Does Christian Psychology exist?

These days, it’s very normal to visit a psychologist. Many people live with mental pain, unforgiveness, anger, anxiety, fear, and sorrow or experience behavioral problems, marital problems, compulsions, emotional disorders, depression, drinking problems, drug problems, eating disorders, stress, etc., and visit a psychologist, psychotherapist, or psychiatrist, to solve their problems. Not only do unbelievers visit psychologists or psychiatrists, but many Christians, go to a psychologist or Christian psychologist as well. But how can a Christian, who is saved and delivered by Jesus Christ and born again, seek help in the world and rely on human methods to solve their problems? How can a Christian go to a Christian psychologist? Does Christian psychology exist? If so, what is Christian psychology? What is the difference between psychology and Christian psychology? But what is more important, what does the Bible say about psychology?

What is Christian psychology?

There are many Christians, who visit a Christian psychologist. But is there such a thing as a Christian psychologist? Does Christian psychology exist? Because I don’t read anything about psychology in the Bible. What distinguishes a Christian psychologist from a secular psychologist? They’ve both generated the same scientific studies and gained the same scientific knowledge. They operate under the same principles and the same degree title. So, what is the difference between a psychologist, who practices psychology and a Christian psychologist, who practices Christian psychology?

As you probably know, I always go back to the origin; the basis. I have done this, with previous blogs, in which I wrote about doctors, physical therapy, and mensendieck. and Eastern practices

Therefore let’s look at the origin of psychology. What is psychology? Where does psychology originate? Is psychology inspired by the wisdom and knowledge of God and based upon the Bible; Word of God? Or is psychology inspired and based upon human knowledge, wisdom and observation? What does the Word say and what do psychologists say?

What is psychology?

Over a century ago, human self-contemplation took a scientific turn. We call that science psychology. Psychology is the science of behavior and the mind. The behavior refers to the observable actions of a person (or animal), and the mind refers to the individual’s perceptions, memories, sensations, thoughts, dreams, motives, emotional feelings, and other subjective experiences.

Psychology, as a science, endeavors to answer questions through the systematic collection and logical analysis of objectively observable data.

The data in psychology is always based on observations of behavior. Because the behavior of a person is observable and measurable and the mind is not. Psychologists use this data to make inferences about the mind.

What is the history of psychology?

Modern psychology derives from ancient Greek philosophy. Some philosophers had a big influence on Western philosophy and modern psychology. Let’s have a look at all these philosophers, mathematicians, physiologists, etc. who had a big influence, and were the founders of our modern psychology:

The old Greek pre-socratic philosopher, and also called the father of science: Thales of Miletus (624-546 BC). This philosopher lived before Jesus, the Son of God, came upon this earth. He developed the Thales hypothesis ‘The nature of matter’, or in other words: the scientific statement of the existence of the world. He declared that ‘everything is water’.

Socrates (469-399 BC), was a Greek philosopher, who was accused of profanity (ungodliness). He was Plato’s teacher. He was concerned with issues of human actions, and morality. Socrates suffered from hallucinations and heard voices, which he called: his demons.

Plato (437-347 BC) had a big influence on western philosophy. Plato was a philosopher and mathematician. He was a student of Socrates and wrote among others, ‘The Allegory of the Cave’ and ‘Charioteer’. In the ‘The Allegory of the Cave’ which belongs to his work ‘The Republic’, he compared the effect of education and the lack of it in our nature. It is a paradoxical analogy wherein Socrates argues with Plato’s brother Glaucon, that the invisible world is the most intelligible and that the visible world is the least knowable, and the most obscure. In the ‘Charioteer’, he used a chariot allegory to explain his view on the human soul. Plato was the founder of human reason. He emphasized the importance of the mind above the physical well-being. Plato was influenced by Orphism.

Aristotle (384-322BC) was a student of Plato and contributed also to Western philosophy. He wrote among others, ‘the anima’, ‘Parva Naturalia’ (‘The Sensu’ and ‘the Demoria’). In ‘the motu animalium’ various psychological topics are discussed. Aristotle considered the natural world as reality. Therefore abstract ideas originated from this world.

Rudolf Göckel (1547-1628) was a German scholastic philosopher. He invented the term ‘psychology’ and also contributed to the field of ontology. He continued with the teachings of Aristotle.

