Christ_empowered
Member
I was just thinking, because of the "sex addiction" post, about how everything has become an "addictive" behavior. Drug abuse, overindulgence in alcohol and food, smoking, gluttony...even undesirable behaviors are explained in terms of compulsions or disorders.
I'm disturbed. This isn't an original idea that I just came up with--I think I read about this in a Dr.Thomas Szasz book or something--but it just dawned on me: we live in a culture of diminishing morals, and our self-control has been out-sourced to "experts," be it a self-help guru or a therapist. Our sins, mistakes, failings are all explained through diagnoses, labels, "poor life choices," etc.
I used to think that at least that gave us some breathing room. Before I was a Christian, I thought "OK, well...if you drink too much, maybe its better to be an "alcoholic" in "treatment" than to be a "drunk" who is sinning." Now, I think I was wrong. In Christianity, there's repentance and forgiveness. You can and will be washed and made clean, even if and when you slip up and sin again, even if you sin mightily.
There is no forgiveness in the world. There are "poor life choices," and you are responsible. If your parents screw you up, you are "disordered" and saddled with bad behaviors AND labels AND treatment(s). It never ends. You will never be in a position to lay down your burdens and say "enough. I am not good, but I can be forgiven. I can be remade into someone much less wretched." You are forever a patient/client, or addict or alcoholic, always one missed pill or one "poor life choice" away from ruining everything.
What do you guys think? I've just been thinking about this because I quit going to talk therapy and I'm down to an as-needed Abilify, so I'm not really a "mental patient," either (no shrink currently). Rediscovering my struggle against sin without talk therapy and without a daily tranquilizer has been refreshing.
I'm disturbed. This isn't an original idea that I just came up with--I think I read about this in a Dr.Thomas Szasz book or something--but it just dawned on me: we live in a culture of diminishing morals, and our self-control has been out-sourced to "experts," be it a self-help guru or a therapist. Our sins, mistakes, failings are all explained through diagnoses, labels, "poor life choices," etc.
I used to think that at least that gave us some breathing room. Before I was a Christian, I thought "OK, well...if you drink too much, maybe its better to be an "alcoholic" in "treatment" than to be a "drunk" who is sinning." Now, I think I was wrong. In Christianity, there's repentance and forgiveness. You can and will be washed and made clean, even if and when you slip up and sin again, even if you sin mightily.
There is no forgiveness in the world. There are "poor life choices," and you are responsible. If your parents screw you up, you are "disordered" and saddled with bad behaviors AND labels AND treatment(s). It never ends. You will never be in a position to lay down your burdens and say "enough. I am not good, but I can be forgiven. I can be remade into someone much less wretched." You are forever a patient/client, or addict or alcoholic, always one missed pill or one "poor life choice" away from ruining everything.
What do you guys think? I've just been thinking about this because I quit going to talk therapy and I'm down to an as-needed Abilify, so I'm not really a "mental patient," either (no shrink currently). Rediscovering my struggle against sin without talk therapy and without a daily tranquilizer has been refreshing.
