In the November/December issue of Convivium Richard Bastien responded to a columnist, Michael Dent Tandt who writes from a liberal perspective. Mr. Bastien does not seem to embrace those of us who are religious. Mr. Bastian wrote: “However, there is a good deal of historical evidence to suggest that once we eliminate the idea that God created us for a specific purpose and that freedom exists to fulfill that purpose then we are bound, as Blaise Pascal wrote, to expose ourselves to delusions of all kinds. The social problems that we are daily confronted with-drug addiction, suicidal behaviour and sexual promiscuity among young people, the culture of divorce and the prevalence of pornography in the culture at large-uphold that view.”
I find the comments in this paragraph to be demeaning and reductionist. First, the author seems to be implying that if we all believed in God there would be no mental illness, no suicidal behaviour as if belief in God could prevent any illness; cancer or heart and kidney disease.
As a chaplain I have cared for people with mental illness, including suicidal ideation, who believe in God. I have a mental illness and shared my experiences with the readers of Convivium. I am third generation with genetic pre-disposition as well as epigenetic triggers for mental illness. I grew up in a home filled with the traditions, rituals and symbols of my religion, as did my father, who witnessed the death of a young person at the hands of Cossacks, and his mother before him-all suffering from mental illness. I live well, now because of the psycho-social and Spiritual Care I received when I was suicidal.
In the wake of the horrors at Sandy Hook in Newtown, would the author suggest that the man/child who did these things would not if he had believed in God’s purpose based on this author’s understanding? There seems to be a total lack of understanding, by this author, regarding the underlying causes of mental illness: the stressors; prolonged unemployment; the after-shock of deployment to war zones; death of a loved one; divorce; moving out of one’s matrimonial home into assisted living; losing one’s mobility, failing exams in school. For some, these are blips in one’s life; for others, one major stressor or many small ones will trigger changes in the brain that will trigger a mental illness. Mental illness is not the result of exposing ourselves to delusions.
The author was rebutting comments made by Michael Dent Tandt who had written about the “triumph of reason over the dark ages of religion.” Yet this author prioritized a fundamentalist religious belief over reason and put mental illness back into the dark ages, re-stigmatizing those of us who deal with mental illness on a daily basis. Without any science to back his opinion he is suggesting, that mental illness is a state of mind that one can cure, or perhaps be immune to, by believing in God. Belief will not cure or manage mental illness any more than belief can cure cancer.
I also find his comments offensive because they show a disrespect to those of us who believe in a God of justice and mercy, charity and loving kindness; a God of compassion who would never inflict such pain on any of His children-religious or not.
I look to Convivium to be an enlightened discussion about religion and the role it can play in making the public the public square kinder and gentler, more compassionate and empathic. This article, specifically the statements about mental illness, does not fit this description. Perhaps my expectations are wrong. I hope not.