“Cogito ergo sum”

René Descartes (1596-1650) was a French mathematician, physiologist, and philosopher, and is considered the father of modern philosophy. His most well-known quote is ‘cogito ergo sum’ (I think, therefore I am). With this statement he took a dualistic position: he separated the soul (the mind) from the body. He suggested that the body works like a machine, and that it has material properties. The mind is not, and doesn’t follow the laws of nature. The mind interacts with the body, it can control the body, but the body can also influence the otherwise rational mind. His strong emphasis on the body opened the door for psychology. In 1619, Descartes shut himself in a room with an oven, to escape the cold, in that room he had three visitations of a spirit, who gave him a new philosophy. Descartes opposed the church.

Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) wrote the book ‘Leviathan’. He wrote about materialism. In his view, all human behavior could be theoretically understood in terms of bodily processes in the body, in particular in the brain. Thomas Hobbes claimed that all human knowledge and human thinking derives from sensory experience (see, hear, feel etc)

I.M. Sechonov (1863-1935) was a Russian physiologist, who invented the ‘reflexology’ (all human behavior occurs through the means of reflexes, even ‘voluntary’ actions are actually complex reflexes, wherewith higher parts of the brains (thinking, etc.) are involved). He is the founder of the objective physiological psychology.

Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936) was a Russian physiologist. His work about reflexes played an important role in the development, in North America, of a school of thought in psychology, called behaviorism.

Johannes Müller (1801-1858) was German and came up with the idea that different qualities of sensory experience come about because the nerves from different sense organs excite different parts of the brain.

The French Pierre Flourens (1794-1867 ) experimented with animals, showing that damage to different parts of the brain results in different kinds of deficits in the ability of an animal to move.

“I’d rather be a transformed monkey, than a son of Adam”

Paul Broca (1824-1880) published in 1861 clinical evidence, that people, who were damaged in a specific part of the left hemisphere of the brains, lost their ability to speak, but didn’t lose other mental capacities. He was fascinated by the evolution theory and said that he would rather be a transformed monkey, than a son of Adam.

All these findings, concerning the relations between the mind and the brain, contributed to laying the foundation for scientific psychology. Because it gave substance to the idea of a material basis for mental processes

The English Charles Darwin (1809-1882), who was a naturalist, published ‘The origin of species’. His fundamentalist idea was that living things have arrived at their present shape through a long evolutionary process. He describes the process whereby heredity within a population of organisms changes in the course of the generations, due to genetic variation, propagation, and natural selection.

While other physiologists focused on the nerves mechanism of behavior, Darwin focused on functions of behavior; the way in which individual behavior helps the individual to survive and to reproduce. He wrote in his book only about flora and fauna, but in later writings, he also applied these findings to humans. Darwin was razed religiously, but he started doubting his faith and turned his back on the faith.

Cognitive psychology

The German Wilhelm Wundt (1821-1920) is considered the founder of scientific psychology. The previous persons also contributed to scientific psychology, but Wundt wrote the first book of psychology, which defined the discipline as a science, and reviewed the psychological research that was done. In 1879 Wundt opened the first university laboratories of psychology in Leipzig. Because this university officially accepted psychology as a new science, psychology became acknowledged as an independent science. Wundt laid also the foundation for cognitive psychology.

Edward Titchener (1867-1927) graduated as a psychologist at the University of Leipzig. He developed introspection; looking from within to examine someone’s conscious experiences

William James (1842-1910) was both a philosopher and a psychologist and is the founder of functionalism. He emphasized the purpose and functions of the mind. James was mostly influenced by Darwin, who had shown that behavior could be understood in terms of its purposes without analyzing the elementary mechanisms, through which it occurs. He also developed the theory of ‘self’. James suffered from neuroses and depression. He was also suicidal. He was pragmatic, but also spiritually and often visited a medium and was a partaker of seances.

The German psychologist Max Wertheimer (1880-1943) published an article in 1912 on a perceptual effect that he labeled as the ‘phi phenomenon’. Together with some other psychologists, he founded a school which was called ‘gestalt psychology’ (organized shape, or whole form). The premise of this new school was that the mind must be understood in terms of organized wholes, and not elementary parts (for example a melody is not the sum of individual music notes). Because of WWII, the founders of this school went to North America and established research laboratories at several colleges and universities. Gestalt psychology became integrated into many different lines of psychological work.

