The recurrent phrase “cleanliness is next to Godliness” was popularized in a sermon by John Wesley in 1778. The idea that Human Physical Cleanliness impacts Spiritual Cleanliness became enormously popular.
Idleman stated, “Many of us are still wondering how much our outsides have to do with our spirituality inside, all these years after this message was given.” [Is the Phrase "Cleanliness Is Next to Godliness" Biblical? By Amanda Idleman Contributing Writer 20 Feb 2020 Crosswalk.com]
In reality, the King James Version of the Holy Bible has many verses supporting “cleanliness is next to Godliness”. The following are just a few examples:
- Psa 51:10 Create in me a Clean Heart, O God; and renew a Right Spirit within me.
- Lev 10:10 And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean.
- Mat 11:5 The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.
- Luk 7:22 Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached.
- Mat 8:2 And, behold, there came a leper and worshiped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
- Jhn 15:3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
- Luk 11:39 And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness.
Actually, God’s Truth about ‘cleanliness’ is much more complicated. Spiritual Cleanliness, worship and obedience to God and, for Christians, the praise of Jesus, innervates and generates Physical Cleanliness and good to excellent Human health and wellness.
And Physical Cleanliness, good to excellent Human health and wellness innervates and generates Spiritual Cleanliness, worship and obedience to God and for Christians, the praise of Jesus. This Neurophysiological System is a push-pull, equilibrated cybernetic system. One influences the other and visa-versa.
- For Example: 'Spiritual and Scientific Cleanliness' are Interconnected
- NeuroNetworks for Spiritual Cleanliness and worship and obedience to God
- Neurophysiologically innervate and generate →
- NeuroNetworks for Physical Cleanliness and excellent Human health and wellness
- which are Educated Scientific and often Medical (a type of Science) behaviors →
- which innervate and generate
- round-around Spiritual and Physical Cleanliness, cybernetic, push-pull biological cycles, that repeat themselves over-and-over-again.
- therefore ( :. ) 'Spiritual and Scientific Cleanliness are next to Godliness'
The pure perfect union of Holistic Physical and Spiritual Wellness, which originated in the beginning of Creation, are the same Biblical State of Cleanliness, which is next to Godliness.
Human Reverence for Creation and Healing Sciences and Human Reverence for Spiritual Holiness are the 2 Interconnected Pillars of ‘Cleanliness’ and the reason ‘Cleanliness’ is next to Godliness.
The Human body and Spirit are “joined unto the Lord” in one 'Temple of God-and-Holy Spirit'. (1Co 6:1 - 6:20) Humans must realize their body is a 'Holy Spirit Temple of God'; Human Holistic Physical and Spiritual Wellness (Physical and Spiritual Cleanliness). Let no Human or group desecrate and deconstruct the 'Holy Spirit Temple of God'.
October 1, 2015, the new ICD-10 diagnostic and procedure code for Spiritual and Religious Counseling is 271.81 began. Now Doctors and consultants can submit statements for reimbursement for patient counseling. Here is why: Most physicians agree with spiritual healing used adjunctively with the contemporary standard of medical care. The addition of spiritual healing to the practice of medicine is for real.
- Research found regular and special spirituality, religiousness, meditation and prayer practices were important adjuncts to health and promoted
- increased longevity
- lessening the duration of a disease process
- improved health and wellness
- less drug addition
- less alcoholism
- less anxiety and depression
- decreased blood pressure and pulse rate
- improved heart health
- and many other health improvements including HIV.
[Planate] 128] [The Believing Brain by Michael Shermer 2012][ How God Changes Your Brain, Andrew Newberg and Mark Robert Waldman Mar2008] [Preparing Sacred Space: Practicing Spiritual Disciplines With Brain in Mind Edward Davis Psy.D.+Pastor Jim Laffoon] [Eutopia,Whistle While You Work http://www.eutopia.website by Micheal B. Minix, Sr., M.D.] [Final Stage of Creation http://www.godmindcreations.com/ by Micheal B. Minix, Sr., M.D.]
References:
- 1. SPIRITUALITY AND RELIGION AMONG HIV-INFECTED INDIVIDUALS
- Magdalena Szaflarski
- Curr HIV/AIDS Rep. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2017 Feb 10.
