On Satan, Demons, and Psychiatry
Author | : Ragy R. Girgis |
Publisher | : Wipf and Stock Publishers |
Total Pages | : 120 |
Release | : 2020-02-21 |
ISBN-10 | : 9781532699894 |
ISBN-13 | : 1532699891 |
Rating | : 4/5 (94 Downloads) |
Download or read book On Satan, Demons, and Psychiatry written by Ragy R. Girgis and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2020-02-21 with total page 120 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The goal of this book is to help change misconceptions that have historically pervaded Christianity by educating both laity and clergy about serious mental illness. It will accomplish this goal via an in-depth, exegetic examination of biblical accounts of what may have been untreated serious mental illness from the perspective of a psychiatrist and Christian. This in-depth examination will demonstrate that 1) serious mental illness was likely present and relatively common in biblical times, and similar in phenomenology to how it manifests today, and 2) that some instances of demon-possession and exorcisms as described in the Bible could, in a post-Enlightenment narrative, be better explained by occurring in the context of untreated mental illness, and that this could reveal a great deal of information about the biblical view of mental illness. Some of these accounts are from the Old Testament and some from the New Testament. Each essay will provide an in-depth examination of the biblical account from the perspective of a board-certified psychiatrist who is an expert in the field of serious mental illness and who is also a practicing Christian.