How much is psychology and how much is the devil?

[Zez]

We all know that temptation happens. We are all human, and we fall. Psychology has explanations to why we want want we want and do what we do. I believe that, while these explanations may be true, as Christians and as Catholics we are called to go above and beyond our psychological limitations in order to please God.

Here’s the question. During temptation, how much of the tempting is our own mind and how much is the devil? Does the devil use our own psychology to lead us into sin? If so, what does he do, and, more importantly I guess…what is the devil?

 

[Christine85]

I have been reading a book called “The Catholic Warrior” it’s really good as it’s very clear on things. I think I remember it saying something like we need to be aware demons can influence us to some degree but we can’t go into extreme blaming everything on the devil.
I’d say our own human weakness comes into play too, but I think that some tempting does come from evil. I’m being careful not to say all of it comes from evil because I don’t want to come across as an extremist.

But personally , in regards to psychology I believe it is a very secular way of looking at things, yes it is true the things they may come up with such as cause and effect behavior , but they don’t really factor in evil , which means it does not really interest me that much.

All we can do is pray to avoid temptation and work hard to do Gods will. In the end Christ always triumphs.

You should read “The Catholic Warrior” to find out more.

 

[ApologiaSophia]

We all know that temptation happens. We are all human, and we fall. Psychology has explanations to why we want want we want and do what we do. I believe that, while these explanations may be true, as Christians and as Catholics we are called to go above and beyond our psychological limitations in order to please God.

Here’s the question. During temptation, how much of the tempting is our own mind and how much is the devil? Does the devil use our own psychology to lead us into sin? If so, what does he do, and, more importantly I guess…what is the devil?

Let’s say you are fasting. I present to you a plate full of donkey dung and say “come on Zez… you know you want to eat it.” You have no desire, I hope, for that donkey dung. But if your favorite desert was chocolate cake, and I wanted you to break your fast, I would offer you chocolate cake. I am going to use what I know appeals to you. I won’t use something that is repulsive to you or that you generally find uninteresting. It is not my fault that you desire what you desire, it is my fault for trying to set you up for failure, but it is your fault for making a decision to pursue my distraction. As far as what is from yourself and what is from the devil, it is a curious question, but I think utterly besides the point. The devil is not your greatest adversary, you are. So I think it is better to ask what is and is not of/from God?

 

[HansTrappist]

Who is the Devil? He is Satan, formerly called Lucifer, and was the most powerful, beautiful, intelligent creature ever created.

In 1948, Life editor Whittaker Chambers got a chance to interview the Devil. He wrote about the experience in his article “The Devil” (books.google.com/books?id=skgEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA77&lpg=PA77&dq=the+devil+%2B+whittaker+chamber+%2B+life&source=bl&ots=E7TMGQ9xOR&sig=enNJ5I4W-hh1Vjf7F1ufbC6Dvuc&hl=en&sa=X&ei=TXybUJOcIeSn0AGjp4HYDw&sqi=2&ved=0CDwQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q&f=false). It is rather humorous but touches on some very deep questions. For instance, at one point the Devil tells the reason why he rebelled and how he operates today:

“My friend,” said Satan, “you do not understand the Devil’s secret. But since shamelessness is part of my pathos, there is no reason why I should not tell you. The Devil is sterile. I possess the will to create (hence my pride), but I am incapable of creating (hence my envy). And with an envy raised to such power as immortal minds can feel, I hate the Creator and His Creation. My greatest masterpiece is never more than a perversion - an ingenious disordering of Another’s grand design, a perversion of order into chaos, of life into death.”

 

[VeritasLuxMea]

We all know that temptation happens. We are all human, and we fall. Psychology has explanations to why we want want we want and do what we do. I believe that, while these explanations may be true, as Christians and as Catholics we are called to go above and beyond our psychological limitations in order to please God.

Here’s the question. During temptation, how much of the tempting is our own mind and how much is the devil? Does the devil use our own psychology to lead us into sin? If so, what does he do, and, more importantly I guess…what is the devil?

How do we know that it’s not all the same thing? I mean the Devil and mental disorder? How do we know they’re not the same thing?

 

[katcecelia]

I have a “mental disorder”, actually a number of them… This is how I see things…We have our sinful natures, our psychologies are our particular areas of weakness (mine would be self-control and anger?). The devil can know our weaknesses and direct temptations towards those weaknesses… however, ultimately it is we ourselves that make the final choice to overcome our weaknesses (which requires God’s continual grace) or not.

 

[Shin]

Devils can inflame your passions and present temptations in your imagination. They can also interfere with your mental associations, i.e., they can make you associate certain things as pleasurable, and certain other things as unpleasurable. They can draw from your memories and bring the worst ones out to torment you or tempt you.

For example, they can inflame the passions to cause a very pleasurable association with another person and so an adulterous relationship or a relationship outside of wedlock. They can cause an unpleasant association with any thoughts of Catholic teaching, and pleasant associations with heresy and liberalism.

How often is it the devil and how often is it your own vices alone?

This takes mental awareness and introspection – paying attention to what you will, and what your habits are, and what arises spontaneously and without your intervention.

Most new Christians immediately become aware that gaining various virtuous habits is a matter of fighting for it, and what they thought would be easy, because before they were not interfered with – the Devil had them completely his own – but now, as they try to escape sin – it is unexpectedly difficult.

