Biblical Counseling Center

of Southeast Michigan

A Nouthetic Counseling and Training Center

1. PSYCHOLOGY
The word "psychology" is made up of two words, "psych" (pusche) which is the greek word for "soul" and "ology" (logos) which is the greek word for "word." The suffix "ology" is a very common suffix meaning "the study of, theory of, science of.".

For example, it is found in such words as:
-"biology" which means a "study of life;"
-"ecology" is the "study of organisms and their environment;
-"numerology" which is the study of numbers;
-"kinesiology" which is the study of human anatomy in relation to movement.
Literally then, "psychology" means "a word of the soul" or "a study of the soul."

2. PSYCHOBABBLE
There is a second term that the student should be familiar with that is found in literature that critiques psychology. It is the word "psychobabble." "Psychobabble" refers to the language of popular psychology. Examples of psychobabble are:
-When O. J. Simpson was arrested, it was claimed by some psychologists that if he committed the crimes, it is because he is a victim of society due to his wealth and social status!

This is considered psychobabble by those who critique the absurdities of psychology.
-A person who is on drugs or drinks too heavily is said to have a Disease.
-A woman who shops too much is said to have "shop-till-you drop" syndrome.
-To help a person who refuses to work hard at a task, we must improve his/her self-esteem. Psychobabble is the term used by professionals, both secular and Christian, in their critique of secular psychology.

3. PSYCHOHERESY
A third term that approximates psychobabble is the term "psychoheresy." "Psychoheresy" refers to the teachings of psychology that conflict with the Bible. More precisely, "psychoheresy" refers to the integration of secular psychological counseling theories and therapies with the Bible. Psychoheresy is the term used by professionals in the religious community in their critique of much of secular psychology. Generally speaking, the word "heresy" is a religious term.

4. PSYCHOLOGIZING
A fourth term that the student should be familiar with that is quite prominent in the critiques that have been written on psychology is the term, "psychologizing." "Psychologizing" is the term used to describe what is taking place when people are taught, forced to adhere to, or read the unproven assertions of psychology. When this happens, the public is being "psychologized."

5. PSYCHIATRIST VS. PSYCHOLOGIST
Psychiatrists are physicians (licensed medical doctors) who specialize in treating people who have psychiatric problems. Because they are physicians, psychiatrists can prescribe drugs (psychologists cannot), perform electroshock, hospitalize patients and even treat people against their will.

Psychologists are educated in graduate schools of psychology rather than in medical schools and psychologists receive a Ph.D. rather than an M. D. Clinical psychologists are given training that overlaps with psychiatrists, and they often receive much more intensive training in psychotherapy than do psychiatrists. As a general rule, psychologists do not have the right to admit patients to mental hospitals and though currently psychologists cannot legally prescribe drugs, many are fighting hard to earn this right.
Because both professions are concerned with treating man's "mind" (soul), and because psychologists need psychiatrists to write prescriptions for drugs, most all psychologists have close working relationships with psychiatrists.

6. PSYCHOTHERAPY (IES)
Psychotherapy (plural-"ies") is another word that is very important in the field of psychology. The word "psychotherapy" literally means, "the cure of sick souls". In the discipline of psychology, psychotherapy is defined as, "the process of increasing a person's emotional growth and self-sufficiency." A psychotherapist is anyone who helps people with problems by talking with them.

It is very important that the student be informed that within the discipline of psychology, there are many, many psychotherapies (as many as 10,000! variations). Psychology is really the general term for the entire discipline/profession of treating people with mental/ emotional/ behavioral problems; psychotherapies are the many different methods of treatment in psychology that are used variously by psychologists to treat patients with disorders. All the various psychotherapies claim that their method of treatment is what works best for the patient. It might help the student to picture psychology as the truck of a tree and the various psychotherapies as the many limbs that protrude from the trunk of the tree.

Not wanting to burden the student unnecessarily, I will attempt to define a very few of the more prominent psychotherapies. These methods of therapy and counseling are accepted and viewed as being capable of helping people with their "disorders" (mental/emotional/behavioral problems).

Much of the Christian church in America also looks upon these various psychotherapies as being sound methods of professional treatment. According to God's Word, such problems are in reality spiritual problems that the Holy Spirit can heal and cure through salvation and sanctification!

1. Psychoanalysis-Formulated by Sigmund Freud
Psychoanalysis is based on the assumption that psychological symptoms result from unresolved conflicts in the unconscious. To state it another way, Freud believed that unconscious motivations underlie all human behavior; that a person's strange behavior was really an expression of an inner, unconscious need(s); that people are ruled by their unconscious minds.

For example, if a person forgot an appointment, Freud would say that it was more than likely because the person unconsciously wanted to forget the appointment. If an adult practiced gluttony, it could very well be because his mother never breast-fed him and the adult glutton unconsciously longed for this.

Further, Freud believed that human beings were driven mainly by two unconscious needs of (a.) sexual fulfillment and, (b.) aggression that we cannot properly satisfy in direct ways due to cultural restrictions (Remember the id, ego and super-ego from high school psychology? According to Freud, the id-defined as processes within man that produce basic instincts such as the sexual drive and aggression-is in conflict with both the ego-defined as the repressing forces of man's personality that force man to function in reality; and the superego-defined as man's moral standards.