Behaviorism, ethology and physiological psychology

The three psychological perspectives, that used animals and experimented on animals are behaviorism, ethology, and physiological psychology.

John B Watson (1878-1958) also used animals for studies and was one of the most influential psychologists of that time. He experimented with rats, monkeys, chickens, dogs, cats, and fish. He came with a new perspective within psychology, which he called behaviorism.

B.F. Skinner (1904-1990) was one of the many behaviorists. In 1938, he published a book, which was called ‘the behavior of organisms’. Skinner agreed with the 4 doctrines of Watson’s behaviorism but differed with his idea that all behavior could be understood as reflexes. Skinner’s emphasis was on the incentive effects of his responses.

While in 1930, behaviorism was very popular in the United States, in Europa arose another movement, called the science of ethology; the study of animal’s behavior in the natural environment.

Around 1960, both teachings; behaviorism and ethology, were combined within psychology.

Karl Lashley (1890-1958) graduated from Johns Hopkins University and was a student of Watson. He belonged to one of the psychologists, who didn’t ignore the nervous system. Lashley was one of the pioneers, of what we call now physiological psychology; the attempt to understand the physiological mechanisms, in the brain and elsewhere, that organize and control behavior.

Clinical psychology

Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) was an Austrian neurologist and was one of the pioneers of clinical psychology, which should help people get rid of their problems. Freud used Charles Darwin’s evolution theory and was influenced by Eduard von Hartmann’s ‘philosophy of the unconsciousness’. In 1868, Freud started to apply hypnosis in his private practice. He had learned hypnosis from Charcot. Freud adapted the approach of Joseph Breuer, to use hypnosis in order to bring people back to their childhood, or to the moment when a trauma happened. In 1893, Freud started using cocaine, next to his nicotine addiction.

In 1896 Freud developed psychoanalysis, but unfortunately, Freud couldn’t help his patient with 100% satisfactory, therefore Freud had to adjust this psychoanalysis. 

From 1895 Freud was being tortured in his mind (his thinking) which led to somatic symptoms. Freud suffered from heart rhythm disorders, disturbing dreams, and depression. Freud suffered from a mental breakdown, which was caused, according to Freud, by the death of his father in 1896.

In 1897 Freud wrote to Fliess about the cause of hysteria in children. According to Freud, his father was responsible for the hysteria of his brother, and some sisters, and maybe even himself (This looks like the characteristic of Adam when he blamed Eve, and Eve blamed the serpent).

In 1923 Freud discovered Leukoplakia, because of his heavy smoking habit, which led to mouth cancer.
In September 1939 Freud committed suicide, by using an overdose of morphine, which was administered by Max Schur, his friend, and doctor.

Humanistic psychology

After Freud, other clinical-based psychologists developed alternative theories, for example, humanistic psychology.

In the 1960s, humanistic psychologists, Carl Rogers (1902-1987) and Abraham Maslow (1908-1970) were the most prominent. People who came for humanistic therapy had a negative self-image. By the use of humanistic therapy, they tried to help people get a positive self-image. Psychoanalysis and humanistic psychology had a great impact on psychotherapy.

Thereafter cultural and social psychology came. Cultural psychology emphasized strongly the dependency of the human mind of the culture in which someone develops.

Wilhelm Wundt was one of the first, who pleaded for cultural psychology, just like he also founded experimental psychology.

Social psychology emphasizes the here and now. It is conceded with things like conformity, obedience, the effects of the expectations of others, and the way in which someone forms an opinion about other people and the attitudes about social matters.

Social psychology

Kurt Lewin (1890-1947) was one of the pioneers of social psychology.

The cognitive revolution took place from 1960-1970. Cognitive psychology replaced the behaviors, as the dominant school of the mind, in North-American psychology. Cognition refers to knowledge and cognitive psychology can be described as the study of human’s ability to get, organize, remember, and use knowledge to study their behavior.

Cognitive psychologists developed models (or theories) about mental processes which mediate behavior.

Clark Hull (1882-1952) and Edward Tolman (1886-1959) called themselves behaviorists but were actually cognitive psychologists.

The Swiss developmental psychologist and philosopher Jean Piaget (1896-1980) was known for his epistemological studies with children. He studied the reasoning of children, by observing the mistakes that children made, while they had to solve a problem, and by asking them to their arguments behind their answers.

