Unhealthy Genital Sexual Intercourse-To Come Into-BO: (Genesis 6:4)

Evil-RA: (Genesis 6:5)

Covenant-BRT: (Genesis 6:18)

Incest-ARWAH: (Genesis 9:22)

Infertility-AQR: (Genesis 11:30)

Unhealthy Genital Sexual Intercourse-To Come Into-BO: (Genesis 6:4)

The Biblical Hebrew BO, בּוֹא, is pronounced BO as in BO-tox. BO appears as an unhealthy sexuality term in 29 of the 2,591 times used in the Hebrew Old Testament. The range of meaning for BO includes to go, to come, abide, befall, bring, call, send, strike, and unhealthy genital sexual intercourse (Strong, H935).

Genesis uses BO 16 times. All BO citations in Genesis connect to unhealthy sexuality. BO does not appear in chapters 1-5 of the Genesis sexual health big picture. BO first occurs in the pathogenesis section of chapter 6, the coercive intercourse with Hagar and Bilhah the concubine, the incest of Lot’s daughters with their biological father, Laban coercing his son-in-law Jacob to have sex with Leah, the bartering of mandrakes for sexual favors between rival sisters, the fatal Onan coitus interruptus snapshot, and Tamar’s incestuous seduction of her father-in-law. Deuteronomy uses BO twice to refer to marriage customs. 

The Prophets

BO appears once in Judges and Samuel. The Samuel passage refers to the rape of a concubine. Ezekiel cites BO three times for the sacred sex trade. Ezekiel repeats the use of BO  three times: “And they slept with her. As men sleep with a prostitute, so they slept with those lewd women, Oholah and Oholibah” (Ezekiel 23:44).

The Writings

Proverbs cites BO asa warning against adultery in a sexual health section of chapter 6. The Song of Solomon uses BO in a sexual health context. I hold the view that the Song of Solomon is actually a pathogenesis piece showing the decline of sexual health to the idolatrous addict behavior of Solomon’s reign. The Ruth citation appears in the strange marriage and conception snapshot of Ruth and Boaz. Chronicles seems to be a grief narrative of Ephraim having intercourse and conceiving with his wife after death of a son.

Evil-RA: (Genesis 6:5)

The word RA, meaning ‘evil’ appears 666 times in the Hebrew text. 666 may reflect the literary device of Hebrew numerology. Six often means evil in the Bible and three can signify completion. 666 most likely connotes comprehensive evil. The writer of Revelation uses 666 as the mark identifying the coercive apocalyptic beast in Revelation 13:18: “This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. That number is 666” (Revelation 13:18). 666 also occurs in 1 Kings to refer to Solomon’s wealth, which may infer the pathogenesis of his apostasy to idolatry: “The weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents, not including the revenues from merchants and traders and from all the Arabian kings and the governors of the territories” (1 Kings 10:14-15).

RA, רע, meaning evil and pronounced RAW as in ‘rocket,’ ranges in meaning: bad, disagreeable, malignant, unpleasing, pain or painful, unhappiness, unhealthy, agony, negativity, comparison in terms of bad to worse, sad, without compassion, hurtful, vicious, ethically: bad thinking, or actions; adverse, injury, or wrongdoing (BLB/RA, 2021; Strong, H7451).
RA occurs 34 times in Genesis, appearing seven times in the sexual health big picture of Genesis 1-11. RA appears five times along with the intimacy word, YDA, meaning ‘to know,’ in Genesis 1-5. RA may therefore connect to a sense of loss of knowing God. When humankind disregards the boundaries of Eden, Adam and Eve immediately experience shame and distance from God by hiding. The Creator seems to track down Adam and Eve, asking, ‘Where are you?’ This may set the stage for the meaning of RA as the loss of intimacy with God. RA appears three times in chapters 6-8, tracking the decline of conscious awareness to sexual abuse. If one moves backward from Genesis 6-8, reverse engineering all uses, RA most likely means a loss of intimacy with God that results in coercive behavior. 

The next use of RA forms an inclusio with Genesis 6 and 8. The judgment for the RA of sexual nihilism begins in Genesis 6 with the flood. The inclusio ends with the RA relating to incest between Ham and his biological mother. The two uses of RA in Genesis 6-8 connect directly to coercive sexual assault, perhaps intended to teach children appropriate boundaries to prevent abuse.

The next two occurrences of RA form an inclusio with the Sodom unhealthy sexuality snapshot (Genesis 13:13-19:19). The RA of the Sodom community formed around violent sexual assault and gang rape. The disaster, RA, of 19:19 is the judgment for the erotic violence of Sodom. The reader may note that the Sodom inclusio of 13:13 to 19:19 is similar in length to Genesis 1-5 and the pathogenesis section in Genesis 6-11. These three sections of similar length may demonstrate intentional organization by the author around sexual health themes. 

RA weaves through the Jacob snapshot, expanding in meaning from coercion and sexual abuse to physical or emotional harm. RA refers to unhealthy sexuality, where it is used when Esau marries a Canaanite bride (Genesis 28:8). Canaan was the incestuous child of Ham and his mother (Genesis 9). 

