Dear Christian, You Do Not Have All The Answers About Schizophrenia. Thank You.
I think I missed schizophrenia awareness day, along with mental illness awareness month, amid my family moving and then hanging out with my mom as she recovers from major back surgery (hi mom! love you!).
But I don't need a day or a month for that matter to be aware of it. That ugly beast is a constant unwelcome companion in our household. Though its effects on us grow dimmer and dimmer the more grander and grander (pardon the bad grammar here) our awareness of God grows in our hearts and minds.
One of the ways God is growing "grander" is through scripture. Not that He can grow any more grander...just the more time I spend in the Bible, the more I taste of His grandness. Don't ask me how I got stuck on that word (grand), forgive me...
Anyway, the other day someone in my life asked me the following question: "What's the worse thing anyone has ever said to you about your son's illness?". Admittedly I secretly delighted in answering this question. In fact, I've been waiting a long time for someone to ask me that!!! So I answered with a question myself: "Ehem...what do YOU think is the MOST often stated category/question to us?"
If you're thinking of anything relating to demons, why you are most correct! Early on in my son's illness, I knew I needed to get a handle on this. After all, we Christians have an answer for everything...riiiight? Every category under the sun is clearly explained in scripture...riiiight?
So I went. I did. I did a word study of all of the recorded instances of Jesus healing folks while He walked here on earth. I began with the obvious one for our particular case. The man cutting himself with rocks at Gerasenes. Yep, the man possessed with many demons. Now that's a hard story to get around. He was out of his mind. And he was possesed. And Jesus healed him.
Now I thought, o.k. Are there any other instances of healing that Jesus refers to the person as having demons or being oppressed by them? And lo and behold there was a myriad. To be honest about my search, it wasn't purely motivated by a godly intent. Nope, I was getting tired of all the Christainese demonic talk. I wanted to prove a point. I'm not a scholar, and certainly anything I'm typing here is not authoritative. But what I found was comforting to me, not a clear answer by any stretch of the imagination, but helpful.
"Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who had had a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your disability.” And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God. But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, “There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.” Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?” As he said these things, all his adversaries were put to shame, and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him." Luke 13:10~17
This wasn't an isolated story. There were more, for example here: "As they were going away, behold, a demon-oppressed man who was mute was brought to him. And when the demon had been cast out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds marveled, saying, “Never was anything like this seen in Israel.” But the Pharisees said, “He casts out demons by the prince of demons.” Matthew 9:32~34
Do these stories (and others like them) disprove that a person can be possessed by demons? Absolutely not, quite the contrary. But what it did confirm to me was being "out of your mind" was not the ONLY disease that God refers to as being deomonically oppressed or even possessed. Here's another...
"On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. And behold, a man from the crowd cried out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out. It convulses him so that he foams at the mouth, and shatters him, and will hardly leave him. And I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.” Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.” While he was coming, the demon threw him to the ground and convulsed him. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. And all were astonished at the majesty of God"
Here's my opinion on all of this. Let me say it again..."opinion". Based on large part experience, even larger, my novice search of scripture. Folks who are believers in Jesus Christ (which my son is), have the Holy Spirit living in them, they cannot be demon possessed. Yet, they can still be sick. Severe mental illnesses, like schizophrenia, bipolar, and schizoaffective disorder (all with psychotic features)are horrifically disabling diseases. Science is light years behind on research. We know so little about these brain disorders. It would seem to me, that those afflicted with such would be some of the weakest persons among us. An easy target of our enemy Satan, if you will. And it would further seem to me that since Satan has limited power and dominion (granted by God) on earth...that sickness is a direct result of our Fall, when sin entered the earth. That Satan's general, limited power still applies to all sickness, if God so allows, for His good purposes and glory. While we wait for His return on this stinky planet.
All of these stories, of Jesus healing persons who are ill and disabled, show His power and authority over all. And his love :O). My secret delight in these stories, is that being out of one's mind was NOT the ONLY qualifying description of someone who is possessed by demons. So that begs the unanswered question: Why, in the Christianese world, do we think that those who are afflicted with schizophrenia are the only immediate candidates for demon possession if scripture makes it clear that there are other illnesses/disabilities that qualify as well? Would we say to someone who has a child with epilepsy, do you think your son or daughter is demon possessed? Someone who is mute? Bent over from a disability?
Next week I'll talk about the second most awful thing people say...thanks for listening. Just a few things this momma bear needs to get off her chest...
