Quote from: Del on May 28, 2011, 02:28:18 AM
If a transgender is diagnosed as having a form of mental illness how would this effect their credibility as a minister?
It seems as though many so-called ministers have gotten caught doing so many foolish, illegal and immoral things that they have just about made Christianity a joke in the eyes of the non believers.
Would they just tend to say that a transgender minister is a nut in such case?
As I said, I mean no harm with this question. I just wish to know in case I ever happen to find myself involved in a discussion about transgender ministers. I would like to see the answer straight from those who matter in such cases and not some straight people making accusations.
Thank you.
This is an interesting point because it touches on a number of issues. I was a registered Nurse for a number of years, spending much of that time, specialising in treating mental illness.
Firstly, mental illness is real. I've met people completely overwealmed by their dilusions, horrified by their halucinations and distraught by uncontolled emotions. Then we can reasonably include those suffering from dementia. Some of whom, don't know their own names. I doubt anyone could say that people in these situations could be considered to have reason or be able to manage themselves.
But mental illness is a broad category and includes any disorder or mind, thought, mental function, intellectual capacity or emotions which causes a problem or disturbance for the sufferer and their imediate environment. On the face it it, that will incluse everyone, including you and I. But the key word here is PROBLEM.
Now, many people might get a parking ticket. Some people are convicted of mass murder, rape, child molestation, torture and failure to pay their TV licience. Both are criminals. But is it reasonable to say that the person with the parking ticket is the same as the second guy?
Few people want to identify with mental illness, yet most suffer from it. The person who, in a moment of stress, reaches for a cigarette is suffering from drug addiction. That is a mental illness. (Speaking as someone who stopped smoking last March, ...........)
The emphasis on mental illness needs to be and is suppose to be, an emphasis on the reality, that it can affect any of us, that the vast majority are not going to harm anyone. That the stigma surrounding mental illness needs to be eliminated.
At this point, I almost guarantee, every politician, every journalist, every self rightious sociopath with a god complex, every housewife with guilt issues, will nod sagely, say they agree and think of themselves as being pretty near to the ideal, hoping that the rest of the world will eventually awaken because it's actually everyone else who has a problem.
Now, at this point, we need to look at what that stigma actually is.
The stigma of mental illness is that the sufferer is dilusional, so we cannot rely upon anything they say. They they are dishonest, so we cannot trust them. They they are violent. That that they might harm children. (Won't somebody think about the children!!!). More importantly, that people with mental illness need to be over seen by specialists and that we don't owe them respect as much as pity and compassion.
(I once watched a young man being beaten up by a gang of much bigger boys. He spent much of his time, struggling, screeming for help. Because this young man was assumed to be mentally ill, others stood there, shaking their heads in pity. This was because they assumed the bigger boys were actually trying to help him. In reality, they were just a bunch of thugs. But no-one realised it until the victim was quite badly beaten and bleeding. Some people then approached the thugs, asking if they thought the boy had perhaps had enough. At that, the thugs dropped the boy and ran off, leaving only a few to offer some assistance to the young boy. The finniest bit was when some asked the young boy, 'Are you alright?'. Now that happened in Edinburgh in 1973. So, the rest of the world needent feel it reflects upon them, as they don't know anything about Scotland. And Scottish people don't need to worry because it was a long time ago and Edinburgh is a funny sort of place).
This leads to the next question, what is the cause of the mental illness? I once took care of a lady, suffering from dementia. She had a very poor short term memory. Her husband had died recently. Every so often, she would think her husband was visiting her and would be back in a few minutes. Now, if she were told that her husband was dead, she would go into a terrible state, which would last about an hour, until she forgot about it. So, what was her problem here? Her husband dying or people telling her?
Conventionally, women wear dresses. Some women prefer to wear trousers. I can't remember, for example, seeing my wife in a dress. She hates them. We could seek to analise that, on behalf of all women who don't like to wear dresses. Perhaps they have some deep seated issues, possibly a tramautic memory and so on. But if women who want to can wear trousers, there is no problem. So, the sensible thing to do is mind your own business. If a woman wants to wear trousers, then it's her concern.
The reason why the stigma exists, the reason why it continues and will always continue is because it suits those in power and those who aspire to power.
As long as some people can be dismissed as mentally ill, it is a tool which can be used at random, at the discresion of any who need an edge.
Serious mental illness is really quite obvious when you know what to look for. It also happens to be quite rare.
But many suffer what is, clinically, a mental illness, yet certainly don't need any sort of enforced intervention. The person who reaches for a cigerette at a moment of stress is hardly going to be a danger you your kids. The person with some bottled up anger, (possibly about 80% of the population, rising to 99% among adolescents), are a bit difficult to dismiss, because who will be left?
The question about mental illness, any mental illness, is, Is It A Problem?
The person needing a cigerette will be fine once they get one. The person with bottled up anger, simply needs to do what everyone else needs to do, and find ways to deal with it, like avoiding triggers. And someone with gender dysphoria generally actually has a problem with personal guilt and social acceptance. Once they get over that, there is no mental illness. In each case, the question is, why is it any of your concern?
