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Until genetically proven otherwise…

  • Posted on March 10, 2010

I will not accept the label of being a high-functioning autistic any more than I would being labeled as belonging in the male gender of the human race. It’s usually much easier to know the difference between a man and a woman than it is to know the difference between an autistic and an Aspie. Increasingly more people will probably deny there is a difference between auties and Aspies, especially since the Asperger label is planned for extinction. I can’t do anything about what other people choose to believe and other people can’t do anything about what I choose to believe. No one can please everyone all the time.

Whoever might call me an Aspie supremacist just because I choose to use the term Aspie (rather than high-functioning autistic for describing my neurological classification) would probably be upset with the term Aspiephobic. It’s unfortunate that there are some neurotypicals who don’t have enough empathy to realize what a hornet’s nest they’ve stirred up by introducing disrespectful terms to describe other human beings who deserve to be treated with equal dignity.

In case if my habit of using the lower-case a for autistics and upper-case A for Aspies may get misconstrued as being an indication of a supremacist attitude, I will explain why I do it. I think of Aspergers as being like a nationality and autism as being like hair, eye, or skin color. I’m entitled to my theories and have no desire to say more than what I already have on this matter.

I would like to bring back attention to a paragraph from the second online page of the New York Time’s article A Powerful Identity, a Vanishing Diagnosis by Claudia Willis (published last November 2nd), that seems to not get the full attention it deserves:

The proposed elimination of autism subtypes comes at the very moment when research suggests that the disorder may have scores of varieties. Investigators have already identified more than a dozen gene patterns associated with autism, but Dr. Lord, of Michigan, said the genetic markers “don’t seem to map at all into what people currently call Asperger’s or P.D.D.”

What puzzles me is, “How can something be a subtype of something else that’s unrelated genetically?” In spite of more than a dozen gene patterns associated with autism not seeming to map at all into what people currently call Asperger’s, the identity of Asperger’s will still be an autism subtype?

I recently eliminated the use of pages about Aspergers on my blog. As I’ve said before, what I’ve written on those pages still exist; they simply don’t exist as pages anymore — they’ve been transformed into posts instead. I’m not even going to link them to this post. The main reason behind its diminished appearance is because of something I read in the devotional My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers for February 24th:

We have no right in Christian work to be guided by our affinities; this is one of the biggest tests of our relationship to Jesus Christ. The delight of sacrifice is that I lay down my life for my Friend, not fling it away, but deliberately lay my life out for Him and His interests in other people, not for a cause.

More than two years have passed since I began this blog. In hindsight, I progressively see when, where, and how I’ve been getting myself involved in fighting for a cause. That never would have happened if I wasn’t guided by my affinities. I can understand the passion behind what motivates such blogging, but will others be able to understand my dwindling enthusiasm for being involved as an advocate for anything other than the salvation of those who are lost?

Not being an advocate anymore for a worldly cause doesn’t mean that I will not include Aspergers anymore in my writing. If it were possible, in a way I’d prefer to go back to how life was before Aspergers was known about. I was still the same person and I could live my life without mentioning the word Aspergers. I can still go on with my ‘normal’ daily life without bringing it up again, but since I’ve let my ‘Aspie aspect out of the bag’ for the world to see, it makes little sense to shove the Aspie identity of me now back into that bag and act like there’s something offensive about it.

Too Many Wet Blankets

  • Posted on March 2, 2010

A wet blanket is someone who spoils the pleasure of others. I’ve always had a few wet blankets around to dampen my pleasures. Maybe that’s why the increasing quantity of them lately are causing me to rethink how I’m spending my time?

After enjoying years of tinkering around with web publishing, my interest in it is over. The main catalyst to blame is my hosting company. Many times I’ve considered publishing the details of what I’ve been (and still am) going through with this lousy company. The trouble basically began last September and has been progressively getting worse. It’s a tie between how poor their service is and how dishonorable they are. Getting locked into a subscription without a money-back option for failures to provide proper service is like doing jail time.

I’ve come close to opening up an account with other hosting companies, but before the final commitment, there was always something to deter me from following it through to completion. I know there is no such thing as a perfect hosting company and I’m well aware of what to realistically expect from shared hosting. In fact, I’ve done so much research while shopping to compare my options that I couldn’t help but finally notice what was really bothering me (beyond the fear of being pushed into wasting money again by getting stuck with a company that refuses to do business fairly).

Just because most other people aren’t disturbed by the potentially low level of risk for headaches from reputable businesses doesn’t mean I’m not. Being that my pet peeve is idle talk and there is no way to prevent the piles of BS commonly passed around these days, it makes no sense for me to stay in an environment where such behavior comes with the territory.

Tech businesses excuse poor management and nurture irresponsibility by telling people they’ve run into technical difficulties. Yes, tech issues happen. But, those problems are ultimately always caused by people. In the case of large hosting companies, it’s usually because they get greedy, too big for their britches, and are able to be irresponsible without having to suffer the consequences. Trouble can also arrive like it does when having too many chefs in the same kitchen, too many chiefs in the same tribe, or too many people working for the government.

Having an excessive amount of patience for too long with too many things is starting to take its toll. There are some benefits though that go along with it. One, for example, is that its consequences seem helpful for sorting things out to make better decisions. Even simply knowing that its best I avoid doing projects others might have the potential to affect what I’m doing makes it easier for me to relax. Only those who have experienced chronic insomnia know how important it is to not stimulate an already hyper-sensitive nervous system.

