Posts Tagged religion
Faith or Psychosis? A Case Study
Posted by annaldavis in Everything Else on April 16, 2012
Abraham is an elderly male presenting with symptoms of acute psychosis. Physical exam, taken upon admittance, is normal. Psychiatric evaluation shows severe mental and behavioral distortion. Below is a transcript of the evaluation (P= Psychiatrist, A= Abraham).
Patient exhibits strong signs of psychosis, including delusions of grandeur and reduced capacity to recognize reality. Recommend treatment with antipsychotics, and need for increased patient awareness of disorganized thought processes. Talked with patient’s wife about the condition, explained the dosage of medication and need for increased vigilance toward mental wellbeing. Patient agreed not to make any big decisions until treatment takes effect. Patient will indefinitely postpone moving his family.
Patient also agreed to follow-up with psychiatrist in two weeks to discuss medication and other long-term prevention and self-care methods in the event of a repeat severe psychotic event. Prognosis is good. Patient has sufficient family support and shows initial compliance with treatment plan.
Which is it: FAITH or PSYCHOSIS? Sometimes it can be hard to tell…
“By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going” (Hebrews 11:8).
(This post was inspired by Genesis 12 from the Bible, The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins, and The Christian Atheist by Craig Groeschal.)
shofar, so close
Posted by annaldavis in Everything Else on September 6, 2010
I’m not Jewish. But a while back I had a strange dream that led me to think about Rosh Hashanah, a Jewish holiday that begins on the first day of the Hebrew month of Tishri (for 2010 this falls on September 9th).
“‘On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts. Do no regular work, but present an offering made to the LORD by fire.” Lev. 23:24-25
One of the most important parts of Rosh Hashanah is hearing the sounding of the shofar in the synagogue. The shofar is a trumpet made from the horn of an animal. In biblical times, it served as a call to arms during war, the alarm for disaster, a signal to gather, and to proclaim the anointing of a king.
The day before Rosh Hashanah, there are no trumpet blasts. But then the day itself brings 100 trumpet blasts.
Can you imagine it? On the eve of Rosh Hashanah (called Erev Rosh Hashanah) everything is quiet, preparations are made, and the mood is “festive but serious.” And then the sacred day comes, and Jews attend special services together and hear multiple shofar blasts that must certainly stand in stark contrast to the silence from the day before. It is a time of repentance and spiritual awakening.
Now consider these verses:
And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets. Rev. 8:2
The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our LORD and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever.” Rev. 11:15
For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first. 1 Thess. 4:16
Christians, today is our Erev Rosh Hashanah. Everything is quiet, preparations are being made, and the mood is festive but serious. Jesus is near, right at the door. He is our sacrifice, our atonement, our “offering made to the Lord.”
Are you ready for tomorrow?
ideas and truth
Posted by annaldavis in Everything Else on August 7, 2010
“What’s the most resilient parasite? An idea. A single idea from the human mind can build cities. An idea can transform the world and rewrite all the rules. Which is why I have to steal it.” ~ Inception
When was the last time you really thought about what you believe? And where that belief, that idea, came from? Some ideas come through the wisdom and understanding of those who have gone before us. Other ideas may be harmful at their core, once we deconstruct the true meaning and motive.
As we grow older we learn to deprogram ourselves from potentially harmful ideas that have been imbedded in us, or to consciously choose the beneficial ones. If you haven’t done this with the big issues – theology, politics, sex, and money – then how do you know what YOU really believe?
And if that idea came from someone else, how do you know it was based on truth? I think it’s entirely possible that the True, Original ideas become tainted over time and that this is especially true with spirituality and religion. Religious deception is everywhere. When was the last time you deconstructed what you believe?
Because it would make sense that the most powerful ideas are also the most strongly opposed. Ideas that are both original and Truthful are under constant attack because of their sheer power. If something can twist the Truth — dilute and distort it — then it can potentially change everything.
God, the first and last truly original idea, is building a magnificent City that is transforming the world and rewriting the rules of our fallen history. But too many of us are following the lie, the planted false truth. When was the last time you deconstructed what you believe?
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10