Noam Chomsky (born 1928) is a linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, and logician. He wrote the book ‘ Syntactic structures’. This book not only had an enormous impact on linguistics but also on psychology.

There are many more psychologists, scientists, philosophers, physiologists, etc. who contributed to modern psychology, and I am certain that I have not mentioned all the elements that played an important role in the development of psychology. But I think that this information will be more than enough for this blogpost.

What you apparently didn’t know about the founders
of modern psychology and their mental health

• René Descartes received philosophies of a spirit, via a vision, while he was locked up in a room. He called this the new philosophy (he formulated analytical geometric and applied mathematics methods to the philosophy)
• William James suffered from neurosis, and depression and was suicidal
• Sigmund Freud started using cocaine when he was 37. From the age of 39, he was tortured in his mind and suffered somatic disorders. Freud suffered from depression and got a nervous breakdown. At the age of 83, Freud committed suicide by administering an overdose of morphine (that was being administered by his friend and doctor).

Were these founders of psychology, believers in Jesus Christ?

• Plato (437-347 BC) was influenced by Orphism (a set of religious beliefs and practices originating in the ancient Greek and the Hellenistic world, as well as by the Thracians, associated with literature ascribed to the mythical poet Orpheus, who descended into Hades and returned)
• Rudolf Göckel was an occultist and magnetizer
• Thomas Hobbes was an atheist and a materialist and opposed church doctrines. His father was a controversial vicar, who didn’t practice what he preached. He revolted another vicar and fled, while he left his three sons behind with his brother.
• Ivan Pavlov was the son of a priest. Ivan Pavlov started a theological study but swapped it to a study of physics and mathematics. He called himself an atheist and lost his faith during his theological study. He called faith a fantasy, instead of the truth.
• Paul Broca was fascinated by the evolution theory. He preferred to be a transformed ape than a son of Adam. The church often opposed his views, and therefore he often had conflicts with the church; the believers.
• Ivan Pavlov chose to dedicate his life to science, instead of religion. Because of that, he not only rejected a doctrine, but he rejected God.
• Johannes Mueller wanted to become a priest, but his love for natural science, especially for medicine, was stronger, and eventually won.
• Charles Darwin was raised religiously. Although he studied to become an Anglican priest, he was a free-thinker. He began to doubt his faith and turned his back on the faith. He denied God, through his evolution theory.
• Wilhelm Wundt was the son of a Luther reverent but rejected the faith of Christianity. Wundt saw God as some kind of godly force but didn’t believe in the immortality of humans. He was an advocate of the evolution theory.
• William James was the son of a theologian, but we don’t see much of this in his life. He was pragmatic, but also spiritual. He often went to a medium, where he participated in seances.
• John B Watson had a religious mother, who hoped that her son would become a preacher. He was raised rigorously in the Christian doctrine, and due to his upbringing, he began to hate every form of religion and became an atheist.
• B.F. Skinner was an atheist
• Sigmund Freud was an atheist. He called faith in God collective neuroses and considered God an illusion.
• Carl Rogers was brought up religiously, but started doubting his faith when he was 20 years of age, and quit his theological study. Rogers became an atheist and often visited with his wife spiritual mediums. He moved in the occult and believed in spiritualism and reincarnation. He had an interest in Hinduism, Buddhism, and other eastern religions, new age, etc. (For example, he instructed and encouraged his patients to commit fornication because he thought marriage was old-fashioned, and people had a need for plural relationships outside the marriage)
• Abraham Maslow was an atheist.
• Clark Hull rejected the Christian faith and became an atheist
• Jean Piaget rejected the Christian faith and became an atheist
• Noam Chomsky was raised in Judaism but became an atheist.

These philosophers, scientists, physiologists, psychologists, etc. were atheists, and some of them were involved in the occult. Their philosophies, views, theories, knowledge, discoveries, etc. were not inspired or based upon the Bible. Their wisdom didn’t come from God. Therefore their wisdom came from devils. Some of these even testified about visitations of spirits (demonic forces) or demons in their head, who gave them new insights, knowledge, and wisdom. The wisdom of devils has eventually become the doctrine of this world; science.

The framework of psychology

The framework of psychology consists of naturalism, materialism, reductionism, determinism, evolution, empiricism, and relativism.