The Joseph snapshot completes the Genesis sexual health big picture. Beginning with the RA report of Joseph against his brothers, an inclusio forms with Joseph forgiving his brothers in chapter 50 (Genesis 37:2; Genesis 50:20). Joseph compassionately exclaims that the RA the brothers intended, God makes meaning for good. Joseph’s betrayal of his brothers in the opening scene of chapter 37 is a RA report. The RA of chapter 50 touches the intimacy of reconciling family abuse. The report in the chapter 50 reconciliation snapshot reflects the intimacy of compassionate presence and reconciliation. Joseph isolates from his brothers in chapter 37, then makes amends with his family once again in chapter 50 with forgiveness.

The Onan unhealthy sexuality snapshot of Genesis 38 uses the word RA, perhaps in a sexual abuse context. Unnamed evil acts brought the death sentence to Er by God. Onan’s unspecified coercive behavior killed him. Both incidents use the word, RA, meaning evil.
The use of RA in the Joseph snapshot ranges from his brothers’ murder conspiracy, Joseph’s emphatic rejection of the RA threat of an affair with Potiphar’s wife, the depressed demeanor of prisoners, the dream of emaciated livestock, the alleged evil of stealing, the misery of grief, God’s deliverance from harm, and reflection on the brothers’ coercive plot against Joseph. In all, the number of uses of RA that connect directly to sexual health snapshots totals eight. The use of RA to refer to coercion totals eight. RA meaning the antithesis of intimacy with God occurs four times, while RA appears to describe the Pharoah’s dream sequence predicting famine six times. This seems to be a strategic literary organization of RA using Biblical numerology in the book of Genesis.

The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. (Genesis 2:9)

…but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die. (Genesis 2:17)

“For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:5)

And the LORD God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” (Genesis 3:22)

The LORD saw how great the wickedness (sexual abuse) of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. (Genesis 6:5)

The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though every inclination (sexual abuse) of the human heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done. (Genesis 8:21)

Now the people of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the LORD. (Genesis 13:13)

Your servant has found favor in your eyes, and you have shown great kindness to me in sparing my life. But I can’t flee to the mountains; this disaster will overtake me, and I’ll die. (Genesis 19:19)

Laban and Bethuel answered, “This is from the LORD; we can say nothing to you one way or the other.” (Genesis 24:50)

…that you will do us no harm, just as we did not harm you but always treated you well and sent you away peacefully. And now you are blessed by the LORD. (Genesis 26:29)

Esau then realized how displeasing the Canaanite women were to his father Isaac. (Genesis 28:8)

Then God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night and said to him, “Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.” (Genesis 31:24)

I have the power to harm you; but last night the God of your father said to me, “Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.” (Genesis 31:29)

This heap is a witness, and this pillar is a witness, that I will not go past this heap to your side to harm you and that you will not go past this heap and pillar to my side to harm me. (Genesis 31:52)

This is the account of Jacob’s family line. Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them. (Genesis 37:2)

“Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.” (Genesis 37:20)

He recognized it and said, “It is my son’s robe! Some ferocious animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces.” (Genesis 37:33)

But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the LORD’s sight; so the LORD put him to death. (Genesis 38:7)

But Onan knew that the child would not be his; so whenever he slept with his brother’s wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from providing offspring for his brother. 

What he did was wicked in the LORD’s sight; so the LORD put him to death also. (Genesis 38:9-10)

“No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9)

So he asked Pharaoh’s officials who were in custody with him in his master’s house, “Why do you look so sad today?” (Genesis 40:7)

After them, seven other cows, ugly and gaunt, came up out of the Nile and stood beside those on the riverbank. (Genesis 41:3)

And the cows that were ugly and gaunt ate up the seven sleek, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up. (Genesis 41:4)

After them, seven other cows came up—scrawny and very ugly and lean. I had never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt. (Genesis 41:19)

The lean, ugly cows ate up the seven fat cows that came up first. (Genesis 41:20)

But even after they ate them, no one could tell that they had done so; they looked just as ugly as before. Then I woke up. (Genesis 41:21)

The seven lean, ugly cows that came up afterward are seven years, and so are the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind: They are seven years of famine. (Genesis 41:27)

They had not gone far from the city when Joseph said to his steward, “Go after those men at once, and when you catch up with them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid good with evil?’” (Genesis 44:4)

If you take this one from me too and harm comes to him, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in misery. (Genesis 44:29)

How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? No! Do not let me see the misery that would come on my father. (Genesis 44:34)

And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty. My years have been few and difficult, and they do not equal the years of the pilgrimage of my fathers.” (Genesis 47:9)

…the Angel who has delivered me from all harm—may he bless these boys. May they be called by my name and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they increase greatly on the earth.” (Genesis 48:16)

When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?” (Genesis 50:15)

This is what you are to say to Joseph: “I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father.“ When their message came to him, Joseph wept. (Genesis 50:17)

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. (Genesis 50:20)

RA appears four times in the Book of Exodus. All occurrences connect to sexual health narratives. Exodus 21 appears with legislation on servants and slaves. Verse eight states that if a servant/slave commits RA toward her master, he can release her with some form of payment. Exodus 32 and 33 represent the pathogenesis of one of the most tragic declines of spirituality in the Bible. Moses meets with God to receive the Ten Commandments. The people of Israel pressure Aaron, Moses’ brother in law and second in command, to craft an idol. The people of Israel relapse into unhealthy sexuality with co-occurring addict behaviors. The use of the word RA in Exodus 32 and 33 reflects the judgment of God on the grounds of idolatrous unhealthy sexuality.

