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I have noticed that a lot of Christians, the ones I have known at least, tend to think that a born again believer can never get a mental disease/disorder. I know once, during a sermon, my paster even said, "People who cut themselves are only doing it for attention." I know cutting isn't a mental disease/disorder but you get the point. And this statement seriously offended me because, at the time, I was cutting myself. And I was in NO way doing it for attention. I was petrified that someone would find out.

Another example, I told my grandma once that I thought I might be bi-polar. She slapped me, literally, and told me to pray for my sins. Anyone else ever had similiar issues? Is it possible to be a born again believer and have a mental disease/disorder?

And I have reserached it, by the way. Most mental diseases/disorders are caused usually by an inbalance in hormones or lack of a certain hormone. I'm new to the guild and this is something that has been bothering me for a while.

Most people who have never cut themselves, never felt inclined to harm themselves, or have never had a close friend who went through such a situation do not and can not understand what it's like. Not all, but most. From what I have seen and experienced there are three types of people who harm themselves: The mentally impaired (certain conditions will lead to inflicting personal pain without realizing it or without caring), the depressed (physical pain can get the mind off the emotional pain), and the attention whores.

I'm not going to discuss the mentally impaired part of that because I don't know enough about it and don't want to insult anyone.

The ones who do it to get rid of pain will most likely do so in private. Like you, they don't want anyone to know. Clearly not a case for attention. There are also masochists who will do it simply because they enjoy pain, but most of the masochists I've met choose other ways to get that thrill.

The ones who want attention will stop at nothing to get it. I also won't say anything about that because I think it's irrelevant to the conversation.

That aside; most of the Christians I have met don't believe that they are immune at all. Many of them have or know and care for people who have some condition or another. Depression, autism, bi-polar disorder, even schizophrenia. Many churches I have seen will even do fundraisers on occasion to aid groups or organizations that help people with those conditions. The idea that people who are saved are immune to such problems is ridiculous since the people who have those problems can just as easily be saved and have been used countless times throughout history by God to perform miraculous acts.

Personally I'd get out of that sect of Christianity as soon as I could do so with minimum drama caused to the family. Although being slapped would have been enough to cross my line. If saying you think there's a problem that needs to be dealt with leads to getting slapped because of religion, it's not the right religion. Not in my opinion. Saying there's a problem should lead to getting help.

Well, I have seen some of the ignorant behavior that you are talking about, but at the same time, I have never been a part of a congregation that believes depression and problems associated with it are signs of an unsaved state... neutral

I do remember visiting a church with my friend and the speaker was talking about depression as a sign of possession... which I thought was absurd... and at the end of the sermon, there was a call to the alter for people to have the 'demons of depression' 'cast out' of them... I was gothic-hippy (because I could pull it off) so when I walked out during the alter call, apparently I became the poster child for what long-time possession looked like... at least, that was related to my friends that stayed inside the church until the end. rofl

Anyway, I dealt with some depression through my teen years, but sometimes hurting myself was the only thing that would take my mind off of the fears and worries I experienced... I never cut, but I think some of the things I did were probably harder on me than cutting could ever have been... it didn't make me less of a Christian...

In fact, I think I am a better Christian for having experienced such darkness. I learned to check myself when I find judgment wanting to rear its ugly head. I learned to have true compassion for people who are unsure of what is left from life. I learned to understand that even when things are bad, there is something to live for, because things can and will get better if I wait long enough... AND, of course, I learned to depend on God to lead me, to talk to me, and to be still and listen...

I would say, most Christians I know understand that depression is real, and not a sign of lack of salvation... but they can't refute other Christians saying that it is a sign of your spiritual state when it isn't at the fore-front of their attention... I would suggest you try and find other Christians that are not of your regular congregation, and see what they have to say (in your RL of course)... when you find someone who is talking sensibly, maybe you can see about checking out a new church...

LOL I hit edit at first and was like... something's wrong here, lol. Anyway I've been reading some of your posts and I think you are a better Christian for at least trying to take reality into consideration. Some people seem to think ignoring reality is the way to go and that just pretending stuff like that is cool when it isn't will somehow work as long as they have faith makes me worry about what exactly it is some of them believe in. At least you seem to have your head on straight.

Yes, I find that the church I attend (well, attended, studying abroad this year biggrin ), well the church i attended for 3 years tended to ignore problems. They tended to pretend nothing was wrong and viewed the world in "black and white" when the world is in fact filled with shades of gray. I felt like they put on a mask, to pretend life was happy with no problems at all, it didn't feel real. I have issues too, I used to be a cutter as well, and my parents were emotionally abusive, seriously degrading, so I have always had self confidence issues and hated mirrors and used to seriously hate myself, but no one understood, they'd say "God loves you....he created you.." type of thing but never dug in deep to the root of the problem. So I know what it's like too. I also have a dad who is a drug addict and has schizophrenia, and I asked one friend from the church if I should bring it up in bible study during prayer time...he said no...This is also a church I receive sexism and racism from. I'm thankful I finally asked Jesus into my life last year, but always remember that being a Christian doesn't make life easier!!!

But to ignore problems is stupid. To say that Christians can't have medical probs infuriates me. There are Doctors, Psychologists, etc. for a reason, and having depression DOES have to due with chemical imbalances in the brain, being a Christian doesn't mean you won't have probs.

My mom used to be the Church Monster type of people. As a teen, I always yelled at my parents at the tops of my lungs...who do you think I learned it from? Yes, my parents. Yet my mom would always say I had the devil in me and not look at her actions, and kids are always learning from their parents. She would also say stupid things, like my Aunt, her sister, has Epilepsy, and she would say there was a devil inside her. Thank goodness she changed a couple of years ago, but I know what it's like to live with a Church Monster, and to be part of an ignorant church. I pray and ask why, and maybe God put us in these situations so we can open their eyes. Maybe He wants us to show them their ignorance? This sounds stupid and preachy, but I feel like it's true. I just need to learn to speak up eek

Yes, it's possible to have a mental illness and be a born again Christian. I became a born again Christian a few years ago and I still have bipolar depression. I don't know why people think having a mental illness is a state of being unsaved. That's like saying Paul was unsaved because he had sight problems. I wish God would cure me, but Paul mentions "a thorn of the flesh" in one of his books. God never cured him of his eyesight, so why should I expect Him to cure me of my bipolar depression? There are even Christian children with cancer.

No one at the church I go to sometimes see mental or physical disabilities as sinning.