Theories based on experiments with animals

Frans Pierre Flourens, John B. Watson, Ivan Pavlov, and many others used animals, in order to explain the behavior of humans, to investigate the nervous system, etc. But what does the Bible say about humans and animals?

All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds (1 Corinthains 15:39)

We shall never be able to explain human behavior on the basis of experiments with animals. Therefore it is impossible to test medicines, cosmetics etc. on animals. Because they are not of the same flesh as humans are. Whatever science says and claims, it is a big lie.

Medications are tested on mice or rats, but do they also look at what happens weeks, months, or years after they gave them these medications? According to scientists, the medicines work, but what happens after the medication? Or what are the side effects? Do these mice, and rats live for weeks, months, and years without diseases and any other side effects? Or do they die together with the bacteria and tumors?

Medicines will enter the bloodstream and will affect every organ and every cell in the human body.

Don’t believe these lies of the world, through which many human lives are being destroyed. Medicines destroy more lives and cause more side effects, than that it heals and saves lives completely.

Where do these scientists get their wisdom from?

They received wisdom from demonic powers. The more they moved in the occult and opened up to demonic forces, the more wisdom they got. We see this in the lives of Socrates, Sigmund Freud (hypnosis), Carl Rogers, and Rene Descartes, who got their wisdom from demonic forces during visions.

What does the Bible say about the wisdom of man
(wisdom of the world)?

And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect:yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought: But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory (1 Corinthians 2:4-8)

But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searches all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knows no man, but the Spirit of God.

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Ghost teaches; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned (1 Corinthians 2:12-14)

He brought about strength with His arm. He dispersed those who with contempt and haughtiness hold themselves as above other in the intellectual insight and moral understanding of their heart. He deposed potentates from their thrones and exalted those who are in a humble position in life (Luke 1:51-53)

For it has been written and is at present on record, I will destroy the wisdom of those who are wise, and the discernment of those who have the ability to discern I will frustrate. Where I say philosopher, skilled in letters, cultivated, learned? Where is a man learned in the sacred scriptures? Where is a learned sophist of this age, fallacious reasoner that he is? Did not God prove foolish the wisdom of this world system? For in view of the fact that, in the wisdom of God, the world system through its wisdom did not come to have an experiential knowledge of God, God saw fit through the aforementioned foolishness of the previously alluded-to proclamation to save those who believe, for both, Jews are constantly demanding an attesting miracle and Greeks are constantly searching for wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:19-25)

For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He takes the wise in their own craftiness. And again, The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain. Therefore let no man glory in men (1 Corinthians 3:19-21)

For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you (2 Corinthians 1:12)

Paul spoke with philosophers

When Paul was in Athens, he encountered philosophers of the Epicureans and of the Stoicks  (aren’t these philosophers the founders of modern psychology?). Did he listen and agree with them? No! He declared to them, that God made the heavens and the earth, and he preached to them about Jesus Christ and His resurrection. On the basis of his testimony of Jesus Christ, certain man clave unto him and believed.

Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection. And they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is? For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean. (For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing (Acts 17:17-21/ Read also verse 22-34)

Science makes God dispensable

We don’t need God anymore if we apply scientific knowledge, theories, doctrines, etc. to our everyday life. We can solve all our problems with the use of human knowledge and methods, and that’s exactly what the devil wants. When we use psychological doctrines to analyze and solve behavioral or mental problems, then we don’t need God’s power anymore, because we can solve the problems ourselves. We are not dependent upon God anymore, but independent.

When we rely on doctors, psychologists, physiologists, psychiatrists, psychotherapists, etc. we rely and have faith in human doctrines, which are based upon demonic wisdom.

The word ‘Christian’ doesn’t make something holy and acceptable to God.

All scientific doctrines are teachings of devils and not of God. The carnal mind of people have created these doctrines and are not based upon the Bible. There is no single scripture written in the Bible, where the Word refers to scientific doctrines, philosophers, doctors, etc.

Science is the doctrine of this world. This doctrine cannot go together with the doctrine of the Kingdom of Heaven.

The study of psychology always starts with the evolution theory. Because it is based on the knowledge that man derives from apes. But by participating in these colleges, you deny God as the Creator of the heavens and the earth.

You can try to cover it up and give a nice twist to it. But the truth is that you fill your mind with the lies of this world, that deny and reject God and His Word.

