REAL CHANGE

 

 

 

In Thoughts without a Thinker: Psychotherapy from a Buddhist Perspective, Mark Epstein, M.D. correctly argues that suffering serves to force us to confront ourselves:

 

·       According to Buddhism, it is our fear at experiencing ourselves directly that creates suffering. This has always seemed very much in keeping with Freud’s views. As Freud put it, “the patient must find the courage to direct his attention to the phenomena of his illness. His illness itself must no longer seem to him contemptible, but must become an enemy worthy of his mettle, a piece of his personality, which has solid ground for its existence and out of which things of value for his future life have to be derived. The way is thus paved for the reconciliation with the repressed material, which is coming to expression in his symptoms, while at the same time place is found for a certain tolerance for the state of being ill.”

 

I think that Epstein is correct about fearing to face ourselves, but why is this correct? Epstein, Buddhism, and modern psychology understand our denial of the true self as psychopathology, while the Bible understands it as a flight from God due to our moral culpability. Along with our sins is the intuitive sense that we deserve punishment (Romans 1:32). This is so threatening we cannot simply think, “I don’t believe in any of this stuff. I will just laugh at any accusations and live the way I want.” Therefore, we ordinarily hate any disapproval, especially that of God and avoid Him, if we have not been reconciled to Him through Jesus. This contradicts Freud’s expectation that once we become aware of what has been suppressed, the “way is thus paved for the reconciliation” of our discordant parts.

 

Awareness just gets us to first base. Then we must act appropriately regarding this awareness. From the Biblical point of view, we cannot completely suppress what we have denied (Romans 1:18-20; 2:14-16). As a result, we spend the rest of our lives struggling painfully to prove to ourselves and the world that we are good and worthy. This struggle to establish our self-worth and self-righteousness is life-consuming but always threatening. We will even kill to defend our façade of righteousness.

 

This drama is most graphically portrayed in the account of the Fall. Adam and Eve disobeyed God and succumbed to the temptation of eating from the forbidden tree:

 

·       So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. (Genesis 3:6 ESV)

 

Then they were overcome by their guilt and shame. Instead of humbling themselves to ask for God’s mercy, they decided to handle the problem themselves by sewing fig leaves together in a desperate attempt to cover their shame.

 

 

Today we have more sophisticated ways to cover over our shame and the terror of being revealed. We give ourselves a steady diet of positive self-talk, accumulate positive affirmations from others, wear designer clothing and join the right groups, and earn PHDs, other accolades, money, and power.

 

Fearing exposure, Adam and Eve then foolishly tried to hide from God, who gave them several chances to confess their sin. However, they continued to hide it through a series of deceptive half-truths:

 

·       But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, "Where are you?" And he said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself." He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?" The man said, "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate." Then the Lord God said to the woman, "What is this that you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." (Genesis 3:9-13)

 

They also blame-shifted. Adam subtlety blamed God for “the woman you gave...me,” and Eve blamed the serpent. Neither confessed, “I am the guilty party.”

 

In view of their continued denial, God delivered His verdict - death and separation from God and His Garden. Nevertheless, they remained in denial. Adam named his wife “Eve,” the “mother of life” instead of the “mother of death.” Even when they were banished from the Garden, they offered not a hint of protest. Instead, we are left with the impression that they were happy to escape the penetrating and convicting presence of the Light of God.

 

This has been the history of mankind, not just of a limited number who have been afflicted with this “psychopathology.” We perceive in humankind the very same devices that Adam and Eve had used to shield themselves from the threat of God and eventually to flee from His presence.

 

Epstein and Freud understand that all the effort that we exert to suppress certain thoughts would cause suffering, but they failed to understand the nature of the suppressed material. Therefore, they mistakenly thought that if they could just bring it to the surface, it could be resolved, and the sufferer could be freed.

 

I have met several courageous individuals who have been able to confront part of their dark side - their sins and their many devices and self-deceptions to cover their sin and guilt. I call them “courageous” and applaud them, because this is a very painful process. However, many fail to go to ultimate source of their problem, the fact that they deserve the Almighty God’s righteous judgement.

 

This is simply too terrifying, so terrifying that it causes us to hate the God we know and to suppress any awareness of Him. No set of exercises can correct this problem, nothing short of divine intervention. Instead:

 

·       Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3)

 

Without the mercy of God, no one will come to Him. C.S. Lewis compared this to a mouse searching for a cat. It just will not happen.

 

Nevertheless, God gave a token of His mercy to Adam and Eve and replaced their useless fig leaves for a covering of animal skins, revealing to them that our deserved judgement would fall upon others. He also promised them that from the seed of the woman would come forth a man who would eventually destroy the source of evil (Genesis 3:15).

 

However, for the time being, evil would abound. Cain killed his brother Abel because God had been pleased with Abel’s offering but not Cain’s. Evidently, this had been an offense to Cain’s self-esteem and self-righteousness. God had even shared His counsel with Cain, but Cain disregarded it.

 

Real change cannot be achieved through mindfulness meditation, psychotherapy, or through any other practice. Instead, it must come from Above.

 

·       “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.” (Ezekiel 36:25-27)

 

In contrast to this, most prefer to believe that we can become virtuous by acting virtuously. We can cure the discomfort that lies at the core of our being by reconciling the discordant parts – a form of self-stimulation (masturbation). Instead, we need to be reconciled with our Creator.

 

There is a lot of evidence that shows that Biblical Christians (“religious believers”) experience better mental health outcomes. Do Christians fare better than others? It seems so:

 

·       In Medicine. Religion, and Health, Harold Koenig summarizes a wide body of data showing that religious people who affirm the afterlife are healthier than nonbelievers. They are less likely to suffer from stress and depression, less likely to attempt suicide, less vulnerable to a host of other ailments, and more likely to live longer. Psychologist Jonathan Haidt cites surveys that show that “religious people are happier, on the average, than nonreligious people.” Surveys show that religious people even have more fulfilling sex lives than secular people! And sociologist Arthur Brooks concludes his study of philanthropy in American by showing that religious believers are vastly more generous both with their time and money than their secular counterparts. They give more not only to religious causes but also to secular causes.” (Dinesh D’Souza, Life After Death: The Evidence, 216)

 

This should cause the skeptic to question why Christians, who allegedly believe in “fairy tales,” experience more favorable outcomes. Cognitive distortions are generally associated with negative outcomes, like driving when intoxicated. Why then is sincere faith in Jesus associated with better health, both mental and physical?

 

Interestingly, most skeptics seem to acknowledge these conclusions. Some will even confess, “It must be comforting to believe.” However, if pressed, they might add, “I’d rather be right than comfortable” or “truth is better than a comforting fiction.” While I agree, perhaps their conclusions about “truth” are not in line with the actual truth!