Scrupulosity

[INsearch]

I don't know your guys thoughts on this...as it seems to be more used in Catholicism but this is still a problem for me regardless of "denomination"

This form of over-concern and over-responsibility leads to excessive anxiety and guilt. It has been referred to by some as having an excessively tender conscience. There are historical references to scrupulosity among monastic priests as they struggled to please God.

Scrupulosity can include:

* excessive prayer,

* worry that one might say or do something blasphemous,

* fear of having sinned (forgotten the sin) and not having repented of it,

* fear of having committed “the unpardonable sin”,

* difficulties with doing confession or rituals “correctly”,

* over-analysis of what “moral behavior” entails, and

* intrusive thoughts that the person considers blasphemous or sinful in nature and lead to tremendous uncertainty, anxiety, guilt, disgust, or shame.

Scrupulosity is obsessive concern with one's personal sins, including "sinful" acts or thoughts usually considered minor or trivial within their religious tradition. The term is derived from the Latin scrupulus, a sharp stone, implying a stabbing pain on the conscience.
In modern times, scrupulosity is often considered to be a religious expression of obsessive-compulsive disorder, or the unrelated obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. The scrupulous person lacks a balanced religious outlook, veering to the extreme. Often the person has a morbid feeling that they are rejected by God and doomed to damnation despite rigid adherence to rituals or rules of conduct. The over-scrupulous person may refuse to acknowledge the verdict of otherwise accepted religious authorities that he or she is being excessively concerned with moot religious points.

I'm going to post something I wrote at a different forum because I'm not getting the kinda help or advice about it right now.

I myself suffer from this. I have suffered for most my life. Heck as an example today I was cleaning my bedroom. I found a pencil and couldn't get myself to throw it away because I thought for some reason God was going to pour out all his judgment on me for it. It was a pain cleaning the room today....I thought with most everything I was doing that I was doing something sinful and was going to get terribly punished for it. I honestly try to ignore it....but I cant. Every time I say to myself something like "I will" I fear that I had just made a vow to God somehow....so I spend a good while chanting "I NEVER made a vow, and God knows I NEVER made a vow" I say that...sometimes for up to a minute then I cant feel "secure" without finishing it up with "God knows I never have, and God knows I never will" I feel like God is going to strike me down because I didn't hold up my end to some "vow" that never took place. Heh...I'm frightened of my own thoughts and the kind of judgment they will cause God to bring down on me. There is soooo much more...but I just can't put em all down.

so what kind of advice do you guys have?

 

[Paul Nowlan]

Joshua,

On the bright side, please be encouraged that you at least have a strong conscience unlike many in society - both churched and unchurched.

There is no easy answer.

Possible ideas:

1) When you feel guilt, ask God for His perspective. Ask yourself if you should feel guilty, or if this is just your mind playing games

2) Get human feedback. Sometimes a second opinion on a specific guilty feeling can be a welcome jolt.

3) Ask yourself if another person behaved likewise, how would you react. If you're easy on that other person, maybe you should be easy on yourself.

4) Read Roman 3. Romans 3 goes into great detail on how rotten humans really are in their natural state. How does this help? I'm not sure, but it is nice to know that God understands how weak we really are. I suspect that if you can see how weak we really are, you may cut yourself some slack.

5) Dedicate a specific day to not think these thoughts. If the bad thoughts come to mind, just jot them down on paper and forget about them for that day. See what happens.

6) Visit your GP.

7) Go on Amazon and try to find a good book. If you find one, please give me the title.

8) Maybe give up worrying about this for 1 hour, and ask God to speak to you.
In other words, shut up and listen.

9) Joshua, do you seldom feel anger? If you don't, then ask God why. Perhaps you're in denial about something.

10) Read Ecclesiastes. This book may help you put this life in proper perspective.

11) Don't always trust your feeling. Those negative, guilty feelings may be bogus.

Ah, the human heart. He who trusts himself is a fool. The human heart: deceitful, who can know it.