RA appears three times in two verses within the Book of Leviticus. All occurrences connect to animals: the reference is to wild or RA animals (Leviticus 26:6) and the passage that compares good animals to RA animals (Leviticus 27:10).

RA appears in the Book of Numbers eight times. The range of meaning includes hardships of the people, a personal sense of ruin, comparison of good and terrible land, a negative scouting report, bad conduct, and injury with evil intent. One of the occurrences connects to the unhealthy sexuality history of the Israelites in Numbers 32:13. The evil the Israelis did in the sight of God included unhealthy sexuality. “The LORD’s anger burned against Israel and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until the whole generation of those who had done evil in his sight was gone” (Numbers 32:13).

RA appears 32 times in Deuteronomy. The phrase ‘you must purge the evil from among you’ appears nine times. The range of meanings include evil generations choosing idolatrous unhealthy sexuality and inheriting the land of Israel, idolatry, signs from God, disease, sacrificial animals, unhealthy sexuality in marriage, disease, and disaster. Deuteronomy 7:17 begins the nine “you must purge the evil from among you” phrases, covering court matters, testimony, addict family members, rape, and kidnapping. Nine occurrences of RA in Deuteronomy connect to unhealthy sexuality in terms of marriage, idolatry with sacred sex trade, and rape. Fifteen uses of the word RA connect to sexual health passages.

The Prophets

RA appears twice in the Book of Joshua. The first citation can be found in Joshua (Joshua 23:15), describing the judgment of God on the Israelis. The final scene features Joshua pledging his commitment to the Lord. He uses the term RA, translated as ‘undesirable,’ to communicate whether the people of Israel should choose to worship the Lord or the deities of the Near East. The Joshua 24:15 citation can be considered a sexual health term since worship of these deities included participation in the sacred sex trade. 

The Book of Judges records Israel’s decline of conscious awareness or loss of intimacy with God, resulting in genocide. The word RA occurs 17 times in Judges. Not only does the term HLL appear for loss of intimacy with God, the reader may see unhealthy sexuality escalating from the erotic rage of rape to murder with dismemberment. The phrase, “The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord” emerges as a significant theme of traumatic repetition. The phrase appears six times in Judges, six is often a Biblical symbol of evil (Judges 2:11,15, 3:7,12, 4:1, 6:1). 

This phrase reflects the loss of intimacy theme within the sexual health big picture. In Genesis 6-11, humankind declines to sexual abuse and engages in incest. All ‘the Israelites did evil in the sight of the Lord’ phrases connect directly to unhealthy sexuality. When the Israelites do RA in the eyes of the Lord, it connects specifically to idolatry by participating in the sacred sex trade and surrendering political military power. 

The balance of the use of RA means emotional distress, treachery, waging war, physical harm, rape, murder with dismemberment, and physical disaster. The number of sexual health uses for RA totals 10 of the 17 passages in Judges (Judges 2:11, 3:7, 12, 4:1, 6:1,10:6, 13:1, 20:3,12,13). All ten uses of RA connect to unhealthy sexuality, or the RA that resulted from the sacred sex trade, rape and murder. 

1 and 2 Samuel utilize the term RA 44 times. The word appears four times in a sexual health context: King David’s abuse of Bathsheba (2 Samuel 12:9), the judgment on King David for the murder conspiracy of Uriah and adultery (2 Samuel 12:11), addressing the incestuous rape of Tamar by Amnon (2 Samuel 13:22), and connecting to David’s murder/adultery conspiracy (2 Samuel 16:8).

The other uses of the word RA include references to wicked deeds, disaster, inappropriately asking God for a king, Saul’s misuse of his office, an evil spirit which came upon Saul, the threat of physical harm, and the discerning of good and evil.

Isaiah uses the term RA 19 times. One verse speaks of RA as being like Sodom in Isaiah 3:9. Jeremiah uses the term RA in unhealthy sexuality contexts five times. Four of the citations connect to the sacred sex trade with adultery. One reference occurs in the term, ‘…did evil in the eyes of the Lord….’  This phrase is a common theme in the books of Judges and Kings. Ezekiel utilizes the term RA 22 times. Three references connect to unhealthy sexuality. It is possible  many more references to RA and unhealthy sexuality occur, but I desire to err on the side of conservatism. None of the Minor Prophets use RA in a direct unhealthy sexuality context.

