It looks like John MacArthur is not only returning to an early version of Jay Adams, but is even stricter. Adams allowed for Schizophrenia and Bi-polar, which apparently MacArthur does not.
Everyone pretty much agrees that sometimes some doctors can over medicate. This is true in the physical realm as well, although nowadays it seems there is much more restraint this way. Many cases of what is typically called “mental illness” are treated apart from medicine.
Although presenting addiction issues as illnesses rather than sinful addictions is not helpful, conditions like PTSD, Bi-polar, and Schizophrenia (and a host of others) are examples of conditions often called mental illnesses.
Are none of these real? Are they all a result of sin or some great racket to enrich healthcare professionals. Sounds cynical to me, but what do you think?
Discussion
NewNot mutually exclusive
I started a post on how sin and mental health are not mutually exclusive as causes for problems. It got long, though, so… maybe an article.
(Edit: Yes, an article. Coming soon.)
Views expressed are always my own and not my employer's, my church's, my family's, my neighbors', or my pets'. The house plants have authorized me to speak for them, however, and they always agree with me.
NewSin is always the cause of…
Sin is always the cause of our problems. The difference is whether it is personal sin, sin by others or general sin. I do believe mental issues are over medicated. But with that said, I do agree that mental illnesses are real. Some are very medically rooted, anywhere from a head injury to chemical imbalances. Some are related to trauma, like PTSD.