Part of the Christian Kyriarchy Project
Christian ableism
various | sanism | anti-psychology and anti-psychiatry
Last updated 9/1/2024
Sanism refers to ableism towards insane people.
1. Suicide and thinking about it are often presented as awful and sinful.
Uncritical examples
Is suicide a sin? by John Shore (July 2014)
Archived on Wayback Machine, Archive.today, and Ghost Archive
A Biblical Response to Mental Illness and Suicide: What Should We Conclude by Ab Abercrombie | Biblical Counseling Institute (April 2013)
Archived on Wayback Machine, Archive.today, and Ghost Archive
Commentary
Suicidal Thoughts Are Symptoms, Not Sins! | Sarah Over The Moon (July 2014)
2. Some Christians believe that being ”saved” means you should be happy. Because of this, they treat unhappiness as a sign of sin.
Go ahead and guess how well this works out for clinically depressed people.
Uncritical examples:
Hope for the Unhappy Christian by Phillip Holmes | Desiring God (March 2016)
Archived on Wayback Machine, Archive.today, and Ghost Archive
Should Christians Be Happy? | MacPhail's Manuscripts (earliest archives are from January 2002)
Archived on Wayback Machine
How Not To Let Negative People And Circumstances Steal Your Joy by Ann Schuler | Patch (January 2014)
Archived on Wayback Machine, Archive.today, and Ghost Archive
Commentary:
I knew Desiring God ideology is spiritual abuse, but wow. | Tell me why the world is weird (May 2017)
3. Depressed people are often portrayed as not trying hard enough, ungrateful towards God, or even demon-possessed. Sometimes, Christians will portray the cause and effects of depression backwards, blaming depressed people for our own suffering.
Uncritical examples
POST PARTUM AND OTHER TYPES OF DEPRESSION
DEPRESSION IS A DEMON | Demon Buster
Archived on Wayback Machine, Archive.today, and Ghost Archive
Depression Grooving Research by Debi Pearl | No Greater Joy (August 2018)
Archived on Wayback Machine, Archive.today, and Ghost Archive
Freedom From Depression by Lori Alexander | The Transformed Wife (July 2017)
Archived on Wayback Machine, Archive.today, and Ghost Archive
Hope for the Unhappy Christian by Phillip Holmes | Desiring God (March 2016)
Archived on Wayback Machine, Archive.today, and Ghost Archive
Commentary
Depressed? It&aposs Your Fault - Part 1 by Suzanne Titkemeyer | No Longer Quivering (August 2018)
Depressed? It&aposs Your Fault - Part 2 by Suzanne Titkemeyer | No Longer Quivering (August 2018)
Quoting Quiverfull: Lori Alexander's Toxic Dangerous Depression Advice by Suzanne Titkemeyer | No Longer Quivering (July 2017)
4. Common Christian teachings regarding evil thoughts leave those of us with intrusive thoughts to believe we are terrible people. We can&apost control our awful thoughts, nor do they reflect our morality. But according to most Christians, bad thoughts are a sign of our depraved nature and may be a sin in of themselves.
Uncritical examples
What Does The Bible Say About Our Thoughts? | Christian Crier (October 2019)
Archived on Wayback Machine, Archive.today, and Ghost Archive
Commentary
Intrusive Thoughts And Christian Ableism | The Humanitarian Misanthrope (February 2023, my writing)
5. Worry is often treated as a sign of sin, if not itself a sin. This throws people with anxiety disorders under the bus.
Uncritical examples
ANXIETY DEMONS TO CAST OUT | Demon Buster
Archived on Wayback Machine, Archive.today, and Ghost Archive
Anxiety Disorders by Patricia Jones M.A. | Dove Christian Counseling (earliest archive is from October 2007)
Archived on Wayback Machine
Commentary
When Anxiety Isn't A Sin Problem | Ashley Easter (March 2016)
6. There's a distressing number of Christians who think the concept of self-esteem/self-love goes against the Bible, and that people naturally love themselves too much.
Uncritical examples
WORRY/ANXIETY
Fixing Your Self-Esteem Session 1 by Charles Hodges MD | Grace Biblical Counseling Services (Oldest archive is from February 2009, has an audio file that's not immediately obvious)
Archived on Wayback Machine
Commentary
The lessons of abuse: low self-esteem is not a desire for self-aggrandizement | Speaking When the World Sleeps (June 2012)
Accepting Myself (or, I'm Great, and It Doesn't Matter What God Thinks) | Tell me why the world is weird (March 2016)
7. Far too many Christians are dismissive towards people with religious trauma that drove them away from Christianity.
Uncritical examples:
Why do atheists hate God? by Don Batten | Creation Magazine (October 2011)
Archived on Wayback Machine and Archive.today
Commentary:
None yet
8. I've seen eating disorders attributed to vanity and selfishness.
Uncritical examples:
Eating Disorders | Dove Christian Counseling (earliest archive is from September 2007, argues that people with eating disorders are committing idolatry)
Archived on Wayback Machine, Archive.today, and Ghost Archive
Commentary:
None yet
More about sanism in the church
Things The Bible Doesn't Talk About (Like PTSD). by Captain Cassidy | Roll To Disbelieve (November 2013)
Further information
10 Things Not to Say to a Suicidal Person by Stacey Freedenthal | Speaking Of Suicide (published in 2015)
Types of intrusive thoughts | Mental Health America
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