quote:

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Originally posted by Esmeralda:
It has occured to me that the boy Jesus went off on his own without telling parents and then, when they found him, pretty much said 'But I thought you'd know where I was!'. This is typical Aspie behaviour.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Esmeralda:
Yes I did mean to post that in Heaven - not trying to start a serious discussion.

It has occured to me that the boy Jesus went off on his own without telling parents and then, when they found him, pretty much said 'But I thought you'd know where I was!'. This is typical Aspie behaviour.

What other historical figure would you diagnose with autistic spectrum or other conditions?

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Well, in a totally unserious way as an answer to the OP, no, He didn’t. How do I know this? Because he loved crowds and parties, he thrived in social situations, he knew exactly the right thing to say and do, he clearly had a reasonable sense of balance from all that standing on top of things talking to the crowds, and he knew who everyone was without hesitation or pondering. And he spoke in parables that were full of weird visual imagery that we find very distracting. What is it with the camels and needles thing, eh? Tsk…
 

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Posted by Bullfrog. (# 11014) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Esmeralda:
Yes I did mean to post that in Heaven - not trying to start a serious discussion.

It has occured to me that the boy Jesus went off on his own without telling parents and then, when they found him, pretty much said 'But I thought you'd know where I was!'. This is typical Aspie behaviour.

What other historical figure would you diagnose with autistic spectrum or other conditions?

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quote:

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Originally posted by Gill H:
I've often wondered if Elijah had bipolar disorder.

You get this huge frenzy of activity on Mount Carmel, with Elijah making extravagant claims and ending on a terrific high. Next thing, he's running away and wishing he was dead.

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I think this one is actually quite a likely diagnosis. Probably King David too, if you read the psalms attributed to him.
 

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Posted by Twilight (# 2832) on :
 
I always thought Saul was mentally ill. At first he was a great King and General but then one day he, "fell and got up a different person" (head trauma)? After that, he started making rash decisions, (the army couldn't eat till they had won), was occasionally violent for no reason, (threw a daggar at someone during dinner because he was "possessed by an evil spirit") and he became totally obsessed with jealousy and paranoia about David, who actually loved Saul. Poor ol' Saul.
 

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Posted by amber. (# 11142) on :
 
Now if we're looking for a candidate for the title of Potential Biblical Aspie, I'd say we need to consider good old Nicodemus. There's Jesus making the finer points of the comments about how we need to be born again, and Nicodemus responds with

“How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?” (John 3 v4)

which has Jesus despairing of him.

Literal thinking, beautifully illustrated
 

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Posted by Angel Wrestler (# 13673) on :
 
Jesus didn't have Asperger's Syndrome - he had a "messiah complex!"
 

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Posted by Zappa (# 8433) on :
 
Some would say that was Paul (actually not at all fair to Paul - but some would say it!)
 

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Posted by Lamb Chopped (# 5528) on :
 
You guys are a hoot.

All of this sounds perfectly normal behavior to me--wonder what that says about me...
 

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Posted by Wm Duncan (# 3021) on :
 
Peter's impulsive speaking reminds me of myself, and of some of my ADD friends ... and it led him to some amazing spots:

• wanting to build booths for Moses & Elijah
• getting out of the boat to walk on the water
• confessing Jesus as the Christ
• promising never to deny Jesus
• denying Jesus three times
• preaching on Pentecost.

quote:

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Originally posted by Golden Key:
President Lincoln--severe depression.

Mary Todd Lincoln (his wife)--bipolar.

Mark Twain--bipolar.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Zappa:
Some would say that was Paul (actually not at all fair to Paul - but some would say it!)

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Wouldn't that Messiah complex by proxy?

Jengie
 

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Posted by the_raptor (# 10533) on :
 
I love pop psychology!

Oh wait, know I remember, it is a load of complete wank, mainly from journalists who took psych 101 while getting their liberal arts degree.

Must be my Alzheimers playing up.
 

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Posted by Mamacita (# 3659) on :
 
There, there, dear. We're just having a bit of fun here. Would you like me to walk you over to the arts and crafts room?
 

