Theos-Talk Archives (May 1996 Message tl00816)

At 05:16 AM 5/14/96 -0400, you wrote:
>>>>>cut<<<<<<<<
>
>You may be right. The thing that worries me about a logical and sensible
>answer is that the thoughts of these people are not logical or sensible. That
>is what causes a lot of their problems in interacting with the world around
>them. Logical, 'normal' people tend to assume similar thought patterns as
>their own in others and so find schizophrenics very hard to deal with. Why
>would a person with an illogical pattern of thinking assume that religion
>would give them security? They may not even be aware that they have such a
>problem as many of them blame significant 'others' for their illness. I am
>generally accepted as a nice, gentle person yet I just received a Mother's
>Day card from my ill daughter saying 'You always were unpleasant to me, and
>abusive. I get by in spite of the family. The day you stop needing me as your
>scapegoat is a great day indeed.' Etc. That is how she sees us even though we
>have all done our best to be there for her despite her aggresive attitude. I
>used to be the only decent one in the family, according to her, until
>recently so you see why I question any logically based answer because they do
>not think that way. I do not get upset by her attitude as I have had time to
>get used to it and I understand that she sees things in her own strange way.
>I just get puzzled by the way religion takes the fancy of so many of them.
>I do not have an answer as yet but maybe one will emerge one day.
>Regards.
>
>
>
>   Bee Brown
>   Member TSNZ,Wanganui Branch.
>   Theos Int & L
>
>
>
You know Bee, there's a lot of truth in what you say, but I have an
alternative idea. Here in the States we are having a really significant
problem with Therapy induced antagonisms. So frequently a message, such as
you received from your daughter on Mother's Day comes in response to
encouragement by either therapists of peer groups. Secondly there is a
strong possibility that she sees as "unpleasant" and "abusive" any possible
reference to her problems. Also I'd like to posit that while she is dealing
with her own version of rationality in her dealings with her family, that
irrationality might not be "across the board". You know there are a great
many people who are NOT schizophrenic who have problems arising from their
perception of their relationships with family, and which have very little to
do with reality. I suppose what I'm trying to say is that my rationale for
the attraction of religion to the mentally ill, is not necessarily
invalidated because they are mentally ill. I have friends who would claim
that any attraction at all to religion is a sign of pathology, and sometimes
I agree. Religion, after all, is a "crutch" and who needs such a "crutch"
more than the mentally ill?

alexis