Why Are Christians (Or Muslims) Very Helpful To Blind People and Repulsive To People With Mental Sickness?
I have not had this experience.
In general though many people often may seem uncomfortable since they are not sure how best to relate to someone with a disorder.
Christians and Im sure Muslims try to follow the commandment 'Love One Another' but they are humans and not God ,herefore their best intentions will sometimes appear clumsy.
Many others though work and relate comfortably with people with all kinds of problems.
I think this is a generalization. I don't know of any religious groups that are out right nasty towards people with mental illness. In fact, I have found many Christians are very accepting and helpful to the mentally ill.
Not sure what you mean by repulsive. Our church has never been mean to either the blind or the mentally ill. We try to treat everyone the same way. Are we always perfect no but then who is?
I think it's because they think that the mental illness may be demon related. Multiple personality disorder--this has a new name in my psychological book, but this is the name I remember--may be compared in their minds to the man named Legion in the Bible. Some people might think that the person sinned to cause it--there are a lot of people who think God always blesses those who do right--but take a look at the book of Job and you will know that is not the case.
I personally am shamed by people's inconsiderate nature toward mental illness. Some people actually act like they are mentally handicapped--which isn't actually the case unless its severe. It's just horrible to me because some people have gotten to the depressed state they are in because they feel like no one cares and then when no one does, they are even more likely to sink into self-destructive behavior.
Now people even claiming to see spirits, demons, or angels can be told they are mentally ill--even by fellow Christians. It seems as though they have forgotten all the people in the Bible that did just that and they weren't considered crazy.
I guess the ultimate solution to this is the modern world's attitudes and the idea everyone must be the same way in certain instances. I say to these people, just leave people alone and act like you care. Unless these people are a danger to you personally, forget about it and move on if you can't feel sorry for them.
The blind part is more of a physical ailment and is not intolerable behavior, so they are more moved to compassion. Blind people generally don't act out in unusual ways, so they find it easier to assist them.
I cant really agree with that statement, lots of people dont understand mental illness at all,,,,,, and dont try to, it scares them..... because my sister was mentally ill, I had to learn all about it, she eventually killed herself leaving a 4 year old daughter, her suffering was great.......
I still dont fully understand it, but am not repulsed by it, and I am most definately a christian
In Islam, we are not repulsed by mental illness, as it is not a contagious disease is it? I myself am a psychology graduate and have worked with the mentally ill and have mentally ill friends. However, I do think that mental illness is quite misunderstood in society in general, not only amongst 'Christians (or Muslims)'
I really believe that this behavior comes from individual people, not groups of people. In my church I see those who are supportive of physical disabilities and mental disabilities and those who do react differently to those who have mental disabilities. In my case what I have seen comes from two different things, first someone believing that the disabled person had no right questioning God's letting him be inflicted. He was outright angry over the inflicted persons extreme depression and unwillingness to come back to church.
He could not understand how he was questioning God's presence and allowing him to be afflicted if he did exist. I asked this person, a church leader, to council with the 18 year old afflicted person and he refused. The young man dropped out of church and has not been back. It has been 8 years. I do believe if he had gone to council with him, he would have been able to explain about why God allows things to happen to his children and he would have returned to church. The afflicted person has Tourette Syndrome, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Anxiety and Depression. As leader of the church I believe he was wrong. He was dealing with someone in deep depression who needed both friendly and spiritual support. Yet there were other people in the church who totally understood and were open to his needs. Unfortunately, the church leader caused too much harm for him to return. And Second, there are many people who simply shy away from what they do not understand. They seem unfriendly but often they really are not. They just do not know how to act or what to say. So it really does depend on the individual.
Lots of people still don't consider a mental illness as a physical illness. They have compassion on someone who's heart fails them and they would never tell them to "snap out of it" or to just "be positive" etc. But when it comes to the mind people still don't seem to understand that it is an organ and if it does not work properly then it will not function in a proper manner. Just as the heart will not do it's job correctly if it beats incorrectly. Mental illness is still highly thought of as a character flaw or someone who is "weak." As in some religions they think of it as a person who is possessed with a demon. If that is the case then all medical problems could be demon related. And that would include spasms or upset stomach. It is ignorance of the medical operations of the body. Women when they have the monthly cycle can experince mood changes, depression, irritability etc. This is a result of the human body dealing with hormones or chemical changes occuring in the body. You can't blame people for being nervous or maybe afraid of persons who have mental illness. Not everyone is able to deal with such difficulties. One of the best things is to educate yourself on mental illness and look at the facts on it. The T.V. with the news or drama shows are not going to give you a well rounded look at the subject. Mostly they accent fear and shame etc,
I do not agree that Christians are repulsed by mental illness. I also don't agree that they are unwilling to help mental illness. Now on that note, I have seen many groups (such as, churches) etc. that aren't into healing...so to speak.
If you were sick with anything, your name gets put on a prayer list and some people pray for you. That's it. Not that prayers are not answered that way, but they do not focus on laying hands on and praying.
I only know of one church in my local area (as I've visited most of them) that believes in laying on hands and healing. In this church, healing isn't prejudice. We'll lay hands on and pray for anyone.
I have seen churches fail to run to the aid of many people because it violated some "man-made" traditions. God warns us against these traditions. As someone else mentioned, Christians are human and often make mistakes.
Not all, but in many cases of mental illness, especially those who hear voices, they are really just demon possessions.
Our secular society with all it's 'clever' medical people are devoid of spiritual knowledge, whether it be the Holy Spirit or knowledge of the negative demonic spiritual world.