Through Psychoanalysis, the patient is to identify these conflicts and to overcome them). Ultimately according to Freud, the fundamental task then is to find socially acceptable ways of satisfying our instinctual needs. This of course, could mean that we have to change the mores of society so that we can satisfy these unconscious drives.

Freud, one of the founding fathers of contemporary psychology, is the man from whom we get the picture of the psychologist with his notepad as the client lies on the psychiatrist's couch. Freud believed that the client should lie down on a couch and free-associate (that is, to say whatever comes to mind). The therapist is to then analyze the patient's unconscious motivations through interpreting what the patient has said (thus the name, Psychoanalysis). In other words, there is an underlying reason for the behavior of the patient.

But rest assured, Freud did not believe that socially unacceptable behavior was because of man's sinful nature. Indeed, such belief was nonsense to Freud as was the thought of the existence of God. Rather, Freud believed that someone else was to blame for a person's bad behavior (e.g. parents, environment, childhood trauma, primitive urges, etc.).

Obviously, this teaching allows patients to assume a victim mentality. Persons are never to be confronted with their own bad behavior because they ultimately are not to blame and thus not responsible. After going through years of therapy and spending outrageous sums of money, the patient, with the help of his/her therapist, might learn what has happened in his/her past to make the patient the way that he/she is today.

Though psychoanalysis has gone in many different directions since first formulated by Freud, the emphasis in every direction that it has taken has remained upon man's unconscious drives. One example of the direction that psychoanalysis has taken in recent years is an emphasis in therapy upon "getting in touch with the patient's child within." In Psychoanalysis, there is a major emphasis upon the reconstruction of childhood experiences.

Psychoanalytic treatment is usually lengthy and intensive, requiring great motivation and financial resources. Bonnidell Clouse says, "Psychoanalysis is both time-consuming and expensive. Several sessions a week for three to five years is not uncommon. The cost alone may be prohibitive . . . " (Clouse. Moral Development: Perspectives In Psychology And Christian Belief. Baker, 1985).

It is the consensus of opinion by Christians and secularists, that few men, if any have affected American life and thinking to the extent that Freud has. Clouse says, "Freud's conclusions have permeated our culture . . ." (Christianity Today. April 8, 1988, p. 20).

"Probably no single individual has had a more profound effect on twentieth-century thought than Sigmund Freud. . . for better or for worse he has changed the face of society." (E.M. Thorton. The Freudian Fallacy. Garden City: The Dial Press/Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1983), p. ix.

Interestingly, Erich Fromm, a follower of Freud, wrote a book entitled, "Psychoanalysis and Religion." Fromm confesses that "psychoanalysis is the study of the soul of man." (Erich Fromm. Psychoanalysis and Religion. New Haven: CT: Yale University Press, 1950, p. 7).

2. Behaviorism (Behavior Therapy or Behavior Modification)
Generally associated with B. F. Skinner, this form of psychotherapy views human beings as exclusively physical beings (Like Freud, man does not have a soul and therefore no eternal significance or meaning) whose behavior can be modified through the manipulation of external stimuli (the process is known as positive reinforcement!). The behavior therapies used are a set of techniques designed to modify specific behaviors and thereby change disturbing emotions.

Human behavior that has been altered is called behavior modification (thus the name of the therapy!). It is the goal of the therapists who embrace behavior modification to have their clients manipulate their emotional and physical circumstances in such a way as to avoid pain and promote pleasure. Human suffering is looked upon as bad and to be eliminated at all costs. Pleasure in life is the chief goal as this is what really drives man. Unlike Psychoanalysis, generally speaking, behaviorists would not seek to understand the underlying cause for the patient's disorders, but conversely would attempt to modify current problem behaviors. This method of psychology is used often to treat phobias such as fear of heights, flying, crowds, etc.

3. Person-Centered Therapy
Founded by Carl Rogers (originally called Client Centered Therapy). This method of treatment focuses on the client's conscious experiences rather than the unconscious (contra Freud). Rogers saw all human beings as basically good (no such thing as a bad boy, bad girl, or even a bad adult!) and capable of being perfected. All that human beings needed was the guidance that was already present within each person, just waiting to surface. The therapist helped this goodness surface through using non-directive techniques in therapy (not giving advice, but allowing the patient to form his/her own opinions-thus the name Person-Centered Therapy).

Rogerian therapists are well-known for adhering to the technique of repeatedly paraphrasing what the client has said and smiling in a non-condemning, non-judgmental way. This technique is known as Unconditional Positive Regard (UPR). Through being positive with the client (UPR), it is believed that the client will become whole or healed. Never is the therapist allowed to voice his own beliefs or convictions and never is abnormal thinking or behavior to be confronted. A child molester can voice his appetite for pedophilia and his belief that such behavior is perfectly normal and permissible.

The therapist is not allowed to state to the client that these things are wrong. Given enough time, because he is basically good at heart, the child molester will solve his own problem without any confrontation at all! Obviously, this method of treatment requires empathy and personal adjustment on the part of the therapist. Rogerians deny the existence of moral standards and absolutes. They further deny that people are evil at heart, needing to be saved.

4. Assertiveness Training (AT, originally known as Conditioned Reflex Therapy)
Assertiveness Training was not widely accepted when first developed in the 1940's. America was certainly not ready for it then. But by the 1960's, Assertiveness Training was in full swing and continues to heavily influence the discipline of psychology today. Assertiveness Training believes that psychological problems are caused by excessive inhibition. This has become a widely used technique for treating patients, including children, with disorders.

