Jesus' diagnosis

If an individual genuinely believes they are the Son of God, possesses immortality, and expects to undergo reincarnation—all while maintaining that they can absorb the sins of others through crucifixion and that their personal suffering serves a greater good for all of humanity—what kind of clinical diagnosis would actually fit such a person?

I don't know the exact medical term for it, but I have this acquaintance whose son is a complete junkie, and she’s been through absolute hell because of him. She constantly insists that it's just her "cross to bear" and says she's just thankful to God that she made it through this round. I can't tell if she's actually expressing how much she's hurting or if she's just being dramatic, but honestly, the whole thing just doesn't sit right with me.🤷

mistygardener59 said:If an individual genuinely believes they are the Son of God, possesses immortality, and expects to undergo reincarnation—all while maintaining that they can absorb the sins of others through crucifixion and that their personal suffering serves a greater good for all of humanity—what kind of clinical diagnosis would actually fit such a person?

We really need to take a hard look at how much the internet has fueled this weird explosion of "mythical figures" popping up everywhere over the last twenty years... 😲

Ronald Rogers27

mistygardener59 said:If an individual genuinely believes they are the Son of God, possesses immortality, and expects to undergo reincarnation—all while maintaining that they can absorb the sins of others through crucifixion and that their personal suffering serves a greater good for all of humanity—what kind of clinical diagnosis would actually fit such a person?

I have a book by Dr. Vladimir Stanojević regarding these types of disorders, yet he does not seem to mention Jesus. However, in his bibliography, he cites a work by Dr. Binet-Sanglet titled "The Madness of Jesus," I-III (New York City, 1912). If anyone possesses knowledge concerning this book, I would truly be interested to know its contents.

One might find information on Wikipedia under the term "prophet," but that diagnosis feels too extreme, and I have no desire to propagate it here. If anyone is curious, they may look it up themselves.

mistygardener59 said:If an individual genuinely believes they are the Son of God, possesses immortality, and expects to undergo reincarnation—all while maintaining that they can absorb the sins of others through crucifixion and that their personal suffering serves a greater good for all of humanity—what kind of clinical diagnosis would actually fit such a person?

Look, psychiatric diagnoses aren't just pulled out of thin air based on a hunch; they require actual, systematic study and evaluation.🙂

mistygardener59 said:If an individual genuinely believes they are the Son of God, possesses immortality, and expects to undergo reincarnation—all while maintaining that they can absorb the sins of others through crucifixion and that their personal suffering serves a greater good for all of humanity—what kind of clinical diagnosis would actually fit such a person?

Well, I guess if they’re just lying through their teeth, you could look at all sorts of personality disorders, maybe schizophrenia or manic depression, I suppose. But then again... was Jesus actually crazy when he claimed to be the son of God?

The famous psychologist Gary Collins once pointed out that Jesus didn't show any signs of inappropriate emotional responses; he seemed totally grounded in reality, brilliant, and had this incredible insight into people, plus deep, lasting connections with others. He basically concluded, “I just don't see any evidence that Jesus suffered from any known mental illness.” On top of that, Jesus backed up his claim of being the son of God with miracles, showing total control over nature, teaching things that were just unparalleled, having this divine understanding of people, and finally, his resurrection—which, you know, served as the ultimate proof of who he was.

Read more here:

Joseph Brooks7 said:Well, I guess if they’re just lying through their teeth, you could look at all sorts of personality disorders, maybe schizophrenia or manic depression, I suppose. But then again... was Jesus actually crazy when he claimed to be the son of God?

The famous psychologist Gary Collins once pointed out that Jesus didn't show any signs of inappropriate emotional responses; he seemed totally grounded in reality, brilliant, and had this incredible insight into people, plus deep, lasting connections with others. He basically concluded, “I just don't see any evidence that Jesus suffered from any known mental illness.” On top of that, Jesus backed up his claim of being the son of God with miracles, showing total control over nature, teaching things that were just unparalleled, having this divine understanding of people, and finally, his resurrection—which, you know, served as the ultimate proof of who he was.

Read more here:

We could theoretically move this all into a PDF on history to determine which details about Jesus are historically accurate—given that the Gospels were written about 200 years after the fact. Once that's settled, we could move it to a religion PDF to hear other perspectives, then jump to natural sciences so they can chime in on those previous points, then pivot to a PDF on law and legal circumstances—specifically Roman law, considering the legal climate of the time. Then, let's just skip the theology part, 🙂 and bring the conversation back here to the actual diagnostic process based on the available information. Hmm. Complicated.
Actually, we could just focus on diagnosing a high-court judge, or perhaps some random old lady, because I suspect they share—to varying degrees—certain similarities with Jesus. 🙂

mistygardener59 said:If an individual genuinely believes they are the Son of God, possesses immortality, and expects to undergo reincarnation—all while maintaining that they can absorb the sins of others through crucifixion and that their personal suffering serves a greater good for all of humanity—what kind of clinical diagnosis would actually fit such a person?

A diagnosis? Honestly, I'd call it a betrayal by a close friend over a few bucks, a majority condemning a tiny minority, and getting nailed to a cross because of what you believe in.

p.s.
- there's zero mention of reincarnation in the Bible
- he wasn't "climbed" onto a cross, he was nailed to one
- the whole thing isn't about finding "positivity" through suffering

Joseph Brooks7 said:Well, I guess if they’re just lying through their teeth, you could look at all sorts of personality disorders, maybe schizophrenia or manic depression, I suppose. But then again... was Jesus actually crazy when he claimed to be the son of God?

