Feelings, self-esteem, complexes...these are all familiar words to the Psychology world, and they are all unbiblical at their core. For instance, in the Bible, we are told not to trust in our feelings. It is also made clear in the Scripture that we already have too much self-esteem. Psychology tells us to look back for solutions to our problems. Whereas Paul says to forget what is behind. Indeed we should learn from our past mistakes. And often if we look back, we find un-confessed sin that is still festering, but we don't solve problems by dwelling in the past. Psychology may be interesting to learn about, but most of it is devastating to counsel with. Many Christian psychologists truly are trying to honor God with what they are doing, but many don't realize that psychology at its core is the idea that man can solve man's problems...and he can't. Psychology also gives no hope. Many so called psychological diseases are nothing but sophisticated names for sin. When a counselor tells a counselee that he/she has a disease, there is no hope except in pills that will probably start other illnesses. But when a counselor tells someone he/she is sinning, there is hope. It may sting a while, but for getting rid of sin there is hope: Christ. Jesus is the only answer to man's problems. Now, some may say, “why can't we use both? There's good stuff in psychology.” I concede that there may be truly scientific aspects in psychology, and some things in psychology are indeed diseases, and should be treated as such. However, such cases are few. It has oft been said that the lie closest to the truth is the easiest to believe. This can be verified with mixing psychology with biblical counseling. Many Christians would not listen to the strait psychobabble that many hard-core psychologists talk, but they would listen to a Christian who tries to mix it with the truth. When people are told that they hold what they need inside of them (wow, that’s about in about every movie you watch today), it takes the need for God out of their lives: this is deadly. God as given us all we need for 'life and godliness' in the Bible and that is where our advice to others should stem from.
Well, I have shared what I believe on this topic, what are your thoughts?
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9 comments:
good stuff.
yes Dr. Gale does teach the philosophy class.
Thanks, ah... so Dr. G.H. does teach it, that would explain why all the MBC students I've talked to on these issues think the same. =)
There are many good ideas in the world today and on many issues many different ideas. Just as with horses they change every 50 or so miles. Not every one can be right all the time and few to none are compleatly right. So therefore peole must discern what is right in each thought and try to compile their own idea. Not every thing in Biblical Counciling is right, just like not all of psycology is right. So we must take what is right form both of these two ideas to make the best answer to problems. Not all problems are because someone is sinning, and not all are because it is a disease. Psycology dosn't only talk about "diseases," but also with things like how the brain works, how we learn, how to deal with stress, how the nervous system works, how we try to cover up painful things, and many, many more. Man cannot fix things because we are fallen and sinful, only God can heal us compleatly. However, with God's help we can make things better. I do not believe that it is totally bad to take the things from psycology that can help us and use them. It does no good to a person who is living right to be told they are sinning, it cannot solve their problems, but it can make them worse. Like in the case of Job, when his friends told him he was sinning it only made matters worse. This may not have been psycological, but the principle is the same. I can agree that not all of psycology should be used to "treat" people, but I also don't think some of what is taught in Biblical Counciling should be used. God gave man a brain to discover things He ment for us to use it. Not all of man's knowledge is wrong. All of man's wisdom is, but not all of his knowledge. Let us use God, and what He has given us to come to the best conclusions.
Anonymous 2, =)
I would be interested to know what you don't think is correct in biblical counseling. I appreciate you bringing up Job as an example and I totally agree with you, that telling someone that they are sinning when they are not, won't help a bit. And that, as you know, is not all that biblical counselors tell people. Psycholgy does have some very interesting things to say about the brain and the systems therein. having never been in on a class about it though, I am restrained in my attack against it, as I don't know the facts. But for instance, Psychology may say that some people react to stress by getting angry, this is true, but it gives no excuse for getting angry. I think that's what you mean but its always good to clarify. =) Talk to you more about it later.
Hope to see you Sunday =)
Brooke
Hey Brooke,
I enjoy reading your views on Psychology. They are very interesting. I agree with you and Anonymous 2. I know a couple of people who need therapy and Jesus. So I think you need both, because God can and does use counseling to point people back to him.