Assertiveness Training teaches clients to express their feelings openly. For example, families are encouraged to allow children to say whatever they want to say to their parents and parents are not to respond with any type of discipline. If husbands feel angry at their wives, they should voice it as often as they like. This type of therapy teaches clients to be aggressive in their desires and to refuse to cooperate or to take orders if demands placed on you inconvenience you. It teaches clients to think first of self than to think of others.

5. Transactional Analysis (TA)
Transactional Analysis is an approach to therapy that considers the person in 3 components: adult, parent and child. Balance and awareness of these 3 parts of personality are the goal. TA believes that man's basic problems is that he plays games and it is TA's goal to help the client understand the games that he/she is playing and to put an end to them. Humor is used in the counseling sessions along with group feedback and blackboard diagrams.

6. Rational Emotive Therapy (RET)
In Rational Emotive Therapy most emotional symptoms are the result of faulty thinking patterns. For example, a client who has missed a promotion would be counseled to stop thinking of that as a career ending catastrophe. Or a person who is struggling with unforgiveness would be counseled that "he/she has a right to be free of hate" so therefore forgive the person.

7. Cognitive Restructuring Therapy
Cognitive therapists attempt to identify and change distorted thinking patterns in clients, similar to practitioners of RET. By learning to change unhealthy automatic thoughts, clients are often able to overcome depression and anxiety disorders in a relatively short period of time. For example, a person who consistently thinks, "No one likes me," will be counseled to think, "Not everyone likes me, but many people do."

The list goes on and on. As Bobgans, who have studied and written extensively against psychology, point out, "There are over 250 different therapeutic approaches and over 10,000 specific techniques available to the consumer." (Martin and Deidre Bobgan, "The Psychological Way/The Spiritual Way," Bethany House Fellowship, 1979, pg. 23).

Even Benner, who embraces and endorses psychology, acknowledged this about the high number of psychotherapies available to consumers, "Choosing among the bewildering array of therapies requires some basic knowledge about each one of them." (Benner, "Psychotherapy In Christian Perspective, pg. X).

In his book, Benner then defines 51! Of the most common psychotherapies that are used to treat people for emotional and behavioral problems. These 51 psychotherapies are condensed from Baker Encyclopedia of Psychology which lists many, many more! An examination of the various psychotherapies will clearly show that though each claims to have the final say on how patients are to be treated, there are great differences between all of them. This alone should reveal to thinking Christians that they field of psychology is anything but absolute truth!

McMinn and Foster, two "Christian" psychologists confess, "Looking for a psychologist can be likened to shopping for toothpaste. One is immediately overwhelmed by the plethora of brand labels. . . ." (Christianity Today, April 8, 1988, pg. 17).

In speaking of a fictional character in need of therapy, Ganz says, "Desperate Delores needs help. But her chances of finding it by opening the Yellow Pages and playing therapy roulette are slim." (Richard Ganz. Psychobabble. Wheaton: Crossway Books, p. 40).

Roger Mills (a practicing psychologist himself!) says, "The field of psychology today is literally a mess. There are as many techniques, methods and theories around as there are researchers and therapists. I have personally seen therapists convince their clients that all of their problems come from their mothers, the stars, their bio-chemical make-up, their diet, their life-style, and even the 'kharma' from their past lives." (Roger Mills. Psychology Goes Insane, Botches Role As Science. The National Educator, July 1980).

All people, but especially Christians should know that most of the prominent psychotherapies contradict one another and the sheer number of psychotherapies (over 250 prominent theories of treatment!) should alarm the Christian that the field of psychology is not scientific at all in its approach to problems.

Questions such as: Who do you believe? Which psychotherapy is best? What proof exists for which is best? How can the patient possibly know whom to trust? are only a few of the legitimate questions that every thinking Christian should be asking. Further, even a superficial understanding of the various theories and methods for treating disorders will show that the various theories and methods are highly unsubstantiated, unproven and unscientific.

1. Introduction
Is The Profession Of Psychology, Science? Or to state the question another way: Does Psychology Measure Up To The Established Standards Of Science?

It is commonly thought, even in the Christian community, that the profession of Psychology is science. When you hear that a person is a psychologist, most people immediately place that person among the respected "professionals" of the day.

If you discover that a friend is getting counseling from a psychologist, most Americans (again, it seems, especially Christians!) think that the person is getting help from a professional who has been trained, is well-educated, understands medicine, understands human nature, and has the knowledge to be able to help your friend. If you know persons who a have rocky marriage, or are struggling with rearing children, or are depressed, or have low self-image, or have emotional problems, or who have children who cannot focus and pay attention,-whatever the behavioral problem might be-where do we automatically think that they should be sent for help?

To the Psychologist. It is the general perception in our society and even among Christians that the psychologist is the professional with all the answers. It is supposed that he has been to the best schools; he is in the medical field and he has answers to life's problems. But the truth is, psychology is not science!

2. Science Defined
Let's define science! What is science? What are the standards by which science is regulated? Let's think for a minute about The Scientific Process.

The Scientific Process:

A. Define the problem
(1.) Is a hypothesis being tested?
(2.) Is a question being answered?

B. Develop an experiment to test the hypothesis or find the information you are
looking for.
(1.) What will you do?
(2.) How will it be done?
(3.) What information are you looking for?
(4.) What are possible problems that you would encounter?
(a.) How can they be dealt with?
(b.) Identify variables that need to be controlled.
(5.) Make prediction of possible outcomes.