- Published in final edited form as: Curr HIV/AIDS Rep. 2013 Dec; 10(4): 324–332. doi: 10.1007/s11904-013-0175-7
- 2. The Role of Religion, Spirituality and/or Belief in Positive Ageing for Older Adults
- Joanna Malone, Anna Dadswell
- Geriatrics (Basel) 2018 Jun; 3(2): 28. Published online 2018 Jun 8. doi: 10.3390/geriatrics3020028
- 3.Religion and Spirituality’s Influences on HIV Syndemics Among MSM: A Systematic Review and Conceptual Model
- Jonathan M. Lassiter, Jeffrey T. Parsons
- AIDS Behav. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2017 Feb 1.
- Published in final edited form as: AIDS Behav. 2016 Feb; 20(2): 461–472. doi: 10.1007/s10461-015-1173-0
- 4.Teaching Third-Year Medical Students to Address Patients’ Spiritual Needs in the Surgery/Anesthesiology Clerkship
- Holly G. Atkinson, David Fleenor, Susan M. Lerner, Edward Poliandro, Joseph Truglio
- MedEdPORTAL. 2018; 14: 10784. Published online 2018 Dec 14. doi: 10.15766/mep_2374-8265.10784
- 5.‘Spirituality’ in Health Studies: Competing Spiritualities and the Elevated Status of Mindfulness Maria Nita J Relig Health. 2019; 58(5): 1605–1618. Published online 2019 Feb 26. doi: 10.1007/s10943-019-00773-2
- 6.Understandings of spirituality and its role in illness recovery in persons with schizophrenia and mental-health professionals: a qualitative study Rainbow Tin Hung Ho, Caitlin Kar Pui Chan, Phyllis Hau Yan Lo, Ping Ho Wong, Cecilia Lai Wan Chan, Pamela Pui Yu Leung, Eric Yu Hai Chen BMC Psychiatry. 2016; 16: 86. Published online 2016 Apr 2. doi: 10.1186/s12888-016-0796-7
- 7.Spirituality/Religiosity: A Cultural and Psychological Resource among Sub-Saharan African Migrant Women with HIV/AIDS in Belgium
- Agnes Ebotabe Arrey, Johan Bilsen, Patrick Lacor, Reginald Deschepper
- PLoS One. 2016; 11(7): e0159488. Published online 2016 Jul 22. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0159488
- 8.Improving the Spiritual Dimension of Whole Person Care: Reaching National and International Consensus Christina M. Puchalski, Robert Vitillo, Sharon K. Hull, Nancy Reller
- J Palliat Med. 2014 Jun 1; 17(6): 642–656. doi: 10.1089/jpm.2014.9427
- 9.Exploring the vagueness of Religion & Spirituality in complex pediatric decision-making: a qualitative study Alexandra K. Superdock, Raymond C. Barfield, Debra H. Brandon, Sharron L. Docherty
- 10.Religion, spirituality, coping, and resilience among African Americans with diabetes
- Sung Ah Choi, Julia F. Hastings J Relig Spiritual Soc Work. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2020 Jan 1.
- Published in final edited form as: J Relig Spiritual Soc Work. 2019; 38(1): 93–114. Published online 2018 Oct 25. doi: 10.1080/15426432.2018.1524735
- 11.Spirituality and Mental Health Care in a Religiously Homogeneous Country: Definitions, Opinions, and Practices Among Polish Mental Health Professionals Edyta Charzyńska, Irena Heszen-Celińska
- J Relig Health. 2020; 59(1): 113–134. Published online 2019 Sep 11. doi: 10.1007/s10943-019-00911-w
- 12.A Meta-Analytic Approach to Examining the Correlation Between Religion/Spirituality and Mental Health in Cancer John M. Salsman, James E. Pustejovsky, Heather S.L. Jim, Alexis R. Munoz, Thomas V. Merluzzi, Login George, Crystal L. Park, Suzanne C. Danhauer, Allen C. Sherman, Mallory A. Snyder, George Fitchett
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- 13.Religion, Spirituality, and the Hidden Curriculum: Medical Student and Faculty Reflections
- Michael J. Balboni, Julia Bandini, Christine Mitchell, Zachary D. Epstein-Peterson, Ada Amobi, Jonathan Cahill, Andrea C. Enzinger, John Peteet, Tracy Balboni J Pain Symptom Manage. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2017 Jan 26.
- Published in final edited form as: J Pain Symptom Manage. 2015 Oct; 50(4): 507–515. Published online 2015 May 27. doi: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2015.04.020
- 14.Religion, Spirituality, and Physical Health in Cancer Patients: A Meta-Analysis
- Heather S.L. Jim, James Pustejovsky, Crystal L. Park, Suzanne C. Danhauer, Allen C. Sherman, George Fitchett, Thomas V. Merluzzi, Alexis R. Munoz, Login George, Mallory A. Snyder, John M. Salsman Cancer. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2016 Nov 1.