Christianising a profession doesn’t make it acceptable to God

People can Christianise things and put the word ‘Christian’ in front of a profession or study, but that won’t make that profession or study holy and acceptable to God. It certainly doesn’t say, that God approves that profession or study. When you put the word ‘Christian’ in front of a profession, like Christian psychology or Christian psychologists, it may make it acceptable for people, but people don’t decide….. God decides!

Psychologists, psychotherapists, psychiatrists, philosophers, etc obtain doctrines of man, which are built upon materialism, humanism, evolution, relativism, etc.. This wisdom is given by revelations coming from evil spirits of the kingdom of darkness, and not by the Kingdom of God.

Psychologists, psychotherapists, and psychiatrists are agents of the devil and operate under the influence of demonic forces. That’s the truth, despite the fact that they call themselves ‘Christian psychologists’ or that they practice Christian psychology. They may pray with the patient, quote Bible scriptures, etc. but that won’t change the thing that they operate from a carnal mind using carnal methods.

They may get a revelation in the spirit, and think it is the Holy Spirit, but these philosophers, psychologists, etc. also got revelations and heard voices, but it wasn’t from God, but from demonic forces. Therefore if a Christian psychologist, who practices Christian psychology, gets revelations, they might be under the influence of demonic forces, i.e. spirit of witchcraft, instead of the Spirit of God.

Demonic forces imitate God

The demonic forces gave knowledge to the philosophers and founders of psychology, and they still give knowledge to today’s modern psychologists. If you are a ‘Christian psychologist’ and you open yourself up to the spiritual world, by emptying yourself and seeking help from God, then demonic forces are very willing to imitate God’s presence and to seduce you, so that you will think that the information is from God, while in reality, it derives from demonic forces. You will think, that you operate in the prophetic, while in reality, you have a spirit of divination. It won’t take long before these evil spirits rule your life completely.

The wisdom of this world can’t go together with the Word of God

A psychologist is a behaviorist in the scientific studies of psychology, and this doesn’t have anything to do with the Word of God. A psychologist ‘heals’ on the basis of human scientific knowledge and not on the basis of the work of Jesus Christ, although some ‘Christian psychologists’ say they do.

If you heal on the basis, and in the Name of Jesus Christ, then you have to lay down your profession as a psychologist. You will not be able to continue as a psychologist anymore. Because it’s not about your scientific knowledge, reason, and wisdom, but it’s all about the power of Jesus Christ.

You cannot, with the help of human wisdom, knowledge, doctrines, and methods heal a person of oppression. That’s impossible! That’s why so many people visit psychologists for years.

Christian psychologists rely on science

Psychologists rely on their carnal minds and scientific knowledge from their studies. The so-called Christian psychologists also rely on the same scientific knowledge. Because if they would rely on Jesus Christ and on His power, they wouldn’t go to the past, analyze it, and make a plan of treatment anymore. But they would rely on Jesus Christ and His power. They would lay down their title and profession as a psychologist and pray with people who need help and heal people in the Name of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.

But unfortunately, that’s not what happens. Because Christian psychologists rely on, and trust and glory more upon their own carnal wisdom, knowledge, ability, etc. which they’ve derived from their scientific studies instead of trusting in the crucified Jesus, His blood, His resurrection, and His power.

Psychologists and Christian psychologists both treat people the same way by using the methods. They both use the same lies of this world. Many times, people return with more  problems, than they had before they went into therapy (read also ‘How to get peace of mind?’

Paul laid down all his worldly wisdom and knowledge

Paul was a prominent educated man and could be compared in this age, to someone who would have a degree in science. But Paul considered all this worldly knowledge that he possessed as garbage. He laid down his former life as the old creation, including all of his wisdom and knowledge, and said:

And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God (1 Corinthians 2:4-5)

Sometimes God asks us, to lay down all of our worldly wisdom and knowledge, and maybe even to give up a study or a profession and to only trust upon Him; on His Word. That takes faith and courage, to lay down your status, your education, your wisdom, knowledge, etc.

