Christians have sometimes (not always) overlooked the importance of mental health. Yet due to our current crisis, many of us have begun to register concerns for mental health.
Here, we are following an emphasis found within traditional Christian teaching. As Michael Foley notes, Paul employs the lens of the will along psychological lines (e.g., Romans 7). Augustine in particular reflected on Scripture and the nature of the soul and developed a deep understanding of human psychology in his Confessions.
The emphasis continued through the medieval and post-reformation period. The English Puritans, for example, wrote constantly on the depths of our inner life, motivations, downs, ups, and everything in-between.
From this retrieval of Christian psychology, a problem has arisen. Some commentators have made the argument that lockdowns are the cause of mental health decline. That is an impossible claim to make because correlation does not imply causation and because 2020 evinces a whole set of possible causes for mental decline. [Read more…] about Should We Cite Mental Health as a Reason to Lift Covid Restrictions?