I hope this is of some benefit.

 

[INsearch]

Joshua,

On the bright side, please be encouraged that you at least have a strong conscience unlike many in society - both churched and unchurched.

I suppose I could be encouraged....but it makes me miserable feeling.

1) When you feel guilt, ask God for His perspective. Ask yourself if you should feel guilty, or if this is just your mind playing games

Thing is I know when my guilt is just made in my head..but its the fear that controls me...it doesn't matter if I recognize it as "made by my head" I just can't shake it.

2) Get human feedback. Sometimes a second opinion on a specific guilty feeling can be a welcome jolt.

I don't tell anyone about this.

5) Dedicate a specific day to not think these thoughts. If the bad thoughts come to mind, just jot them down on paper and forget about them for that day. See what happens.

thats hard because I will just end up dwelling on it..then my little panic disorder will kick in and any feeling of "dying" I would associate with God beginning to punish me.

6) Visit your GP.

GP?

 

[Paul Nowlan]

I don't tell anyone about this.

6) Visit your GP.

GP?

Joshua you said, "I don't tell anyone about this."

That is a huge statement. That says that these thoughts have been running around in your head for a long time - without being subjected to proper scrutiny. This is mega huge.

Perhaps you need to put specific worries down on paper and get an informed second opinion.

That could be your GP (family doctor), pastor, trusted friend, hospital, clinic, crisis phone line, government mental health dept., or if push comes to shove a reputable online forum that deals with mental health issues.

Joshua, have you ever watched a cartoon in which a person has a little angel whispering in one ear and a little devil whispering in the other ear. It could be that you only have one guy whispering in your ear. That guy could be your over-active conscience.

Joshua, you seem like a very well-meaning person. Please cut yourself some slack. There are millions or billions that have done worse then you.

Unload these specific worries and negative thoughts onto some you trust.

Joshua, you are worth it.

Joshua, you may find that if you unload these fears, worries and guilty feelings, you may feel much much better.

 

[christiana]

Sounds like a lot of OCD, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and would benefit from seeing a NANC counselor, Directory

NANC counselors base all counseling on scripture and would hopefully be of help in relieving some of your misery in your present difficulty. Prayers that you will find help with this. Please do consider allowing one to help you with this.

 

[CarlosOliveira]

Dear brother, I've already gone through it and honestly I think you need to have a proper understanding of what is the grace of God and of what is justification by faith alone and its implications to everyday living. I recommend you read the book "Transforming Grace" by Jerry Bridges or the first part of the book "The Bookends of the Christian Life" by Jerry Bridges particulary the chapter "Gospel Enemy #2: Persistent Guilt". You can read it online through Crossway Books' website here

If you reach the limit of pages allowed to be viewed, open the website again using a free proxy server, such as Free Proxy Server - Surf The Web Anonymously - Protect Your Privacy!

 

[Montanablue]

Visit your doctor.

My father has OCD and I have OCD tendencies. Its a medical condition and there are ways to deal with it.

 

[INsearch]

Sounds like a lot of OCD, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and would benefit from seeing a NANC counselor, Directory

NANC counselors base all counseling on scripture and would hopefully be of help in relieving some of your misery in your present difficulty. Prayers that you will find help with this. Please do consider allowing one to help you with this.

Thanks for showing me the directory but of the two counselors in my state neither of them are close enough to me.

"The Bookends of the Christian Life" by Jerry Bridges particulary the chapter "Gospel Enemy #2: Persistent Guilt". You can read it online through Crossway Books' website here

Thanks I'm going to start reading chapter two.





I now realize that it would be good to talk to my pastor about this....but this is where regret sets in my pastor (amazing guy....just awesome I grew to trust him so much ) well...he left our church last sunday was the first sunday without him so we are without a pastor..lucky my dad (he's reformed) is on that pastor finding committee thing. Hopefully he will find a good pastor, and hopefully he will be as comfortable to be with as my last pastor.