Mental illness and evil

Let's start this with the hypothesis that there is good and there is evil on this earth. There is an acknowledged "goodness" (right action, right intention) and an acknowledged "evil" (pain and suffering inflicted, especially unjustly, upon other people, animals, and the earth.)

What do we say about mentally ill people, then, who are "good" people but act in "evil" ways? Are they really going to hell?

 

mentally ill pple arent responsible for most of their actions.. no?
well im not religious so i dunno but im sure pple who believe in god have a ready made answer for that

 

the churche's attitude towards the mentally ill has improved dramatically over the centuries;


If the early church got ahold of a mentally ill person they'd perform an excorcism on him.

After the reformation if the church got ahold of a mentally ill person they'd burn him at the stake.

These days if the church gets ahold of a mentally ill person they either give him his own TV ministry or elect him president.

 

lol i was thinkin somethin like that..

 

Only if it will cure their illness.

 

Ah Hah!

 

I belive that God created the person like that in thier mothers womb for what ever reason. I Belive that God is just and loving. I also belive in the age of accountabilty. Given what I belive the only thing I can come up with is that they go to heaven.

 

What about sociopaths, then? They know the difference between right and wrong but have no conscious, and their brains are wired this way, so what happens if they kill someone?

Better yet; what about someone with dissociative disorder (aka: multiple personalities)... what happens if one personality is a devout Christian and the other is a satanist? Which way does the elevator go for them?

As an aside, the most knowledgeable biblical scholar I've ever met was a paranoid schizophrenic; he could recite any verse from any bible that the Sign of the Fish carried.... of course he believed that human perspiration was a defense mechanism to thwart alien scanners, but that's besides the point.

 

can you imagine one situation in which an all loving god would make a person retarded for life?

 

With all those it falls under circumstance. Seeing how i'm not God or have my PHD i can't make an honest answer. but i belive that God has the power to look at a persons life and figure out where they go . Thats one reason i guess it says to not try to judge the outcome of a persons salvation

 

Sure, I could give you a few examples from these forums.

Maybe from god's perspective "mentally disabled" people have got it down and the rest of us are spiritually retarded.

Retarded people don't need permission from philosophy, science, reason, or religion before they can enjoy life.

*Shakes computer*
My god Man! Didn't You See Forrest Gump!!!

*looks at coffee cup*
(hmmm, this was supposed to be de-caf.)

 

You know I have 2 people in my faimly that have "mental disabiltes" and I hardly ever see them sad. Like Naked Ape said they don't need permission from philosophy etc etc.
The only people who make some one "mentaly retarted" are the people who call them so.

 

if youre christian, you would see gods greatest gift as our ability to love. some handicapped people are completely lacking in ability to communicate, let alone love. Unless handicapped people are the lucky ones who get to enjoy life rather than actively spreading joy in other peoples lives, i dont see any way in which being retarded serves a better purpose than being able to spread love.

 

Whose to say someone who is handicapped can't spread love? Love has nothing to do with being able to communcate. by saying someone "can't love because they are handicapped" is cheapning love! Remeber there are multiple types of love
Eros — a passionate physical love based on physical appearance
Ludus — love is played as a game; love is playful
Storge — an affectionate love that slowly develops, based on similarity
Pragma — pragmatic love
Mania — highly emotional love; unstable; the stereotype of romantic love
Agapē — selfless altruistic love; spiritual

which one of these are you talking about? Both my uncles who are "handicapped" spread alot of love in our faimly! Especialy Wayne. He is fun to be around and when he laughs at something you can't help but laugh too. I'm sorry but i don't mean this in any negative way twoards you. but i think you got the wrong idea on love.

 

you can make someone laugh inadvertantly and this isnt necessarily love. Can a handicapped person love in totally different ways than a mentally capable person, is what im asking? What other purpose are they serving by being handicapped.

 

When they make us laugh we feel good about ourselves because we are having a good time and not worrying about things around us. And no purpose because they are handicapped? Do you realize how superfical that sounds? they live a life just like us maybe they act diffrent or look diffrent but thats it.

 

youre twisting/putting words in my mouth and making me look like ass! you say handicapped people serve some other purpose, but what purpose does being handicapped serve if you can love regardless

 

I'm putting words in your mouth? naw just reading it the way you typd it. When did i say the serve some other purpose? I've been saying they are the same as us

 

Who said "better". In order to make a determination like that we'd have to have complete knowledge of God's purpose for each and every individual in the world.

It takes a bit of intellegence to speculate on what someone elses usefullness, and hence their worth, might be, but personally I can't think of any activity less useful or more worthless.

 

well the whole point of this wasnt to discuss the worth of handicapped people it was to understand what god stands to gain by making people retarded rather than mentally capable.