Master of Spirituality - Lesson #17
I can only speak from my own experience of ministry in England. But what has become increasingly evident to me over the years is that often depressive illness and emotional distress are the result of people feeling: overlooked, insignificant, powerless and frightened; with the result that they live futile, meaningless and empty lives. The causes are complex but amongst them is a secular society that is growing in confidence and seeking at every turn to eradicate religion from its midst; to get rid of the very faith that gave it birth and which still underpins its laws and institutions. In Britain TV output is also increasingly atheistic in content decided, I'm sure, by people who think they know better and therefore seek to control what people think. No wonder people are increasingly resorting to anti-depressants, and other talking therapies, to ease their spiritual pain. People were created to be in community with one another each contributing of him/herself to its life, vitality and cohesion. But much of that is now lost. Today, governments emphasise individualism i.e. standing on one's own two feet regardless of others. The result is selfishness and a catastrophic fragmentation of society where people no longer talk to each other, no longer know their neighbours and have to lock themselves behind their own front door to keep away strangers. How far we have declined. It wasn't that long ago you could go out and leave the key in the lock of your door. But not anymore.
As a Christian minister I increasingly encounter people living on the edge who harbour underlying fears and desperation. On the surface they seem fine but underneath they are scared of a world perceived as hostile, alien and set against them. But often the immediate cause of distress is loneliness i.e. no-one to talk to, to share their concerns with. So they consult the doctor who dutifully writes out a prescription for tranquillisers or anti-depressants even though there is no evidence this form of mediation works but plenty of evidence to the contrary that it makes matters worse. But what is taking place here between doctor and patient is a kind of unspoken contract. The patient consults the doctor expecting him/her to give him/her something to solve their distress; and the doctor responds by writing out a prescription for the patient thus keeping everyone happy. Happy until the pills don't work and the patient returns for more. And so it goes on. Yet many people suffering from depression (which after all is caused by the "disconnection" from self and one's environment) would benefit from an honest conversation with a friend or family member. But in an increasingly fragmented and individualistic society we've forgotten how to do this and so shunt our loved ones off to the "psychiatrist" or else shut the door on them having no answer to their malady. But there is no pill in existence able to solve our spiritual and emotional demise. What people need to do is "reconnect" with one-another and become a joined-up society again; one that talks to each-another; cares for each-other, listens to each-other, values each-other and supports each-other. In his ground-breaking work Freud traced most personality disorders back to childhood particularly the formative years from birth to around 8. He believed that during this period traumatic experiences are repressed and accessible only through psycho-analysis - a talking therapy also known as "free association." Freud also placed great stock on dream therapy for similar reasons. Today psycho-dynamic therapy, behaviour therapy and CBT etc. are heralded as therapies most likely to help the "depressed" get well again. Yet modern psychology knows very little about the human brain and for the most part does rejects the concept of an immaterial "mind." So we need to look elsewhere for an answer for the popularity of science. And we don't have to look far. People have become accustomed to believing that science has an answer for every question – which is untrue of course. The real answer to psychological distress is paying attention to people; hearing their stories and reconnecting them to their spiritual selves as the only way of restoring hope, meaning and purpose to their lives. That is exactly what I try to do in my ministry and that's so important because as a Christian I do not have the same materialistic-outlook as others do. As a minister I am in the business of "people." Ministry by definition is submitting to God and the "service of others" in his name. People are not a collection of chemicals or a machine devoid of meaning and purpose. People were created in the image of God i.e. a combination of body, soul and Spirit despite what psychology and psychiatry teaches. Just mentioning "God" to a psychiatrist is a sign of delusion! I have psychology books in my library which state confidently as "fact" that the human brain contains ancient and modern bits i.e. new bits added over time yet retaining the most primitive bits but to our emotional detriment. According to this theory the so called "fight or flight" response is left over from the time we were hunter gatherers seeking food whilst dodging wild beasts eager to make us their latest meal. But now that we buy our food in supermarkets and so don't have to evade wild beasts to obtain it the "fight or flight response" affects us in new ways i.e. through phobias and other emotional triggers. However, these "experts" who write this stuff have no more idea than anyone else whether this is fact or fiction; true or false. And this is the problem with science in my view. And because it is we would do well to heed Descartes' words who said that: when developing an argument keep it simple and build it up methodically otherwise you may end up talking nonsense. How true that is. Scientist's today talk confidently of evolution as if it is an established fact. But they would do well to heed Hume's caution; just because an effect is observed doesn't mean we can determine a cause of that effect even where a pattern appears to confirm it. We humans have vivid imaginations and tend to link ideas together to draw incorrect conclusions. Plants, animals and people change but it would be foolish to pronounce as fact why these changes occur. Several years ago I attended a lecture given by a university lecturer who spoke against evolution citing various organs, joints and so on in the human (and animal) body which couldn't have evolved but must have been irreducibly-formed for survival to occur: e.g. the irreducible complexity of the flagellum, the wings of various birds etc. There are many more example of course which show that evolution cannot be as simple as Darwin thought. Besides, Darwin was a religious man whose Christian wife constantly prayed for him. Darwin believed that God created the world and then set it free to obey laws he set for it. Yet, today there are people teaching in British universities who no longer believe in evolution yet continue to teach it. One wonders why. Is this what science has become? Some scientists would rather cling doggedly to belief in a material universe rather than admit to there being a creator. It seems it's more palatable to stick with something they don't believe rather than admit to a "mind" (outside space and time) that is greater than that of humanity. Yet scientists are given the greater voice in today's confused and spiritually barren world. But maybe things are changing. Today, spirituality is increasingly being acknowledged as vital for human health and well-being even where it lacks any religious content. Today, people are encouraged to be "mindful" of themselves, their surroundings, their gifts, activities, connectedness to themselves, the environment and one-another i.e. to pause; be aware of their thoughts; their breathing and their surroundings using various modalities. And this is good for reconnecting with one's spirituals nature and with God. For neither: psychiatry, anti-depressants, evolution, materialism nor science in general can solve the emptiness of humanity starved of spiritual nourishment and living in denial of its God-given roots. It is only through belief, hope, creativity, intuition, prayer, faith and spiritual reawakening that the spiritual wilderness in which the western-world is currently languishing will be healed and set free. And for this a sincere, faithful and educated minister is required.
Rog
April 2016
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