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Dear John Michael Fowler,

While I agree that psychology is mostly researched and dominated by Western models of thought and ideologies, and I also agree that the popularity of psychology is a sign of increasing secularisation (not always the same as atheism), I think it's important to point out that not all psychologists are atheists; there are at least two psychologists on this web forum. I wholeheartedly agree that there is more value-for-money, if you'll pardon the humour, in the Bible and the writings of St Maximus than I have ever found in a psychology textbook. While it's true that my own religious beliefs are not characteristic of people in my profession, they are not completely alien to it, either; whereas the Nowegian psychiatrist you mention (whom I had certainly never heard of)sounds like one of history's major hiccups, and his ideas of "German evil" don't sound very scientific. As a psychologist, my advice to Christians would be to carry on living their spiritual life as always, and not worry about needing to see a psychologist for issues best handled with the help of a spiritual father; however, sometimes pharmacological therapy can help with serious mental illness (e.g. schizophrenia), and even psychotherapy may add a useful dimension to our being, in fact deepening and enhancing our capacity to love God and others, and certainly not providing a substitute for confession of sins. Choosing a psychologist who is sympathetic to spiritual issues is a good idea.

In Christ
Byron