C. Carry out test and observations.

D. Collect and interpret data

E. Report the test and the findings in enough detail that someone else can repeat it
exactly and get the same results.

Let me sum up how the Scientific Process works. Scientists develop theories based on what they observe. Once a theory is established, scientists develop tests to examine each theory. The purpose of the tests is to see if their theory is accurate (to see if the theory describes reality). The Scientific Method is wonderful when it comes to observing and recording physical data. The Scientific Method allows scientists to reach conclusions about their theories (either their theory was accurate or inaccurate). It is absolutely crucial to real, legitimate science that based on past tests and observances, the scientist be able to predict future events and to reproduce results that have already been obtained from prior tests.

3. How Science Operates In Other Disciplines Such As Medicine, Chemistry, Physics, etc.
Allow me to explain the difference in how science operates in the fields of, let's say, medicine, chemistry, physics, etc., as opposed to the field of psychology. As Christians we have no problem whatsoever with the disciplines of medicine, chemistry, physics, etc. For the most part, medicine, chemistry, physics, etc., stand on very solid scientific footing. It is in this way precisely, that these disciplines differ greatly from the discipline of psychology. Let me explain what I mean and what others who are critiquing psychology are pointing out.

As Christians we believe that God has enabled mankind to understand God's physical creation. Whatever man can observe with his senses, he can investigate and come to understand. Medical science can adequately treat organic diseases (diseases that have to do with the organs of the body). The organs of the body can be adequately observed (Herein at the outset we see that the discipline of psychology differs greatly from the discipline of medicine.

Psychology does not treat what they can physically observe! Psychology claims to be able to treat the non-organic disorders of mankind, man's mental, emotional, behavioral and personal problems of living). For example, in the field of medicine it has been scientifically proven over and over again that if your white blood cell count is high, it is a sure sign that your body is fighting off infection.

How do doctors, nurses and those in the medical field know this? They know it because thousands and thousands (yea millions) of blood tests have been taken and sure enough, everytime that an infection is in the body, the results are the same! The white blood cell count goes up. So when you go to the emergency room and you are not feeling well, the doctor sticks a needle into your arm and draws blood. Tests are run on the blood and when the tests come back with a high blood count, the doctor returns to you and says, "you have an infection in your body."

None of us question his authority to make such a diagnosis. Why? Why do we believe him? Because medicine is science. Through thousands of tests (blood drawn and interpreted), it has become an established medical fact that high white cell blood count means that an infection is in the body. Through reporting the data (the tests and findings) often enough, it was seen that a pattern was true about the human body. Each time that the tests were repeated, the same results occurred. This is true science.

Consider for example the treatment of ulcers. At one time it was thought in the medical community that ulcers were caused from what? From stress. Because there was no scientific proof for the cause of ulcers (because scientists and medical doctors had not physically observed and then confirmed an "organic" cause for ulcers,

it was assumed that ulcers came from stress).

But through persistence in running test after test over a period of years and through physically observing the organs of the body (the stomach specifically), lo and behold, in recent years medical science has proven where ulcers come from. It is now the belief of some medical doctors that stress has absolutely nothing to do with ulcers. Ulcers was merely a guess because there was no scientific proof.

Consider for example dehydration. Can medical science treat this? Yes! Why? Because they can run scientific tests on the body that will prove beyond question when the body is dehydrated. No matter who runs the tests, all doctors will come to the same conclusion that the body is dehydrated when the tests prove such.
But psychology and psychiatry (all forms of psychotherapy) do not operate in this way at all. More times than not, symptoms of behavior are explained to the therapist (And this is all that is done! There are no tests run or if there are, the tests often come back negative yet the psychiatrist and psychologist will still place the patient on drugs because the psychiatrist/psychologist guesses what the problem of the patient is!) and based upon only the patients explanations, the therapist makes a diagnosis.

He has no science whatsoever to support his theory. Usually, he runs no tests on the brain to determine if there is an organic cause to the abnormal behavior. Based merely upon the patient's symptoms of behavior, he might then proceed to recommend rest for patient, put the patient on drugs (with the approval of a psychiatrist), hospitalize the patient, etc.

All this is to say that the broad field of psychotherapy claims to be able to "tell you why you act the way that you do and why you say the things that you say" based merely on symptoms (Yet keep in mind, that there is no universal agreement among those in the field of psychology as to what the symptoms prove or even how the symptoms should be treated because they have no science to support their claims!).

This claim by psychotherapists of being able to tell you why you behave as you do and how your abnormal behavior should be treated exists in spite of the fact that the discipline of psychology is anti-God, anti-Bible and therefore discounts that man is inherently sinful, that an evil spirit being and his demons exist and that they influence the behavior of humans, and that man is a spiritual being acting out his alienation from God!

4. Significant Quotes By Scholars Who Critique Psychology As Science

Please read the following quotes carefully and consider some of the credentials of those who are criticizing the discipline of psychology as unscientific and therefore invalid.

A. Richard Feynman (a Nobel prize winner) said, "Psychoanalysis is not a science." (Richard Feynman, "The Feynman Lectures On Physics," Reading, 1963, pp. 3-8).

