Post due by 10/25 Class:
Rob Lee, in his call to action for the church, states that the church must speak a Gospel of Resurrection for people suffering with mental illness. He goes on to say: For the church to proclaim this sort of resurrection it will require a sort of “coming out.” Clergy will have to proclaim from the pulpit their own struggles with mental illness; church members will have to have honest conversations with each other surrounding their own experiences. For this is part of resurrection — a realization that the worst is behind us, and that no matter what the future holds we can face it with a peace and a hope that may have eluded us for so long.
(See http://www.abpnews.com/opinion/commentaries/item/29069-time-for-the-church-to-respond-to-the-mental-health-crisis for whole article.)
Consider our discussion of human and faith development thus far. How might people's decisions to share about their experiences with mental illness (whether personal or familial) be impacted by developmental needs and/or faith stage?
I think that sharing this type of information is going to be hard no matter what stage of faith or development one is in. It will take a certain level of maturity to open oneself up to scrutiny in the eyes of others. If one is rooted and grounded within the church ie made to feel safe then this type of dialogue will be much easier. The problem is that everyone is not evolved enough to handle hearing others peoples stuff.
ReplyDeleteI cannot imagine that this type of sharing of information that is so personal would be an easy task for any stage of faith. As we are products of our environments, we are taught that certain behaviors are taboo, and seeking help from the world of psychiatry/phychology is not dealt with. I do believe as church leaders, it is incumbent upon us to set the example for those we lead. Training leaders to be good listeners and sharers of information could also be a step in the right direction. There are resources which could be made available when more expert help is needed and there are probably resources within the church that are untapped. Training is the key.
ReplyDeleteCarolyn L. Jones
The topic of mental illness has been taboo to talk about within the church because of people believing and feeling that they will be judged or ostracized. To be transparent requires that the individual have a certain amount of mental and emotional courage. Because it is so personal of course it would be hard to share.
ReplyDeleteI also believe that the person who is receiving the information needs to carry a certain amount of responsibility. If a person would like to talk about their condition in confidence than that should be granted. There needs to be more training in this area within the church leaders and family.
The previous post was mine.
ReplyDeleteThanks,
Sharon
I think as a people this is such a taboo subject, in the African American community we are taught to be so private about our personal affairs especially when it refers to mental illness. I believe it is a ministry that is needed, If the pastor of a church can become transparent and share some mental situations that he\she may have experienced then this may allow other members of the congregation to open up and share what's going on in there life. The members must be confidential with the information that is being discussed. This will be a way that the membership can get therapy with out feeling that there is something wrong with them. Truth be told we all know or have had someone in our families that is dealing or has dealt with mental illness.
ReplyDeleteDarrin L. Hill
Most people have been touched in some way by mental illness today. While depression impacts all age groups, many of our young people, especially, are filled with a mixture, of stress, dread and high anxiety. The pressure continues to grow in the absence of having an outlet or someone that they trust and can talk to about their troubling and dark thoughts. Churches today can play a major role in addressing mental illness and the stigma surrounding it. However, the effort to identify the problem or issue needs to start in the home. After which, an outside source is needed to aide them in getting beyond the shame and stigma of such a situation. Just talking about it will allow others to realize that they are not the only one struggling with such issues, which will immediately relieve some of the pressure. The death of Rick Warren’s son and his struggle with mental illness was a true awakening for many. Mr. and Mrs. Warren’s boldness to share something so personal really paved the way for others to come out as well. So, in support of the article, talking about it from the pulpit can make a huge difference.
ReplyDeleteNaomi B. Powell
The Church in my opinion has not evolved enough to handle many of the taboo issues in our society ,i.e. mental illness. Mental illness is one of those issue in our society we would prefer not to talk about ,just let other people handle it and the church just stand on the side lines and hope for the best. But, that is no longer the case if the church fails as the church to get involved in matters like aids ,homelessness, spousal abuse which mental illness is at the root of many of these. One Sunday morning as we are preparing to enter the Church doors we will
ReplyDeletefind these illnesses along with a host of other issues waiting to enter the worship
service with us along with all of the disruptive force it can bring about .
Rudolph Smith
I honestly and truly agree with this statement wholeheartedly. Had I been brought up in an environment where people were more open and honest about these types of experiences, it would have made it easier for me to cope with and understand the things I've dealt with. I honestly never looked at myself as being mentally ill (until this year) particularly because most people operate as if they're not. So all the time, I thought I was just weird, when in fact I'm finding out that I'm actually a little more normal than I thought. Out of everyone we've learned about, I think Erikson's different stages would have the most effect on people sharing these types of experiences. Ministers come in all shapes, sizes, and ages, so there's no determination as to what stage anyone would be in, but the variable factors of X vs. Y in all the different stages by Erikson creates a dichotomous spectrum of where people could "be" and determining on where they "are" could potentially determine how comfortable a person could be with sharing.
ReplyDeleteI believe that as leaders in the church we should be aware of mental illness. I think that we should seek training on ways to approach people whom have metal illnesses. I believe that there are so many different mental diseases and different stages of such that it is impossible to actually categorize them in any stage. I agree with the above statement to the extent that persons need to be aware of mental illnesses but I too think we need to seek more information on how to approach and present awareness to our members especially those who are being impacted by the more severe disorders.
ReplyDeleteTaylor Brown
I believe the church needs to address the mental illness issue. Because of the type of issue this is it would be difficult for people to open up and discuss no matter what the stage of development. If a specific group is held the members may be more open to attending. I believe it should be discussed from the pulpit and that there should be training and counseling sessions for those who are interested. Hopefully with these resources in place more people will be willing to participate. Janice Mitchell
ReplyDelete