Jesus on Fantasy Sex with Current Neuroscience

Jesus spoke about the most beautiful places of our lives.  At the core of his  teachings lies a theme of healthy sexuality.  Jesus, single and celibate, lived without sex scandal in the first century. His immediate twelve disciples whom he commissioned to launch the early community of Christians have no history of sexual misconduct.  History reveals no allegations, no redacted special counsel reports, no impeachments, no church discipline or political drama for their sexual behaviors.  Healthy sexuality formed a beautiful part of the Gospel narrative of the first century.

As I look back at thirty years of pastoring Evangelical churches, I thoroughly enjoyed the life change of the Christian faith.  Having baptized hundreds of people for Christ, I would do that all over again.  One of the frequent and painful stories however forms around sexual misconduct among church leadership.  In my twenties Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swaggert, famed television evangelists, headlined national media for the authority rape of a subordinate, cover up with payoff, and ongoing addiction to prostitutes.  The ripple effect of their abuses generated reports of nationwide decrease in church giving. In the 90’s sexual misconduct headlines turned toward Cathoiic Priests and the rape of parish children.  5000 priests have been identified for sexual misconduct. Hundreds of Baptist ministers recently have been accused of unhealthy sexuality and misconduct against their congregations. In 2014 Pastor Rob Coy who led the largest Chuck Smith Calvary Church in North America resigned for allegations of child sexual assault, pornography and an affair.  Recently my mentor Bill Hybels of Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago was forced to retire amidst a maelstrom of sexual misconduct allegations. An independent group investigated the charges. They concluded credible evidence existed to discipline the celebrity pastor for sexual misconduct.  He pastored one of the largest churches in America. I looked to him for guidance for years.

The sexual misconduct events in my own ministry support the global story.  A single woman stood up in a testimony meeting of avowed holiness practitioners and declared publicly she was having intercourse with one of their pastors. In that same era a renowned pastor preaching abstinence and sexual purity was convicted of raping a preadolescent girl for years.  An Elder had a lifetime addiction to prostitutes. His pimp attempted to extort the Elder by “outing him” in the community. A staff member publicly reported a  lifetime addiction to porn and rage. He reported his addiction began with lingerie ads in catalogs.  When he used porn, he raged at staff and church folk. I project he watched a great amount of porn due to his chronic violent outbreaks of violence.  Numerous Elders and their spouses reported to me problematic use of porn. One Elder’s wife stated to me, “I can tell when he uses porn, he turns his rage at me.” These are the stories in my personal pastoral ministry over 30 years.

While waiting for my mentors to repent and make amends for sexual misconduct allegations, I wish to pause and apologize to the thousands of people I have led over the years. Although I performed the obligatory “don’t have sex outside of marriage messages” I never cast a vision for healthy sexuality for people of faith. This is a massive failure on my part.  Part of me would like to blame my mentors who committed acts of sexual misconduct, but a valid amends requires personal responsibility rather than finger pointing.  I was wrong not to offer healthy sexuality conversations to the children of the church. I was misguided in my “Just say, no, to fornication” Evangelical morality. I was wrong. I am so sorry.

The repentance and passion during this  season of my life is to vision cast the beauty and balance of healthy sexuality in the faith story I love.  The Good Report of Jesus is that God loves broken people, His compassion drives His forgiveness, and He cleanses addictive shame.  At that point of belief God’s ongoing Spirit presence of comfort and hope connects and transforms broken people into His compassionate character.  The image of God reflects healthy sexuality for both single people of faith and married.

Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount beginning in Matthew 5 gives meaning to what life is like trusting in and loving God in Christ. At the center of this conversation is a healthy sexuality exhortation to encourage people like you and me. Jesus speaks of fantasy sex. Let’s visit this portion of the sermon. I have included  the complete text of the Sermon Message on relationship wholeness in the notes to honor your time.