The Writings

RA appears 64 times in the Psalms. The writers of Psalms record one connection of RA with unhealthy sexuality: “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge” (Psalms 51:4). Proverbs also records one usage of the term RA related to unhealthy sexuality: “…keeping you from your neighbor’s wife, from the smooth talk of a wayward woman” (Proverbs 6:24).

Ezra and Nehemiah record five unhealthy sexuality uses of the word RA, and four directly connect to the unhealthy sexuality of idolatry involved in the sacred sex trade. One reference reflects the practice of marrying outside of the tribe of Israel. The phrase ‘evil in the sight of’ connects to the idolatry of Israel with participation in the sacred sex trade.

The New Testament

The word evil in the Greek New Testament is poneros, πονηρός,  pronounced pawn-eh-ROS. Poneros connects to a derivative of Strong G4192, meaning hurtful, in result or influence. This differs from Strong G2556, which touches essential character. Strong G4550 means decline of conscious awareness from original virtue, calamitous, diseased, morally culpable, derelict, vicious, mischief, malice, guilt, the devil, sinners, bad, evil, harm, lewd, malicious, or wicked (Strong, G4191).

Poneros appears 78 times in 72 verses of the Greek New Testament. Eight times poneros occurs in a sexual health context. Matthew 12-16 form an inclusio of Jesus’ defense against the attacks of the religiously conservative Pharisees. The beginning of the inclusio features “a wicked and adulterous generation”and 16:4 brings the inclusio to close with the same words. The citations within the inclusio identify the source of evil: a hardened heart. The term hard heart neurologically may mean the dysregulation of the PFC that is the disabling of the part of the brain that regulates anger, greed, and sexual neural pathways. When the anterior cingulate located within the PFC is deprived of blood flow, compassion is disabled. This neurological state cannot regulate anger, rage, fear, or sexual neural pathways. Is this state a hard heart? Mark 7:23 refers to poneros, meaning “evil,” connecting to the Matthew passages. Luke 3:19 records the arrest of John the Baptist by Herod. The incarceration leads to beheading when the preacher calls the ruler to task for the evil of incestuous adultery. 

The General Epistles

Revelation 6:2 completes the sexual health use of poneros with the description of festering sores breaking out on those who worship the Beast and by context participated in the sacred sex trade. Could festering sores be sexually transmitted infections?

Covenant-BRT: (Genesis 6:18)

Intimacy between God with humankind forms the big picture or meta-narrative among all the books of the Bible. The seven kinds of intimacy in Genesis 1-3 can be tracked through the entire revelation of the Bible through the life of Christ, the early church, and eternal destiny. The word the Bible uses to describe intimacy between God and humankind is covenant, BRT, בְּרִית, pronounced buh-RITH, occurring 284 times in 264 verses in the Hebrew Old Testament (Strong, H1262). The range of meaning includes a sense of cutting, an agreement made by walking between pieces of sacrificial flesh, a contract, or covenant, whether between God and humankind, marriage, family, or business. The word BRT appears 24 times in Genesis. Nineteen of the citations connect to intimacy between God and humankind. Fourteen of these connect specifically to Abraham. Twelve of the Abraham citations appear in Genesis 17. Five times BRT references treaties between humans (Genesis 14:13, 21:27, 32, 26:28, 31:44). 

The word covenant first appears in Genesis 6:18 with the promise to Noah and his family. BRT appears eight times in the Noah snapshot, the same number as the eight ark survivors. Twelve times BRT occurs in the Abraham snapshot, perhaps connecting to the twelve tribes of Israel?

But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you. (Genesis 6:18)

“I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you.” (Genesis 9:9)

“I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.” (Genesis 9:11)

And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come.” (Genesis 9:12)

“I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.” (Genesis 9:13)

“I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.” (Genesis 9:15)

“Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.” (Genesis 9:16)

So God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth.” (Genesis 9:17)

A man who had escaped came and reported this to Abram the Hebrew. Now Abram was living near the great trees of Mamre the Amorite, a brother of Eshkol and Aner, all of whom were allied with Abram. (Genesis 14:13)

On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, “To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates.” (Genesis 15:18)

“Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.” (Genesis 17:2)

“As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations.” (Genesis 17:4)

I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. (Genesis 17:7)

Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come.” (Genesis 17:9)

This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. (Genesis 17:10)

You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. (Genesis 17:11)

Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. (Genesis 17:13)

“Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.” (Genesis 17:14)

Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.” (Genesis 17:19)

“But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year.” (Genesis 17:21)

So Abraham brought sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelek, and the two men made a treaty. (Genesis 21:27)

After the treaty had been made at Beersheba, Abimelek and Phicol the commander of his forces returned to the land of the Philistines. (Genesis 21:32)

They answered, “We saw clearly that the LORD was with you; so we said, ‘There ought to be a sworn agreement between us’—between us and you.” (Genesis 26:28)

Come now, let’s make a covenant, you and I, and let it serve as a witness between us.” (Genesis 31:44)

New Testament

The New Testament term for covenant diatheke, διαθήκη, pronounced diah-THEY-kay, matches Strong G1242 appearing 33 times within 30 verses in the Greek New Testament. The meaning of diatheke parallels the Hebrew word BRT. Fifteen of the 33 uses of the word diatheke in the New Testament connect directly to the Old Testament. The balance of the passages reflect new covenant in Christ. If the BRT of the Old Testament bases on intimacy with God and sexual health, it seems reasonable the diatheke of the New Testament establishes the same foundations of intimacy with God and sexual health.

