Posts
Depression and Religion
Months ago, there was a Nigerian doctor who jumped off a bridge and weeks later another doctor had a suicide attempt.
Everyone had a go at the incident;one view and another but then it hit experts and medical personnel that society was vastly bereaved of knowledge on depression .
These deaths and attempts with that of more recently , Chester Bennignton made more people understand that depressed people are sick people and they have suicidal tendencies.
The gist of all this isn't quite centred on depression and suicide,it's way more. There is a lingering question for spiritually oriented people and it is this; what would God think of a depressed person who commits suicide knowing that God considers suicide a sin? "
For me, here's my take on it. I don't think GOD is a person who follows His rules blindly to the letter. I believe God is more interested in motive than deed and so for people who are depressed, God sees them as it is with other people who are sick; with compassion.
whats the fate of someone who dies from depression is as good as asking what's the fate of someone who dies from diabetes or cancer. What I mean is How you die isn't relevant, what matters is life lived prior to death.
Do you agree?
Everyone had a go at the incident;one view and another but then it hit experts and medical personnel that society was vastly bereaved of knowledge on depression .
These deaths and attempts with that of more recently , Chester Bennignton made more people understand that depressed people are sick people and they have suicidal tendencies.
The gist of all this isn't quite centred on depression and suicide,it's way more. There is a lingering question for spiritually oriented people and it is this; what would God think of a depressed person who commits suicide knowing that God considers suicide a sin? "
For me, here's my take on it. I don't think GOD is a person who follows His rules blindly to the letter. I believe God is more interested in motive than deed and so for people who are depressed, God sees them as it is with other people who are sick; with compassion.
whats the fate of someone who dies from depression is as good as asking what's the fate of someone who dies from diabetes or cancer. What I mean is How you die isn't relevant, what matters is life lived prior to death.
Do you agree?
I get your point Sir. God follows His rules to the letter. However these rules are not as plainly stated as we think.
ReplyDeleteThe most important factor considered in a sin isn't necessarily "what the sin is" but "why such sin was committed". On that note, the suicide was only an inevitable result of depression. The Doctor was only a victim.
But also know that we are responsible for what we get (diseases, trauma, success, failure). Things don't just happen i.e
One can also choose to see such death as a repercussion of a previous deed. Which means that instead of classifying it as a sin, it could in reality just be a deserved punishment.
We all should therefore be careful of our actions and what we allow to get to us and seek help when necessary because we are responsible for our lives. Nice one Chief. God help us.
~H
Nice piece sir.
DeleteBut I strongly have a different stand about your write-up Hendrix.
Firstly, God is not just some abstract being we know nothing about, he's real and his "rules" are real and known. He's called the just one. We don't assume his stand we go to his word to know his stand. And there we look at Jesus coz he's the express image of God. And his stand is settled, Pay 119:89.. Forever O Lord, thy word is settled. Meaning not wavering. But however, what is his stand on this matter. That I would round up with.
Secondly, your third paragraph got me, I have questions for you sir. What evil did the child with congenital anomalies commit. What evil the children in Haiti commit to suffer from series of environmental disaster.
I however agree that diseases and deaths could be human induced but our discipline has also taught us about idiopathic(unknown) causes of ailments. And from my knowledge, the primary cause of most of these ailments are idiopathic, a few examples like DM, HTN, Cancer, etc and in most cases the primary cause carries the greater percentage of occurrence.
To say diseases are punishments, I'd also like to ask punishment from who? God? No, no, no. He's called the good God. Even our earthly father wouldn't give u an ailment to correct you, how much more our Heavenly Father. God is good. He's called the good God. James 1:17 tells us that Every good and perfect gift is from God. Sickness isn't good so it's not from him but however not everything is from the devil also. But we are sure it's not from God. There's no darkness in God.
Psm 103:10 says He dealt with us NOT according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
Pay 130:3 If thou shouldest mark iniquity who shall stand.