On January the 30th, I mentioned it had been 60 days since I came to the conclusion that my days for being able to have any form of drug, in any amount, now has intolerable consequences. Now that another month has gone by applying that knowledge, it’s becoming increasing evident how important it is for me to always be strict about guarding what affects my nervous system. As my ability to sleep improves, so does my ability to discern what aggravates my sleep cycle. I’m finding the discovery experience actually quite interesting.

Searching for motives behind why I do what I do (or don’t do it) appears to be a key element behind knowing how to live more abundantly. I could never do such a thing alone. With God’s Holy Spirit, prayer, and His word as stated in the Bible, God makes it possible to introspectively examine self. Ironically, it’s a process that progressively reveals how the right to self ultimately is to blame for getting in the way of making improvements.

God’s providence brings to us the right variety of unpleasant imperfections found in others that we may need to help us overcome our own. So, the next time a wet blanket dampens your spirits, consider the possibility that it’s there for a useful reason.

Postscript added 10 hrs. after publication — I forgot to mention what I’ve experienced from those in other directions in regard to being in a web publishing environment. There are a remnant I find to be respectable, but in my own personal experience (generally speaking), there are too many wet blankets in web publishing forums and too many who displayed an interest in wanting my assistance while at the same time consistently refusing to show any evidence of genuine appreciation.

The level of arrogance to be found among the majority of those who I’ve had to deal with in the realm of web publishing told me it’s no place for a person to be who too often struggles with feeling good enough and has repeated battles with confidence in what she’s doing.

Appreciating Strict DTD

  • Posted on February 22, 2010

Strict Document Type Declaration suits my way of thinking. I’ve been told I look for problems before they exist and that I should wait until I have them first [before thinking more thoroughly about what I'm doing]. ( ← The bracketed words are how I rephrase their message to me.)

Imagine if the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) thought the same way like most people do. Most people don’t know, and don’t care to know, what kind of mess it would lead to if the W3C didn’t start depreciating certain attributes in the markups of code. How code is marked up directly affects each element of every page headed for a site online. Those who only browse the internet are only concerned with what they see, but what they will see over the long term is affected by what they don’t see.

Most people also aren’t interested in thinking about what effects inconsistencies between browsers can cause. They just use them and only care about being able to see what they want to look at. That’s fine and not much different from not caring about knowing all the details behind what makes an automobile able to get you from one place to another, or knowing everything about how your body functions to keep you alive. Mechanics are for car care. Doctors of for body care. The illionaires of the W3C¹ (World Wide Web Consortium) are for web care.

If you observe what types of people comprise the membership of the W3C, you’ll notice a common denominator. They’re highly intelligent, strongly motivated to work hard all the time, and are not quitters. If this were not true, they wouldn’t be part of the elite group of members who get to set the standards for how the world wide web operates.

To get ahead and stay successful usually requires self-discipline. It takes self-discipline to learn how to write code that will pass the standards of validation set by the W3C for Strict DOCTYPEs.

When the W3C phases out support for style sheets as they mature, those who remain complacent with their Transitional DOCTYPEs are going to reap the consequences (assuming, of course, the work they did wasn’t for someone else to have to live with).

Immediate gratification is immature thinking. Maturity is full development. Everything in life is meant to develop fully. To stay stagnant at a level of growth before reaching maturity prevents the fruits of labor from forming. We have stages in life meant for transition and learning. It’s a grace period for our mistakes.

For example, if we eat too much, we notice we gain weight. If we don’t learn from our mistakes and correct our ways, we end up becoming progressively more overweight. If we spend faster than we earn, we accumulate debt. Houses quickly constructed aren’t likely to last like the ones built slower with meticulous care.

Transitional DOCTYPEs are the grace period for web publishing. They’re training wheels for riding the big boy’s bike, but someday those training wheels won’t be able to adequately support the weight demanded by the latest versions of browsing software.

I hope that others who may be discouraged by the pain involved in going from the use of Transitional to Strict DOCTYPEs get encouraged by reminding themselves why standards came to be the way they are. It’s for everyone’s benefit in the long run. The upkeep of sites will be a lot easier; much like a structurally sound house requires less maintenance work.

Strenuous physical exercise usually doesn’t bring pleasurable results until afterward. Intellectual workouts aren’t any different. The more that are successfully tackled, the more gratifying they become. Figuring out ways to make your CSS files accomplish the most they can for you is like having dedicated and faithful servants to do your chores without them requiring anything in return. All that is requested is to be clearly told what to do, how to do it, and what the priorities are.

I am far from having mastered everything there is to know about Strict DTD, but to even begin wanting to get acquainted with it requires appreciation first. After all, how many people want to get to know someone who doesn’t seem worth knowing?

¹I say illionaires since those with their caliber of wealth will only get progressively richer as the rest of us get poorer. The billionaires of today were yesterday’s millionaires and will be the future’s trillionaires.

How Odd

  • Posted on February 6, 2010

Oswald Chambers states in his book The Moral Foundations of Life in the chapter Natural Growth in Supernatural Grace, “If you live much by yourself you become an oddity, you never see the quirks in yourself.”

Most people want to be unique, but don’t want to be perceived as odd. By definition, there are no degrees of uniqueness. Either someone is the only one of his kind or he is not. On one level, everyone is unique, but superficially most people are not.