Infertility-AQR: (Genesis 11:30)

The sexual health term infertility AQR, עָקָר, pronounced aw-KAR, appears twelve times in eleven passages of the Hebrew Old Testament. Three times the word occurs in Genesis. AQR occurs once in Exodus and Deuteronomy, twice in Judges, and once each in 1 Samuel and Job. All citations connect to infertility (Strong, H6135).

Now Sarai was childless because she was not able to conceive. (Genesis 11:30)

Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was childless. The LORD answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. (Genesis 25:21)

When the LORD saw that Leah was not loved, he enabled her to conceive, but Rachel remained childless. (Genesis 29:31)

Genesis 6-11

After the sexual health-positive images of Genesis 1-5, chapters 6-10 contrast the pathogenesis or decline to abuse. This too may be a literary device of paradox highlighting the stark contrast of sexual health with sexual abuse. The flood account of Noah and his family paints loss of intimacy between God and humankind. Spiritual distance from God parallels decline of sexual health. Genesis 1-5 sets the sexual health-positive big picture and chapters 6-10 details the pathogenesis to the incestuous sexual assault of Noah’s wife by their biological son, Ham. The Flood snap shot pictured as an unhealthy sexuality teaching piece is new technology and may be counter intuitive for the reader. The teaching learning theory thus far looks like this: Genesis 1-5 teaches children the foundations of sexual health with positive developmentally appropriate images. Genesis 6-11 teaches children about boundaries for abuse prevention. The decline of sexual health to abuse in chapter 6 shows the impact of loss of intimacy with God. This can be thought of as not only a boundary statement for children warning about coercive sexuality but also may teach children the origin of sin and sexual abuse. Chapters 1-5 teaches positive foundational principles and chapters 6-11 frames boundaries preventing abuse specifically incest.

Pathogenesis or Decline From Intimacy with God-HLL, Coercive Sexuality

The pathogenesis section or decline of sexual health, begins with the Hebrew word, HLL    (Strong, H2490). HLL, חָלַל, pronounced ha-LAL, means to profane, defile, pollute, desecrate, to begin, to defile oneself sexually, to wound, to pierce. The majority of uses for the Hebrew word HLL connect to decline of intimacy with God. HLL can mean ‘to begin’, but the majority use of the word appears as a term of pathogenesis or the decline of intimacy with God. As a term of decline, HLL can mean profaning, defiling, polluting, desecrating, wounding, or unhealthy sexuality. HLL as a word signaling decline of sexual health adds clarity to the flood snap shot of Genesis 6-9. The Biblical Theology section treats all the sexual health uses of HLL in detail.

When human beings began (HLL) to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them,  the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not contend with humans forever, for they are mortal; their days will be a hundred and twenty years.” (Genesis 6:1)

The passage does not make coherent sense without the translation of HLL as decline of sexual health. Why would God lament the mortality of humans and exterminate the human race without cause? The reason for global judgement ? The pathogenesis to sexual abuse.

The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown. (Genesis 6:4)

This translation struggles. The term Nephilim, נְּפִלִים, pronounced nu-fil-EEM is the Hebrew word  meaning ‘to fall upon or attack’ with alternate meanings of ‘to bully’ or ‘tyrant’ (Strong, H5303). The Greek text uses the word, gigantes, γίγαντες, pronounced GEE-gan-tes. The gigantes were Greek mythological snake-footed giants born of the blood spatter from the castration gore of Uranus, the heaven deity (Mussies, 2021). The most ancient Greek origin stories cite Uranus’ wife Gaia as his incestuous mother. Hesiod states in the Theogony that Gaia the mother-wife of Uranus coerced Cronus to castrate her husband for imprisoning her children. Cronus ambushed his father, violently castrated him throwing the testicles into the sea. Aphrodite came forth from the bloody castrated genitals (Hesiod Theogony). Perhaps the Greek translators purposely used the back story of the gigantes? Could it be that Uranus’ incestuous relationship with Gaia and his bloody castration add depth to the Nephilim snap shot ending with the incest of Ham and his mother? The term in Genesis 6:4 for sexual intercourse, BO, always means unhealthy sexuality in Genesis. The word, heroes, too is unfortunate and can also mean, ‘warrior tyrants’. An Arabic equivalent for heroes, _{جَبَّارً}, means one who acts proudly, magnifies himself, or an ‘audacious bold-tyrant’ (Strong, H1368). Men of renown may not have the flattering intention of the author, but rather may mean, ‘infamously bad reputation.’

The Book of Enoch is a non canonical ancient Near East text dating from 200 BCE to 100 AD which gives helpful insight into this pathogenesis text. 

