our culture. However, it has not been until recently that I have considered the possibility that psychology, at its core, is not to be trusted as a science. Note that I am not talking about neurology--a hard science that revolves around the study of the brain's physical properties--but psychology, a soft science which revolves around the principle that "abnormal" behaviors need to be "diagnosed," "drugged," and "dialogued." The full extent of this science's foolishness was brought home to me last fall when, after a week of not eating and not sleeping becase she was panicked over an upcoming biology final, my wife had a nervous breakdown. Instead of spending just a few days at the hospital getting her biorhythms back on track, my wife was subjected--thanks in large part to my ignorance--to 2 weeks of psychological evaluation, in which she was not physically examined, not talked with regularly by the staff psychiatrist, and essentially treated like a prisoner. This was a mind-numbing experience for both of us, and it taught me a valuable lesson--that at their core, the beliefs, practices, and prescriptions of psychology are based on stereotypes and opinion.

This is why I am very concerned about the extent to which psychology has infected the postmodern church. Ladies and gentlement, I am not downplaying the fact that Christians get depressed, dysfunctional, and even sometimes mentally ill (after all, we live in a world full of darkness and despair, and pain, as hard as it is for most of us to admit, is a part of everyone's lives--whether or not they are Christian), but I AM saying that we need to look to the Bible (and more importantly, to Jesus) for our answers BEFORE we look to the theories of a science whose fonders denied the very existence of God. Think about it--if you had had a heart attack, and your doctor prescribed medication for you without having a clear idea of what happened inside your body, you would have every right to file for a malpractice suit, wouldn't you? However, if a psychologist were to prescribe medicines which are, in some cases, the equivalent of narcotics on the basis of a thin diagnosis that he or she cannot trace to a physical or mental "cause," it is simply standard medical practice within the field. I have done research on the major disorders that psychologists typically treat, and I have yet to see one of these disorders traced to a clear, identifiable and (more importantly) treatable CAUSE. However, we in 21st century America, thanks to a television media full of people who (a) do not hold Christianity, Christ, or Christians in high regard and (b) live their lives by the standards and guidelines of this world, take these diagnoses as if they are real diseases with real causes that have been discovered through real research.

Christians always need to live by TRUTH, whatever form that truth takes. The Bible says Jesus is the Truth, right? Then if we live by truth, and refuse to live by something we know is wrong (or feel in our hearts is wrong), then that life will always lead us closer to Jesus--the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Look at the Bible. Do you see Jesus telling people that if they go to group meetings every week, they'll go to Heaven? Do you see Jesus salving anyone's ego? Of course not. Jesus loves us too much to let us wander through our lives, blithely killing every shred of life within us, destroying the dignity of others--especially our neighbors and families--and turning the beautiful planet He gave us into a wasteland. That God--the same God who made you and me--loves us too much to let us keep destroying everything we touch, and He certainly loves us too much not to tell us the truth about what we are and where we have been. The sad fact is that psychology--like every other religion, science, or ideology that has come before it--is all about one thing: getting us to walk away from the God who created us. Why do you think people who are diagnosed with depression end up living the rest of their lives under medication and in therapy? It's because the sole mission of psychology--indeed, the sole mission of ANY religion--is to enslave its adherents.

Yes, we live in a world full of pain. That's sin--and its devastation has wrought a world full of misery and despair for every generation since Adam and Eve. I'm not saying, "Put on a happy face and pretend like your problems are over 'cause Jesus made 'em disappear." (I hate to break this to all of you new Christians out there, but not only does Jesus NOT make your problems disappear, but He also seems to add quite a few new ones (including persecution) to your plate.) However, the best way to deal with pain is FIND OUT WHY IT'S THERE. If we are willing to face the truth (a truth that we, as Christians, should always be willing to face) that we are sinners, that we live in a world full of death and damnation, and that our ONLY way out is Jesus Christ, then that truth will help us all get to the source of our pain. Pain is part of the human existence--all of us, from the broken man who has lost his wife and kids to crack, to the wife and mother of 4 who has cheated on her husband and is on the verge of a messy divorce, to the bereaved parent who is mourning the loss of her son, will taste of this bitter fruit. For Christians, this is a grievous fact of life, and I am afraid that too many of us wish it weren't there. However, just as pain in the human body serves to let us know that something is wrong, pain in the heart also lets us know that something is wrong--with this world but more importantly, with us. Deep inside, a believer in Christ should know that human nature is NOT murder and thievery and corruption, that at our core, we desire to be ambassadors of love and truth, but that only makes the realization of our fallen condition that much more heartbreaking.

Don't run away from pain. It's there for a reason--to let you know you're alive in a way that other people around you aren't. More importantly, it's there to let you know just what you're fighting for.