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- 15.Multidimensional Assessment of Spirituality/Religion in Patients with HIV: Conceptual Framework and Empirical Refinement
- Magdalena Szaflarski, Ian Kudel, Sian Cotton, Anthony C. Leonard, Joel Tsevat, P. Neal Ritchey J Relig Health. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2013 Dec 1.
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- 16.Re-examining Definitions of Spirituality in Nursing Research
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- 17.Spirituality as a Scientific Construct: Testing Its Universality across Cultures and Languages
- Douglas A. MacDonald, Harris L. Friedman, Jacek Brewczynski, Daniel Holland, Kiran Kumar K. Salagame, K. Krishna Mohan, Zuzana Ondriasova Gubrij, Hye Wook Cheong
- PLoS One. 2015; 10(3): e0117701. Published online 2015 Mar 3. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0117701
- 18.Spirituality and Religion in Patients with HIV/AIDS Sian Cotton, Christina M Puchalski, Susan N Sherman, Joseph M Mrus, Amy H Peterman, Judith Feinberg, Kenneth I Pargament, Amy C Justice, Anthony C Leonard, Joel Tsevat
- J Gen Intern Med. 2006 Dec; 21(Suppl 5): S5–S13. doi: 10.1111/j.1525-1497.2006.00642.x
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- Michael S Yi, Joseph M Mrus, Terrance J Wade, Mona L Ho, Richard W Hornung, Sian Cotton, Amy H Peterman, Christina M Puchalski, Joel Tsevat J Gen Intern Med. 2006 Dec; 21(Suppl 5): S21–S27. doi: 10.1111/j.1525-1497.2006.00643.x
- 20.Incorporating Spirituality in Primary Care Kathleen Isaac, Jennifer Hay, Erica Lubetkin
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After all religious, spiritual and meditation practices produce Neuroplasticity, increased cerebral Brain growth. The Human Mind resides in the Cerebrum. The brain has been documented by scientists and doctors to grow with these increased practices. The Brain grows in the direction of God, meaning increased Human willful practices will increase the growth of the Brain Cerebrum, and even faster. Neurotheology is the neuroscience of religion, and also known as spiritual neuroscience,[1] and explains religious experience and behaviour in neuroscientific terms.[2] [1. David Biello, Searching for God in the Brain, Scientific American, 2007-10-03".[2. Aaen-Stockdale, Craig (2012). "Neuroscience for the Soul". The Psychologist. 25 (7): 520–523.
“While working with chronically ill patients at the National Institutes of Health 20 years ago, Christina Puchalski, M.D., realized there was much more to her patients’ lives than a diagnosis. “Beyond physical ailments, many were contending with psychosocial and spiritual issues. Strong inner beliefs and philosophies, she observed, helped many get through everyday life and became especially important during times of serious illness.
“Some patients had a lot of challenges with depression and lack of meaning or purpose. In other words, they suffered with spiritual distress,” Puchalski said. As she went forward in her career, she took it upon herself to find ways to support patients’ spiritual needs as a way of treating the “whole person, holoistically. ”Generalized strife and no reason for living seem to meet the criteria and diagnosis of “spiritual distress” in this journalist’s humble scientific and medical opinion (SAMHO).
In the early 20th century, scientific advances vastly improved medicine, and consequently the spiritual aspects of health diminished. However, over the past 20 years, the reintroduction of spirituality as an adjunct to patient care has been revitalized. In the January 2015 issue of ‘Academic Medicine’, investigators found that more than 75% of U.S. medical schools have incorporated spirituality topics into their curricula. Only three medical schools offered similar courses in 1993.
“Puchalski, the director of the George Washington University Institute of Spirituality and Health, and other like-minded colleagues have started a movement that focuses on spirituality in health. The overall objective became the integration of spirituality into the curricula in all medical schools and the development of spirituality-based expertise. [More Than a Diagnosis: Medical Schools and Teaching Hospitals Address Patients’ Spiritual Needs by Rebecca Greenberg AAMC Reporter: Association of American Medical Colleges March 2014]
“We are spiritual creatures having a physical experience.”(quote from Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, 1881-1955). When expressed in terms of Albert Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, were are energy creatures having a physical experience. E = mc². Our energy states make us both relevant and relative. The Holy Spirit and Spirituality are only 2 forms of our God’s energy characteristics in this journalist’s humble scientific and medical opinion (HSAMO). Other forms of God’s energy are Kinetic, Potential, Thermal (Heat), Chemical, Electrical, Electrochemical, Electromagnetic (light), Sound and Nuclear Energy. The Sun, nuclear reactors, and the interior of the Earth, have “nuclear reactions” as the source of their energy. The energy stored in matter, substances and material stuff at rest equals its mass times the speed of light squared, E = mc².