Since most people have a social life, their quirks in behavior are not peculiar. They can’t be if they’re going to have a social life. Being sociable requires staying within the boundaries of what’s considered usual behavior and not scaring people by behaving and/or thinking in ways unexpected. Insecure people find comfort in predictability, so when a person comes along who is enigmatic (as in the sense not clear to understand), he acquires the label of being odd. Once that happens, anyone who associates himself with the odd individual risks becoming an outcast from his own kind.

There exists a poignant difference or incongruity between what is expected and what actually is in regard to being superficially unique. It’s hypocritical to diagnose superficially unique persons as a minority to be biased against. That’s being prejudiced and proud. These are the days the majority insist on tolerance of all individuals, but yet those making the most noise in that populace are unable to see their own quirks because of being enmeshed into their own agendas.

Know About Knowledge

  • Posted on February 4, 2010

Growing up spiritually constantly reveals mistakes made from ignorance. Revelations affect one’s existing knowledge. If there is no spiritual maturing process going on, acquired knowledge is mainly used for regurgitation and/or is kept covert for gaining power. It doesn’t change the being of an individual. He may think he possesses an education, but in reality it’s him who is being possessed (controlled) by it.

When there is a spiritual maturing process happening, the one whom it’s happening to cannot remain unchanged. Knowledge begins to have a metamorphic effect if the person will take hold of it for thinking how to use it for God’s will being done through him. One’s conscience is limited by the knowledge he has of the bible. The less knowledge a saved person has of the bible, the more other knowledge dangerously puffs up his pride.

In the minds of false Christians, knowledge of the bible can be a weapon of attack used on non-believers. They act like god and think it’s their job to change others to be like them.

A true Christian minds his own business and knows that the things to ‘fix’ are not external.¹ Good works (e.g., feeding the hungry) and bad works (e.g., lying) are not always dependable indicators of whether or not someone is saved, because what is seen can be temporary and/or manipulated.

When God tells us we can know others by their fruit, He is referring a person’s overall disposition. We all have different moods that change like the weather, but each of us have characters that remain generally consistent. We live with our own unique and delicate ecosystem. Some are barren like a dry desert where life isn’t as easy to spot. Others are like a lush rain forest that’s noisy with life.

Anybody can work on looking like a good person to others. That’s something controllable. If it wasn’t so, we wouldn’t have social services, therapy groups, psychologists, etc. What we can’t control is what’s inside the heart. We’re all born in sin. That’s why there is such a high failure rate to permanently rehabilitate criminals, addicts, etc. Just because one addiction may end (e.g., alcohol) does not mean it couldn’t have been replaced by another dependency (e.g., AA).

Only when the dependency becomes solely upon God is there a successful change to the being of an individual.

An example how education has become a god is when people refuse to accept others the way they are and think that others should be like them. Non-Christians complain about Christians proselytizing, but yet they can’t see how they’re doing the same thing by acting like the world would be a better place without Christians. Neurotypicals want to change Aspies, but yet they can’t see how much of their traits annoy Aspies.

The definition of worship is to serve. If education wasn’t worshipped, people would stop being servants to it. Knowledge per se isn’t bad. It becomes corrupt in the minds of those whose hearts are proud.

I’m beginning to suspect it’s because of pride that I was trying so hard to keep up with editing my posts whenever I noticed improvements were in order. A voracious thinker is bound to encounter a lot more changes in perception of theories than someone who doesn’t analyze material to the same level of intensity, especially when under the influence of the Holy Spirit.

A wise man admits being capable of making mistakes, but it’s foolish to be fanatically trying to be flawless to please those who think they’re already flawless.

The fruit of fool who thinks he knows himself is seen by how he looks down upon others as being inferior to himself. No matter how educated or how much knowledge any of us hold, we’re all idiots in the eyes of our creator. Thinking that we can compare ourselves to others only proves how little we know.

I’m not going to jump from the frying pan of analyzing myself into the fire of someone else analyzing me. I hope I’ve been on the heat of God’s flames long enough to finally evaporate sufficiently to end a long-time bad habit.

¹In a “Christianized” country like America where bibles, the internet, radio, television, telephone, and printed media abound as resources for those who seek how to become saved, the Christian’s business is to be ready to give an answer to those who seek the gospel. In the regions of the world where the the gospel has not yet been preached (i.e., heard or known about), Christians are to spread the word. When it comes to a place where either could be the case (as is the world wide web), Christians should both preach the word and be ready to give an answer to those who genuinely seek God. Giving an answer doesn’t mean arguing. It means guiding others to Christ. God draws His elect towards Him. Those who aren’t attracted to what Christians have online don’t have to read it, but they also have no right to deny others from reading it who may want to.

A Christian’s business is to be working on ‘fixing’ his internal sins. Those are the hidden abominations. Examples are: envy, deceit, backbiting, coveting, maliciousness, fornication, pride, gossiping, implacability, breaking promises, being spiteful, unmerciful, etc.

Mean it but not mean…

  • Posted on January 24, 2010

Aspies by nature say what they mean and mean what they say, but they don’t mean to be mean. The deaf culture is the same as the Aspie culture in that those in either culture don’t think like neurotypicals do.

For example, when my daughter had a deaf friend over for a visit, her friend said something a neurotypical visitor wouldn’t typically say. After this friend made use of my daughter’s bathroom, she came out with the words, “Your bathroom floor is ugly. You should get it fixed.”¹ If my daughter was raised by a NT mom, she probably would have been offended. As it is, she and her mother-in-law² both find going to a deaf sign language group as being the best type of group to be around. They find deaf people, and Aspies, to be refreshingly enjoyable to socialize with because it’s unlike being around any NT groups which meet regularly.