Adultery

Matthew 5:27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Jesus speaks of maturity in this opening piece. He touches physical violence, then inner resentment with character assassination followed immediately about rage filled sexual fantasy. He climaxes the narrative with a statement on maturity.   Notice verse 48. “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” The word Jesus uses is maturity, complete, whole. This teaching piece speaks of healthy intimate relationships as a follower of Christ by laying  the foundation for relationship success.  A mature person in relationship with a partner has the inner strength of character to honor Godly boundaries by attending to shame, anger, amends, sexual fantasy, marital integrity, truth telling, resentment/retaliation, and loving one’s enemies.  What if these points run in one vein?  What if these are not disjointed thoughts but in fact form the base of relationship wholeness? Is Jesus not speaking about relationship maturity?

At the center of this  conversation is angry fantasy sex.  Why?  I wonder if it is not because of the power of rage and fantasy?  Let’s examine the Biblical text to discover the fairest interpretation we can, and then examine the neuroscience of fantasy.

The word for lust Jesus uses means eroticized rage.  The word is not simply feeling sexual feelings, the word carries the weight of violence. The root word for lust always means wrath in the New Testament.  Please see the notes for the full explanation.

Research on the fantasies of women during intercourse shows that over 60% of women in the study had fantasies involving violent sex and eroticized rage.  Do you see the connection between fantasy sex and rage? Please forgive the graphic nature of this data.

“The team of researchers lead by Dr Jenny Bivona, based at the University of North Texas found that overall, 62% of participants reported having a rape fantasy of some type.Of the women who reported having the most common rape fantasy, ‘being overpowered or forced by a man to surrender sexually against my will,’ 40% had it at least once a month and 20% had it at least once a week. The authors conclude these results indicate rape fantasies play a significant role in the sexual fantasy lives of many women.”

The word lust in Jesus’s sermon in Matthew 5  connects clearly to the passion of fantasy sex carrying the weight of anger and rage.

50% of women by the time they are 18 in the U.S have been sexually assaulted.(8) The alarming statistics on sexual violence against women cut broadly across all walks of life. A 2014 study,(9) for example, found that 20% of female scientists were victims of sexual assault in the workplace.  However, the anonymity and chaos of large crowds increase the risk of sexual assault on women, even on a crowded subway, but a mass celebration can inflame extreme mob behavior victimizing women.https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-new-brain/201601/the-explosive-mix-sex-and-violence

If I fantasize about a body part like an arm, the image triggers arm neuro architecture in the brain.  This is the beginning of the arm behaving differently.  The fantasy of an arm, impacts the neurology of the arm turning on specific brain circuits. These circuits create arm movement. The change in brain circuitry together with the new arm movement then mutates the DNA molecules of the arm. The arm is now different in the way it acts because the brain circuitry has been altered by the fantasy.  Fantasy has the power to change molecular DNA.

“DNA is a dynamic and adaptable molecule. As such, the nucleotide sequences found within it are subject to change as the result of a phenomenon called mutation. Depending on how a particular mutation modifies an organism’s genetic makeup, it can prove harmless, helpful, or even hurtful.” https://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/dna-is-constantly-changing-through-the-process-6524898

A Christian college graduate reported he had problematic sexuality.  He became addicted to the fantasy of porn in a process called rapid onset addiction. He viewed and fantasized to porn and the images then react with sexual neuro pathways in the brain which then impact sex organs. Sexual neuro pathways are now changed, sexual function changes, and ultimately DNA alters.  One researcher calls this “experience taking.” He entered into the fantasy and became the story.  In a short period of time the fantasy of porn changed the structure of his brain and an addict system wired. The user cannot stop fantasy porn without serious withdrawal symptoms similar to arousal drugs like cocaine.  He is now addicted to fantasy with porn. His drive for porn and its fantasy replaces his need for intimacy with his wife. 

