Dear Atheists, Stop Calling Religion A Mental Illness!

I have spoken to many professing atheists in my lifetime and I even listen to many atheists in the public sphere too. A common theme that I seem to get from these professing atheists is that they think that religion, specifically Christianity, is a mental illness. This idea demonstrates two fundamental flaws: 1) they do not understand what constitutes a mental illness and 2) They are in denial of reality. In this blog, I shall discuss what I mean by these two premises but first I would like to discuss why conflating religion with mental illness is so dangerous. When you confuse religion with mental illness, it puts a stigma on people who belong to a specific religious group. I say this because mental illness is highly stigmatized in society, unfortunately. When you stigmatize religious people by labeling them mentally ill, society then tends to ostracize them. Some professing atheists may say that religious people deserve to be ostracized, but I am willing to bet that most would disagree. I would hope that most people would say that no one deserves to be ostracized because of their religious beliefs. Now, I will talk about my two points concerning why this idea is flawed. 

1) They Don't Understand What Constitutes A Mental Illness 

Many professing atheists who claim that religion is a mental illness demonstrate that they do not comprehend what a mental illness is. I do admit that it is difficult to actually pinpoint an exact definition of mental illness. However, the best definition of mental illness that I have found comes from Dr. Matthew Stanford, a neuroscientist, and Christian. He says in his book "Grace For The Afflicted: A Clinical And Biblical Perspective On Mental Illness" that, 

"In psychology and psychiatry, we define mental illness as a clinically significant disruption of a person's thoughts, moods, behavior, or ability to relate to others, severe enough to require treatment or intervention" 

According to the clinical definition of mental illness, one can only be diagnosed with a mental illness when the illness is disrupting their thoughts, moods, behavior, or ability to relate to others in such a way that it requires some type of treatment or intervention. This would mean that the illness is severely disabling the person from performing daily activities. It should be obvious that religious people do not meet this qualification as the evidence clearly indicates that many religious people have many meaningful relationships with other people and many religious people function normally in daily activities too. As a matter of fact, many religious people in all sectors of professional life do not have any impairments in daily living. So, for one to call religion a mental illness demonstrates that they do not know what they are talking about. As a matter of fact, the accusation says more about the person making the claim than it does about any religious person in general. It says that the person is more interested in shutting down the conversation rather than having a mature and open dialogue which is evidence of the fact that the person is not mature enough for the conversation. It is also a sign of deflection, which leads me to my next point. 

2) They Are In Denial Of Reality 

"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them." -Romans 1:18-19 

You probably have noticed that in this blog I've been referring to these people as "professing atheists". The reason why I do this is that there really is no such thing as a true atheist. The Lord Jesus Christ has revealed Himself plainly to all people so the professing atheist is really just someone who is suppressing the truth in unrighteousness because they love their own wickedness and depravity. This may sound harsh and offensive to say but it is the truth. How has God revealed Himself to humans? Well in verse 20 of Romans 1, we read the following, 

"For his invisible attributes, namely his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world"

The first way that God has revealed Himself to us is through His creation. When we contemplate how incredibly designed the universe is, we cannot help but see the hand of our Creator. It is so abundantly obvious to us that the universe is designed that even Dr. Richard Dawkins in his book The God Delusion is forced to admit that the universe looks designed, but then he goes on to suggest that we must remind ourselves that its the result of "millions of years of evolution". However, why do we need to "remind" ourselves to ignore what is so obvious to us? This sounds like suppressing the truth in unrighteousness. The fact is, the universe is so incredibly designed that microbiologist Dr. Michael Behe called it "irreducible complexity", which is just a fancy way of saying the universe is intelligently designed and thus requires a greater intelligence to have designed it. If this does not convince you, there is one other way that God has revealed Himself to all people and that is through our consciences. In Romans 2:14-16 we read, 

"For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus"

All humans are born into this world with a conscience that knows right from wrong. Have you ever seriously considered how you actually know that murder and lying are indeed wrong? Or even how child molestation is wrong? It cannot be because you were raised in a society that believes those things are wrong. After all, if society is the arbiter of morality then that would mean society can change what is deemed right and wrong on a whim. However, I am more than positive that most people would agree that even if everyone in society said that child molestation was right that it would still be morally wrong to molest a child. However, where did such knowledge come from? There must be an objective standard of right for us to know what violates that standard. Let me elaborate on this with an illustration: Imagine we have two entirely different maps of Africa and we wanted to determine which map was indeed correct, how would we do that? Well, we would need to look at the actual continent of Africa to see which map was the closest. However, if Africa does not exist then both maps are irrelevant. In the same way, if God did not exist, then all of our moral judgments would in fact be irrelevant and arbitrary. It would not matter if we thought child molestation was right or wrong. However, we all seem to agree that child molestation is indeed wrong no matter where we are from. This is evidence that there is a universal standard for what is right and thus demonstrates that God exists as that standard. This argument has been called The Moral Law argument for God's existence and I have yet to see an atheist give a sound refutation for it because there is none. 

As you can clearly see, religion is not a mental illness, and those who say that it does, do not understand what is a mental illness and they are denying reality. I hope that if you are someone who once believed this erroneous belief that you will abandon it after reading this blog. Mental illness is a serious disability and it must not be trivialized by using it to shut down the conversation. The reality is that professing atheists hate God and their neighbor and love their own wickedness instead. This is why Psalm 14:1 calls these people fools because they are fighting against the grain of reality. I hope that you are not one of these people, but if you are then I call you to repent and put your faith in the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for your salvation. You know that you have violated His standard of perfection and thus deserve eternal condemnation. God has not left you in this predicament because He came down as a human being to take our punishment upon Himself on a bloody roman cross. Then, three days later He rose from the dead. Now, anyone who calls upon the name of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be saved and have communion with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit for eternity. 