More people than not are offended by those who are a challenge to understand. It’s actually the theatrical roles of socializing that are strange. When I first pointed out my observations of when my daughter took on a different persona while socializing at parties, she didn’t even realize she was doing it. After some explaining on my part and her having time to think about it, she realized how true it really was. She recently explained to me how that knowledge is now empowering her, but it’s hard to know if that would be so if she hadn’t become saved to be used by God for His purposes.

There is nothing mean about saying (in a neutral tone of voice) to someone, “I don’t trust you until I can see concrete evidence backing up what you tell me.” NTs may be able to wear the I give people the benefit of doubt mask because they’re less prone to being socially gullible than Aspies are. Imagine an young innocent child socializing among a mixed crowd of trustworthy and untrustworthy adults. Children need to be protected until they’ve mature enough to sense when someone is playing around with them.

Aspies can’t wear protective masks. They’re either going to have to live to please NTs and take the risk of being abused and/or taken advantage of OR forget about whether or not a NT is offended and instead protect themselves by being cautious via being straightforward when socializing.

I don’t care whether or not someone gives me the benefit of doubt. They have my consent to think whatever they want about me. That I can respect. What’s a mess is that certain social policies have become the established rules for what’s acceptable behavior. Those who don’t live up to such standards are outcasts.

Why will it never be socially acceptable for someone to express his or her thoughts as honestly has he or she can? Honesty seems to have become old-fashioned. Is it because people are now too easily offended by it? The contemporary style now is to not say what you mean and to not mean what you say. That’s why I hold the theory that Asperger people didn’t stand out in history like they do now.

¹My daughter is a multi-culture interpreter. She has both sign language skills for communicating with the deaf world and she has skills for helping me to interpret how neurotypicals think. I told her I thought it would be great if her and I worked together on a script for a comedy movie. It would be similar to the film Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. Instead of Kazakhstan, it would be Aspergakhstan. Instead of NTs making movies having Aspies look like they’re socially inept, it would show NTs looking socially inept for a change.

²I haven’t experienced going to a sign language group. However, I am tempted. An Aspie friend of mine goes to this same local deaf group and he loves it too, but that’s mostly because my daughter has influenced the others in the group to accept this guy’s different way of being as something that’s attractive. She has a charismatic personality that enables her to play the social NT scene with finesse, so usually when she likes someone others do too.

Potential Life Altering Accident

  • Posted on January 18, 2010

Late in the afternoon of last Saturday on the 16th, something happened to me physically that was an accident. I’ve been under more than my usual amount of stress and was suffering back into severe insomnia. That combination causes me to be functioning without thinking what I’m doing. All that I’m willing to say about the details of this incident, which I pray to God that the consequences will not be permanent and that the pain will go away, is that it’s related to a very dangerous chemical.

It’s something that would naturally upset anyone’s emotions if it were to happen to them. In my case, a thing like this can create a challenge for me to be able to focus with both eyes open on things. Plus, it can destroy my confidence in what I’m doing, especially in situations where I’m being social with another person (since that’s probably the area of my life I have the least amount of confidence to begin with). I thought it wouldn’t be a problem that could also affect what I do online when writing a post for my blog because of not having to hear a person’s voice, see someone, or correspond if I’m not up to it. I was wrong about that.

Yesterday I impulsively wrote a post thinking that it would help to relieve some of my anxiety that’s been built to a meltdown point.¹ What I learned instead is that it actually added to my tension. That’s why I removed it before I went to bed last night. I figured I could put it back after having some sleep.² I woke up this morning with a new insight from my caring and understanding daughter (who I trust because of her comforting and secure faith in God) lovingly gave to me last night.

I created this blog almost two years ago on the 24th of a January. What has been happening without my realizing it as time has gone by is how wrong it is to believe that using a blog is always a reliable form of therapy. I won’t discriminate blogging in this regard. The same thing can just as well happen with knitting, art, music, exercise, etc. when God loses His rightful place. I recently said to an Aspie friend of mine, “If we seek from others what only God alone can give, that is lust and it works like, ‘I must have this at once, I cannot wait for God’s time, God is too indifferent.’” That statement about lust can be equally true when said, “If we seek from activities what only God alone can give, that is lust and it works like, ‘I must have this at once, I cannot wait for God’s time, God is too indifferent.’”

I am too exhausted now to know what else to say and need time to recover from my injury. A wonderful comfort is knowing Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”  I’m also going back to 1 Corinthians 2:2 and being thankful for God’s never ending perfect love.

¹Meltdowns are a common risk among Asperger individuals that can have a snowball effect if not taken care of properly.

²At this time, I don’t know if I will put the post entitled, “Mean it but not mean…” back in place or not.

Permanently Escaping Obsessive/Compulsive Behavior

  • Posted on December 19, 2009

I recently realized that something I said in my On Sabbatical page is not completely true and, what’s worse, is that it indirectly says God is a liar. It is true that being Obsessive/Compulsive is a challenge and, under a certain condition, it really does not go away. I did correctly state, in God’s eyes, Obsessive/Compulsive behavior is a sin. Unless God reveals this to a person, O/C behavior will be seen only as a disorder. Obsessiveness/Compulsiveness is a disorder and it really does not go away by human effort. No amount of resolve, medication, or creative maneuvers (e.g., my recent idea to put my blog On Sabbatical) can cure it. If I continued to believe what I said about O/C, I could temporarily repress the urge to behave that way only to have the O/C behavior eventually surface in some other area of my life.