His partner discovered the porn on his computer and felt traumatized that his allegiance was for other women rather than herself.  She confronted her husband but the fantasy porn continued. She raged out at his infidelity by having a sexual affair with another man.  The husband and wife reconciled. In the light of the affair and boundaries set by his wife, he continued to use fantasy porn and now they are separated. He does not have the power to stop using fantasy porn even under the threat of losing his marriage.  So, did the fantasy not change the structure of his brain and the ability to have a healthy mature relationship? Did not the fantasy become his reality? Or on another level, did his fantasy not change the reality of his relationship with his wife? Was not this  story embedded with not only lust, but anger and rage?

“Our work shows that what we imagine in our ‘mind’s eye’ can lead to changes in perception across our sensory systems, changing how we perceive real information from the world around us in the future.”https://www.newsweek.com/ventriloquist-illusion-imagining-object-can- change-how-we-experience-sound-884810

“The researchers found that reading either the idiomatic or the literal sentences that had to do with the arm activated the motor and premotor cortex concerned with the arm, and reading the idiomatic and literal sentences that had to do with the leg activated the parts of the motor and premotor cortex concerned with the leg. Comprehension of the idioms, then, appears to involve a mental-neurological version of the actions indicated by the idiom. Boulenger et al. argue that this shows that figurative abstract language can be grounded in concrete sensory-motor information and its specific brain circuits.” https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-psychology-fiction/ 201204/the-imagined-and-the-real

The partner of the fantasy porn user reported to me that she pursued the affair because her paramour made her feel, “truly beautiful and desirable” as opposed to her husband who found gratification and intimacy in porn fantasies rather than his partner.

I had another client whose marriage was “done”. He had a decade old addiction to porn and fantasy plus “staring” at other women. When he and his wife were in public, he became entranced by other women, staring at them. His wife reported that he often followed the women for whom he fantasied around grocery stores, or in a transcendent state tracked waitresses walking away from their table…for years. When she discovered that his fantasies expanded to porn stars, she was through with the marriage.

Enter shame as a motive for fantasy porn.  The porn addict husband came to me in desperation.  The treatment for his fantasy porn use was the thin red line separating him from losing a thirty year marriage. As we examined his narrative as a child, he reported that his mother was distant and cold. She presented an aloofness unable to care for him. On one occasion she inadvertently exposed herself. The trauma of the abandonment of his mother, and the exposure wired together in his brain. After the exposure, he found himself addicted to catalogue lingerie ads.  Post puberty he added drugs and prostitutes to his sexual architecture. This type of addiction differs from rapid onset addiction. This client felt traumatized by abandonment from his mother with a baseline of shame, never feeling good enough.  His fantasy “staring” behaviors sought to connect with the caretaker he needed as a boy and relieve his shame.  In his fantasies he found acceptance from the porn stars.  The staring at real women in public felt like they might become a possible caregiver.  Do you see once again that the fantasy altered the reality of his intimate relationship with his wife?   In treatment we worked on the shame based thinking, wrote a letter to his mother to deactivate resentment neuro pathways,  built a spirituality of compassion and love, and finally made amends with his wife. A few months later I performed a renewal marriage ceremony for them on the beach.

“In experience taking, although in a sense we remain ourselves, we can also become the character about whom we read: the story-character’s thoughts and feelings become our own. We might think that we have just one life to lead, but fiction enables us to lead many lives, and to experience being many kinds of person. “ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-psychology-fiction/201208/entering- anothers-experience

Fantasy changes brain structure, muscle movement, molecular DNA, and can create an altered reality more important than relationship intimacy.

“The brain sometimes creates something that psychologists call the ventriloquist illusion. As the name suggests, this is the effect harnessed by a ventriloquist and their dummy. It occurs when we see an object and hear a sound from a different source but the brain wrongly understands it as coming from the visual stimulus.  And if we experience this pairing repeatedly the illusion will persist as an aftereffect, even when the visual stimulus is gone and we only hear the sound.

The sensory information we imagine is often treated by the brain in the same way as information streaming into us from the outside world,” explained researcher Christopher C. Berger of the California Institute of Technology.”

https://www.newsweek.com/ventriloquist-illusion-imagining-object-can- change-how-we-experience-sound-884810

Our DNA is not determined. Molecular DNA changes.  We can impact that change for healthy or unhealthy traits.  DNA, the blueprint of who we are can be changed by fantasy.  This change then impacts the reality of not only ourselves, but our children and children’s children.

