I agree, Write, as a "logical", "normal IQ", "mentally normal" person.
I think Overcomer is speaking to the fact that there seem to be many people out there who are not in those categories
I don't believe anyone is 'normal' or 'logical' any more than anyone else!
I work with people every day who are mentally impaired, their behaviour might seem strange at times but mostly they are just differently normal for them!
'Us and 'the other'.
How many people here have said over and over 'oh no, I don't have a mental illness' as though to even suspect they might would be unthinkable.
That's the taboo of it speaking inside us.
This is larger than any of us here.
we often don't tackle these subjects except as salacious debating topics or something akin to a 'penny-dreadful' because we don't want to see that we are all the same and all equally responsible for self and the society we live in.
Years ago it was too difficult and too dreadful to contemplate that children got raped and molested in their own homes or churches by otherwise apprently normal responsible fathers and clergy....then we went through a brief era where well-meaning people bandied the topic around hysterically and false allegations were added to the mix....now we have a more balanced view that child protection is the main issue of the topic, and prevention policies are becoming norms, with increased education and awareness of what constitutes abuse but understanding that we need a situation where no one will ignore a child in need, but also parents and childcarers feel comfortable to be close to children.
Just because it's a difficult issue doesn't mean we shouldn't tackle it, and brave people and good organisations do tackle it and try to come up with balanced outcomes.
My whole objection to this thread has been the idea that the people who do unspeakably bad things- evil things for want of an unpopular notion- are mentally ill.
They might well be, or have 101 other problems. That does not mean the rest of the population with any of those problems do those things, they don't.
Yet every time someone commits an atrocity we delve into mental illness as though it's some kind of universal explanation.
Must be. How else could we explain it.
I'll explain it- it's when people's lack of foresight joins with their stupidity and cruelty and unwillingness to take responsibility for themselves or deny themselves something.
I worked with criminals for years and the one thing that was always in the forefront of my mind was how pointless so many of the actions were, overall, even the big ones always boiled down to small inconsiderations.
So yes, I agree with this: Christianity teaches us that there is no "big" or "little" sin.
and coincidentally my scripture reading today was:
whoever is unjust with very little will also be unjust with much.
( Luke 16 )
The more well you are when you're well, the more well you'll be when you're sick/stressed/drugged/whatever other factor affects ability to make decisions....