O/C behavior is manifested via the brain. Human behavior experts and God agree on that account. Psychology is a soft science and psychologists cannot go beyond what’s visible. Because the boundaries aren’t clearly visible, often times humanistic thinking crosses those grey areas. When that happens, incorrect assumptions are made. One example of that is the incorrect statement about Asperger people lacking empathy, along with neglecting to mention neurotypical people also lack Theory of Mind (when it comes to their lack of ability to read the non-verbal signals Aspies display).

The reason I didn’t see something like O/C behavior beyond the point I now do is because of allowing psychology to be a stumbling block to what God says about the matter. I’m surprised I didn’t even notice what my words said in describing my blog being On Sabbatical were revealing about my heart.¹ I’m also surprised to learn why self-realization (of behaviors, thoughts, feelings, etc.) has to be turned into Christ-realization and that realizing things about one’s self is not quite what God meant by examining self. I had no idea until just recently how impossible of a task it is for anyone to know himself.

That goes to show how right God is when He tells us in Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” God did not intend for mankind to have the ability to make a science out of an area exclusively His domain. Even the apostle Paul had the wisdom to know enough to say in 1 Corinthians 4:3-4, “But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self. For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord.”

The certain condition I was referring to that prevents Obsessive/Compulsive behavior from becoming extinct in those who are weak with this area of their life has to do with the heart; not the brain. The heart is what determines brain activity (and the physical conditions of the human body). [By using the term heart, the physical heart is not what's being meant here.]

By my nurturing a victim mentality for too long (psychology can create that effect whether people admit it or not), I remained buried in the subtle grave of believing I will always have a tendency towards being O/C. Believing you have it prevents believing you had it.

For unbelievers, seeing is believing. For believers, believing is seeing.

I’m not sure how much of what’s said in Proverbs 23:7, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:…,” pertains to this situation. In Barnes’ Commentary, he said it probably means, “as he is all along in his heart, so is he (at last) in act.”

Just because someone may have God’s Holy Spirit and be saved does not mean he can always know what his own heart is causing him to think. That’s why Christians need to trust that the Lord will reveal what is needed to be known. Until something is brought to His light, we will never see what’s left in our darkness. I knew God works in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure. Philippians 2:13 is one of my favorite verses, but I didn’t quite comprehend the meaning of the previous verse that says, “…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”

Self-righteousness (which is what every religion outside of Christianity promotes) is humanity’s attempt to work goodness into self as one progresses from infancy into mature adulthood. To work goodness out from self requires Christ’s righteousness and Christ to abide within a person. Either self (flesh; carnal nature) is followed or Christ.

For me to think that God will do for me what He tells me He has equipped me to do, is a revelation most people probably wouldn’t understand how it could take as long as it has for me to comprehend. The only reason for me to believe that I have a tendency towards being O/C, and that I have to keep vigilant over when, where, and what will attract that nasty demon back into my life, would be because of not doing what’s said in Philippians 3:13, “…this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before…”

For me to refuse to forget about what’s behind me (e.g., the variety of O/C behaviors I’ve struggled to overcome), is a subtle excuse to keep that sin alive in my life. As I’ve already said, the reason O/C qualifies as a sin is simply because it is a behavior that goes against God’s will. I just realized over a couple of weeks ago how 2 Corinthians 10:5, “…and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;” connects with all this. O/C behavior cannot exist if every thought is captive to the obedience of Christ.

Last night, when reading page 203 of Oswald Chambers’ book Biblical Psychology, I was reminded of 1 Corinthians 2:16 saying that we [Christians] have the mind of Christ. Christ did not have O/C behavior. When Christ abides within a saved individual, there is no excuse for such behavior to exist. When it exists, it does so only because of refusing to work out the salvation God worked in. In my case, my heart no longer desires to follow after my carnal nature now that God has saved me. If it did, then I would not want to admit I’m excusing my O/C behavior by saying it really cannot go away.²

I can say my recollections of my various O/C behaviors have become a weakness that manifests itself in my life. However, since Paul says of himself in 2 Corinthians 12:10, “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” I too can take pleasure in infirmities.³ My Obsessive/Compulsive memories are an infirmity revealing a weakness of my mind. If I refused to go the one step beyond that confession, I would be manifesting rebellion in my heart towards God.

In very rough terms, God says, “So what? Big deal. So you’re human and you’re discovering that without Me you’ll never be able to escape sin’s grasp. Who can? That’s why you’ve been given My Son as your savior. I’ve given you an instrument (i.e., Jesus) and the necessary talent/skill/ability (i.e., Christ’s righteousness), now pick it up [His righteousness worked in] and practice to perform [work out] harmonious music to My ears!”

It’s time for me to blow the dust off Christ within, take Him off the shelf I’ve left Him on, and start to do what I’ve been foolishly waiting for God to do for me. Those who don’t have Christ, can only play the thief’s tunes. The world will dance to that beat, but there is no reason why Godly people should.