Jesus reflects the image of God’s character in the Sermon on the Mount.  There seems to be nothing flippant or legalistic. The words move toward healing relationships and specifically sexuality.

So let’s look at building a life based on reality rather than fantasy.  First, one must understand how fantasy operates in neural architecture. Fantasy  neural pathways receive their energy from shame.  What is the shame underneath the fantasy?  Can you identify it?  Can you speak to your therapist or support group about the source of the shame? Diminish the shame, the fantasy weakens.  Increase shame, fantasies escalate.  Second, replace the fantasy or porn with a healthy relationship. This need not be a genital sexual relationship. Fantasy is less about sex and more about shame.  You can choose a therapist, a safe friend, or a group.  Give your brain ninety days to rewire.  A Yale University study recently proved that the brain can rewire addiction neural pathways in three months. (Please see the  article on Neuroplasticity Citations in the notes.) Can you abstain for ninety days?  Turn in your electronics, surrender your objects of fantasy.  Porn blocking software can help but is not the final answer.  Thirdly, When you feel the  urge to fantasize, use the bounce technique. Brain chemicals transferring in the fantasy neural pathway take approximately three seconds to engage the circuitry.  Bounce your eyes away from the object of fantasy and do a long three count. Fourth, develop your spirituality by writing out your prayers. Talk to God about your fantasies with underlying shame…use code please. Write nothing legible you don’t want to see in court.  The act of writing your emotion connects the language side of the brain with the relationship region  of the brain. Writing and praying rewire the brain in powerful ways. Does anger or rage attach to your fantasies?  Make amends without harm to anyone. Forgiveness with compassion lies at the core of our faith story.  Research has shown that prayer helps alcoholics drink less. Also, prayer can help the urge of fantasy and anger neural pathways. Finally, build a spiritual community of rich friendships who have the ability to replace fantasy and rage with reality.  Fill the fantasy void with people who love you and support you.

Jesus is smart and he gets us.  He understands that at the core of broken relationships lies shame. So, in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus lays out what healthy relationships look like. Mature healthy relationships among people of faith attend to shame, anger, amends, marital integrity, truth telling, resentment/retaliation, and loving the least likely. At the center of this encouragement Jesus, single and celibate without sex scandal attends to eroticized rage of Fantasy Sex. This is why I am a Christian. The integrity and beauty of the words and way of Christ still move me. And to my mentors the world waits for your apology… compassion will attend to words of amends.

Dr. Glen is a pastor of over thirty years. He has a private faith based therapy practice in Gearhart, Oregon. Glen earned a doctorate studying the Theology and Neuroscience of Addiction Recovery, holds certifications in Sex Addiction Therapy, Financial Disorders, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Treatment, and a license for mental health.  Dr. Glen is currently in PhD studies for Clinical Sexology, as a way to redeem lost years and reconcile people of faith with healthy sexuality. He has been married for 38 years to the same amazing woman. Glen enjoys saying, “She still likes me… most of the time.”  He has three adult children whom he loves and admires, and four completely perfect grandchildren.

Notes:

The Fulfillment of the Law

Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19 Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Murder

21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder,[a] and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister[b][c] will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’[d] is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.

23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.

25 “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.

Adultery

27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’[e] 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

Divorce

31 “It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’[f] 32 But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

Oaths

33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ 34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.[g]

Eye for Eye

38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’[h] 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

Love for Enemies

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor[i] and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Jesus uses the Greek word epithumeo for the English term lust or fantasy sex.  Lust in English has a different meaning than the Greek. Lust in English usage means enthusiastic desire. When connected to sex it means unhealthy, uncontrolled, and even lecherous sexual behavior.  In Greek and Hebrew the word lust has a different emphasis of anger and rage.