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Posted by Harperchild (# 14017) on :
 
Actually, it's quite a lovely thought - people with autism have no filters - they literally see everything equally (in my understanding) and I guess Jesus had no filters either. He saw it all, all the time and everyone equally.

(this is Heaven - I'm allowed to be simplistic...)

BTW, we were *taught* that Saul was mentally ill. David was the first music therapist...
 

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Posted by maleveque (# 132) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Esmeralda:

quote:

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Originally posted by Golden Key:
President Lincoln--severe depression.

Mary Todd Lincoln (his wife)--bipolar.

Mark Twain--bipolar.

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And the evidence for this is?

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Don't know about Mark Twain, but there's plenty of evidence for the first two assertions, including that Mary Lincoln was committed to a psychiatric hospital in 1875. See the Wikipedia articles on each of them.
Anne L.
 

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Posted by Pax Romana (# 4653) on :
 
It amazes me that so many people who have achieved truly great things also suffered from psychiatric problems.

I wonder if having a suffering soul is a prerequisite for greatness.

Pax Romana
 

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Posted by mousethief (# 953) on :
 
I was just going to say how much I am enjoying the thread. It's fun to compare what (little) I know about various diagnoses with what (also little) I know about the people mentioned. I especially liked Twilight's point about Martha and OCD.
 

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Posted by Golden Key (# 1468) on :
 
Re Twain:

Well, since this is a Heaven thread, I didn't think we needed proof...

But he had massive mood swings, deep depressions, and manic phases where he'd spend way too much money, get the family into unwise business deals, etc.
 

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Posted by Timothy the Obscure (# 292) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Twilight:
I always thought Saul was mentally ill. At first he was a great King and General but then one day he, "fell and got up a different person" (head trauma)? After that, he started making rash decisions, (the army couldn't eat till they had won), was occasionally violent for no reason, (threw a daggar at someone during dinner because he was "possessed by an evil spirit") and he became totally obsessed with jealousy and paranoia about David, who actually loved Saul. Poor ol' Saul.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Harperchild:
Actually, it's quite a lovely thought - people with autism have no filters - they literally see everything equally (in my understanding) and I guess Jesus had no filters either. He saw it all, all the time and everyone equally.

(this is Heaven - I'm allowed to be simplistic...)

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Sort of true. Only it's more "Oh no, someone's cross with us, it must mean everyone is...." or "This person is friendly, therefore all the group will be". We just can't always cope with the concept that two different people will behave differently. So I'd still say Jesus was way, way more able than that in human relationships.

And yup, Socrates probably was on the autistic spectrum, as probably were Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, and good old Bill Gates
 

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Posted by Esmeralda (# 582) on :
 
Elizabeth I had gender dysphoria - she had the heart and stomach of a man.
 

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Posted by Esmeralda (# 582) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by the_raptor:
I love pop psychology!

Oh wait, know I remember, it is a load of complete wank, mainly from journalists who took psych 101 while getting their liberal arts degree.

Must be my Alzheimers playing up.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Esmeralda:
Elizabeth I had gender dysphoria - she had the heart and stomach of a man.

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No, no, no - it must have been species dysphoria - the heart and stomach of a concrete elephant.*

* with thanks to the authors of Blackadder II


 

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Posted by Timothy the Obscure (# 292) on :
 
Peter clearly had ADHD--no focus, no impulse control, couldn't remember whether he actually knew Jesus or not (or more likely wasn't really listening when the question was asked).
 

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Posted by Esmeralda (# 582) on :
 
Timothy was a werewolf: Paul told him to have a little whine for his stomach's sake.
 

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Posted by babybear (# 34) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Esmeralda:
Elizabeth I had gender dysphoria - she had the heart and stomach of a man.

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Oh! I thought that she was one of the first people to have transplant surgery...

Twilight, when you mentioned Martha possibly having OCD and fiddling with place setting, I couldn't work out whether you mean Mary's sister, or Martha Stewart. But hey, it might well fit for both.
 

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Posted by Golden Key (# 1468) on :
 
Re Martha Stewart:

I've long figured she has OCD, and made her fortune from it.

 

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