Scientists and philosophers have concluded that prayer and meditation, vocal and thoughtful energies in this SAMHO, improve human health and affect human well-being. Scientists’ found that “people who expressed that spirituality or religion were important to them had significantly thicker cerebral cortices, a part of the brain rich in highly active neural networks responsible for sensory perception, language and emotion processing, than those who did not.” “Our beliefs and our moods are reflected in our brain and with new x-ray imaging techniques we can begin to see this,” Myrna Weissman, one of the study’s primary authors is quoted as saying. [Spiritual Science: New Study Reveals the Surprising Effects of Spirituality on the Brain, by Justin Faerman, Concious Lifestyle, May 25, 2015]
Multiple areas of the brain are responsible for the many aspects of spiritual experiences, not just one single area. “We have found a neuropsychological basis for spirituality, but it’s not isolated to one specific area of the brain,” said Brick Johnstone, professor of health psychology in the School of Health Professions. “Spirituality is a much more dynamic concept that uses many parts of the brain. Certain parts of the brain play more predominant roles, but they all work together to facilitate individuals’ spiritual experiences.”
Given the significance of spirituality and religiosity in African American population, interventions aimed at “increasing health-promoting behaviors, by targeting or tailoring messages to spiritual health locus of control beliefs among African Americans, may help play a role in the elimination of their health disparities.” [Spiritual Health Locus of Control and Health Behaviors in African Americans, Katrina Debnam, MPH,1 Cheryl L. Holt, PhD,1 Eddie M. Clark, PhD,2 David L. Roth, PhD,3 Herman R. Foushee, PhD,3Martha Crowther, PhD,4 Mona Fouad, MD, MPH,5 and Penny L. Southward, MPPM5, Health and Human Services ]
A recent study by Kaliman et al. (2014) found that intensive meditation positively affected gene expression. The expression of genes that are involved in inflammation, and more generally in the body’s stress response, were down-regulated, which meant that inflammation and stress processes were reduced or eliminated altogether, which would positively affect markers for overall health and well-being. “Changes in gene expression are likely related to many of the actual physical changes the brain experiences as a result of meditation and mindfulness practices, as well as one’s overarching beliefs and thought patterns such as those found in the participants who placed a high degree of emphasis on spirituality.”
“It becomes crystal clear that our state of mind is hugely important in our overall health and well-being and that adopting time-honored spiritual practices such as meditation and mindfulness, are simple, yet highly effective ways to realize these benefits.”
Abstract: "The New Testament, while rejecting any superficial connection between illness and sin, does not reject a possible connection between illness and a person's relationship with God. An example can be seen in the story of the young blind man who was healed (St. John 9:3). His blindness does not result from any fault he or his parents had committed but apparently from God's wish to reveal his own healing power. The inner blindness of the Pharisees is a different type of blindness far more difficult to heal. The blind young man was actually healed, not only in body but also in soul. Such miraculous healings are rare nowadays. However, if one takes a closer look at modern genetics and psycho-neuroimmunological findings, one may come to a better understanding of how miracle healings are linked to man's inner life and therefore also to his religiousness. Many diseases have genetic backgrounds. Defective genes, however, do not necessarily lead to subsequent illness. Genes have to be switched on or off. Only activated genes trigger pathological change. The human brain and all of man's thinking and feeling are intimately connected with such activations. We may thus conclude that both inner life and religious outlook on life are relevant to the origin and development of diseases."
Genes must be switched on or off. Only activated genes trigger pathological change. The human brain and all human thinking and feeling are closely connected with these activations. Therefore, researchers concluded that both inner life and religious outlook on life are relevant to the origin and development or prevention and treatment of diseases.” [Illness, Disease and Sin: The Connection Between Genetics and Spirituality by Matthias Beck Author Affiliations, Institute for Ethics and Law in Medicine, University of Vienna Vienna, Austria, Christian Bioethics (2007) 13 (1): 67-89. Address correspondence to Univ. Prof. Matthias Beck, M.D. Ph.D., Institute for Ethics and Law in Medicine, University of Vienna, Spitalgasse 2-4, Hof 2, Campus, Altes AKH, A-1090 Vienna, Austria. E-mail: matthias.beck@univie.ac