But I don't need a day or a month for that matter to be aware of it. That ugly beast is a constant unwelcome companion in our household. Though its effects on us grow dimmer and dimmer the more grander and grander (pardon the bad grammar here) our awareness of God grows in our hearts and minds.
One of the ways God is growing "grander" is through scripture. Not that He can grow any more grander...just the more time I spend in the Bible, the more I taste of His grandness. Don't ask me how I got stuck on that word (grand), forgive me...
Anyway, the other day someone in my life asked me the following question: "What's the worse thing anyone has ever said to you about your son's illness?". Admittedly I secretly delighted in answering this question. In fact, I've been waiting a long time for someone to ask me that!!! So I answered with a question myself: "Ehem...what do YOU think is the MOST often stated category/question to us?"
If you're thinking of anything relating to demons, why you are most correct! Early on in my son's illness, I knew I needed to get a handle on this. After all, we Christians have an answer for everything...riiiight? Every category under the sun is clearly explained in scripture...riiiight?
So I went. I did. I did a word study of all of the recorded instances of Jesus healing folks while He walked here on earth. I began with the obvious one for our particular case. The man cutting himself with rocks at Gerasenes. Yep, the man possessed with many demons. Now that's a hard story to get around. He was out of his mind. And he was possesed. And Jesus healed him.
Now I thought, o.k. Are there any other instances of healing that Jesus refers to the person as having demons or being oppressed by them? And lo and behold there was a myriad. To be honest about my search, it wasn't purely motivated by a godly intent. Nope, I was getting tired of all the Christainese demonic talk. I wanted to prove a point. I'm not a scholar, and certainly anything I'm typing here is not authoritative. But what I found was comforting to me, not a clear answer by any stretch of the imagination, but helpful.
"Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who had had a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your disability.” And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God. But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, “There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.” Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?” As he said these things, all his adversaries were put to shame, and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him." Luke 13:10~17
This wasn't an isolated story. There were more, for example here: "As they were going away, behold, a demon-oppressed man who was mute was brought to him. And when the demon had been cast out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds marveled, saying, “Never was anything like this seen in Israel.” But the Pharisees said, “He casts out demons by the prince of demons.” Matthew 9:32~34
Do these stories (and others like them) disprove that a person can be possessed by demons? Absolutely not, quite the contrary. But what it did confirm to me was being "out of your mind" was not the ONLY disease that God refers to as being deomonically oppressed or even possessed. Here's another...
"On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. And behold, a man from the crowd cried out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out. It convulses him so that he foams at the mouth, and shatters him, and will hardly leave him. And I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.” Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.” While he was coming, the demon threw him to the ground and convulsed him. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. And all were astonished at the majesty of God"
Here's my opinion on all of this. Let me say it again..."opinion". Based on large part experience, even larger, my novice search of scripture. Folks who are believers in Jesus Christ (which my son is), have the Holy Spirit living in them, they cannot be demon possessed. Yet, they can still be sick. Severe mental illnesses, like schizophrenia, bipolar, and schizoaffective disorder (all with psychotic features)are horrifically disabling diseases. Science is light years behind on research. We know so little about these brain disorders. It would seem to me, that those afflicted with such would be some of the weakest persons among us. An easy target of our enemy Satan, if you will. And it would further seem to me that since Satan has limited power and dominion (granted by God) on earth...that sickness is a direct result of our Fall, when sin entered the earth. That Satan's general, limited power still applies to all sickness, if God so allows, for His good purposes and glory. While we wait for His return on this stinky planet.
All of these stories, of Jesus healing persons who are ill and disabled, show His power and authority over all. And his love :O). My secret delight in these stories, is that being out of one's mind was NOT the ONLY qualifying description of someone who is possessed by demons. So that begs the unanswered question: Why, in the Christianese world, do we think that those who are afflicted with schizophrenia are the only immediate candidates for demon possession if scripture makes it clear that there are other illnesses/disabilities that qualify as well? Would we say to someone who has a child with epilepsy, do you think your son or daughter is demon possessed? Someone who is mute? Bent over from a disability?
Next week I'll talk about the second most awful thing people say...thanks for listening. Just a few things this momma bear needs to get off her chest...
Comments
I agree. Thanks for the various Scriptures/research. I was just telling Samuel "Folks who are believers in Jesus Christ (which my son is), have the Holy Spirit living in them, they cannot be demon possessed." George was teaching on the demon-possessed man from Gerasenes and Samuel was wondering if a demon could "possess" him; I told him those exact words this past Sunday! :)