And it came to pass that the children of men had multiplied in those days and were born unto them beautiful and comely daughters. And the angels, the children of heav- en, saw and lusted after them, and said to one another: ‘Come, let us choose us wives from among the children of men and beget us children… ’ [They] took unto themselves wives, and each chose for himself one, and they began to go unto them and to defile themselves with them, and they taught tyrants… And there arose much godlessness, and they com- mitted fornication, and they were led astray, and became corrupt in all their ways (Enoch Book 6.1-2).

The NIV translation uses unfortunate warm words like “going into, beautiful women, marriage to heroes of renown”(Genesis 6:4) These terms seem to craft a romantic narrative perhaps?  Enoch sets the tone for a more accurate translation based on context and language study. Enoch uses the words lusted, defile, charms and enchantments meaning perhaps the use of sorcery, tyrants, godlessness, fornication, and corrupt. These unhealthy sexuality descriptors dramatically differ from the NIV translator’s Hallmark movie rendition. Enoch’s translation connects to my proposed translation.

The following reflection is a possible translation based on Hebrew textual analysis and the ancient source of Enoch with the big picture of sexual health in Genesis. The alternate Biblical theological translation appears without italics so the reader can compare the (NIV) text with the proposed translation. 

“When (unhealthy sexuality increased, HLL) among human beings on the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and married any of them they chose.  Then the Lord said, ‘My Spirit will not (fight) with humans forever, for they are mortal; their days will be a hundred and twenty years.’ (Sexual predators coerced, BO unhealthy sexuality) the daughters of humans and impregnated them. They were the (infamous tyrants of history).” (Genesis 6:1-4) 

The reader can note that HLL, unhealthy sexuality, of verse one can connect to form an inclusio with verse four, “sexual predators coerced.” This proposed translation not only connects more closely to the version of Enoch but seems to make a coherent transition to the next section.

The Lord saw how great the (violent abuse, RA, רע) of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only (coercive, RA, רע) all the time.  The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled.  So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the crea- tures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.”  But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. (Genesis 6:5-8)

Sexual Nihilism, Evil

The cause for terminating the human race?  Loss of spiritual intimacy leading to sexual nihilism. This pathogenesis or decline of sexual health snap shot starting in Genesis 6:1-8 forms a thematic inclusio with the assault of Noah’s wife by her son Ham in Genesis 9:21-25. Sexual nihilism underlies the philosophy that sexuality has no values and nothing can be truthfully known or communicated. Nihilism connects with extreme pessimism and radical skepticism condemning existence. True nihilism trusts nothing, possesses neither loyalty nor purpose and anarchy is impulse. Friedrich Nietzsche projected that nihilism’s destructive effects would undermine  moral, religious, and metaphysical convictions creating the greatest crisis in human history (Nietzsche, 2010). In the 20th and 21st centuries nihilistic value destruction and purposelessness preoccupy politics, arts, and sexual media. By the beginning of the 21st century, existential despair transitioned to indifference, as seen in escalating suicide statistics across all age groups, school shootings without national policy, political insurrection, and U.S. multi trillion dollar indebtedness. A sexual nihilist then may have no boundaries, no loyalties, no purpose, and present a ‘nothing matters’ destructive pattern in sexual relationships  (Pratt, 2021). Global sexual nihilism with abuse seems to be a more just judgement for the flood sequence of Genesis 6-9.

The word for wickedness and evil, RA, רע in Genesis 6:5 is the same word used in the Genesis creation snap shot of 2:17 (Strong, H7451). RA forms the one boundary statement God draws for humankind, “You must not eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of God and Evil (RA) for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” (Genesis 2:17) The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil according to von Rad (1967)  means omniscience, to be like God in knowledge. Perhaps another possible translation may be, ‘You must not confuse intimacy with coercion, for when you do, relationships die.’ What immediately follows this boundary is the coercive temptation of the snake with Adam and Eve in Genesis 3, Cain’s premeditated ambush murder of his brother in Genesis 4, and the sexual assault snap shots of Genesis 6-9. Trace each of these events to the pathogenesis of decline and the reader may see loss of intimacy with God begins the movement from sexual health to abuse. The idea of evil in the first 11 chapters of the Genesis sexual health big picture has clear connection to sexual coercion and decline from intimacy with God.

Covenant Intimacy of Relationship, Incest Boundaries

Chapters 9 and 10 end with the Noah inclusio snap shot. Noah with his family survive the pathogenesis. The text reads, 

Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil (RA, רע) from childhood (NAR, נער). And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.” God blessed Noah and his sons saying to them, “Be fruitful and increase, and fill the earth.”  (Genesis 8:20)  

The Creator reconciles distance with humankind through the intimacy of forgiveness mirroring reconciliation with the covering of sexual shame in Genesis 3:21. A sacrificial life exchanges for the pain of unhealthy sexuality.