Because I’m glad to know I can, once and for all, be rid of an old victim mentality, I know I’ve become a new creature. I don’t have to be afraid of it coming back to haunt me. Jesus said in Mark 5:36, “…Be not afraid, only believe.” Piecing together all of what God has to say about the matter of behaviors out-of-sync with His will, once again shows how truth works to set us free!

“But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” — 1 Corinthians 15:57

¹In my heart, I was unconsciously keeping an old flame (i.e., lust) burning. Before becoming saved, my heart’s condition prevented me from being cured of the things not in God’s order for living an abundant life.

²The irresponsible victim mentally will not have it go away. It’s human nature to use the word can’t when, in reality, the appropriate words are usually will not.

³2 Corinthians 12:9 points out it is the power of Christ at work in those areas a Christian is weak. God would not remove the thorn in Paul’s flesh (carnal nature) for his own good. The messenger of Satan was to buffet Paul lest he should be exalted above measure and esteem himself more highly than he ought. There is no room for pride in the statement, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” To remain dependent upon Christ’s strength [power] is a humbling experience.

Psychiatric Medications

  • Posted on December 11, 2009

I gained a greater understanding of psychiatric medications, because of remembering 1 Timothy 1:8-9 and 2 Corinthians 10:15, along with what I observed from watching an Oprah Winfrey¹ episode on The 7-Year-Old Schizophrenic, January Schofield.

Review what God says in those verses before going on to read how they affected my thoughts on psychiatric medications:

1 Timothy 1:8-9, “But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully; Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man,² but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,”

2 Corinthians 10:5, “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;”

[I'm focusing on schizophrenia to use as an example for making my point about psychiatric medications. It's significance hopefully will be evident by the end of this post.]

Given that schizophrenics are obviously insane and what God says in 2 Timothy 1:7,

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

…it’s no wonder then that an ‘expert’ like Dr. Judith Rapoport, chief of the National Institute of Mental Health’s child psychiatry branch, when trying to answers questions about childhood schizophrenia, would say,

Part of the problem is that there’s been a lot of very excellent research, and it’s harder to know how to put all this together.

Rapoport mentions genetics, sickness during pregnancy, and living in the city versus the country, as contributing factors towards the cause of schizophrenia. She would never consider the cause to be spiritually related for the reasons I said in my Mental Health post.

Because almost everyone in the mental health field focuses on what they can observe and would be mocked if they dared to include what can only be revealed by God’s gift of faith to understand His word expressed in the Holy Scriptures of the bible, they will forever remain in the loop of thinking they’re close to solving mysteries related to certain human behaviors (and at times, will believe they have) only to discover sooner or later they are back to being confused again.

As Oswald Chambers points out in his book Biblical Psychology, the brain is the avenue through which the heart (it’s a figure of speech; not to be referenced to the physical heart) manifests itself. The human body invisibly responds to spiritual influences. Because Satan is the master of deception, too subtle and clever for the human mind to conquer, and is granted authority to rule over unsaved man, there is no way possible for anyone to know how desperately he needs to repent. Repentance is a gift from God and is the tribulation stage of labor before one becomes born again. Without it, people are deluded into thinking they’re fine without God and don’t need Him to solve life’s problems.

There are none so blind as those who will not see, as God says in Matthew 13:15 (and in other verses),

For this people’s heart [the unregenerate heart] is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

People with a very high level of intelligence and creativity are known to be prone to becoming schizophrenic. John Forbes Nash Jr. is just one example. It’s mistakenly claimed that he ‘recovered’ from his battle with schizophrenia. The way it should be described is that he has learned how to use the power of his mind to ‘manage’ his hallucinations. Instead of them controlling him, he controls them. His symptoms appear gone, but he knows his audible delusions still have the ability to take control over him, if he is not cautious. The movie A Beautiful Mind does not portray Nash accurately. In real life, he is as much of a sinner as any who remain enslaved to their carnal nature.

It’s easier to comprehend the connection between schizophrenia and what’s said in 2 Corinthians 10:5 than to see what 1 Timothy 1:8-9 has to do with it. To be a brilliant artist, inventor, musician, mathematician, scientist, philosopher, or creator of some sort requires high-caliber thinking. The more active and creative a mind is, the greater becomes the challenge to control its thoughts generated. The saying, “Don’t let your imagination run away with you (i.e., run wild)” could possibly stem from God’s command for us to cast down imaginations and everything else that exalts itself against our being able to know Him, along with making every thought obedient to His will (in short, a sound mind is one aligned with reality/truth).

It makes sense that the ability to imagine usually diminishes as one matures. Maturity requires responsibility and to be responsible requires that you stay focused on reality. The imagination can work with reality or it can work against it.

There are two basic definitions for imagination:
(1.) The ability or tendency to form a mental image of something that is neither perceived as real nor present to the senses.
(2.) The ability to confront and deal with reality by using the creative power of the mind; resourcefulness, as in using a great imagination to handle problems.

Einstein had a powerful imagination. So did many other famous people known throughout history. It makes sense that Satan would want imaginations built up in ways which will work against reality and cause them (i.e., malicious spirits) to captivate the individual who is doing the imagining. The devil can accomplish malice faster by thoughts out of control than he can if they’re harnessed by continuous counseling and/or medications.³ Only those who are saved are able to rein in powerful and unruly thoughts, provided that they walk by faith after God’s Spirit instead walking by sight after their flesh (i.e., the carnal nature that lusts to please one’s senses).