Anonymous 3,
Thanks for commenting! I agree that there are times when there are problems that do need psychological help. And very true, God can use counseling to point back to Him. Particularly if that is what the counselor’s intention is. By the way, would you care to share your identity? =)
Took me awhile to read your comment back to me...busy with school at MSU. I am slowly trying to read your blog but it is hard with all that is going on.
Kelly
Hi Brooke,
I can't log in other than under anonymous... but I am not... this is Stacy Foreman :)
I decided to air my thoughts here as it seems to pertain to the psychobabble topic more than any other and somewhat of a response to your blog.
We cannot trust our feelings… or can we?!
Uff dah this is a heavy subject for me.
Discernment IS necessary when responding to our feelings; with that said, what are your thoughts on what purpose feelings and emotions have; and what are we supposed to do with them?
One thought is that feelings are for our good. One might liken them to pain receptors like when someone puts their hand on a hot stove; the pain is there for their good. Or another example may be the feeling of surprise, like when your adrenaline shoots up when someone scares the living daylights out of you. That is for our good too should we be endangered or whatever the case may be.
As one matures in God's word, they learn WHAT pleases the Lord and what does not. Feelings either please the Lord or not as does absolutely anything as we live in world of absolutes. We can get sinfully or righteously angry, we can laugh self-righteously, arrogantly, or at coarse jokes or we can laugh with pure motives. We can cry selfishly. We can cry mercifully. Also, we can think something feels wrong or feels right. How do we know if the feeling is not to be trusted?
One who has matured in God's word may be "right on" with their feelings, and SHOULD be in my opinion. For example, if one has a “gut feeling” that something is right or wrong, then it does NOT mean that it is NOT biblical. It could be wrong or it could mean that they have grown so much in holiness that it has been rooted/trained in them to be able to discern what is right and wrong and it fleshes out in their feelings/heart. Isn't that what God tells us in Romans 12:1-2. After renewing our minds we will be able to know what pleases God? I think it is ok for those who are trained up in God's word to use their feelings as sign posts. What?! That sounds unbiblical.
Let me put it another way. When God's word is our foundation, it comes first. It trains our minds/hearts to be discerners of what is right and wrong. Our feelings stem from what? What is in our hearts, right? Therefore, if we know that out of our hearts comes everything... good and bad, we can know that our feelings can be trusted if what has come out is good! Do the feelings line up with Philippians 4:8 for example or not. If not, there is some more sanctification on the way and the untrustworthy feelings need to be put off and the right feelings/thought/heart attitude/truth needs to be put on. And the process continues. That is growth and the Christian walk. It IS possible to have holy happiness and that is what I am striving toward.
God created us to have feelings. Emotions aren't sinful, it is what we do with them that can result in sin. I would propose that emotion and feelings are a wonderful gift given to us by our heavenly Father. He loves to bless us. “Blessed is he” literally means “happy is he”... we have lengthy instructions to us as believers on how to be emotionally happy as found in the beatitudes. God wants us to be happy. God wants us to be zealous (passionate) for good works. And why not be? If born of the Spirit, good things make us happy!
Also, another thought to chew on: the brain/mind is not merely spiritual. It is also physical. No amount of praying, memorizing scripture and walking with the Lord is going to cure cancer anymore than it would a brain malfunction. Additionally, I have heard that most medications are not understood as to why or how they actually work, they just work; so it is with some medications for the brain.
If a disease, illness or sickness is treated with the wrong medication, it will not work or help the symptoms and may actually be harmful. I think it would go the same with the brain…
“May God bless us with His truth and may we express it passionately, with ferver!”
Stacy Foreman
Hey Mrs. Foreman,
thank you very much for all of your thoughts on this issue. I think I could agree with everything you said. You're right -feelings are a wonderful thing. It's what we do with them that makes the difference, like you said. I suppose one of the main ways we can see if a feeling should be trusted is if it is in line with what we know the Bible says is true - don't you think? You are also right that the brain is not all spiritual; yes some of it is very physical. The only point of disagreement may be what is physical and what is spiritual, and how to treat it. But from what you've said so far it doesn’t seem like we'd really disagree on that point… I really enjoyed reading all your thoughts! Thanks for taking the time to share them! =)
thanks,
brooke
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