B. Karl Popper, considered by some to be the greatest living philosopher of science, said of Sigmund Freud's theories, "though posing as science, had in fact more in common with primitive myths than with science; that they resembled astrology rather than astronomy. These theories describe some facts but in the manner of myths. They contain most interesting psychological suggestions, but not in testable form." (Karl Popper, "Scientific Theory and Falsifiability," Perspectives In Philosophy, Holt, Rinehart, Winston, 1975, p. 342).

C. E. Fuller Torrey, considered to be one of the world's top research psychiatrists, says, "The techniques used by Western psychiatrists are, with few exceptions, on exactly the same scientific plane as the techniques used by witchdoctors." (E. Fuller Torrey, "The Mind Games: Witchdoctors and Psychiatrists," Emerson Hall, 1972, p. 8).

D. Psychiatrist Garth Wood wrote a book entitled, "The Myth of Neurosis" in which he said the following about psychotherapists. "Cowed by their status as men of science, deferring to their academic titles, and bewitched by the initials after their names, we, the gullible, lap up their pretentious nonsense as if it were the gospel truth. We must learn to recognize them for what they are-possessors of no special knowledge of the human psyche, who have nonetheless chosen to earn their living from the dissemination of the myth that they do indeed know how the mind works and are thoroughly conversant with the 'rules' that govern human behavior". (Garth Wood. The Myth of Neurosis. New York: Harper and Row Publishers, 1986, p. 3).

E. Psychiatrist Lee Coleman said, "I think common sense wins hands-down in a race with a psychiatrist." (Santa Barbara News Press, March 18, 1985, p. 7).

F. Psychiatrist Thomas Szasz says, "Perhaps most, so-called psychotherapeutic procedures are harmful for the so-called patients. . . all such interventions and proposals should therefore be regarded as evil until they are proven otherwise." (Thomas Szasz. Myth of Psychotherapy. New York: Anchor Press/Doubleday, 1978, p. xxiii).

G. Bernie Zilbergeld, not a professing Christian, critiques his own profession of psychology by talking about pitting the counseling of lay therapists against that of professional therapists with research done on the results and the results determining which therapy would survive. Zilbergeld says, "I would worry until the results were in" that his profession would not survive! (Bernie Zilbergeld. Psychoabuse. Science 86, June 1986, p. 50).

H. Larry Crabb, himself a psychologist, says, "As a professional, I know what we don't know. We can't diagnose what's really happening in people's souls-not the way my dentist can when he looks at x-rays and tells me what's wrong with my tooth. He's not pretending; he knows. He's an expert. But as a psychologist, I don't know, and it's not because I'm stupid or poorly trained; it's because there's no such thing as a scientifically trained expert on the soul." (Larry Crabb, "Christianity Today, August 14, 1995).

I. Consider this: the American Psychological Association (APA) desired to evaluate its own status as a science. To conduct this evaluation, the APA appointed Sigmund Koch to plan and conduct a study which the National Science Foundation subsidized. 80 eminent scientists were asked to work on this study through examining the facts, theories and methods of psychology. The results of the study were then first published in a seven volume series entitled, "Psychology: A Study Of A Science."

In the volume Koch affirms that it is a delusion to think that psychology is a science. He says, "The hope of a psychological science became indistinguishable from the fact of psychological science. The entire subsequent history of psychology can be seen as a ritualistic endeavor to emulate the forms of science in order to sustain the delusion that it already is a science." (Emphasis his). (Sigmund Koch, "The Image Of Man In Encounter Groups," The American Scholar, Fall 1973, p. 636).

J. In another book, Koch says, "Throughout psychology's history as 'science,' the hard knowledge it has deposited has been uniformly negative." (Emphasis his). (Sigmund Koch, "Psychology Cannot Be A Coherent Science," Psychology Today, September, 1969, p. 66).

K. Mary Stewart VanLeeuwen says, "The apprenticeship of psychology to natural science. . . does not work." (Mary Stewart VanLeeuwen, "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," Downer's Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press Press, 1982), p. 91).

L. Lee Coleman says in his book, "The Reign Of Error," "Psychiatry does not deserve the legal power it has been given and psychiatry is not a science. I have testified in over one hundred and thirty criminal and civil trials around the country, countering the authority of psychiatrists or psychologists hired by one side or the other. In each case I try to educate the judge or jury about why the opinions produced by these professionals have no scientific merit." (Lee Coleman, "The Reign Of Error," Boston: Beacon Press, 1984, pp. xii, xv).

M. Psychiatrist and Lawyer, Jonas Robitscher, in speaking of psychiatrists says, "His advice is followed because he is a psychiatrist, even though the scientific validity of his advice and recommendations has never been firmly established." Jonas Robitscher, "The Powers Of Psychiatry," Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1980, p. 8.

N. Walter Reich comments, "The sudden recognition among psychiatrists that, even as a clinical enterprise, psychoanalysis and the approaches derived from it are neither scientific nor effective." (Walter Reich, "Psychiatry's Second Coming," Encounter, August 1981, p. 68).

O. Carol Tavris, again a practicing psychologist, says, "Now the irony is that many people who are not fooled by astrology for one minute subject themselves to therapy for years, where the same errors of logic and interpretation often occur." (Carol Tavris, "The Freedom To Change," Prime Time, October 1980, p. 28).

P. Dorothy Tennov wrote an article entitled, "Psychotherapy: The Hazardous Cure" and in it said, "Psychotherapy is sagging under the weight of its own ineffectiveness" and is "making a last-ditch effort for finding a rationale for its survival." (Dorothy Tennov, "Psychotherapy: The Hazardous Cure," Abelard-Schuman, 1975, p. 83).