As for what 1 Timothy 1:8-9 has to do with the mental health profession and psychiatric medications, humanities solutions for treating unsound mental conditions are as much needed as the law is for the ungodly and sinners. In 1 Timothy 1:9, a righteous man is a person who has Christ’s righteousness; it’s not the self-righteous. Self-righteous people are all those who think they do not need a savior. They’re proud people who think they’re already ‘right’ without needing to humbly grovel for mercy from their creator (and have to wait for maybe years or decades on top of all that?!?!).

When Jesus said in Matthew 9:12, “…They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick,” the whole being referred to are those who believe they are not sinners who need salvation. The physician is Christ. Those who are sick are those who know they can never be good enough (i.e., right enough). The sick are those who are sick of feeling guilty and want to be cured of their sinful condition. Those who are whole (in that verse) are those who deal with their guilt in their own way, usually by deluding themselves into believing that they have nothing to feel guilty about. Generally speaking, the more sinners there are, the less uncomfortable guilt feels to the non-elect (for example, the more liars there are, the less uncomfortably practicing lying is). Rather than be delivered from their sin, the self-righteous prefer to deliver sin from shame and make it increasingly socially acceptable. Rather than hate sin, they label the hatred of sin as being a hate crime against sinners. If they can’t do that, then they’ll eliminate the use of the word sin and replace it with mental illness. The motive for doing so is to eliminate guilt from insane behavior. [Note: Behavior can be labeled as a disorder by experts simply because it's incomprehensible to them. Not all that is confusing is sin and not all that is socially acceptable is sin-free.]

In 1 Timothy 1:8, God places a condition upon the law being good. It is only good if man uses it lawfully. What is meant by lawfully is that mankind’s legal system must harmonize with the ultimate (perfect) law book — the bible. Because mankind is corrupt by nature, it’s only logical that a judicial system infected with ungodly solutions will be the same way. Sweet fruit can’t grow from weeds. As the time approaches closer for Christ’s return, the law will only become increasingly bad for society.

Because God is only saving a remnant of people, the world needs laws, the mental health profession, and products from the pharmaceutical industry. Those things are not the ideal God had in mind for mankind, but they serve their purpose. In heaven, there will be no need for civil, social, and/or mental health services. However, as this world becomes more decadent, the ungodly can only become increasingly dependent upon what they rely on for solutions to its problems.

It is only by the grace of God a person can live on this earth in good health with a sound mind, especially without ever needing a doctor, therapist, or medication. Those who are blessed in such ways should not judge those who are not; instead, the loving thing to do is pray for them and be understanding of their need for help from professionals and medications.

There is no one on this planet who doesn’t need prayers. We’re all human, even though we have different strengths and weaknesses.

¹I almost never watch TV talk shows anymore, especially ones like Oprah Winfrey. However, this past Monday when flipping through the channels while knitting my sweater, the topic of schizophrenia happened to grab my attention.

²God puts His law in the hearts of His children, as stated in Psalm 37:31 and Jeremiah 31:33, along with other verses of the bible.

³Jani Schofield’s schizophrenia (so far) is kept at bay by the administration of Clozaril (because of the ‘rats’) and Lithium (because of the ‘numbers’). Even though she takes those meds, she has to have someone engaging her in conversation while she is awake (usually it’s either her mother or her father). If she is left alone with her thoughts/imagination, she slips back into schizophrenic behavior.

Mental Health

  • Posted on December 8, 2009

Unless you’re willing to exercise an open mind, it might be best if you do not read any further. What’s written here in this post is a fine example of controversial subject matter. If you feel equipped for such things without also feeling frustrated over views which may be radically different from what you’re accustomed to, then continue on.

More and more people in today’s society don’t believe there is such a thing as sin. That’s logical considering that those people also probably don’t believe God exists, at least a God that would dare to say there is right versus wrong. It’s easy to see murder can’t be right. Things like obsessive/compulsive behavior and chronic depression are also readily accepted as wrong, but are not viewed as criminal. Who would have ever imagined that law abiding citizens would be forced to pay a certain portion of thieves disability? Most probably don’t even know that kleptomaniacs are entitled to disability. We’re also forced to financially support those who are incarcerated in human zoos rather than do the logical thing of making them pay society back all that they stole (and they should also pay interest on the value of what they helped themselves to just like those who make purchases using credit cards!). People who attempt self-murder (i.e., suicide) also get “disability” benefits.

In God’s eyes, most things the mental health profession labels as a mental illnesses are sin. Homosexuality was once labeled in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders as being a mental illness. It was later revised for society to refer to it as being an “alternate lifestyle.” If it took the same route as autism, homosexuality would be said to be a disease of growing epidemic proportions. God would say it’s a sin of growing epidemic proportions. Today, humanity calls people who agree with God homophobic.  It’s popular because the DSM has been granted higher authority over the bible. The government is subtly acquiring higher authority over God in areas of marriage and the church when they license marriage and churches incorporate. Now it’s the government who defines marriage rather than our Creator.¹

I call people who think of Aspergers as being a “condition” that belongs in the DSM Aspiephobic. If I seem angry, that emotion is not towards people; it’s towards Satan for once again taking deception another notch further.