The statement, “even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood”  may need clarity. (Genesis 8:20) The term childhood is the Hebrew word, NAR, נער, pronounced, NAH-ar (Strong, H5271). This word appears 46 times in the Hebrew Old Testament for pubescent adolescents and once for little children in this passage. The usage of NAR may not permit the translation to be ‘childhood’ found only in this verse. Perhaps a more accurate translation could be, ‘sexually mature young adults’ connecting to the introduction with the abuse of the tyrants. This statement “even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood” too forms an inclusio at the opening of chapter 6 with the decline of sexual health. A more contextual translation may be, ‘even though every inclination of the human heart can be coercive from onset of puberty.’

The repetition of the “be fruitful and increase” sexual health phrase  of Genesis 8:20 mirrors the first blessing of God in Genesis for humans reconnecting to the big picture of sexual health. The word for covenant or intimate relationship, BRT, appears seven times in chapter 9. Seven is a perfect number in Hebrew numerology and the author may be emphasizing the point for God’s comprehensive compassion toward humans. The Creator once again takes responsibility for the distance of humankind with the intimacy of reconciliation.

Immediately after the ‘be fruitful and increase’ sexual health reconciliation snap shot, the story picks up the sexual abuse theme from the introduction of chapter 6. This forms a succinct literary inclusio. 

The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.) These were the three sons of Noah, and from them came the people who were scattered over the whole earth.

Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard. When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent. Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father naked and told his two brothers outside.  But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered their fa- ther’s naked body. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father naked.

 When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him,  he said,

“Cursed be Canaan!
    The lowest of slaves
    will he be to his brothers.”

He also said,

“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Shem!
     May Canaan be the slave of Shem.

May God extend Japheth’s territory;
  may Japheth live in the tents of Shem,
    and may Canaan be the slave of Japheth.”

After the flood Noah lived 350 years. 29 Noah lived a total of 950 years, and then he died. (Genesis 9:18-29)

So, the English translation reads that God eternally cursed Canaan because his father, Ham, saw his naked grandfather, Noah, blacked out from a binge-drinking bender. A more accurate version leans on another Hebrew literary device called euphemism. Jewish writers used words carefully, more comfortable speaking of bodily functions in terms of ‘covering the feet’ or ‘watering the feet’ instead of defecating or urinating. Today incest is a difficult topic not spoken of lightly. So it seems with the Biblical writers. In Leviticus 18 laws prohibiting sexual intercourse between family members appear. Each time the word for incest occurs, a Hebrew euphemism softens the conversation perhaps protecting young ears. The words used for incest are “to uncover the nakedness of” beginning with Leviticus 18:6. The literal translation of this Hebrew verse is “Oh man, oh man, do not come near to any of your blood relatives to uncover the nakedness, I am the Lord.” (Leviticus 18:6)

The prohibitions which follow address uncovering the nakedness of or genital sexual intercourse with one’s mother, stepmother, sister, grand daughter, half sister, aunt, uncle’s wife, daughter in law, and sister in law. Ham’s sexual assault of his biological mother seems to be a better explanation for the curse against the incestuous offspring, Canaan. The territory belonging to Canaan along with its inhabitants will be a source of pain and conflict for the family of Israel throughout the Old Testament. The negative undertone of the Land of Canaan may connect to the incestuous assault of Ham with his mother.

The Genesis 6-10 pathogenesis ends with a genealogy of Noah, the ark maker’s family. The Noah snap shot transitions with reconciliation and reconnection to the big picture of sexual health in chapters 1-5. Noah’s family is blessed by God. The Creator repeats the command for human beings to be ‘fruitful and increase’ connecting with the opening passages of Genesis. Genesis 1-5 paints the picture of foundation for sexual health and Genesis 6-11 illustrates boundaries protecting children from abuse. Now humankind has awareness of not only the intimacy of sexual health from Genesis 1-5, but clarity on the pathogenesis or decline to unhealthy sexuality of Genesis 6-11. When humans move away from intimacy with God and one another, sexuality trends toward coercion, violence, and nihilism. When humans engage God intimately, sexual health appears spiritual, beautiful, pleasurable, compassionate, balanced, and reconciliatory.

The Book of Genesis features 7 kinds of intimacy in chapters 1-4. Before sexual intercourse appears in Scripture the author of Genesis crafts the neural architecture of sexual arousal and long term relationships with the intimacies of: Spirituality, beauty, rest/regulation, pleasure, compassionate presence, reconciliation, and sexual intimacy.

7 Types of Intimacy Assessment: Parts 1 and 2

In the following assessment please write down one of three options for each question. 1 means low importance, 2 is moderate significance, and 3 means very important. Noble will then connect you to other clients based on similar intimacy traits. 

7 Types of Intimacy Assessment: Part 1

1.The Intimacy of Spirituality

Spiritual connection with a higher power is the core of my important relationships.

2. The Intimacy of Beauty

I enjoy beauty in nature, humanity, and art.

3. The Intimacy of Leisure and Rest

Leisure and rest are a high value for me in a long term relationship.

4. The Intimacy of Pleasure

I am satisfied with my life and simple pleasures.

5. The Intimacy of Compassionate Presence

Being with a partner in compassionate awareness is a value to me. 

6. The Intimacy of Sexual Health

Sexual health with a long term partner is essential.

