Psychology: Viewed by an Ex. A.K.

[Ken Fuller]

Okay, I'll come 'out of the closet' and admit -- professional counseling has saved my life (and the lives of others I know in the assemblies)

I was always sickened by the mindset "God supplies all the needs in the local church, so you don't need to go outside of us for counseling"

I ALWAYS believed there was a place for professional therapy (and who knows, the suicides amongst us -- could they have been prevented with someone who REALLY knew what was going on, rather than just shoving the wheel & line down their throats?)

In fact, growing up my mother was a psyche nurse for years, and I always remember her saying how preachers could be the absolute worst visitors for the patients -- condeming, they could create suicidal situations out of "good intentions" and thinking they knew what was going on because they had a Bible.

Anyway, over the past couple of years I have experienced and taken on an entirely new attitude towards people suffering with depression and other issues.

This is one case where George's teachings were harmful, to the point of causing people to take their own lives.

[Mark C.]

Hi Ken!
  Thank you for sharing re. the help that professional counselling brought you.  Your Mother's observations are also very interesting.  Seeking help with emotional issues has always had a stigma attached to it as it is viewed as a sign of weakness by some.  Some Christians put a further stigma on it by saying it is not spiritual, and actually demonic to seek counselling.  If the counsellor is not a Christian and is using certain therapies it can be the above, but these shouldn't invalidate the whole profession.
   Brian, and others, have talked about WellSpring, a place specifically designed with helping those who have been in cults.  Dr. Martin, the founder, came from a group very similar to the Assembly.  He also retains a strong faith in Christ and realizes that to recover ex-members they must learn to live by God's grace and gain a true knowledge of the God of love and mercy.  Doctors like these understand that psychology can be used to bring people out of a living nightmare and to a place where they can truly hear the gospel.
   When I first left all I could hear was the condemning voice of GG as I tried to read my Bible.  The fear was so great I would wake up with nightmares.  The Bible held the key to my deliverance, but I couldn't get to it!  Fortunately good friends and ex-members came out to me and helped me understand that I had no reason to fear the wrath of God for leaving the Assembly (Thanks Tom, Dave, Steve, and Other's).  I started to read good books about the Bible to avoid the instant emotional reaction that welled up inside.  You see, one's emotional life is very important in hearing the voice of God; not just the cognitive processes.
  I shared before the triggering process that goes right passed our mind and sets off an emotional reaction.  Those who have been involved in war understand shell shock and those who have been in a group like the Assm. can experience the same kind of reactions.
  Counselling can be a safe place to let God's grace heal those emotions and also bring peace to the mind.  The Bible commands Christians to be mindful of our brother's weakness and to comfort them.  This means we are to recognize we are human as well as spiritual beings and in that recognition love one another.
                                       God Bless,  Mark