Raydo97

I work with a woman who is very open about advertising her Christian beliefs. She knows that I am not a believer, so she has taken it upon herself to "witness" to me. She's such a sweet woman that I can't help but like her, but I'm always stunned by the simplicity of her beliefs.

Recently, she explained that when she watches the Discovery channel and sees the complexity of nature... how certain species can only live in one place because of their diet and ability to withstand the elements... she marvels at how anyone can question the existence of God and his "master plan." I explained the concept of "natural selection," and she dismissed me as "uninformed." She even used the standard Christian cliche about how the wise among men are foolish in the eyes of God, etc., etc.

These conversations have been going on for two years. However, I had to laugh yesterday when she was talking to me about her battle with depression. She told me that she recently learned that she has been self absorbed lately and pre-occupied with her own problems because that is a tool the devil uses to sidetrack her from being a good Christian.

This is a 41 year old professional woman with a Master's Degree. She actually believes that depression is a tool used by a supernatural being who lives under the ground to keep her from telling nice stories about another supernatural being who lives in the sky.

I just can't figure out how this kind of thinking is accepted as "normal" among the great majority of Americans. I could accept it from the uwashed masses who are ignorant and clinging to some kind of hope beyond their wretched lives... but an educated, professional woman? How did she go through six years of higher education without having this silly notion of childhood fairy tales eradicated from her concept of the real world?

This is stunning to me.

cyranodrozd

So there is a joke about a guy about to get out of a mental hospital. During his exit interview, the doctor asks him about his therapy and what he's learned about himself. The man is calm and talks quite rationally about working through his delusions etc..

So the doctor shakes his hand and congratulates him. As the man is leaving, the doctor asks, "Do you have a job lined up?" And the man says, "Oh yes, I'm going to be a librarian." The doctor says, "Oh, that's great. It shouldn't be too stressful, the hours are good.." The man interrupts and says,

"Yes, and in my spare time I can go on being a teapot."
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This is the most accurate analogy I have ever seen about dealing with people in the bible belt (currently in VA). They seem sane, vaguely rational...and then mid-conversation they say something equivalent to "and I can go on being a teapot."


You have my sympathy.

Mary

TheOctarineMage

Quick depression can occur like this:

A man goes to see his doctor because he is not feeling well.

After examining him, the doctor says, "I have bad news. You're terminal."

Frightened, the man asks, "How long do I have?"

"Ten." Replies the doctor.

Bewildered, the man asks, "Ten what? Years? Months? What?"

Answers the doctor, "Nine... Eight..."

Deviltry is easy to expound on when the clock is not ticking rapidly by. With time flying, priorities get straightened up really fast.

sakrilege

This would fit better in General Religious Discussions.

sakrilege
SL Moderator

winstonjen

Interesting topic, and I have this question.

If the devil makes people depressed, how do they explain those who get depressed at religious camps or after reading the bible? Do they admit that the power of 'faith' isn't strong enough sometimes? Or do they blame the victim and call them weak?

Also, if the bible can make people depressed, does that mean that the bible has influenced the bible and that god isn't perfect?

Arkanin

What rational people believe about religon is often not based on any sort of rational observation or speculation, even though it should. You'd have to study psychology to get an appropriate perspective on why, but quite simply, trying to find out about what's true about these things (for most people) is not a function of rational thought.

jonesg

Most ideas are simple at their root.

When I was atheist I was taking zoloft and paxil for severe depression, the devil wasn't in my vocabulary or belief and the pills aren't truly effective when a person doesn't know what the problem really is.

When holy rollers say 'devil', its a metaphor for ego.
The woman touched on the problem when she said she had been "self absorbed lately and pre-occupied with her own problems", isn't she really describing her self centeredness ? , ego is expressed as egotism.

Isn't it a classic example of projection, telling you about the wisdom of men being foolish before God,

yet she has a masters and can't see how simple evolution works.

Maybe she went thru the system with her beliefs intact because
"congress shall make no laws ....blah blah blah..."
Its called freedom .

Its possible to get through to these people, just allow for God in their belief, I believe in evolution, I just think God is behind it, He struck the spark, the rest of it runs naturally.

Depression can be caused by conflict with reality, truth ain't changing.
MAybe she is finding reality conflicting with her dogma about evolution.

Raydo97

True. But her specific problem is that she's in a bad marriage with a crazed Jehovah's Witness.

You're giving this woman too much credit. She believes in a literal devil who is out to get all Christians and divert their attention away from "the Lord." When she says "devil," believe me, she actually means "devil."

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By the way, Mary, I enjoyed your story. Many Christians do appear normal until they blurt out something absurd that stops you dead in your tracks.

Raydo97

What I meant is that usually the light of knowledge reveals baseless beliefs for what they are: myth and superstition. I know several people who went away to college as conservative Christians and came back as either liberal Christians or full blown Atheists. Learning about history, science, philosophy, and religious comparative studies can be a real eye opener to someone who has grown up being taught that the bible is the word of God and holds the answers to all of life's questions.

Capn_Danger

You can invent a possible explanation for anything at all. And if you're just looking for something to confirm your belief and help you to maintain it, you'll often accept any explanation that supports your belief system.

I knew a christian woman who said that you should be suspicious of supposed christians who don't have hard lives or are too happy: because the devil tries hardest to mess with people who believe in true christianity, and doesn't pay as much attention to the rest.

Really, if we expect those sorts of people to believe something because it's reasonable, we're going to be disappointed. They believe those things because they want to maintain their faith, not because they've applied sound reasoning and actually thought critically about the matter.