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We know so little about the brain and how it works, but we are now on a threshold of understanding that may really increase our knowledge. There was an article in Scientific America this issue about a CAT scan type instrument that could actually get a resolution down to the individual neurons themselves.

Men once believed (even good Christian men) that disease was caused by humors in the blood, or bad night air, or demons. But science progressed, and found out about the microbe, and antibiotics, and vaccinations, and soon most diseases that have been terrible scourges of mankind were brought down. Until recently, stomach ulcers were thought to be caused by eating the wrong foods or worrying too much, but about 15 years ago they found a certain microbe actually causes them, by eating away at the stomach lining, and was (against the prevailing view) able to survive in the terribly acidic environment of the upper digestive system.

There is now indications that many heart diseases and even cancers are caused by microbes or viruses. Is it impossible to believe that brain disorders, such as depression, obsessive-compulsive disorders, or even schizophrenia could possibly be acquired the same way? Even so, much has been recently discovered about brain chemistry, and it is proved that people who suffer from these various mental illnesses really do have a chemical imbalance in their brains. Does doubt and worry cause these imbalances, or do they result from them? That remains to be discovered.

I am not inclined to think that we can simply wish away bad feelings if it is a disease or chemical imbalance we may suffer from. Folks in this situation cannot simply "snap out of it" or "grow up" any more than could a cancer victim or ulcer sufferer. Faith in God and Jesus is the instrument of our slavation, but may not give us health in this life. The Lord is, after all, interested in our souls. This body will waste away. It is written, the Lord causes "the rain to fall on the good and the bad." We should pray for our souls, while using our God-given brains to discover cures for our illneses.

The problem with the mechanistic theories of physio-psychology is that they lead to passivity. If one is simply a victim of some chemical imbalance or genetic aberration, then some chemical solution is available to correct the deficiency. The sufferer needn't take any more responsibility for his condition than going to a doctor for a prescription.

There are clearly cases where the root cause of depression is chemical. But just as heliobacter is not the sole source of ulcers, chemical imbalances are not the sole source of depression. And just as the brain is capable of creating the chemicals that cause depression, it is capable of creating those that cause euphoria.

So one walks a dangerous line when one relies completely on a mechanistic model of psychology, just as one does if the model is entirely mystical.