On the flip side, The American Psychiatric Association made no mention of Aspergers until the year 1994, which is when it was added to their DSM IV. Now they say the Aspergers Syndrome label is vague and confusing. They propose to eliminate the use of the term and instead refer to Aspies as being High Functioning Autistics. I do not want to say any more about autism other than what Dr. Catherine Lord said in an article published in the New York Times on November 2, 2009 by Claudia Wallis entitled, “A Powerful Identity, a Vanishing Diagnosis” states,

The proposed elimination of autism subtypes comes at the very moment when research suggests that the disorder may have scores of varieties. Investigators have already identified more than a dozen gene patterns associated with autism, but Dr. Lord, of Michigan, said the genetic markers “don’t seem to map at all into what people currently call Asperger’s or P.D.D.”

Sinful behavior is increasingly reaping financial rewards and less punishment in this world, while those who struggle to stay as far away from sinning end up punished for good behavior. The body of the mental health profession has an undetected cancer growing within its fellowship that’s making it chronically ill. A section of it is much like a mutating virus. If that wasn’t so, they wouldn’t keep revising their definitions, continually get confused, and disagree with some others in this world with their assessments of human behavior. They’d have success with “curing” diseases like schizophrenia.

I’m progressively perceiving schizophrenia and dissociative identity disorder (previously known as split personality or alter ego) as extreme expressions of not being able to take every thought captive; the self-generated thoughts captivate the individual enslaved to this world’s ultimate cruel master. One such example is displayed in Jani Schofield’s life (it’s admitted in that article she battles demons).² Jani (nickname for “January”) is a sweet and lovable child to those who meet her (for example, this is what an associate producer from Oprah’s Show said. However, when she spoke the name January, Jani flipped out over it).

Because she (Jani) portrays a child-like innocence, it’s hard (if not impossible) for unsaved people to consider that within that adorable exterior is a heart in need of salvation.

Man, by nature, perceives humanity in an opposite manner than God does. That’s what God means by saying, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.” in Isaiah 55:8. There are videos for those who missed Oprah’s episode covering Jani Schofield.

The Psychiatric Association would say the brain is the cause of the undesirable behavior. Drugs are experimented with to see which ones do the best job at “managing” the unwanted behavior. Periodically one is discovered that seems to do a fairly good job at doing so. They admit that they can’t cure it, but they will never admit that the cause is spiritual. They cannot ever consider a deeper root (i.e., the heart). It could destroy their profession, reputation, and income. More importantly, it would cause the devil to lose a huge foothold he now has over humanity. God goes one step further than these humanistic experts by telling us that the heart (figure of speech—not the physical heart) determines how the brain will react (and how the individual’s physical human body will react).

Pride repeatedly proves to obstruct truth. For example, when George W. Kling (an expert on carbon cycling) tried to convince volcanologists that they were wrong about their theory behind what caused the death of 37 people nearby Lake Monoun on August 15th, 1984, the volcanists refused to give credence to the results reported by Kling’s personal investigation into the matter.³ Even when the greater disaster of Lake Nyos occurred on August 21, 1986 (suffocating 1,700 people and 3,500 livestock in nearby villages!), there were volcanists still unwilling to accept Kling’s claim on what caused it. It wasn’t until a few years later that the rest of the vocanologists finally surrendered to the truth that those deaths were not caused by volcanic activity; that they were caused by CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) poisoning.

The ultimate disease that exists in mankind is pride. Pride is rebellion against God’s will. That’s why the mental health experts pay little (if any) attention to pride and would distort its definition when they do. Any and all behavior that’s not in harmony with God’s will is sick and evil. Those are strong words, especially these days. The only cure for this condition is salvation. All of mankind is born with a carnal nature that lusts against God’s Spirit. The best book (apart from God’s word written in the Holy Bible) there seems to be for explaining what mankind’s body, soul, and spirit is, is by Oswald Chambers. It’s titled Biblical Psychology. Reading that book made up my mind what I want this Christmas! → The Complete Works of Oswald Chambers. Oswald Chambers is the author of one of the best daily devotionals (if not the best) in existence → My Utmost for His Highest. Sample his work for yourself, but be forewarned about reading his book Biblical Psychology — It is NOT a quick read; it makes you think hard if you dare to read it in its entirety.

¹The devil is busy flip-flopping as much as he can. Couples who refuse to bow down to the gods of human government for their recognition of marriage are labeled by most Christians as living in sin. Satan is the master of confusion and marriage is one area he must mess with. One of the best articles I’ve read lately about the topic of marriage is by Michael Pearl, written in June 2009, called Holy Matrimony. He offers some wonderful advice on how Christians should handle their stand on maintaining what a traditional family is.

²Jani’s imagination is obviously so powerful that it will not allow her to behave sanely. She cannot have a sound mind because the children and animals in her imagination will not allow her to know God. God is her only hope for her brain to express its thoughts without them enslaving her to the nightmare she is trapped in. Jani’s mind isn’t the problem; it’s the symptom. Jani’s heart needs to receive Christ, because He is the truth and the light she needs to set her free.

³When I first watched a documentary about this catastrophe and they mentioned blisters on the skin of some victims, it immediately made no sense to me that it could have been from heat burns. It also made no sense to me that those deaths could have been caused by a volcano. Since I don’t specialize an interest in Earth Science, the invisible factor (CO2—Carbon Dioxide) didn’t occur to me ( an out-of-sight, out-of-mind case). Regardless of my lack to consider frost bite from concentrated amounts of CO2, I still could not automatically accept the theory of heat burns. I’ve developed a habit of taking statements and considering their opposite first; then (if there isn’t enough information to ground the matter) I will flip-flop (swing back and forth) until there is. That’s usually how information stays in my mind until further notice.


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