The Mental Illness Attack
It is a grievous thing for men who are trying to follow the New Testament to be stigmatized as legalists and authoritarianists, opinionated and dogmatists. And it is beneath the dignity of one who tries to follow closely the Lord's teaching to mention the more uncouth, opprobrious and ungrammatical terminology used by many against him. But it is sad indeed when he observes one of the latest attacks upon his discipleship. This is, that such an attitude of strict adherence to the ordinances and precepts of the New Testament will produce mental illness.
Robert R. Meyers writes in this vein in the May, 1962, Mission Messenger, a paper edited and published by W. Carl Ketcherside. His writings with which I am familiar sound more like he is a disciple of the Harvard and Yale theologians than of the Lord. In fact, this paper in which he writes has become a crusader for the fellowship of all religious people, irrespective of their obedience and conformance to the specific teachings of the New Testament. He reports from a letter he received, and comments upon it. All that he said of the letter, exclusive of direct quotations from the letter, are given:
"A man who served eight years in a Church of Christ college writes from Tennessee.....This man, a professor in a large state university, helped publish an article on the high proportion of mental illness among members of the Churches of Christ in his county. Psychiatrists, he said, reported a much higher percentage among Church of Christ members than among non-legalistic religions....
"As a personal note, I should like to see some figures published about this matter. I have heard from both Texas and Tennessee psychiatrists that legalistic religions are extraordinarily harmful to mental health, and that a service would be done to society if they could be reformed. Perhaps a serious study of this conclusion would be helpful."
It is practically common knowledge that most psychiatrists do not believe the Bible. And the Bible is not like the theories of human origin with which they must deal It is perfectly all right with the psychiatrist for a man to hold such a human theory and even be dogmatic about it, though the psychiatrist himself does not believe it; for it has no higher claim upon him than that of another man. But the Bible claims to be from God, and he cannot ignore it, he must actively oppose it; and his way of opposing it is to try to dissuade his patients from faithfulness to its teaching.
It is tragic indeed to see others become so infatuated with their education that they will accept the claim of an infidel instead of the claim of the teachings of Christ. Psychiatrists and their pet theories come and go, they are here today and thrown in the trash heap tomorrow; but the New Testament was confirmed as the living, abiding word of Christ two thousand years ago, and still stands against all its foes as demonstration that it is the word of Jesus Christ the Son of God. It requires that we obey him in all things it says (Acts 3:22; John 14:15; 2 Thess. 1:7-9) This we must do, in spite of all the psychiatrists' reports.
His report cited by brother Meyers, however, is not above question. Could one, for example, logically reason that institutions for the mentally ill cause such mental illness because of the mental illness of the great majority of people in such institutions? Neither has this man proved by his report that "legalistic religions are extraordinarily harmful to mental health." Psychologists may have found some local situations which cause them to suspect some relationship. But they have yet to prove that there is a cause and effect relationship. With their general attitude toward religion and the Bible, it is almost safe to say, they hope to find evidence of such a relationship. And, apparently, brother Meyers has already concluded that their theory is correct and wants to encourage them to prove it.
Let brother Meyers and the atheistic psychiatrists make their "serious study of this conclusion." Those, who believe in God as he is revealed in the Bible, will continue to believe what he says; and believing that, will observe his commands. They will find the peace of God and the contentment (Phil. 4:4-13) which neither brother Meyers nor his psychiatrist can give. The mentally ill may find help from the psychiatrist in his legitimate field of service. Brother Meyers and the spiritually sick need to turn to the Lord in trusting obedience.
— 1102 N. Mound Street, Nacogdoches, Texas