Let’s unpack epithumeo from its roots.  Epi is a preposition meaning on or upon.  Epi can give a heightened sense of emphasis or passion to a word.  Thumeo is the verb stemming from the classic Greek noun thumos.  Thumos derives from the ancient word to sacrifice, thuo.  The Greek verb thuo is similar to the Greek noun for God, theo.  Thuo literally means a violent movement of air, water, ground, animals or people.  Thumos is a vital life force moving, flowing, changing the elements of life. It can mean to billow as in the smoke of a sacrifice.  Sacrifices change the relationship between people and their gods by appeasing the deities.  Thumos therefore means in its ancient usage a passionate desire like rage.  Plato and Thucydides used the word in the sense of spirit, anger, or rage.  In the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, the word is frequently used for anger.  (Kittel V. 3, p. 167)

In the New Testament the word thumos always means wrath.  Thumos as wrath is often connected to the word for rage, orge.  Epithumeo in the New Testament means an “anxious self seeking” with undertones of  sexuality and rage. In therapist language we call this eroticized rage.   (Kittle V3, p. 171).

The uses of epithumeo in the New Testament are divided into two groups. Intense desire for sex and passionate desire for godliness.  Six references relate to unhealthy sexuality and eight citations connect to other passions. Please see the word useage analysis

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lust

noun

intense sexual desire or appetite.

uncontrolled or illicit sexual desire or appetite; lecherousness.

a passionate or overmastering desire or craving (usually followed by for ):

a lust for power.

ardent enthusiasm; zest; relish:

an enviable lust for life.

SEE MORE

verb (used without object)

to have intense sexual desire.

to have a yearning or desire; have a strong or excessive craving (often followed by for or after ).

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/lust

Citations:

Women Fantasy During Intercourse

https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1974-32460-001

Sexual Fantasies

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/slightly-blighty/201508/womens-sexual-fantasies-the-latest-scientific-research

Jesus uses the Greek word epithumeo for lust. Lust in English has a different meaning than the Greek. Lust in English usage means enthusiastic desire. When connected to sex it connects unhealthy, uncontrolled, and even lecherous sexual behavior.  In Greek and Hebrew the word lust has a different emphasis of anger and rage.

Epi is a preposition meaning on or upon.  Epi can give a heightened sense of emphasis or passion to a word.  Thumew is the verb stemming from the noun thumos.  Thumos derives from the ancient word to sacrifice, thuo.  The Greek verb thuo is similar to the Greek noun for God, theo.  Thuo literally means a violent movement of air, water, ground, animals or people.  Thumos is a vital life force moving, flowing, changing. It can mean to billow as in the smoke of a sacrifice.  Sacrifices change the relationship between people and their gods by appeasing the deities.  Thumos therefore means in its ancient usage a passionate desire like rage.  Plato and Thucydides used the word in the sense of spirit, anger, or rage.  In the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, the word is frequently used for anger.  (Kittel V. 3, p. 167)

In the New Testament the word thumos always means wrath.  Thumos as wrath is often connected to the word for rage, orge.  Epithumeo in the New Testament means an “anxious self seeking” with undertones of  sexuality and rage. (Kittle V3, p. 171).

Interesting to note that the preceding teaching piece  in Matthew 5 focuses on rage in relationships.  The following statement on divorce is a metaphor for the death of covenant and its rage. Can you see the connections? Rage in relationships, rage in fantasy sex, and the pain and rage of divorce.

The uses of epithumeo in the New Testament are divided into two groups. Intense desire for sex and passionate desire for godliness or sin. Six references relate to unhealthy sexuality and 8 citations connect to a passion for Godliness or a drive for life and death.

Unhealthy Sexuality or Pleasure- 6 times

Godliness-4 times

Drive for Life or Death-4

Matt. 5: 28 Anyone who mentally sees a woman for the purpose of having sex with her….

13:17 Many prophets and righteous men passionately desired to view and mentally see….

Luke 15:16 He passionately hungered for the pods….