The Word of God vs Psychology

Let us have a look at what the Word says and what psychologists (psychotherapists, psychiatrists) say:

The Word says:

• The ‘self’ must die in Jesus Christ
• The Spirit must reign over the flesh; soul and body
• The origin and cause of all problems are spiritual; oppression and possession of demonic spirits. You can only solve the problem if you go to the origin of the problem (the root of the problem), which are demonic spirits/forces. What occurs and manifests in the natural world, started in the invisible realm. The Word says, that we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Jesus solved many problems, by casting out demons, because He knew that they were the cause of the problem
• The Word acts after the Spirit, acknowledges that the origin of the physical or mental problem is spiritual, and therefore solves the problem out of the Spirit
• The Word says that you are in Jesus Christ, a new creation; the old (the former you) has passed away, all things have become new
• God and Jesus are the center
• Depended upon the power of the Holy Spirit
• The Word says it’s all about finding Jesus
• Walk after the will of God, which is also the will of Jesus

Psychologists say:

• The ‘self’ is the center of all therapies/treatments. The ‘self’ must be helped and healed.
• Psychologists focus on the unity of spirit, soul, and body
• Psychologists solve the problem out of the flesh, by applying scientific doctrines, and strategies and providing ‘tools’ to the patients. They acknowledge external factors, like nurture, family, environment, circumstances, etc. as the cause of a mental or physical problem
• Psychologists act after the flesh and try to solve the problem out of the flesh
• Psychologists go back to the past to analyze the problem and to find the root of the problem
• Man (self) is the center
• Dependent upon the power of scientific doctrines
• The psychologist says it’s all about finding yourself
• A person must live after his/her own will and must stand up for themselves

Finding ‘self’ vs finding Jesus

The psychologist focuses on the ‘self’, the ‘ego’ of a person, and uses many techniques and models to cure the ‘self’ and to make it strong. Life is about finding yourself, as so many scientists, philosophers, and religions say, but the truth is, that it’s not about finding yourself, but it is all about finding Jesus.

When someone becomes born again and lay down his former life after the flesh; the old creation, the ‘self’ in that person has died (Read also: What does the Bible say about the old man?).

It’s not about him/her anymore, but it’s all about Jesus. If a person has died to ‘self’, then a person doesn’t need a psychologist anymore.

Psychologists will not be needed anymore if Christians die to the flesh; to ’self’. Because if the ‘self’ of a person has died, then Psychologists don’t have anything to work on.

They can’t ‘cure’ the flesh, because there is no flesh anymore.

This is a sore point in the Body of Christ; the Church, because believers don’t lay down their flesh anymore, but keep living after the flesh. They live for themselves, instead of living for Jesus, for God; keeping His commandments, and doing His will. They keep walking after their own will, and therefore they keep walking after the flesh, instead of walking after the Spirit.

The Bible is sufficient

The Bible; the Word of God, is all a believer needs to help them to live in spiritual freedom. The Word of God is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, for instruction in righteousness, etc. Christians don’t need doctrines of the world, but they need the Bible; the Word of God and apply the Word to their lives. When they do that, they won’t have any problems.

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

Jesus healed a possessed man

When you become a new creation, you should also walk as Jesus walked upon this earth. Because Jesus was a new creation; born of water and of the Holy Spirit, and walked after the Spirit. Therefore let’s have look at what Jesus did, when He met a possessed (schizophrenic) man, in the land of Gadarenes, and what He did to heal him.

Jesus didn’t refer the man to a healer, or a philosopher, etc. No, Jesus walked after the Spirit and knew that this possessed man, could only be set free, by dealing with the cause of the problem; demonic forces. Jesus knew that the manifestations in the natural realm were the results of what happened in the spiritual realm; possession by demonic forces.

And they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is over against Galilee. And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man, which had devils long time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs.

When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not. (For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him: and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters; and he brake the bands, and was driven of the devil into the wilderness.) And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him. And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep.

And there was there an herd of many swine feeding on the mountain: and they besought him that he would suffer them to enter into them. And he suffered them. Then went the devils out of the man, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the lake, and were choked. When they that fed them saw what was done, they fled, and went and told it in the city and in the country. Then they went out to see what was done; and came to Jesus, and found the man, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid. They also which saw it told them by what means he that was possessed of the devils was healed (Luke 8:26-36)

This man was possessed by demonic spirits; a legion, which is about 3000-6000 spirits (according to the definition of a legion). Imagine that! In one person, so many spirits! These demonic spirits were not visible in the natural realm, and could not be noticed with the natural senses of man, but the results, and the works of these demonic forces, were noticeable and visible for the natural senses of man; he was untamable, broke the bands, dangerous, cried out etc.

