Return to the M.B.Herald Vol. 36, No. 19 Home Page
The newly identified mental disorder, which seems to be restricted to men, is called "Centrefold Syndrome". This Syndrome is characterized by such things as looking at pictures of women rather than interacting with women, the rating of women by the "size, shape and harmony of body parts", and the fear of intimacy. Far from being harmless, it was reported, Centrefold Syndrome contributes to high divorce rates, spousal abuse and boredom in marriage relationships.
The brain study found that the brains of many wifebeaters had been damaged. Almost half of a study group, 16 of 33, had suffered such traumas as drug abuse, alcohol abuse or child abuse. These experiences, it was concluded, had affected "the ability of these men to tolerate frustration". Considering the high cost of wife abuse to our society, researcher Angela Peterson called for "further research".
While the results of these studies are not likely to be very shocking, they do highlight a popular myth. It is the myth that by naming our demons, we can gain control over them. It is a myth with ancient origins in many different cultures and is illustrated most effectively by the famous story of Rumpelstiltskin.
It is this naming of demons under the modern categories of disease which seems to be preoccupying many behavioural scientists. Hardly a week goes by without an announcement of the discovery of a new personality disease, malfunction or syndrome. But while the discovery of new names is progressing, the symptoms they describe appear to be increasing at an even faster rate. Thus, the naming myth thrives in spite of the fact that the naming of our demons has little or no effect on our ability to master them.
Does the Bible give credence to the "naming myth"? In many ways, it seems to. In fact, it, too, identifies a disease which is ravaging mankind. The Bible speaks of a cancer-like malady which afflicts people. It destroys everything in its path--because of it, every relationship verges on entanglement, and every dream threatens to become a nightmare. The Bible calls this malady of the soul "sin".
The Bible does not limit itself to the naming of the disease, however. It also identifies the source of the disease, describes its progress and then spells out an antidote.
The source of the disease is the human inclination to seek independence from God by both passive and active resistance to His will. This inclination comes from a damaged soul. This damage is genetic--inherited from our common ancestors. The Bible claims that every single human being alive has this soul damage.
According to the Bible, the nature of the disease is that it is relentlessly progressive. Left unchecked, it progresses rapidly. Its course is often ugly and always destructive, and its rate of mortality is 100%.
Even more important than giving it a name, identifying its source and describing its progress, however, is the Bible's prescription for those afflicted by this disease. That prescription is clearest in Paul's letter to the church in Rome: "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23, the Bible).
The discovery of new behavioural syndromes and the study of the human brain are worthy pursuits. The naming of our demons is important. Our enthusiasm to name, however, should not distract us from the one step without which those names have only a faint power--a visit with the Great Physician, Jesus Christ.
James Toews is pastor of Neighbourhood Church in Nanaimo, B.C. This article originally appeared in the Nanaimo Daily Free Press.
Return to the M.B.Herald Vol. 36, No. 19 Home Page