But the gift of spiritual discernment, that of knowing always when it is due to spiritual intervention, is one that is normally only gained through experience and constant work at attentiveness, and along with gains in knowledge about what is virtue and what is vice. Over time it becomes more developed.

You can help yourself in spiritual discernment through using St. Benedict medals, as well as saying devoutly -aloud-, the holy names – that is the names of the holy family. For example, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, help us – said -devoutly- and -reverently- rather than misused which is a sin that is causing great evils today.

The good angels, like our guardian angel, on the other hand, work differently, guiding us to what is truly good. Contrition, peace, purity of intention and virtuous habits are quite important to being open to inspiration from Heaven.

 

[fred_conty]

Devils can inflame your passions and present temptations in your imagination. They can also interfere with your mental associations, i.e., they can make you associate certain things as pleasurable, and certain other things as unpleasurable. They can draw from your memories and bring the worst ones out to torment you or tempt you.

For example, they can inflame the passions to cause a very pleasurable association with another person and so an adulterous relationship or a relationship outside of wedlock. They can cause an unpleasant association with any thoughts of Catholic teaching, and pleasant associations with heresy and liberalism.

How often is it the devil and how often is it your own vices alone?

This takes mental awareness and introspection – paying attention to what you will, and what your habits are, and what arises spontaneously and without your intervention.

Most new Christians immediately become aware that gaining various virtuous habits is a matter of fighting for it, and what they thought would be easy, because before they were not interfered with – the Devil had them completely his own – but now, as they try to escape sin – it is unexpectedly difficult.

But the gift of spiritual discernment, that of knowing always when it is due to spiritual intervention, is one that is normally only gained through experience and constant work at attentiveness, and along with gains in knowledge about what is virtue and what is vice. Over time it becomes more developed.

You can help yourself in spiritual discernment through using St. Benedict medals, as well as saying devoutly -aloud-, the holy names – that is the names of the holy family. For example, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, help us – said -devoutly- and -reverently- rather than misused which is a sin that is causing great evils today.

The good angels, like our guardian angel, on the other hand, work differently, guiding us to what is truly good. Contrition, peace, purity of intention and virtuous habits are quite important to being open to inspiration from Heaven.

That was well thought out. Good info, thanks for sharing.

 

[fred_conty]

How do we know that it’s not all the same thing? I mean the Devil and mental disorder? How do we know they’re not the same thing?

You may be quite right. I have a story that may illustrate this.

Years ago there was a priest exorcist in the U.S. who gave talks about his experiences with his encounters with devils. He told us that he was assigned to bring holy communion to the sick at this institution housing the mentally sick. When he brought the blessed sacrament, he carried it on him and as he passed thru the corridors and rooms of the mentally sick, there would be these ugly aweful screams and gutteral noises. There were sounds that he never heard before in his life. Then after giving out the last sacramental host to a patient, he made his way down the same corridors and rooms as he had entered, and…there was not a sound.

Believe it or not.

 

[Robert_Sock]

We all know that temptation happens. We are all human, and we fall. Psychology has explanations to why we want want we want and do what we do. I believe that, while these explanations may be true, as Christians and as Catholics we are called to go above and beyond our psychological limitations in order to please God.

Here’s the question. During temptation, how much of the tempting is our own mind and how much is the devil? Does the devil use our own psychology to lead us into sin? If so, what does he do, and, more importantly I guess…what is the devil?

The field of psychology is directed by Satan. You won’t find much LOVE in psychology, but must turn to religion for this exposure.

I gave up my career in psychology for religion. Many people say that you can do both, but “you cannot serve God and mammon.”

 

[chook]

Psychology is the study of the mental condition that has created a chemical disturbance in the brain’s wavelengths, and it is a natural state otherwise we would not suffer it.

The Devil is an unnatural state that has nothing to do with our life, but it can be heard when a chemical disturbance is present in the brain wave, just as Jesus could hear Satan without “being” involved. It can be heard, because just as documented Satan is inside the Earth stone in a burnt out hole or well caused by a nuclear Sun event in our ancient history. This is because an upper light wave length the ancients called angels (light harmonics) was cut in half by a PHI sun signal and it dropped out into the Earth cell itself.

Therefore when the human brain has a chemical disturbance, demonstrating that it is not healed, we are proven not to be on the Christ path of the healed, but it is where the healer is naturally present because Christ gave us our life for the spirit of his sacrifice because evil is present in the Earth cell.

Not being healed in the brain wave enables us to hear the devil and emulate it ourselves, which is why mental disturbance is very much like devil possession. The Priests were taught what to look for as a sign of devil presence, meaning that the brain wave had made contact with Satan himself and the signal altered the physical state of our spirit.

The Priest, with his love and prayer to our Father makes Father aware of the state the human is in (as Father is connected to all life, but we have the free will to live it) and he will only assist them to cast out the wave length when they pray to him, which is how the “image” received as a wave length sent from Satan inside the Earth well (atomic burnt holes in Earth) and the voice heard we call an unreal presence (burnt sound wave) because you cannot call a devil a spirit, for only Christ is the spirit…it gets removed.

This is why possesSION is real because it involves transmisSION, what Christ, the Holy Grail and SION is about.