God has forgiven us because of Jesus. Jesus bore the sins of the world and fully paid for it. Hence, anyone who identifies with this through salvation enjoys the benefit the death brought. It was paid for by Jesus on the cross. And accepting Jesus is our ticket to Heaven.
But however, I like your last paragraph. Our actions greatly have a role to play in our life.
Thanks chief.
ReplyDeleteJust to quickly clarify:
Paul said " Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that he" WILL" also reap.
Check the severity of the stressed word
This completely changes our understanding forgiveness of sin. It shows that forgiveness is ONLY brought about by RETRIBUTION! i.e reaping.
Forgiveness lies in the fact that you are given the chance to taste from the bitter pill you made thus learning from it.
This therefore means that nothing happens by itself! Only an action can cause a reaction.
It t4 means that those unexplained terrors and disasters to seemingly innocent children are not arbitrary. God doesn't slumber momentarily, allowing the devil to torment innocent beings.
This disasters can be perfectly explained by "REINCARNATION". Which is a chance given to a human spirit to exonerate itself from past deeds.
Lastly, nothing is idiopathic in God's eyes cos He's omniscient,and omnipotent. This goes to show that all happenings, good or bad, stem from Him.
The effect of God's power depends on the person involved. If pure, the effect of the power is ennobling. If impure, the effect of the Holy power would be chastising... hence propelling everyone towards purity.
In all that happens to us, let's always give thanks to God because only through reaping can we truly learn from our wrongs and at last become pure
Nice one sir.
Thanks chief.
ReplyDeleteJust to quickly clarify:
Paul said " Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that he" WILL" also reap.
Check the severity of the stressed word
This completely changes our understanding forgiveness of sin. It shows that forgiveness is ONLY brought about by RETRIBUTION! i.e reaping.
Forgiveness lies in the fact that you are given the chance to taste from the bitter pill you made thus learning from it.
This therefore means that nothing happens by itself! Only an action can cause a reaction.
It t4 means that those unexplained terrors and disasters to seemingly innocent children are not arbitrary. God doesn't slumber momentarily, allowing the devil to torment innocent beings.
This disasters can be perfectly explained by "REINCARNATION". Which is a chance given to a human spirit to exonerate itself from past deeds.
Lastly, nothing is idiopathic in God's eyes cos He's omniscient,and omnipotent. This goes to show that all happenings, good or bad, stem from Him.
The effect of God's power depends on the person involved. If pure, the effect of the power is ennobling. If impure, the effect of the Holy power would be chastising... hence propelling everyone towards purity.
In all that happens to us, let's always give thanks to God because only through reaping can we truly learn from our wrongs and at last become pure
Nice one sir.
Galatians 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 6:8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
ReplyDeleteFrom the above passage it clearly doesn't align with what you mean.
Christianity has a modus operandi and that's The Bible. And this book is a Christocentric book, it's written to reveal a person and that's Christ.
We don't bring up movie happenings, facts and our thoughts into the faith. God's word is what fuels the faith.
Read and re-read my write up.
To say God authors both good and evil gets me worried. He's the Good God, there's no darkness(evil) in him at all.
Let me give you an analogy. If God authors evil, it means when Pastors and people pray against evil they're trying to get out of God's plan. Yeah, he can't give you sickness and also heal you of it. No! Jesus is called the Healer, the Balm in Gilead, The physician. Every good and perfect gift commeth from him. That's his nature. He showed it to us more In Jesus.
When God forgives he truly forgives. No pill of any sort brother. Haba, even our earthly parents wouldn't do such how much more our Heavenly Father.
God's character is consistent. He's not up today and then down tomorrow.
Your actions wouldn't change him. He's good and thats it. He changeth not.
The reincarnation thing, no nah. Highly unscriptural. Just a baseless illusion. It doesn't exist. After death comes judgement.
Thank you.
Read and read again. Don't read to reply, read to understand. Thank you brother.
Knowing fully well that the key to depression is in the bible, why then did they not search for the solution. When infected, u search for the cure. The cure to depression isn't death. So God will treat suicide as suicide.
ReplyDelete