Years ago, someone gave a Hebrew Scriptures course at our seminary.

The professor had us watch the opening scene from the movie, Silverado.

A deserted shack in the middle of a rocky, desolate desert. Sun's coming up.

A haggard man, a fugitive, is slowly waking up. Fingers of sunlight
touch him through the open windows.

Slowly, painfully, he begins to siiiit up.

BLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM!

On all sides, at every angle, our man is besieged. Gunfire blasts at him
from all directions, we are right with him in the middle of it. He thrashes,'
rolls, jumps, shoots back.

Silence. Against all odds, our man is alive. He's survived the ambush.

Slowly, shudderlingly, he draws a gasping breath..

BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

From the ceiling, from an overhead hatch, more gunfire rains down,
a hellish parody of Pentecost.

Our professor shut it off and turned up the lights.

"This is what your lives will be like in the churches".

He paused.

"You will suddenly be ambushed on all sides. It will be at the worst possible
time. It will be utterly unfair. Every dirty trick will be thrown at you.

"And the people who do this will be well intentioned Christians just like
yourselves."

And this is what you're going to read about in the Greek and Hebrew Scriptures."

Do you think there are an unusual number of TLW members with mental problems? Depression. Schizophrenia. Etc. Do you think the LW environment attracts them? And exasperates their problems?

One thing is apparent to me. The LW doesn't help them. I can remember certain members being directed to not get help. And when they got worse with their problems, they were told to stop attending services.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/29/2017 03:23AM by puddington.

puddington,



I recall spiraling down in depression. One of the older pastors expressed concern. John said it was tribulation. John lacked discernment. He saw mental health through a lens of spirituality. Most charismatics do. They ignore the biological and psychological components. Brain abnormalities and genetics. The brain can get sick and depressed. Sometimes the brain heals itself. However, some mental health professions think this. Untreated depression can set you up. For a life time of mental health problems. I suspect some members. Who have depression. Self medicate with booze. There's better ways to treat depression.

I also think that the whole emphasis on travail, intense intercession and screaming at God certainly doesn't help. You get so focused on the unfulfilled promises and prophecies that it just sets you up for a lifetime of torment and depression.

So much for inner peace.

puddington Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I also think that the whole emphasis on travail,
> intense intercession and screaming at God
> certainly doesn't help. You get so focused on the
> unfulfilled promises and prophecies that it just
> sets you up for a lifetime of torment and
> depression.

Yes, and then when things don't work out, mainly because it wasn't a Word from God in the first place, the blame is placed on the people. That certainly doesn't help with their sense of self-worth. BTW, didn't Gary mention recently in one of his messages that he wasn't responsible for unfullfillment, since "the word" he has brought has been perfect?
Or was he more subtle about it?

NickleandDimed Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> Untreated depression can set you up. For a life time of
> mental health problems. I suspect some members.
> Who have depression. Self medicate with booze.
> There's better ways to treat depression.

Yes

Someone who specializes in treating alcoholism and other addictions
told me that anyone with a chemical or process addiction should,
after detox, be routinely evaluated in case they have depression, bipolar, learning disabilities, ADD, ADHD and or histories of trauma/molestation.

It is tragically common for people to self medicate due to an untreated
underlying condition.

One wouldn't tell someone to pray away their diabetes or nearsightedness.

When we are little we the first thing we look for are hugs, NOT vodka, pot
or gambling. When we little, we do not desire to become alcoholics or religious fanatics when we grow up.

We want to be played with, hugged, and that warm secure feeling that
makes for a soft slide into slumber.

I've read a few memoirs by people who grew up with religious fanatic parents.

I've learned to ask, "Who in this family has been molested, chemically addicted, and or likely to have been depressed? And how many generations
back does this go?"

puddington Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Do you think there are an unusual number of TLW
> members with mental problems? Depression.
> Schizophrenia. Etc. Do you think the LW
> environment attracts them? And exasperates their
> problems?
>
> One thing is apparent to me. The LW doesn't help
> them. I can remember certain members being
> directed to not get help. And when they got worse
> with their problems, they were told to stop
> attending services.

We believed things that weren't true but that doesn't mean we had mental illness. Having said that, my memories of some of the behavior of the ministry reminds me of the character Nathan, a paranoid schizophrenic (played by Kevin Klein) in the movie Sophie's Choice. One day upbeat and proclaiming breakthroughs and the next day demonstrating cruel behavior and drastic mood changes.

NickleandDimed Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> puddington,
>
>
>
> I recall spiraling down in depression. One of the
> older pastors expressed concern. John said it was
> tribulation. John lacked discernment. He saw
> mental health through a lens of spirituality. Most
> charismatics do. They ignore the biological and
> psychological components. Brain abnormalities and
> genetics. The brain can get sick and depressed.
> Sometimes the brain heals itself. However, some
> mental health professions think this. Untreated
> depression can set you up. For a life time of
> mental health problems. I suspect some members.
> Who have depression. Self medicate with booze.
> There's better ways to treat depression.


Well said.

puddington Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I also think that the whole emphasis on travail,
> intense intercession and screaming at God
> certainly doesn't help. You get so focused on the
> unfulfilled promises and prophecies that it just
> sets you up for a lifetime of torment and
> depression.
>
> So much for inner peace.


Yes, that's a special kind of existential pain.