Physiology and Genetics: an abridged version of Mary Baker Eddy’s chapter “Physiology,” from her book, Science and Health

Physiology and genetics may have limited powers, but they can’t successfully assume the place and power of the divine source of all health and enlightenment. Drugs, DNA, and human minds can’t improve God’s work.

We want to keep our immortal consciousness open to spiritual existence and to our God-given powers.

From the self-conflicted human mind comes an inharmonious body. We try to follow a physical routine as if what we eat, how much we sleep, and how much we exercise will remedy our aches and pains, yet diseases multiply.

Brain, heart, blood, DNA, bone structure, etc. are not our identity. If they were, we’d lose part of our identity when we donate blood. Physiology and genetics don’t define us and they can’t determine our future.

Intellect, health, strength, and beauty are tied to spiritual understanding, not to material knowledge gained from the study of physiology and genetics.

Why believe intellect, health, strength, and beauty are at the mercy of mutating non-intelligent DNA or material atoms?

Why not enlist your belief on the side of spirituality and understand divine Mind? All cause and effect belong to divine Mind. Spiritual cause is the one question that gets us on the right track. Spiritual cause relates to human progress. We can approach this subject and explore the supremacy of Spirit.

Whatever galvanizes an idea governed by God is food for thought. As we evolve in our knowledge of physiology and genetics, we can mentally discern cause, rather than focus on effect. Academics of the right sort are requisite. Observation, invention, study, and original thoughts are expansive and should advance consciousness into the immortal.

If our consciousness gets stuck in the downward spiral of believing symptoms are causes, or of depending on matter, dogma, or the human mind for treatment, we can reverse our direction by obeying spiritual law. “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”[1] With the aid of divine inspiration and spiritual logic, our consciousness can advance out of weariness and disease, out of that which hides the power of Spirit.

The legitimate and only possible action of divine Mind is the production of harmony.

Why do drugs alleviate human ailments? Because we believe drugs can heal. But that belief is unreliable. It can easily backfire. The drug can lose its power to heal or no longer be available. We can become addicted to the drug.

We must understand that the cause of disease obtains in the human mind and its cure comes from the immortal divine Mind.

The human thought must free itself from self-imposed materiality and the apprehension of mortal life. Steer away from asking the brain, heart, or lungs, “How will my day go?” Ask divine Mind.

To speculate whether we originated from “the dust of the ground,”[2] an egg, or monkeys, only gives us debatable arguments in light of the logic that none of those elements form a link to Spirit.

Hormones, neurons, or RNA manifests limited mentality. It limits thinking to reduce truth to the level of error. Spirit never passes through insensible matter. Soul never is or was stuck in a physical body.

Disease is a latent belief in human mind, it is mental. It is a result of education and carries its ill-effects as far as human mind plots out. It is the human mind that produces disorder and hysteria. It is the human mind—not the material body—that feels, suffers, and enjoys.

Human mind and body are one and the same, like sand and rock, like water and ice. A material body is an embodied concept within the human mind.

Human minds don’t comprehend mortal existence, and they can barely grasp the intuition that there is something greater than themselves. Rely on spiritual consciousness in healing work.

Spiritual consciousness masters fear instead of avoids or cultivates it. The more that is said about moral and spiritual law, the better will be the quality of life and the further mortals will be removed from mental illness or disease. Overcome beliefs instead of restrict yourself to them. We can uproot disease and throw it out of the mind. We can comprehend that disease is not a fixed fact. We can feel the influence of divine Love casting out fear.

Spiritual consciousness guides us to locate and employ physicians who see us as more than just a physical body. Honest conversations with practitioners are appropriate, but we don’t need to compare diseases and symptoms with others as if it were a competition.

We don’t need to be negatively affected by advertisements paid for by pharmaceutical companies. It’s beneficial not to give time and attention to selfishness, coddling, or fear-based guessing about our minds and bodies.

The latest food fad is not a health law. Heredity is not a law, but a breakable string of past and present mortal thoughts.

It’s beneficial not to pursue exaggerated or harmful ideologies. We don’t need to submit to intellect-insulting entertainment that caters to dark amusement rather than enlightened improvement. We can stay safe from the age-old habit of thinking we need to get the latest disease, or worse, get a new bizarre sickness.

No law exists to support mortality and its sin, sickness, and death. Sin makes its own hell and goodness its own heaven. If you are comfortable in the mortal life dream, some type of suffering may nudge you to waken.

Every human being must learn that there is neither power nor reality in evil. Evil is a denial of truth, as if truth could be absent, but it can’t. Evil is unreal. There is no absence of God, omnipotent and omnipresent good.

Evil is self-assertive, but its only power is to destroy itself. Evil is not immortal; if it was, goodness would be a myth. Every attempt of evil to destroy good is a failure, and only aids in punishing the evildoer. Do not concede reality to disorder while dealing with it realistically.

Drugs are powered by the thoughts behind them. The more believers that believe the drug has power, the more powerful the drug. But bear in mind, those believers also know the drug is toxic, therefore if a person overdoses or takes a poisonous drug by accident, death could result. The result is controlled by the majority of opinions, however, divine Mind, understood, can reverse the opinions.

The sins of other people should not make good people suffer.

A strong, well-rounded intellect coincides with spiritual law. In and of themselves, physiology and genetics are helpless. Mind is not helpless. Intelligence is not mute before non-intelligence. Our spirituality reflects divine intelligence.

 

 

[1] Matt. 6:21; Luke 12:34

[2] Genesis 2:7