They think pumping drugs into them will cure them, but this is a myth. That's why they always call it treatment, not curing or healing.
I've been told that my mental problems are caused by demons. I always thought they were just an illness, caused by life. Why does every illness have to be caused by demons? It really takes away our treatment choices if we go back to the cures they used to cast those demons out when the Church ran things.
They used to trepan your head, that is, cutting a small, circular opening, while you were awake, with no anesthesia, so the demons could flee after the priest shouted a few prayers at you.
Other times they just hung the poor wretch and figured his soul would be free of the torment. Sometimes fire was used to purge the soul of any evil demonic influence. How quaint!
I just take anti-depressants, which are not perfect, but are better than having my head opened up like a can of evil sardines, or being burned to death and let God sort them out.
Meds also deal with my PTSD after Viet Nam, an illness that would have been perfectly avoidable if only my government at that time had not lied to me and the American public.
I do not see this anywhere I have been. I have always worked in healthcare with people who have just about every disability. For the past three years I have worked with people with Mental Illnes, most with hallucinations and voices. The worst part, for me, is seeing all the medications they put these people on - claiming it works or helps them. All of them talk about the medicine as poison, and the voices are still there. The only thing that changes is their impulses to act out negatively (most of the time). As far as the people working in the field, I have worked with many Christians and Muslims who were content to be helping them.
I'm guessing this question arose out of some personal experience, but as with all personal experiences it changes depending on who you're talking about. For example, I live in a small town that has something called "MennoHomes" and "MennoIndustries". These are the homes where mentally disabled people live and the place they go to work every day, where they are given jobs in line with their abilities. It was started by the towns' 3 churches years ago and has become a place where parents all over the country bring their children (adult children) to live because they know that they will be well taken care of in a community that is intentionally welcoming them. Living with people with mental and emotional disabilities can be very difficult for family and caregivers, and that is the experienced people. Strangers without training or experience would probably have a hard time relating to disabled people.
On the spiritual side, I have to say that having met a wide range of mentally sick people, I now believe that some people are sick, some are inflicted demonically, and some are both. It can be very chilling to be in the same room as someone who you can sense has evil spirits within them...and they enjoy it, in a way. It can also be very uplifting to see a mentally disabled person praise God. I think God wants us to pray for the healing of people with disabilities either way, and to show compassion and love for them, and I'm sure the majority of Christians would agree with me on that.
I think the answer lies somewhere in that a lot of the time people who have these so called mental illnesses really have spiritual problems instead. Meaning they are posibly posessed which for most Christians generally speaking is something they are not prepared to deal with because let's face it. Even though Jesus cast demons out of people you don't exactly go around seeing most church going Christians casting demons out of people. No siree. But I'm sure you can find them on a Sunday taking a nap somewhere. I am a Christian and I can say that I know I don't lead the life Jesus called me to live but I've had more than my fair share of setbacks. Anyone who wants to read my hub to get a better take on this feel free. I was diagnosed with Schizophrenia but knew I had spiritual problems from the begining but all the church ever did for me was try to sweep me under the rug. I've had pastors literally tell me that they couldn't make another attmept to pray for me because I woudld be a liabiltiy. Or whatever that means. I've had pastors tell me straight up that they think I have a mental illness when I'm in their office growling at them and begging them to cast the demons out. Churchy church people, like the person I at one time was, don't know the least about Spiritual Warfare because it isn't taught in most comfy little churches.
True Christians and True Muslims are humble people and are helpful to everyone who needs help.
Repulsive may have come from the knowledge about "mental illness" it's actually a demon controlling the person's mind, body, and spirit. That is what is "repulsive" to Christians and Muslims alike. It's knowing what is inside of that person.
But, knowing just that, does not make any true Christian or Muslim not want to pray for the person left inside. You see their spirit was so low on the Word of God, (Faith) that the spirit was able to get inside and begin to control the person.
So, as Christians who are qualified to cast out demons do it and successfully get rid of it. Those who are not qualified, do not need to interfer for it could make your own life worst by having one come into you through some small doubt you may have or are strugglig with at that time.
Prayer always helps in this situation, every time. And what may seem like a mental illness could also be a struggle with the person and God.
With Blind People, I think because they have never seen what the world really looks like.
People with Mental Illness, I think, because of the imbalance of the mind to have the capecity to understand the intellectual meaning of its Soul.
Because they are obviously possessed by demons, and must therefore burn. Tourette patients are rarely welcomed in church for some reason
There are some strange and repulsive beliefs held by certain christians (and muslims) but I have never encountered this tendency before. I think this applies to society in general (as another answer pointed out as well). Mental illness research is a relatively recent development. It wasn't so long ago that we would just throw the crazy people in a nuthouse and not bother to find out what was wrong with them (and thus truly help them). Blind people on the other hand have a painfully obvious affliction and any human being with any decency would wish to help them. It is easier to help the blind because we understand the ailment. This is not so with mental sickness (or hasn't been until recently) and what is misunderstood is feared and even hated.
I do not understand your grouping Christians with muslims. They are two different religions, not related.
I see most people have answered your question as if you asked why were the Christians repulsed by the mentally ill, but you asked why the Christians are repulsive to them.
Simply because mental illness is a demonic problem and the presence of the Spirit of God in the Christian makes them repulsive to that demonic presence
Perhaps, the only reason I see (irrespective of being a christian or muslim) is fear. Fear that a mentally sick person could harm. Whereas, a blind person, although in a different world, is absolutely harmless.
That sounds like a stereotype. Christianity is a very sensory involved religion.
http://hubpages.com/hub/Mystery-of-Memo … ons-Book-X
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