wenbur84

This is a question for all you Christians out there: Why does God allow depression to exist, and why does he allow depression to get to the point of suicide, and is suicide reason for damnation since God technically could have cured the afflicted and prevented the suicide. I ask this because I myself was depressed and asked God every nite for him to take it away for 7 years, with no response.. I then attempted suicide, unsuccessfully thankfully, and renounced my faith in Christ... But I wondered had I succeeded, would from a Christian perspective I have gone to hell??? Just wanted to hear some different thoughts.

Luiseach

I'm not a theist, but I would imagine that some Christians would claim that depression - as a form of despair - is itself a sin (because it involves the despressed/despairing person not having enough faith in God and choosing to turn away from God's mercy), and therefore morally reprehensible.

stretch

Well, since depression isn't an intentional form of despair, from a Catholic perspective it would not be considered sinful.

As to why it exists? Same reason that any other disease exists ...

wenbur84

In response to the Catholic who stated that the reason that depression exists is the same that any other disease exists, I would like to point out that depression is different from other diseases in its very nature due to the fact that it is a disease of the mind, unlike cancer, aids, etc. Thus a different argument must be made as to why it exists. It cannot simply be lumped together with other physical diseases.

stretch

I'm not an expert ... but from my understanding, many depressions have physiological causes. Otherwise, how would anti-depressant medications have any impact?

(btw .... does this have anything to do with philosophy?)

Luiseach

I was just wondering about the same thing....(I predict a move to misc. discussions or something along those lines).

Luiseach

Or Secular Lifestyle and Support.

*shrugs*

abe smith

HI, STRETCH. my Imp. izz that you and i seem to share certain ways of "seeing".
Uh, yeh(my position is) If the MindBody is one indivisible entity ("thing" or "discussible"= noun), then "physical" vs. "mental" is an untenable distinction and it ought to be abandoned. Whaddye say?

stretch

Well Abe,

now things are getting a bit more fillersoffical.

Mind and body as we experience them are definitely linked together.

Take away chunks of my brain and I just won't see things the same way as I do now.

Whether or not the distinction between mental and physical ought to be completely abandoned isn't quite so obvious to me ....

Philosoft

Off to GRD, for now...