Today's Psychology - Bible Unchanged

Recently ideas that shaped our thinking have gone through radical changes. These changes are a sign that we are not sure of ourselves. Our understanding of the human race is lacking and constantly changing.

Here are some examples of what's taking place in the name of good health.

The conventional method of ridding oneself of anger has been to "open up, and let it all hang out. Letting the anger hang out is a protective measure for establishing an equilibrium between the mind and spirit. Yelling loudly becomes a cleansing experience. Getting it off your chest and out of your system is the way to deal with anger.

Now we are told that we have it all wrong. Harvard Medical School recently published a study that found that letting it all out raised real problems. When angry, cardiovascular changes occur, leading to increased risk of disease. As the blood pressure moves up two to six millimeters, problems emerge.

Dr. Reford Williams of Duke University has come to this common-sense conclusion, You have to effectively understand your feelings. This means you must calm yourself down, that venting anger and hostility is bad for you.

The problem is that most of us are unaware of the followup studies.

Not too long ago we had Dr. Benjamin Spock tell us that his medical advice books for early children were a mistake. Is it a wonder that  our generation is totally confused?

John Bradshaw, a popular writer, counselor and management consultant, had a television series: Bradshaw on the Family.  There he preached  a new understanding in dealing with family dynamics.  Claiming that 96 percent of all families are suffering from a degree of emotional impairment. He recommended remedies consisting of confessions of inner feelings. Absolute honesty, sharing secrets, obsessions, addictions and coming clean with the family is accomplished by baring the soul.

This, he claimed, would cure the suffering inner child that caused the dysfunction. We soon would be able to heal ourselves. His ideas were embraced by millions.

Now Bradshaw says, Ive been confronted even by members of my own family about violating their privacy. He now teaches that we may be better off by giving less information and not being so exposed. He reasons that we ought to be more reserved. After all, someone may be hurt more from the exposure.

Go tell that to all those who read the early books and followed his television shows where full exposure was recommended.

In Driven to Distraction, Drs. Edward M. Hallowell and John J. Ratey claim that there is a new problem called Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). This label applies to disorganized people with many different problems. This disorder affects people from childhood through adulthood. When asked in  a second book  Answers to Distraction, "How many people in the United States have ADD," they answered "probably between 8 million and 15 million, depending upon whose figures you believe. The sure fact is that ADD is not rare. They also are quick to state that "there is no foolproof test for ADD." To me a questionable seven million difference (between five and eight million) is a sign that we may not be sure what we are talking about.

I believe the doctors who state that the disorder, at times, is unclear. There are specialists who fear the condition ADD is being overdiagnosed. I wonder how long it will take before they change the definition of ADD?

Last, but not least, we come to the sacred cow, Sigmund Freud. Research has recently observed that Freud was indeed a bad therapist. He napped or wrote correspondence during sessions, and ignored his patients. He has been accused of inventing patients stories and discounting reality by inserting his ideas of repressed neurosis. Finally, The Library of Congress announced that it would postpone the planned exhibition, Sigmund Freud: Conflict and Culture.           

In Future of Illusion Freud stated, Religion is comparable to a childhood neurosis. Freud was dead wrong there, too.

Its funny how the healers are always changing their ideas at the cost of destroying our minds and health.

The following is some more confusing news. Gail Sheehy, a great author of human experience has written a new best seller, New Passages. She explains that we are constantly changing and there is a new way of thinking about ourselves. She states that we have a first adulthood and, surprisingly, a second adulthood. As we get older we enter a new passage of life. Forty-five is now supposed to be the infancy of another life.

Once again, we now have new ideas to worry about.

Perhaps we are too busy running after the meaning of life and we cant find it. The secular meaning of life keeps on changing and, therefore, our methods of dealing with life have become more complex than ever. Thats why we cant find meaning. Hence, we have the old gods of medicine and philosophy being replaced by newer gods. The old secular gods are admitting they were all wrong with their ideas. Where does this leave us?

What has been happening makes me think of looking into the writings of the Bible and realize that nothing has changed. We need to go back to basics. There are few things that never change and one of them is human nature.

The Bible always places responsibility on the individual. Humans have free will to learn how to be in control of their lives. The seven universal Noachide Laws are not to worship idols, blaspheme, murder, commit immoral sexual acts or steal. We are to pursue justice and the protection of animals.

By keeping the discipline of the seven Noachide Laws we prevent the ills of a runaway generation.

Abraham Isaac Kook, the first chief rabbi of the state of Israel,  stated, Each commandment has a unique musical quality which evokes reverent joy and song with us.

The famous German-Jewish philosopher, Heinrich Heine (1797-1856) considered the Bible to be that great medicine chest of humanity. He felt it would do us good to remember that the Bible cures all ills.

Before we run all over the world trying new and dangerous ways, we should look at our religion and live by its inspirations. Remember, religion has been in the business of helping people for more than 4,000 years.