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Mental Illness vs. Evil


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#1 CHRISTOPHER310

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Posted 16 August 2014 - 05:06 PM

I know this subject has been address before, but I am revisiting it because someone in my personal life and all that they have created.

I have an older brother. We are not actually related. I was adopted into his family at a young age so I share no biological connection to him. He has major strange disturbing issues and behaviors that easily cause tons of problems for himself and others. My adopted mom and her kids all have banged their heads mad trying to get through to him and help him. Nothing has ever worked and now, no wants anything to do with him. He seems to be just plain old evil in his personality and behaviors. He seems to enjoy hurting people emotionally and causing them tons of stress, yet he has made is life out to be very dependent on these same people he messes with. He is unable to work or be healthy around people. Legally, he has nor done anything that the law allows anyone to step in and take corrective actions. The law is very limited and confining.

 

My question is this... Is he mentally ill needing care the law does not allow to be placed on him without him agreeing to it or is he just plain old evil and needs to be let go?



#2 John1:1

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Posted 17 August 2014 - 06:40 AM

Christopher., this sounds like classic NPD. (Narcissistic personality disorder) there are 2 books . The first one is People of the Lie by M Scott Peck MD. The other is very thorough and technical. "Malignant Self Love" by Sam Vaknin. Evil? Yes in the most foundational way

#3 Speilb

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Posted 18 August 2014 - 10:18 AM

I can understand how Narcissistic Personality Disorder could fit, but I also would say that with the very limited amount of information we are not really able to diagnose a personality disorder in this cause.  There are many other possibilities as well.  I am not familiar with Vaknin's book.  I have read Peck.  He is interesting; I see him as some sort of common sense genius who in his life didn't practice much of what he taught.  If you read Peck you should be well aware that he was a Buddhist when he wrote "The Road Less Traveled" later during the writing of "People of the Lie" he became a Christian.  He hold's on to a lot of Eastern Mysticism.  He also sees Bible through a very wrong lens.  In a later book "Further along the Road Less Traveled" on page 107 he says 

Indeed the Bible is a collection of paradoxical stories, and as befits a collection of paradoxes, it is itself paradoxical -- it is not just one thing. It is a mixture of very accurate history and not so accurate history. It is a mixture of outdated rules and some pretty good rules. It is a mixture of myth and metaphor.

From that quote; I understand Peck to be a person who views himself as being able to judge the Word of God and that leads me to be quite skeptical of his works. 

 

As for your original post, I would encourage you to not see it as an either or question (which I believe is one of the major points in Peck's book "People of the Lie".  A Personality Disorder like NPD does not mean that evil is not present it is perhaps better understood as a classification of a particular form and severity of sinful self-absorption.  Evil is present and a part of many mental illnesses. 

 

Dividing what is evil and what is disorder is very difficult in many things and likely in the case of your brother.  Is a particular problem in the body, mind, or spirit?  In the case of NPD there may well be causes that are bodily, there are clearly elements of wrong thinking and clearly spiritual issues.  

 

If I was going to recommend a book for you (not just relating to this post) I would suggest something of Neil Anderson like Victory Over Darkness.  If you would read such a book to gain understanding of your brother, I think it would be of less use as if you can really experience and apply it for yourself first of all.  I have gone through Neil Anderson's "steps to freedom in Christ" with a good number of people over a good number of years and have seen some great results with it.  I would also recommend that you find someone to go through the steps with - I think you would be very thankful you did I think they are in the appendix of the book.  For me personally, it helped provide 1 of 3  or so major breakthroughs in coming out a deep dark depression several years back.