16:21 He passionately hungered for the scraps of food….

17:22 The days will come when you will be passionate to see one of the days of the son of man….

Acts 20:33 I have not passionately desired silver, gold, or clothing.

Romans 7:7 Except the law says, “Do not covet”. This most likely refers to coveting a neighbor’s wife for sex.

13:9 You shall not commit adultery, you shall not kill, you shall not steal,  you shall not covet….

1 Corinthians 10:6 So that we not be passionately desirous of evil….

Galatians 5:17 The flesh lusts against the spirit….

1 Timothy 3:1 If someone is passionate about the office of an elder, he desires an excellent thing….

Hebrews 6:11 We have passionate desire for each of you to show haste for the hope….

James 4;2 pleasures…you passionately desire…

Revelation 9:6  They will passionately desire to die, but death will escape them.

The word epithumeo in Jesus’s sermon in Matthew 5  connects clearly to the passion of fantasy sex carrying the weight of anger and rage.

lust

noun

intense sexual desire or appetite.

uncontrolled or illicit sexual desire or appetite; lecherousness.

a passionate or overmastering desire or craving (usually followed by for ):

a lust for power.

ardent enthusiasm; zest; relish:

an enviable lust for life.

SEE MORE

verb (used without object)

to have intense sexual desire.

to have a yearning or desire; have a strong or excessive craving (often followed by for or after ).

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/lust

Matt. 5: 28 Anyone who mentally sees a woman for the purpose of having sex with her….

13:17 Many prophets and righteous men passionately desired to view and mentally see….

Luke 15:16 He passionately hungered for the pods….

16:21 He passionately hungered for the scraps of food….

17:22 The days will come when you will be passionate to see one of the days of the son of man….

Acts 20:33 I have not passionately desired silver, gold, or clothing.

Romans 7:7 Except the law says, “Do not covet”. This most likely refers to coveting a neighbor’s wife for sex.

13:9 You shall not commit adultery, you shall not kill, you shall not steal,  you shall not covet….

1 Corinthians 10:6 So that we not be passionately desirous of evil….

Galatians 5:17 The flesh lusts against the spirit….

1 Timothy 3:1 If someone is passionate about the office of an elder, he desires an excellent thing….

Hebrews 6:11 We have passionate desire for each of you to show haste for the hope….

James 4;2 pleasures…you passionately desire…

Revelation 9:6  They will passionately desire to die, but death will escape them.

“DNA is a dynamic and adaptable molecule. As such, the nucleotide sequences found within it are subject to change as the result of a phenomenon called mutation. Depending on how a particular mutation modifies an organism’s genetic makeup, it can prove harmless, helpful, or even hurtful. Sometimes, a mutation may even cause dramatic changes in the physiology of an affected organism. Of course, in order to better understand the varying effects of mutations, it is first necessary to understand what mutations are and how they occur.” https://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/dna-is-constantly-changing-through-the-process-6524898

Recently, Rebecca Wells-Jopling and I (2012) proposed that metonymy is especially important in fiction because it invites an intimacy of the reader with the writer, or of the reader with a literary character, or of the reader with a book. A telling example that Rebecca had noticed was an incident in Virginia Woolf’s 1927 novel To the lighthouse. In the book, two characters, Minta and Paul were almost engaged. As they were sitting on a beach another character, Nancy, saw them there and thought they were kissing. Then—juxtaposed in the story—Minta discovers that she has lost her brooch. It had belonged to her grandmother. She searches everywhere on the beach, where she and Paul had been, and she is desperate to find it. So the scene of two people kissing on a beach is juxtaposed with the lost brooch. A reader reading thoughtfully, as Rebecca had been (though when I had read the book I had not noticed this) might think: “Why this association?” This question prompted Rebecca to ask what else might have been lost on the beach that afternoon. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-psychology-fiction/201301/metaphor-and-metonymy

Neuroplasticity Citations-https://glenmaiden.com/?s=+neuroplasticity+citations&submit=