tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5077809256320470141.post1463524762638005569..comments2023-12-25T01:24:48.957-05:00Comments on Republic of Gilead: The Gathering on Mental Health and the Church: Rick Warren and Bishop VannAhabhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14675629709031865432noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5077809256320470141.post-26030427100125759982014-04-29T23:38:41.363-04:002014-04-29T23:38:41.363-04:00NatureLover -- That was a powerful story. I'm ...NatureLover -- That was a powerful story. I'm sorry to hear that Q was briefly counseled by a priest who was ill-equipped, and I hope the harm to Q was minimal. Mental illness is a serious matter, and those who serve people with mental health issues MUST be properly trained.<br /><br />I'm glad that your parish priest was helpful and sensitive during young struggles, and that he connected you with a qualified counselor.Ahabhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14675629709031865432noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5077809256320470141.post-57948731146932896562014-04-29T11:57:31.689-04:002014-04-29T11:57:31.689-04:00I hope to have time to watch the video series soon...I hope to have time to watch the video series soon. I hope Bishop Vann gave good advice that strongly recommended helping congregants find 'secular' trained counselors to deal with mental health issues because I've seen good - and bad - examples in the Catholic Church.<br /><br />Bad Example: In college (small, fairly liberal, Catholic College), I had an acquaintance (Q) who we thought was depressed. A few of us went to talk to Q about seeing a counselor. Turns out, several groups of friends were concerned and a whole bunch of us were waiting to talk to him when he got home from class. In talking with him, it became clear to us that he was having delusional thoughts, was cutting himself deeply and was suicidal. I called the RA who was a good friend of mine. After 5 minutes with Q, the RA called the RD. After 30 minutes with Q, the RD called the on-call counselor from Career and Counseling. (At this point, I realized I had started my period and needed menstrual supplies so I needed to go back to my dorm room. Before I left, I begged the RD to be sure Q was somewhere safe before he left. He said he would.) I found out the next morning that the counselor never talked to Q - at all. The counselor just told everyone to calm down and go to sleep. When the RD called campus safety to contact the police so that Q could be seen by someone else, the counselor told campus safety that she was sure that Q was safe for the night ( by magic? I have no idea how she determined that without talking with Q.) Q started seeing at local priest for counseling - the priest is a right wing whack-a-doodle with no training in counseling mentally ill patients. The only positive outcome was that the students present, RA and RD were so horrified at the counselor's horrible management of the situation that many letters were written to the head of Career and Counseling and the President of the college. The counselor was removed from their position.<br /><br />Good example: I was severely depressed when I was 19 and hospitalized when I was suicidal. My parish priest visited me regularly and helped my parents find a very talented secular counselor who I've seen for years. To quote him, "We do the Anointing of the Sick when you are hurting physically or mentally to give you comfort. You still need to see a doctor or psychologist to get better because we're not miracle workers."NatureLoverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11431801349592342650noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5077809256320470141.post-39253762525818588102014-04-27T21:27:34.208-04:002014-04-27T21:27:34.208-04:00Agi Tater -- If their motives are pure -- if they ...Agi Tater -- If their motives are pure -- if they truly want to help people with mental illness -- they'll take a good, hard look at harmful teachings. Many churches aren't going to do that, I fear, because they're reluctant to admit that their teachings were wrong or harmful.Ahabhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14675629709031865432noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5077809256320470141.post-92022453114992219282014-04-27T17:22:28.759-04:002014-04-27T17:22:28.759-04:00You hit the proverbial nail on the head: Are Chri...You hit the proverbial nail on the head: Are Christian (and other) churches willing to confront and then abandon some of their own abusive doctrines that exacerbate mental illnesses by causing people real harm?<br /><br />I suppose the answer depends upon their true motivations.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05362339037879270082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5077809256320470141.post-56580343384768974842014-04-27T12:45:09.141-04:002014-04-27T12:45:09.141-04:00Infidel -- It wouldn't be the first time Chris...Infidel -- It wouldn't be the first time Christians took credit for something that already existed in pre-Christian times. A little humility and historical literacy is in order.<br /><br />While I'm delighted that the conference wants to raise awareness and end stigma, I wonder if conservative Christians are ready to confront ways that churches have historically harmed people with mental health struggles. Maybe the conference's other presentations will shed light on this?Ahabhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14675629709031865432noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5077809256320470141.post-22491695280456860212014-04-27T04:00:01.620-04:002014-04-27T04:00:01.620-04:00Thanks for pointing out that hospitals date back t...Thanks for pointing out that hospitals date back to Classical times -- these guys are getting far too good at giving their religion credit for human achievements that actually predate it. Some of them even claim Christianity was necessary for science itself to develop, which would have been news to Eratosthenes and Aristarkhos.<br /><br />The claim is especially bad given Christianity's long history of involvement with abuse of the mentally ill because of the belief that they were possessed by demons, and as you say, many of them are still justifying abuses like "curing" of gays. The mote in the secular eye is worth pointing out, but the religionists still need to deal with the beam in their own.Infidel753https://www.blogger.com/profile/10965786814334886696noreply@blogger.com