Grace and Mental Health

I believe that perfectionism truly is a mental illness. It is faulty thinking, which leads to faulty believing. Can one’s religious upbringing contribute to perfectionism?  How can perfectionistic thinking affect my belief in grace? A recent study at BYU sheds some light on the subject.

The religious scholars—who conducted the study at BYU—found that religious young adults experience better or poorer mental health as it connects to their belief in grace or in legalism. They surveyed 566 young adults at BYU (most of whom are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) and found that when these young adults believe more in grace and less in legalism, they experience less anxiety, depression, shame, religious guilt, and perfectionism. They also found the opposite: When young adults have a more legalistic view of God, they experience poorer mental health “because it interrupts [their] ability to experience grace.” 

It may be detrimental to young adults’ mental health if their belief in grace is more founded upon individual good works (or legalism) than on grace they receive from God. 

Grace is a religious belief held by those of many faiths: Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, and others. For many different religions, grace is a benevolent or divine influence acting upon individuals to give “spiritual enrichment or purity, to inspire virtue, or to give strength to endure trial and resist temptation.” Christians specifically believe grace is a direct gift from God given through Jesus Christ that is “bestowed freely and without regard to merit … which manifests in the giving of blessings and granting of salvation.”

The opposite of grace may be viewed as legalism. Legalism is a “strict, literal, or excessive conformity to the law or to a religious or moral code.” When someone believes in legalism, they may place their good works above the grace that is provided by God or divine influence. While many religious faiths require good works and grace for salvation, religions often have their own interpretations of this principle. 

Regarding grace, Elder M. Russell Ballard taught:
No matter how hard we work, no matter how much we obey, no matter how many good things we do in this life, it would not be enough were it not for Jesus Christ and His loving grace. On our own we cannot earn the kingdom of God, no matter what we do. Unfortunately, there are some within the Church who have become so preoccupied with performing good works that they forget that those works—as good as they may be—are hollow unless they are accompanied by a complete dependence on Christ.

Elder Ballard is speaking directly to me. I definitely have put more emphasis on obedience to rules and laws than on grace. I have sought to earn my way to heaven through a Pharisaic approach. 

I’ve recently tried to take a more balanced view. Grace is offered to me freely. I don’t need to earn it. It is a gift. Elder Dieter F Uchtdorf taught:
As we walk the path of discipleship, [God’s grace] refines us, it improves us, it helps us to become more like Him, and it leads us back to His presence. The Spirit of the Lord our God brings about such a mighty change in us, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually. Therefore, our obedience to God’s commandments comes as a natural outgrowth of our endless love and gratitude for the goodness of God. This form of genuine love and gratitude will miraculously merge our works with God’s grace.

Moroni admonishes us: Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him … that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ.

To be continued . . . with Part 63