House Minority Leader Kurt Daudt tweeted this morning about being out in west central Minnesota, door knocking with endorsed Republican candidate Jeff Backer.
We hope that Backer doesn't discuss mental health policy with Daudt, as Backer appears to attribute depression--and possibly market capitalism's acquistiveness itself--to a very fallen angel.
Blurbing You've Been Conned: Defying Depression by the Grace of God, a book written by former employee Angela Serocki, Backer states on her website's author page:
"You've Been Conned will open your eyes. It will open your understanding to how Satan steals the true pleasures of our lives, as we are currently seeing in our country. In the past years, Satan has told us that the more you get, the more you have, this and that, you will be fulfilled. This is a big lie. You might be thinking something is missing. There is something you want, and you know that your life is going in the wrong direction. You know just like I do that material things will not give you the pleasure you are looking for. The desperate need you are seeking will not be filled by the lies we hear day in and day out from the world. This book will show you the way you need to take. Spend enough time to learn about Satan’s lies, and you will be changed to something better than gold. This book will allow you to have an intentional life that will help you move forward in the right direction.”
Jeff Backer Jr., President of BW Incorporated.
In the portion of the book that's available online, Serocki states that she self-diagnosed herself as experiencing depression during a rough spot in her marriage, and once she turned to the Bible and started to attend church, her husband returned and the work of healing began.
She attributes depression to "Satan conning you into thinking these thoughts . . . Satan has a way of filling our head with lies. Did you know that if you have Jesus in your heart, Satan has no power over you?" (pages 29-30).
Serocki later conflates the use of a dictionary's use of the phrase "low spirits" to mean Satan and demons:
Let me take you back to the dictionary terms and also that Satan knows what the meaning of depression is and what it does to us. Notice that the word depressed in the dictionary refers to low spirits. These would be Satan and his demons, biblically. Satan lives in a depression; Jesus left them there without power, and Satan is thinking he can get even by doing it to God's people. He puts a weight on you and takes you to a lower place. He makes you feel you can't get out, tires you out, breaks the economy, and whatever he can muster up to keep you in that state. I want you to look over the meanings of depression and think about it. They only come from Satan . . .
John Milton, it's not.
Bluestem was curious about this take on depression, and contacted a friend who had studied Christian counseling and ministry at Crown College, a fairly conservative school, to ask how common attributing the origins of depression to Satan might be.
A steadfast Christian herself who has experienced severe bouts of depression, she said that the attitude was fairly common. For her, it was difficult when people questioned both the strength of her faith and the medical origins of her medical issues. Bluestem think prayer and faith can be great tools for therapy, but those tools aren't exclusive to Christians, nor should people shun medical help.
We have to wonder what sort of mental health public policy Jeff Backer would support as a legislator who believes that the cause of depression is Satan. Perhaps Daudt's caucus can ask before we start casting out demons and driving the inhabitants of nearby pig farms into Big Stone Lake.
That might not be so good for the state's hog industry or water quality efforts.
Image: Daudt's tweet.
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