ASK PASTOR JESSE

Hi! I’m Jesse and I don’t have all the answers. As a pastor, there are questions I’ve encountered over and over. They’re sometimes about theology and the Bible, but more often they’re about everyday life, and they can’t be answered easily or quickly. If you’ve never had the opportunity to ask a pastor tough questions this is the place to ask them, and I’ll do my best to respond honestly, authentically and biblically.

Are serious mental health conditions like dissociative identity disorder, paranoid schizophrenia and borderline personality

disorder actually demonic?—Ellen, WA

I think this comes down to how you see the world and the ideas you use to explain it. In ancient near-Eastern cultures, scientific terms like "mental illness", "dopamine" or even just "the brain" were not in the common vernacular. It wasn't until the Middle Ages that we saw the birth of what we'd consider modern science. So, when confronted with any of these mental disorders, it

should come as no surprise to us that when ancient people witnessed such afflictions, their immediate instinct was to attribute them to a spiritual/demonic source. There are numerous biblical accounts of such things that might today be attributed to mental illness. For instance, King Saul of Israel is described as having "an evil spirit from God" that caused him a great deal of suffering. Only David's playing of the harp was able to cause the "spirit" to depart, bringing the king relief (1 Samuel 16:14–23). Commentators have speculated that the intention of the text isn't to suggest that God sent a demonic spirit to Saul; rather that we should think of it more as a "bad or gloomy mood". Additionally, because this chronologically takes place after the prophet Samuel denounces the king in the previous chapter, we can interpret this "mood" as a form of depression or foreboding. Saul knows God's prophet and by extension, God has withdrawn the blessing from Saul.

Jesus Himself was accused of both being "out of His mind" and "demonpossessed" by the religious leaders (Mark 3:20–22). Even in the ancient world, there wassome distinction between the two states, though they nevertheless seem to be linked.

Of course, there are many situations in the biblical text where demonic possession is mentioned and no alternative interpretation is offered (Matthew 9:32, 33, 17:14–20, Mark 5:4, 5). A modern reader might attribute a more clinical explanation to one or more of these situations but the fact remains that ancient people had no words to describe such supernatural things.

Though I've never experienced demon possession firsthand, I've heard enough from people I trust to believe that there's a spiritual battle happening around us. If you were to speak to a Christian in the Pacific Islands or Africa, you'd soon find that demonic activity is commonplace. If you're a Westerner you might be skeptical but to those people, it's very real.

What I haveexperienced firsthand are people suffering from schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder and manic depression/bipolar disorder. Those I've come into contact with are all different and suffer for different reasons. As a Christian, I believe that we are integrated beings; that is to say, our mental, spiritual and physical health are connected. Some people's mental health certainly is affected by their spiritual health and vice versa. What I wouldn't call someone who suffers from a mental health disorder, though, is demonpossessed. We're lucky in our day and age to have the benefit of both spiritual and medical wisdom for those who need it. I've learned to not be too quick to judge someone and their situation, nor to assume their circumstances fit into a neat little box. Rather, my advice to you if you know someone who suffers from a mental health condition is to be patient, discerning and above all else, compassionate.