Combating the Perception of Christian Persecution and Mental Health Awareness

Those of us who are Christians are no strangers to an extensive history of worldly persecution for our faith. In the United States, our society has recently become accustomed to political violence such as deliberate attacks, threats, and even assassinations of politicians and political figures.

So, as Christians, how do we psychologically conceptualize this profound evil, and how do we spiritually combat it? In this article, we will take at several contributing factors to this topic, including the psychology behind these mentalities and what the Bible says about vengeance.

Psychological Understanding of these Heinous Behaviors

The first understanding we need to process is how a human being loses complete understanding of right and wrong in this current political and societal dilemma. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5-TR), antisocial personality disorder makes up between 0.2% and 3.3% of the U.S. population.

Let’s quantify those to understand this further. The U.S. population as of the 2020 census, there are roughly 334 million Americans living in the fifty continental states, the federal district of Washington, D.C., and U.S. territories. This means that on average, there are roughly 6.68 to 11.022 million American adults who have personality characteristics of antisocial personality disorder.

The DSM-5-TR defines this disorder as an individual who lacks empathy/remorse, has difficulty or refuses to conform to societal norms, has difficulty with authority figures (i.e., law enforcement), deceitful, and reckless/impulsive. These symptoms or behaviors are indicators that practitioners refer to as sociopathy.

Previously, the term psychopath or sociopath was associated with antisocial personality disorder, meaning someone is completely detached from social norms and lacks regard for the well-being of others. This would often be through means of manipulation, impulsivity, and lack of fruitful interpersonal relationships.

Although this diagnosis is not commonly given, several people in our society demonstrate a growing normalization of such behaviors. This includes the assassination of the former UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, school shootings, the assassination of Minnesota state representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, and former CEO/founder of Turning Point USA and political activist Charlie Kirk.

While the psychological profiles of these individual cases do not point to a precise trend among the assassins, there are common traits. This is an inability to disagree with opposing views, beliefs, or morals to such an extent that one justifies taking the life of another to a lack of empathy or remorse for their actions.

Not only do these horrible acts claim the life or lives of others, but they also have a lasting ripple effect in our communities. This leads to a significant question mark for mental health professionals (i.e., the experts of psychological discussions) of how this can defy decades of research and how to address it.

While some psychologists and psychiatrists argue that empathy can be taught in therapeutic modalities, the general conception of is that it is not possible to teach adults this. In addition, the etiology or true understanding of this phenomenon cannot be adequately identified or explained according to psychological and psychiatric researchers.

While theories exist as to how sociopathy forms in humans, there is no clear explanation of how or why people can lose a complete sense of regard for human life. Even more challenging is that most people turn to mental health professionals to explain why these events occur, and is this a chronic problem that only mental health can address?

In short, not all instances are explained by a person having several mental illnesses that inhibit their cognitive abilities to use rational thinking. However, can we not say that anyone who volitionally takes the life of another has some underlying mental health issue?

Where is the line drawn where one can define these behaviors as a mental illness? Unfortunately, these complex questions do not have simple answers and require extensive critical thinking to find a potential resolution to this horrifying trend.

Spiritual Interpretation and How to React as a Christian:

As a Christian, how do we interpret and react to these moments where our lives are tremendously impacted by such carelessness and devaluing regard for human life? Let’s break down the several potential responses we have and what the Bible says about them.

The recent assassination of Charlie Kirk has elicited a wide range of responses, not only in the U.S. but in the world as a whole. Many Christians would claim Mr. Kirk’s life was taken because of his consistent and proud declaration of his faith in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Some would say it was due to his boisterous and compassionate political take on several platforms.

Whether these two perspectives or any other perspective is how you interpret the murder of this man, there are many people who not only believe Mr. Kirk deserved his death, but would celebrate it as a massive victory. After speaking to several Christians in my community over the last two weeks, there have been many conflicting ideas.

For instance, “We must pray for the forgiveness of the individual who assassinated Mr. Kirk,” to “The assassin deserves the same means to end his life,” or in some cases, that he should be tortured.

Now, let’s go back to the concept of these events invoking strong emotional reactions from those who possess opposing thoughts/beliefs. Would it not be rather hypocritical to take the approach “an eye for an eye” as a Christian? Well, let’s look at what the Bible says.

The Bible discusses vengeance in several books. For example, consider the following verses:

Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. Instead, repay with a blessing, because to this you were called, so that you may inherit a blessing. – Peter 3:9

Do not say, ‘I will repay evil,’ but wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you. – Proverbs 20:22

Never take revenge, my dear friends, but leave that to God’s righteous anger. For the Scriptures say, ‘I will take revenge; I will pay them back,’ says the Lord. On the contrary: ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. – Romans 12:19-21

These three verses highlight the important Biblical doctrine that not only should Christians refrain from taking any vengeful actions, but even from harboring anger toward those who trespass against us. So, what do we do with these thoughts and feelings we have when we feel something personal, such as a deliberate attempt or successful action of silencing Christians?

Our first move should be to pray about them and rebuke ourselves for them in the name of Jesus Christ. The enemy has set the stage in these moments to claim victory over every Christian who embraces the mentality of revenge by un-Christian-like behavior. Talking about what this means among Christians is not only necessary but imperative in such a contentious time for our nation.

It is even more imperative that we discuss what it means for us Christians when innocent children become the victims of another’s animosity toward themselves and the world around them. As a parent, sending my children to school comes with a kind of fear that my parents and their parents never faced in their generations.

We are to have faith, knowing that God always has a plan and that God’s will is stronger than ours. Finally, consider Psalm 46:1-3: “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” As Christians, we must be slow to anger and quick to forgiveness, even when we face atrocities such as school shootings and the deliberate persecution of Christians.