Q. Listen to what Kilpatrick, himself a psychologist says, "It sometimes seems that there is a direct ratio between the increasing number of helpers and the increasing number of those who need help. The more psychologists we have, the more mental illness we get; the more social workers and probation officers, the more crime; the more teachers, the moreignorance. One has to wonder at it all. In plain language, it is suspicious. We are forced to entertain the possibility that psychology and related professions are proposing to solve problems that they themselves have helped to create.

We find psychologists raising people's expectations for happiness in this life to an inordinate level, and then we find them dispensing advice about the mid-life crisis and dying. We find psychologists making a virtue out of self-preoccupation, and then we find them surprised at the increased supply of narcissists. We find psychologists advising the courts that there is no such thing as a bad boy or even a bad adult, and then we find them formulating theories to explain the rise in crime. We find psychologists severing the bonds of family life, and then we find them conducting therapy for broken families." (Kilpatrick. Psychological Seduction. pg. 31).

Consider further that if psychology were a science, over the years it would have developed definite answers in how to treat the disorders of mankind. Medical science has done this in treating organic diseases! Why has psychiatry and psychology not done so? Simply because it is not a science! There is no consensus of opinion in the field of Psychology as to how to treat mental/emotional/behavioral disorders or even what it is that constitutes a "disorder." Though the discipline of psychology claims to be a science, it has not been able to meet the requirements of the Scientific Process and never will be able to (Merely because man's soul cannot be scientifically studied in a laboratory).

In spite of all these statements, to a great extent it is the "religious community" that keeps feeding patients and clients into the lucrative system. I personally believe that this is because pastors, Christian colleges, seminaries and Christian lay-people in the local church are so desirous of helping people "get well." But we are sending people to the very place that is getting rich while making them more ill.

Dave Hunt says this of the lucrative business of Psychotherapy: "It is true that many voices are being raised to protest the sham and shame of psychotherapy; but still the dangerous delusion increases. There are now so many millions of psychologists, psychiatrists, sociologists, psychiatric social workers, university professors, and government agencies ad infinitum whose livelihood depends upon keeping up the pretense that it is no longer realistic to hope that this trend could be reversed." (Dave Hunt, The Seduction Of Christianity, p. 207).

It is very interesting that it is presently recognized in the secular world of psychology that much of what it has espoused as truth in years past, is now viewed as non-sense. Yet the Christian community continues to embrace many of the outdated "theories" that even the secular psychologists now dismiss! Consider for example the following quotes:

1. "Despite the creation of a virtual army of psychiatrists, psychologists, psychometrists, counselors and social workers, there has been no letup in the rate of mental illness, suicide, alcoholism, drug addiction, child abuse, divorce, murder, and general mayhem. Contrary to what one might expect in a society so carefully analyzed and attended to by mental health experts, there has been an increase in all of these categories.
It sometimes seems there is a direct ratio between the increasing number of helpers and the increasing number of those who need help . . . We are forced to entertain the possibility that psychology and related professions are proposing to solve problems that they themselves have helped to create." (William Kirk Kilpatrick, "Psychological Seduction," Thomas Nelson, 1983, p. 31).

2. Paul Vitz says that "Christians should be criticized for their tendency to buy high and sell low in regard to the social sciences-to adopt popular trends of thought at the time that secular professionals are beginning to subject the trends to serious criticism. It is a matter of climbing on the bandwagon just about the time it's slowing down." (Pastoral Renewal, "An interview With Paul Vitz," p. 63).

The Bible tells us that one of the spiritual gifts that God gives to some Christians is "the ability to distinguish between spirits" (I Cor. 12:10). This is a unique gift that enables some Christians to quickly "smell a rat" when other Christians are not so perceptive. Yet, all Christians are commanded of God to "not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God" (I John 4:1). With a better understanding of the Scriptures, all Christians should be able to better evaluate the discipline of psychology.

The following are reasons that Christians should be able to discern that psychology is not good science.

1. It does not pass the tests of the Scientific Process. In fact, it doesn't even attempt to!

2. No human being can study or solve the "problems" of the soul. The soul is the immaterial part of man and only God can treat that part. Natural man can treat what his physical senses can observe and see. Outside of this, he is limited to merely guessing (Thus psychology has over 250 prominent psychotherapies and over 10,000 specific techniques for treating people with mental/emotional/behavioral problems. The entire discipline is merely guessing at what mankind's problems really are as well as what the answers to life are! The real problems of mankind nor the firm answers are known by psychologists).

3. Even if psychology were a science, it still could never treat the immaterial part of man. Only the Spirit of God can do this and it is only through the Bible that we know what mankind's real problems are and how to correct them. Crabb is correct when he says, "In the end, all counseling-intentionally or not-deals with issues of sanctification. The primary context for healing, then, should be the Christian community, not the antiseptic world of a private-practice therapist. . . . In fact, all non-organic psychological problems are spiritual problems, they belong more to the role of an elder than to the expert." (Larry Crabb, "Christianity Today," August 14, 1995).

4. The profession of psychology is filled with contradiction, confusion and completing theories of treating the problems of people. There is no final authority on the way in which a person must be treated. When the client goes for counseling, it is a "shot in the dark" as to which therapist he/she chooses. Each therapist will have his own slant on what should be done to treat the patient and many times therapists will completely contradict other therapists.

