Lessons on Mental Illness
On Satan, Demons, and Psychiatry: Exploring Mental Illness in the Bible, by Ragy R. Girgis, M.D. (Eugene, OR, Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2020.)
Stories of unclean spirits and demonic possession catch the attention of readers of the Bible. The faithful rejoice over Jesus’ authority over evil and his ability to cast out demons from the possessed. Mental illness, which is frequently associated with unclean spirits in the Scripture, doesn’t capture the reader’s attention. Stories are glossed over and little attempt is made to understand or interpret them in light of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Ragy, in his book, On Satan, Demons, and Psychiatry: Exploring Mental Illness in the Bible, turns the tables on this practice and highlights mental illness. As a clinician and professor of psychiatry, Ragy trains a professional eye on key biblical figures and examines their struggles with mental illness. His subjects range from King Saul and King David, to a few prophets of the Hebrew Scriptures, to the Gerasene demoniac. Ragy’s diagnoses are enlightening and helpful in understanding both the individual and the historical context in which he/she lived.
The book effectively makes several points. Clearly the people of biblical times knew about mental illness. Often people who suffered from mental illness were shunned and marginalized—just as they frequently are today. Still, God used such people to accomplish God’s purposes and to share God’s love and grace.
Ragy also examines several stories of demon possession from the perspective of a person of faith and a doctor of psychiatry. His insights are interesting and enlightening. I, however, found them limited. I wish Ragy was able to say more. His biblical interpretation was, unfortunately, limited by the parameters placed on him by his religious tradition. He also did not want to offend the belief of fellow believers.
I appreciate Ragy’s work and the book he has written. I recommend it for the insights it offers to biblical stories and to our dealings with the mentally ill today. It is a short book and well worth the time invested to read it and learn from it.
I received this book free from the author and/or publisher through the Speakeasy blogging book review network. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.