Jesus knew, that He was not dealing with a man, but with evil spirits, that possessed this man and spoke through the man. Therefore He knew that He shouldn’t focus on the visible symptoms, but on the invisible spiritual cause of the symptoms. Jesus cast these evil spirits out of the man, by commanding these unclean spirits to come out of him, and after they besought Jesus to enter into the swine, Jesus allowed it, and the man was set free.

There are many more examples written in the Bible. Examples that give us the wisdom we need, to set people free.

Jesus knew what the cause was of people’s mental and physical state, and that’s why Jesus healed them all, who were possessed of devils (demons). That alone is the cause of all mental and physical problems.

The church a powerful and mighty institution

Jesus is the Head of the church; the body of Jesus Christ. The church should live and stay in Jesus Christ; the Word. As long as the church stays and keeps walking in Jesus Christ; the Word, then the church will be the most powerful and mightiest institution on this earth. He has given us His authority. Therefore, He has given us all we need and blessed us with every spiritual blessing in high places.

According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust (2 Peter 1:3-4)

Unfortunately, many churches don’t walk in Christ’s authority. Many believers stay carnal and don’t walk after the Spirit anymore, but keep walking after the flesh. Most pastoral care workers don’t rely on the power of the Holy Spirit, but on ‘Christian psychology’; psychological methods and doctrines that have been adopted by churches and congregations.

Making the Word of God of no effect

There are ‘Christian psychologists’ who provide seminars and courses to believers, pastors, teachers, pastoral care workers, etc. They mix the wisdom of the world; science, with the truth of God’s Word. By mixing the two together, they make the Word of no effect.

For example, they teach that if someone experiences a mental problem or trauma, they go back to their past to find out when it happened and what caused it. They dig up many things, that belong to the person’s old life. But this goes against the word of God. Because God says that you are a new creation and that all the old things have passed away.

If you use and apply worldly scientific doctrines, and methods, and rely on them instead of relying on the Word and the Holy Spirit, then God will draw Himself back, and let you solve the problem. Because by applying these worldly doctrines, you show God that you won’t need Him, but that you can do it yourself. You think that you are so wonderful and smart and that you can heal the person. Without knowing you put yourself on a pedestal. You say that you need the Lord and that you cannot do it by yourself, but by relying on your own carnal wisdom and knowledge, which you gained at the university, you just proved otherwise.

The church has all authority in Jesus Christ

“Why can only the church provide deliverance?” Because the church; the assembly of new creations walks after the Spirit and is seated in Jesus Christ above every principality, power, rulers of darkness, and spiritual wickedness in high places and operates in the spiritual realm. All mental and physical problems originate in the spiritual realm.

Only in Jesus Christ, you have a higher authority than these evil spirits have. Therefore you have the authority to command these evil spirits, who oppress or possess a person, to go and leave the person.

When you are seated in Him, you have all the authority to cast out evil spirits that causes all kind of mental problems, like sadness, fear, anxiety, sorrow, anger, depression, schizophrenia, nervous breakdown, unforgiveness, ADHD, autism, add etc. (Read also: ADHD exposed)

If a person has a mental problem, that is visible in the soul, then you will not be able to solve the problem out of the flesh, with scientific doctrines and by applying carnal methods.

You can write 100 analyses and treatments. But the person will not get rid of the problem. Maybe the patient will get some kind of relief at first, but after a while, it will come back, and become worse.

Why will it come back? Because the spiritual cause, a demonic spirit will stay in a person, and will surely manifest himself again. Often times it will become worse with the person, because the person has attacked this evil spirit instead of leaving him alone, and for that, he will punish the person.

Only the church will be able to cast the demonic spirit out of a person and deliver the person, so that the person can live without oppression and possession of darkness, in real freedom. The freedom, that Jesus gave His life for. In the Name of Jesus and by the power of the Holy Spirit, every person can be delivered and be set free of all his/her problems.

Therefore take your position, as a born-again believer. Have faith and rely on the Word, and the power of the Holy Spirit, instead of having faith in – and rely on human wisdom, knowledge, and scientific doctrines.

Read also ‘Don’t fall into the hole of your past‘

‘Be the salt of the earth’ 

sources: Sigmund Freud’s Discovery of Psychoanalysis: Conquistador and Thinker By Paul Schimmel, Psychology by Peter Gray, Wikipedia, Stanford encyclopedia