5. Psychology cannot even define the problem(s) of mankind because the profession as a whole dismisses the truth that man is a spirit being out of relationship with God. In fact, as a whole the field of psychology claims to not even believe in God, the devil, the spirit world, the depravity of man, moral absolutes, etc.

A Christian who understands salvation; is living a holy life himself/herself; has a firm handle on God's Word; has a basic understanding of depraved, human nature; loves God and loves people; is far more qualified to provide lasting help to his/her fellow humans than a 1,000 men in white coats who know not God! God has saved the believing sinner and in so doing has given him/her insight into the real problems and solutions to life. Make use of them through boldly reaching out to help hurting people.

6. Psychology has become a convenient substitute for morality. Psychology reclassifies behavior from the biblical perspective of right and wrong to the psychological view of healthy and sick (e.g. OCD; Oppositional Defiant Disorder; ADHD; Addiction; Alcoholic, etc.).

7. The Bible claims that God alone is able to treat man's spiritual problem of being alienated from God and powerless to live righteously. Out of man's spiritual problem-his alienation from God and His power within the believing sinner's life-flows all non-organic mental, emotional and behavioral problems.

Instead of calling sin, "sin", and therefore handling sin as God commands through confession/repentance to Him, seeking His forgiveness and then trusting the Holy Spirit to empower the person to overcome (cleanse) as the Scriptures are applied, the modern day trend is to no longer label sin as "sin" as the Bible does, but now to give sin a psychological label. When this is done, serious results accrue.

The following are seven reasons why psychological labels are not acceptable:

1. Psychological labels allow for excuses and God refuses to forgive and cleanse excuses.

2. Psychological labels pathologize sin.

3. Psychological labels make the sinner a victim.

4. Psychological labels allow the person to believe that he is guilty of nothing.

5. Psychological labels allows the person to believe that he/she needs a therapist when in reality they need a Savior-Jesus Christ.

6. Psychological labels allows the person to "whine, whine, whine" thinking "poor me, I have it so bad."

7. Psychological labels make it impossible to run a society because no one can ever be held accountable for anything.

In reality then, Psychology is Pseudoscience (Webster's: "a system of theories, assumptions and methods erroneously regarded as scientific.").

If then psychology is false science, what would be a better term for it? Properly speaking, psychology is a philosophy of life or a religion. Even many secular psychologists recognize and acknowledge this! What Christ (Christianity) was one time believed to be able to treat has now been turned over to the "professional, white coat" (therefore, it is assumed, qualified) psychologist. Not too long ago (only 50-75 years ago!), it was believed that "depression" was a spiritual issue that salvation and righteous living/thinking could free a person of; unruly children was a spiritual issue which the Bible clearly addressed with solutions; fear (phobias) could be overcome through the Holy Spirit; drunkenness could be forgiven and cleansed; emotional and verbal abuse was normal in a fallen human race; homosexuality was a choice; etc. Today all of these and many, many more are no longer "spiritual issues" but emotional and mental issue (and some not even an issue at all-homosexuality, e.g.!) that must be treated by a professional in the field of psychology. Which professional and which therapy of the many available? Whichever one you choose or happen to pick by looking in the phone book or getting a reference from a friend! There are no absolute truths in the field of psychology like there is in the fields of medicine, physics, chemistry, etc..

The following are quotes of those who compare psychology to traditional religion.

1. "If the present trend continues, Bible teaching will be totally eliminated from Christian radio stations as well as from TV and the pulpit. This is not a wild statement made in an emotional moment of concern. Bible teaching is being moved to the back burner of broadcasting, while so-called Christian psychology is put up front as Bible solutions to life's problems." (J. Vernon McGee, "Psycho-Religion-The New Pied Piper," Through The Bible Radio Newsletter, Nov., 1986).

2. "The various psychotherapies and personality theories that are influential today are not just neutral medical technologies or scientific theories; they are philosophies of life that endorse particular virtues, character traits, or features of personality. These are the traits a person would have if her therapist succeeded in making her into a fully functioning and mature person-mature, that is, by that therapist's reckoning. And they are traits the therapy is designed to foster.
These therapeutic virtues are often similar to the Christian virtues, and this is perhaps one reason Christians are attracted to the psychologies and feel comfortable with them. But the therapeutic virtues are not only similar to the Christian ones; they are also, in important ways, quite different from them-even incompatible with them." (Christianity Today, May 1994).

3. Carl Jung, "Patients force the psychotherapist into the role of priest, and expect and demand that he shall free them from distress. That is why we psychotherapists must occupy ourselves with problems which strictly speaking belong to the Theologian." (Carl Jung, "Modern Man In Search Of A Soul." New York: Harcourt, Brace, 1933), p. 278.

4. "Psychology has become a religion: a secular cult of the self. Psychology has become an intensely held world view, a philosophy of life or ideology. More specifically, contemporary psychology is a form of secular humanism based on the rejection of God and the worship of self. Christians worry more about losing their self-esteem than about losing their souls." ("Psychology Of Religion", Paul Vitz, p. xii).

