The downside to working for God is that you get all sorts of scary mail. Yesterday we received lots of pamphlets advertising a seminar about depression. I glanced at them and “that's good, that the church is acknowledging and thinking about these things...” I put one in my pocket to read later.
Well, it’s later, and I’ve read the pamphlet. It lists the causes of depression and mood disorders as
a) Chemical Imbalance - solution = the right medication
Ok, so far so good.
b) Emotional Wounding - solution = effective ministry
Sure, ok, if the person is Christian and wants to be ministered to.
c) Evil Spirits - solution = competent deliverance
Say what now?
Talk of Evil Spirits scares me. Maybe because I have had people try to drive them out of me on several occasions. Or perhaps because I'm still possessed by evil and I’m so delusional that I just can't see the truth.
Well being the obsessive surfer that I am, I checked out the Dr's website, to see what else he had to say about depression:
In my opinion, the church should be a healing community. It should be rescuing men and women from Satan's kingdom and bringing them into an environment where they can be healed from the bondage and wounds that have accumulated while in Darkness.
Eeeeep.
And Google found this article:
One of his patients told him during an office visit that she had difficulty concentrating, as the voices she was hearing were disturbing her. Mullen says he didn't know what to do so he stalled for time by making notes in his chart and muttered to himself "God, I don't know what's going on here. If this woman is hearing from evil spirits, in the name of Jesus, could you please shut them up so I can finish this interview." Unexpectedly, he says, the woman told him that for the first time in 20 years, the voices went away. He was as surprised as she was. That, he says, is when he realized that people may be tormented by the voice of demons and that the "authority of Christ" drove them away."
…
Mullen did say he doesn't personally deal with Satanic harassment, but does recommend a book to those patients being harassed and he will refer them to counsellors who can offer deliverance or exorcism. The book he recommends is The Bondage Breaker by Neil Anderson (Harvest House, 1997) which, he says, is an extremely effective tool for people to understand demonic bondage and to expel Satan from one's life. The book is so powerful, he says, that Satan will oppose attempts to read it.
He recalls one patient who tried to buy the book but every time he went near it he felt a tight band surrounding (his) body and arms. Another patient reported that she was beaten by her husband when she tried to read the book in bed.
Ok, now I’m scared. Satan made this guy beat up his wife? Because he (Satan) felt threatened by a book? What, was this depressed woman a key player in his plan for Armageddon?
It’s times like these that I feel very reluctant to own up to being a Christian, if it lumps me in the same category as people like this.
*
To alleviate any depression that may have been caused by reading this, I suggest checking out Chronic Babe. Eleanor sent me the link, and I’ve really enjoyed some of the articles.
Or, if you're not chronic, check out the spoof National billboards. My current faves are:
You can make one yourself - send me the link.
Posted by Fionnaigh at September 10, 2005 11:58 PM | TrackBack