--David Lee Chu Sarchet 
Christian Mental Health Advocate 

Check out the Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry Website

Should Someone With Mental Illness Have The Right To Die?

In modern times there has been much debate concerning whether or not one should have the right to a physician-assisted suicide. Whether one is on the pro side or the con, the debate does tend to get pretty heated. However, lately the debate has added a new factor into it and that is whether or not someone with severe mental illness should have the same right. Those who say "yes" usually argue that if after exhausting all medical and psychological methods one is still not getting any better then the patient should be allowed to ask their doctor to medically help them commit suicide in order to end their suffering. Those who say "no" make the argument that life is in the hands of God and only He can decide who lives and who dies and that we should pretend to be God. But, what does the Bible say concerning this topic? In this blog, I shall be discussing exactly how we as Christians should view this important topic. 

The first thing I would like to talk about is the value of human life. The reason for this is because at the core of this debate is over whether or not human life has any value. As Christians, we would obviously say that human life is immensely valuable, but the secularist would say that human life is no more valuable than a pig or a rat. According to God's word, which side is correct? If we turn to Genesis 1:27 we read the following, 

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them" 

Theologians have traditionally called this the Imago Dei (Image of God). Human beings are mirror images of the Creator since the time of creation even after the Fall. Think about this for a moment. As finite, sinful, imperfect human beings, we mirror the perfect, infinite, incorruptible, majestic, glorious, good God of creation. This is why the Psalmist can say in Psalm 139:14, 

"I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well" 

These truths apply to all human beings everywhere regardless of whether or not they are born-again Christians. However, for those of us who have submitted to the Lordship of Christ, we have even more immense value and dignity. As Peter tells us in 1 Peter 2:9, 

"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim of the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light" 

All Christians everywhere are consider royalty and holy in His sight. We are the very possession of this infinitely glorious God. In Ephesians 4 we read, 

"...even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him"

According to this text, God predestined Christians to be holy and without blame since before He created anything! Can you please just take a moment to reflect on that for a second? Before God created this highly complex universe, He chose specific people to be set apart for Himself as blameless! If this does not show you how much we are worth then I am not sure what will. 

Now, that I have established that human beings, both Christians and non-Christians are incredibly valuable, what does this have to do with whether or not mentally ill people have the right to die? Much in every way! Since we are so incredibly valuable, we should always strive to preserve and protect human life at all costs. You may be wondering where does the Bible talk about that now, right? In Proverbs 31:8 we read, 

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed" 

As Christians, it is our duty to stand for the dignity of human life, especially the weak and destitute. When we turn to Psalm 82:3-4 we read, 

"Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked" 

As you can see, it is clearly our duty to protect and preserve human life. I would go as far as to say that if we aren't doing everything we possibly can to protect and preserve human life then we are sinning and should repent. This applies to all human life everywhere from conception until natural death so that would include those who struggle with mental illnesses. We do not have the right to determine who deserves to live or die. Only the Lord Jesus Christ can determine that as He alone is the Creator of life. 

Now, I do sympathize with those who struggle with severe mental illness who feel as if their suffering is too much for them to bear, and I would like to offer some encouragement from the Scriptures that should give one hope. If we turn to Romans 8:18-21 we read, 

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage and and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God" 

No matter what it is that you may be experiencing in this life, it is only temporary. We have an eternal inheritance awaiting us that is far more amazing and makes all of our current suffering seem trivial by comparison. The Apostle Paul was not making light of suffering, however, he was telling us to look at our suffering from an eternal perspective. What exactly was Paul comparing our suffering to when he said this? I believe that he had in mind what the Apostle John would later write about in Revelation 21:1-4. He says, 

"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away'." 

Our inheritance is the New Heaven and New Earth where we will be in communion with The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for eternity. There will be no more sin, sorrow, or suffering. We can only imagine what that day will be like but it will be marvelous. I believe this is what Paul was encouraging us to think on when we contemplate our present sufferings. However, it is not that we have to wait until some time much later in the future for our suffering to end. God promises us that in this life our suffering will not last forever. In Romans 8:28, Paul tells us, 

"And we know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose" 

No matter what we experience in this life, whether it is physical or mental or spiritual, God promises that He is working everything out for our ultimate good. This means that our suffering is not permanent and this should give us reason to persevere no matter how tough things get because we know that God is in control of our circumstances. We can trust Him with our lives because He is good. 

I trust that now you can see the whole "Should The Mentally Ill Have The Right To Die?" debate in a whole new light. I honestly do not like that this topic has come up because I think it is quite upsetting that people are advocating for the killing of vulnerable people. I have even seen Lauren from the Living Well With Schizophrenia YouTube channel advocate for such a thing  and I have immense respect for her. However, I do not agree with her on this topic. It is not compassionate or loving to say that mentally ill people should have the right to kill themselves regardless of whether or not it is done by a doctor. This is just one example of how the secular world cannot offer those who struggle either physically or mentally any kind of real hope. Real hope lies in the life, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. We need to always remember that and proclaim it from the rooftops because people need to hear where true hope lies. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog and I hope that the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ richly blesses you all! Soli Deo Gloria! 

-David Lee Chu Sarchet 
Christian Mental Health Advocate 

Check out the Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry Website

Check out the other Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry Website