5. Jocobi was a prominent student of Jung and he made this statement about Jungian Psychology: "Jungian Psychotherapy is. . . a way of healing and a way of salvation. It has the power to cure. . . in addition it knows the way and has the means to lead the individual to his 'salvation,' to the knowledge and fulfillment of his personality, which have always been the aim of spiritual striving. Jung's system of thought can be explained theoretically only up to a certain point; to understand it fully one must have experience or, better still, 'suffered' its living action in oneself. Apart from its medical aspect, Jungian psychotherapy is thus a system of education and spiritual guidance." (Jacobi, "The Psychology of C. G. Jung" New Haven: Yale Univ. Press, 1973, p. 60).

6. Dave Hunt: "Psychology is in the fullest sense a rival religion that can never be wedded to Christianity." (The Seduction of Christianity, pg. 191).

7. Jerome Frank said, "Psychotherapy resembles a religion." (Jerome Frank, "Mental Health In A Fragmented Society," American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, July 1979, p. 404).

8. Lance Lee calls psychoanalysis, "a religion hidden beneath scientific verbiage" and a "substitute religion for both practitioner and patient." (Lance Lee, "American Psychoanalysis: Looking Beyond The Ethical Disease," Los Angeles Times, p. 3).

9. Psychologist William Kirk Kilpatrick, who journeyed down the path of psychology only to find it a desert waste said this about psychology, "The point I wish to make here is that religion and psychology had become nearly indistinguishable for me. Freud and the church fathers, faith in God and faith in human potential , revelation and self-revelation-all slid together in an easy companionship. As for God, He began to take shape in my mind along the lines of a friendly counselor of the non-directive school. I never balked at doing His will. His will always coincided with my own." (William Kirk Kilpatrick. Psychological Seduction. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1983, p. 23).

If you asked many a psychologist if he/she were treating the "soul" of man, many secular psychologists would probably laugh at you. Some psychologists might claim that they are not treating the "soul" problems of mankind. Though the word "psychology" means "study of the soul," and though all the various psychotherapies claim to be able to treat the symptoms and maladies that spring from deep within man (as Christ also offers to do!), the fact is secular psychologists do not believe that man has an eternal soul. In reality that is exactly what they do when they claim to be able to treat the "illnesses" that their profession focuses upon. Psychology claims to have the answer to mankind's mental, emotional and behavioral problems (that is, why people do what they do and how they can change). Psychology claims to have the answers to life's problems, emotional problems, interpersonal relationship problems, etc. Psychologists claim to have insight about how people should live, how to function in marriage, how to rear children, how to be happy, how to not worry, how to respond to verbal and mental abuse, how to build self-esteem, how to change, what values man should hold, what man's attitude should be, what man's behavior should be, and in general how to meet all the challenges that life poses to mankind. Think about all of these for a minute. Are any of these real medical issues? Should any of these problems be treated with medicine as psychologists and psychiatrists often do? And do not the Scriptures address all of these issues and give clear direction in how to handle each of these issues? The Scriptures indeed do. Why do they? Because these are issues of the soul. They do not spring from man's physical body (if they did, we would agree that doctors could treat them!); they spring from man's soul or his immaterial part. Natural man cannot successfully treat such illnesses of the soul-only God can! Only God can tell us why man behaves and acts as he does and how man can change.

In light of the above, every Christian must honestly confront and answer the questions: "If I personally would not turn to another religion (be it Islam, Hinduism, Buddism, etc.) for help with mental/emotional/behavioral problems and if I would not encourage or approve a friend of mine doing so, why then would I turn to the religion of Psychology for finding "help" and "wisdom" with problems of daily living? Does God not forbid this in His Word?"

1. As a result of the above information, Christians might wonder, "Can the discipline of Psychology function in a legitimate way?" I believe that the answer to such a question is, "Yes." But in what ways can the discipline of Psychology be legitimate?

A. Psychology is capable of observing human behavior, recording external data on human behavior and supplying mankind with statistics.

B. Psychology can accurately describe human behavior (but so can anyone-professional or nonprofessional, educated or uneducated-who will take the time to observe and study human behavior).

C. Psychology can accurately report results of research (we might
question if it does accurately report results, but it certainly can).

D. Caring, loving, sensitive psychotherapists can help people with problems through just "lending an ear" or "being sympathetic" or "giving common- sense advice." As the psychologist Crabb points out, "Ask most people who have had two or three years with a good therapist what it was that helped them. Nine times out of ten they say, 'This guy really cared about me. He looked at me and said, I really want to see you feel better.' The therapist's caring was much more important than his or her professional interpretations. Those therapists who are doing really good work are, in fact, doing what I'm calling, "eldering." And if eldering is being done within a professional setting, why can't it be done in the nonprofessional setting of the church? I think it can be, and I think that's where it ideally belongs." Larry Crabb, "Christianity Today, August 14, 1995.

2. When is the discipline of Psychology illegitimate?

A. It is completely illegitimate when it claims to be scientific rather than opinion!

B. It is completely illegitimate when it claims to be able to explain the causes of human behavior-why people act as they do.

C. It is completely illegitimate when it claims to be able to change immoral behavior into moral behavior.

D. It is completely illegitimate when it claims to be able to change human behavior into behavior that pleases God.

E. It is completely illegitimate when it claims that it can explain man's mental processes.

F. It is completely illegitimate when it claims that it can explain man's emotions.

G. It is completely illegitimate when it claims that it can eliminate life's
problems.

H. As with all false religions, Christians should expect to find elements of truth in the discipline of Psychology. But Psychology has no idea what God's truth is because the discipline of psychology rejects the Bible.