The famous psychologist Gary Collins once pointed out that Jesus didn't show any signs of inappropriate emotional responses; he seemed totally grounded in reality, brilliant, and had this incredible insight into people, plus deep, lasting connections with others. He basically concluded, “I just don't see any evidence that Jesus suffered from any known mental illness.” On top of that, Jesus backed up his claim of being the son of God with miracles, showing total control over nature, teaching things that were just unparalleled, having this divine understanding of people, and finally, his resurrection—which, you know, served as the ultimate proof of who he was.

Read more here:

The Gospels aren't historical accounts.
How is that supposed to be proof? It’s like if I call myself Keith Jones76, act like Keith Jones76 (whatever that entails), sign my posts as Keith Jones76, and answer to that name—that doesn't prove I'm actually Keith Jones76. It's just an online forum.

Basically, the main symptom would be some kind of mania, but since you can't really pin that down to one specific illness without better data, it’s hard to be objective about it.

Come on, don't just throw out diagnoses like you're guessing at a coin toss. I mean, if someone thinks they're climbing a fig tree, should we just call them "fig tree sickness"?😁

The person is clearly losing it regardless. We need to figure out if this is just how they're seeing and feeling things...

mistygardener59 said:If an individual genuinely believes they are the Son of God, possesses immortality, and expects to undergo reincarnation—all while maintaining that they can absorb the sins of others through crucifixion and that their personal suffering serves a greater good for all of humanity—what kind of clinical diagnosis would actually fit such a person?

This is a fascinating way to frame the question. 👍
The truth is, we generally know far less about the life of Jesus than most people realize. The historical sources are incredibly thin and rely heavily on speculation. Honestly, I think the diagnoses should be reserved for the people who go out of their way to invent specific "details" about his life just to fill in those gaps.

And besides, what diagnosis would you apply to the millions of people who have completely "bought into" the idea of Jesus as the Son of God or a divine savior? ☕

I feel like this discussion leans more toward theology, honestly. I don't think Jesus dealt with any kind of mental health struggles like we're talking about here, mostly because concepts like the atonement for sins were just added to the church's doctrine centuries after He passed away. It’s kind of like how the whole idea of the Virgin Birth didn't even really gain traction until much later in history, nearly a millennium after Mary's time.☕

It’s hard to say for sure without being an expert, but I know plenty of people dealing with schizophrenia who go through these phases where they start seeing themselves in Jesus or even God... 🤷

brightmason80 said:It’s hard to say for sure without being an expert, but I know plenty of people dealing with schizophrenia who go through these phases where they start seeing themselves in Jesus or even God... 🤷

Meaning, they weren't just comparing themselves... they genuinely believed they were the same thing......

It might seem strange by today's standards, I guess, but back then, the entire Jewish community was deeply convinced that a Messiah would eventually arrive. They even had this ritual where they would essentially "load" a lamb with their sins before sacrificing it, which served as a symbolic way to cleanse themselves. Even now, Jewish people maintain that hope for a coming Messiah, whereas Christians believe he has already arrived. Personally, I feel like Jesus fit the description of the Messiah far too perfectly for it to be some kind of coincidence, though I suppose there were likely many others back then claiming to be him, whether out of pure madness or just seeking personal gain. You can still see similar things happening today—if you ever found yourself wandering through Jerusalem, you might encounter someone acting like a modern-day John the Baptist, roaming the desert in nothing but animal skins to preach. It’s often referred to as "Jerusalem Syndrome."

This is such a fascinating topic to dive into...
...I remember even when I was just a kid, I used to wonder how a child could be old enough to trek through the woods alone to visit their grandma in the next town over...
...and still somehow fail to tell the difference between a wolf and their grandmother...
...something just doesn't add up there. I mean, surely they weren't sending a two-year-old out on her own...
...but then again, if she was older... how does someone miss the fact that an animal is standing where a person should be?...
...either the kid was completely clueless... or Grandma was looking pretty terrifying herself...
...someone involved in this story had to have been seriously lacking in judgment...

.... and honestly, there isn't much evidence to suggest the kid wasn't real. There’s a solid description of her, right down to the detail about her wearing a red hood... and if she was rocking a little red hood like that, she’s definitely a real character...
.... plus, so many people have illustrated her over the years... she’s got a whole history behind her...

... just the fact that wolves even exist in the first place... that’s a pretty heavy piece of evidence right there.... I’m sure Little Red Riding Hood was a perfectly well-behaved little girl.... but.... she really needs a diagnosis.... either her.... or maybe her grandmother....

Rebecca Scott3 said:... just the fact that wolves even exist in the first place... that’s a pretty heavy piece of evidence right there.... I’m sure Little Red Riding Hood was a perfectly well-behaved little girl.... but.... she really needs a diagnosis.... either her.... or maybe her grandmother....

Alright then, what exactly is this diagnosis for Little Red Riding Hood?

I think you could argue that Little Red Riding Hood is just a symbol rather than a fully realized person who could actually carry a diagnosis. It’s really just one specific way of looking at things.