You Are Not a Wise Ape

CHAPTER XI

DISEASES OF THE SOUL

Importance of the diseases of the soul In the same way the physical world agents damage the body, agents of the spiritual world can harm the soul. Our soul is continually being attacked by harmful thoughts and feelings, which, if not controlled and eliminated in time, can get it sick. We mentioned earlier that many uncontrolled emotions can take root in the soul and become harmful feelings such as resentment, hatred and bitterness. Moreover, evil spirits that inhabit the kingdom of darkness attack the soul to get it sick and ultimately to destroy it.

The Creator provided us with an immune system to defend the body against the attacks of the physical world. The immune system is so important for maintaining the physical health, that even slight disturbances of some of its functions can be fatal, as they leave the body exposed to serious diseases. When for some reason, this system is seriously affected, the person has to be isolated from the environment in special chambers. A person, whose immune system stops working completely, physically dies soon because his body is invaded and destroyed by microbes, just as it happens with a corpse. Now, if God has provided the physical body with this effective defense system, would He let the spiritual components of the human being helpless?

Our Creator has provided the Holy Spirit as the defense of the spiritual components of man. The Holy Spirit protects our soul in the same way that the immune system protects our physical body. He can recognize and cast out from us every evil spirit, can heal the wounds of the soul keeping it from serving as a gateway to these spirits, and also keeps a watch that alerts us to anything that might damage our soul. Unfortunately, most people are concerned about maintaining hygiene and the defenses of their physical bodies in good condition, but have left their souls totally helpless to the spiritual attacks of the enemy.

The lack of connection with the Holy Spirit leaves the soul helpless against the attacks coming from the spiritual world. By contrast, the connection with the Holy Spirit, when our spirit is born again, allows God to act repairing and strengthening the soul, in the same way that the immune system repairs the damages of the physical body and protects it from the aggressions of the material world.

If you visit a large hospital, you'll get the impression that the diseases of the body dominate overwhelmingly over diseases of the soul. But if we look at the world outside the hospitals, we see that the majority of human suffering is caused, directly or indirectly, by diseases of the soul. This is because due to the spiritual death, the soul of man has been left without the protection of the Holy Spirit. Depression and other so-called mental disorders cause more suffering to mankind than cancer and other bodily diseases. Add to this that many bodies are damaged by traffic accidents, violent assaults, suicides and murders, which are consequences of misconducts produced by sick souls.

On the other hand, it is known since ancient times that you cannot have a healthy body with a sick mind. The Roman poet Decimus Iunius Iuvenalis, known in English as Juvenal, wrote in a poem in the late 1st and early 2nd century AD: “orandum est ut sit mens sana in corpore sano” (you should pray for a healthy mind in a healthy body) (49).

Modern medicine has described a group of diseases of the body whose origin is related to changes in the psyche. These are known as psychosomatic diseases. The Encyclopedia Britannica defines these conditions as follows: “condition in which psychological stresses adversely affect physiological (somatic) functioning to the point of distress” (50). Some examples of common psychosomatic diseases are: hypertension, peptic ulcer, irritable bowel syndrome, neurodermatitis, ulcerative colitis, thyrotoxicosis, rheumatoid arthritis, bronchial asthma, and Crohn's disease.

Diseases of the soul go unnoticed Diseases of the soul, like those of the physical body, can be mild or severe. These range from negative feelings such as unforgiveness, hatred, bitterness, etc.; to serious diseases, recognized by science, such as depression and schizophrenia. Unfortunately, people are worried about their sick soul only when the damage is so great that it has already produced some of the serious diseases mentioned above.

Moreover, as science ignores and denies the spiritual components of man, persons are considered to suffer from a soul disease only when the disease symptoms interfere with their daily activities. In other words, science does not care if the spirit of the person is dead and his soul is seriously ill. While that person can cope acceptably in society, he is considered a healthy person. But if we could see the souls of the people, just as we see their bodies, we would be appalled by the horrors we would see in their sick souls.

Society often surprises by the behavior of people who are apparently healthy, but at a certain point commit heinous crimes, which can only be explained by the presence of a terribly sick soul. Examples of this are the massacres in some American schools in recent years, parents who have murdered their own children, maltreatment and child abuse, prostitution and child pornography, etc. The perpetrators of these crimes are people who are often described by relatives and acquaintances as gentle and completely normal people.