Mentally challenged people

  • Thread starter Thread starter Polak
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
I am kind of surprised that from your username you would appear to be Polish. Of all the countries in the world, I would find it hard to think of one I admire more than Poland. When I’ve been to Poland, which is not as often as I would like to have been, I’ve noticed that one sees noticeably more people with different kinds of disabilities, including what you would call “mentally challenged people” (as the father of one such “mentally challenged person”, I think you could have chosen a better description). I have always assumed that the reason why I have seen more disabled people in Poland, and seemingly better integrated into society, is because of how Poland has embraced the “culture of life”. Compare with Iceland, where they have all but “eradicated” Down syndrome by killing virtually every baby with Down syndrome before they are born.

Every single human being is created by God and has an inherent dignity and value. Maybe I am too stupid or too lazy to properly engage with all your many questions, but personally I think it is above my pay grade to question why God would create some human beings in a certain way. I would rather focus on loving and serving the “mentally challenged people” whom God created than trying to figure out why he created them.
 
Instead of asking questions about why they are here on this Earth, you should think of the ways to help them. I personally met people with down syndrome who are literally the sweetest, caring people who just love you just the way you are. I call them angels.

Every human being has inherent value.

You seem to have basis on stigma that perpetuates people with mental illness as violent. More normal people commit murders than mentally ill people. So what should we do with these normal people then? Should we think of why they even exist? Murders happen more frequently than you think. It’s just that they rarely make headlines than the murders of mentally ill people.

For example, there are 20 million people living with schizophrenia. If they are ALL murderers, we would have 20 million murderers. We don’t hear of a large group of people trying to murder people, or else this world would be a disaster. Mentally ill people are more likely to be victims of violence, not perpetrators.

You need to rethink your statement and instead ask yourself how you can help these people instead of questioning why they are even here.

I would highly suggest volunteering for developmentally disabled people. Or, take part in a crisis hotline. Every Catholic is called to charitable works. There are hundreads and thousands of suffering people worldwide. Your small efforts can make a difference to them and help lead them to Jesus.
 
Last edited:
I worked voluntary in the office for a down syndrome organization for a while. They are warm and loving people and through the training they are given, many are able to establish contributing lives in the general community, living and working independently.

And if they are unable, due to their difficulties, to effect the above, then that very love, Mercy, compassion and understanding by The Lord we are gifted in our own sinfulness, weaknesses and failures, we are commanded to give and pass on to our neighbour.
Vatican Bible - Matthew Chapter 7 "Stop judging, that you may not be judged.

For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.

Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?
How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove that splinter from your eye,’ while the wooden beam is in your eye?

You hypocrite
remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly"
Click to expand...
We are called to spread The Gospel and one of the probably most important of ways we can do this is witnessing i.e. giving to others what The Lord has given to us.

Tertullian (early Christian Theologian living in Rome 155 - 161 BC Biography Tertullian )wrote: “It is mainly the deeds of a love so noble that lead many to put a brand upon us. See how they love one another, they [pagans] say"
(The Apology, ch. 39).”
 
Last edited:
It’s OK to lack such understanding and ask this question.

Firstly it’s important to understand God’s thought’s are unlike our own thought’s.

Even the Apostles could not understand other server disabilities. Until the Holy spirit entered in to them. Jesus tried to explain such things before they received the Holy Spirit.

Ask yourself this…

As a Farther of two children. One is fit and able and the other will always require your care.

One goes on to live a long life but continues to break his Father’s heart. The other is incapable of breaking his Farther heart.

Which one would you love more?

A person fit and well or a disabled person are the exact same creation in God’s eyes. Both blessed with life a soul and spirit. God loves all equal.

A mentallly challenged person unfortunately can not express themselves in the body given to them.

But I can assure you right now 100% God knows their heart and every thought.

In fact in some ways they are more blessed than any fit and healthy person as they will die without knowing Sin. Unlike you or I.

In the resurrection which one will be spiritually cleaner, me a fit person that continued to sin or the Challenged person who knew no sin…

God has big plans for mentally or disabled challenged people. That’s why in THIS world they can be huge insperations to others.
 
Last edited:
No one should be giving Polak negative feed back.

He asked a question and was not judging aas some of you have mentioned.

Did not Jesus’s own hand picked Holy Apostles not ask who sinned Lord?

His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned , this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” “Neither this man nor his parents sinned ,” said Jesus , "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me.

So should the Holy Diciples not be judged also?

Of course not. It comes through knowledge that we try to understand God’s ways not Earthly ways.
 
I guess this question startles me because in my life I’ve seen much more harm (physical and emotional) inflicted by the neurotypical and able bodied on others than inflicted by MHMR folks.

I guess I think of the injuries inflicted by those not in their right mind as a natural event and not to be taken personally, like a cat scratch or a thunderstorm knocking down a tree.

The mental cruelties inflicted by somebody who knows better are much more painful because there is malice behind it. Or thoughtlessness.
 
The OP strikes me as someone who has not yet had the joy of loving someone with a mental illness. When you do so, you will understand better.

In the meantime, recall that God does not will sin or it’s effects (the effects of Adam and Eve’s first sin include sickness, suffering, death, and disconnection - all of which God did not will but allowed to enter the world after the first sin). So God doesn’t “choose” pain for anyone’s life. And some people do get an unfair helping of sorrow in their life. It’s not fair, truly. On this earth we are called to give if we have more… so where our mentally ill friends are concerned that can mean giving friendship, patience, forgiveness, compassion… really the same as we’d give to anyone else. Oh and remember these folks have to give patience and compassion to themselves too. I’m sure that gets tiring. No one finds it easy to suffer long term.
 
Polak said:
the mentally ill don’t get to have any type of life at all. It’s almost like their lives are being sacrificed to see how others deal with them.
Click to expand...
I’m sorry, but this is rubbish. You have clearly never bothered to spend time with people who have these challenges. If you had you would be aware that there is a great richness in their lives and experience.
I find the attitudes underlying your post to be quite shocking on a Catholic site.
 
@Polak
I highly recommend that you look up Henri Nouwen and read about his time and the books he wrote while he was living with the L’Arche community in Toronto.

And then do some volunteer work with an organization in your community that works with the intellectually/developmentally disabled. Many of these people “know” God on a much deeper level than many intellectuals I know.
 
Polak said:
I simply don’t understand why God would put such people in this world.
Click to expand...
“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me."

Me thinks perhaps they’re here for a reason…
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top