7. The Intimacy of Conflict Resolution

Healthy conflict resolution is key for my long term relationships.

7 Types of Intimacy Assessment: Part 2

Part 2 takes a deeper dive for a couple seeking intimacy. In the following assessment please select one of three options for each question. 1 means low importance, 2 is moderate significance, and 3 means very important. This may help you strengthen a connection.

I find myself praying several times a day other than at mealtime.

My social media posts have many pics of beautiful images.

I took a vacation last year.

I take pleasure in delicious food.

My friends report that I show them compassion when they feel trauma.

Sharing private parts without shame in a long term committed relationship is important.

I made valid amends with my exes.

Last year I attended my house of worship in person or online for more than holy days.

I find joy in  the precision and balance of nature.

I get at least 6 hours of sleep each night and feel rested in the morning.

I am grateful for health, my home, my friends.

When my partner is hurting, I want to give comfort.

I feel no shame about my sexuality.

My partners report that I need to win every argument.

I feel comfort sharing the story of my higher power to others.

I have art pieces in my home.

Planning fun and recreation was part of my routine last week.

I enjoy hobbies like reading, gardening, fishing or golfing without feeling guilt.

I am aware when my partner is sad and I try to meet the need.

Sexual health conversations with my partner including boundaries with consent are easy for me.

I forgive and forget past hurts with my partner.

I give money and time serving spiritual causes.

Watching a sunset, smelling Spring flowers, sitting still listening to birds make me happy.

I calmed myself by resting last week.

I enjoy sexual feelings without acting upon them.

I have compassion for my partner and my own personal sexual trauma history.

I take responsibility for my own orgasm.

I can receive refusals for sexual intimacy without anger or hostility.

I reflect upon sacred texts of my faith and apply them to my life.

I enjoy blue cloudless skies and the beauty of a baby’s toothless grin.

I took time off from work without guilt last year.

Last week I took pleasure in reading, crafting, listening to music, or a simple inexpensive hobby.

Though painful, I willingly attend funerals to bring comfort to the grieving.

Awareness of my partner’s sexual arousal during intercourse is important for sexual health.

My belief helps me to mitigate guilt and shame.

Add up the 7 colors representing the intimacies. Then compare with your partner. This can help with compatibility, and visioning for the future.

Blue=

Pink=

Green=

Black=

Orange=

Red=

Gray=

Copyright Glen B. Maiden 2022

A.W. Tozer 

At an Evangelical Press Association convention  the great theologian Tozer reflected:

1. Evangelicals need to produce a 20th century brand of Christianity “manifestly superior” to any other way of life. Only a realistic application of that faith to present day life can make it effective.
2. Evangelicals must cease “spiritual inbreeding” and reach out beyond traditional theological and denominational lines for new life giving streams of thought and action. 
3. Evangelicals need to stop imitating and begin initiating. The world may look to Christian leadership when new heights of vision and accomplishment present.
4. Evangelicals must emphasize the “‘interiority” of the Chrstian faith with less attention to externals and superficial modernity and more focus on the deeper life hidden with Christ in God. (Lebar, 1981, pp. 47-48)

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Además, acepto que tomaré las siguientes medidas si alguna vez tengo tendencias suicidas:

1) Me recordaré a mí mismo que nunca, bajo ninguna circunstancia, puedo dañarme a mí mismo de ninguna manera, intentar suicidarme o morir por suicidio.

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Mankato professor taking heat for tweet that God is guilty of #MeToo violation

TV host Tucker Carlson among those criticizing Mankato psychology professor. 

By David Chanen Star Tribune DECEMBER 7, 2018 — 9:59PM

MINNESOTA STATE, MANKATO (LEFT) AND ASSOCIATED PRESS

Prof. Eric Sprankle and Fox News Channel host Tucker Carlson.

A psychology professor at Minnesota State University, Mankato is taking heat from conservative TV talk show host Tucker Carlson for tweeting that God is guilty of a #MeToo violation for the Virgin Mary’s pregnancy.

Eric Sprankle, who specializes in sexuality studies, angered Carlson and guest commentator Mark Steyn on Thursday on Carlson’s Fox News show with his tweet from earlier in the week: “The virgin birth story is about an all-knowing, all-powerful deity impregnating a human teen. There is no definition of consent that would include that scenario. Happy Holidays.”

In response to a critical tweet, Sprankle responded with a tweet saying that “the biblical god regularly punished disobedience. The power difference (deity vs mortal) and the potential for violence for saying ‘no’ negates her ‘yes.’ To put someone in this position is an unethical abuse of power at best and grossly predatory at worst.”

The virgin birth story is about an all-knowing, all-powerful deity impregnating a human teen. There is no definition of consent that would include that scenario. Happy Holidays.

10:55 AM · Dec 3, 2018

Replying to @believeandobey3

The biblical god regularly punished disobedience. The power difference (deity vs mortal) and the potential for violence for saying “no” negates her “yes.” To put someone in this position is an unethical abuse of power at best and grossly predatory at worst.

2:32 PM · Dec 4, 2018

On Carlson’s show. Steyn expressed his displeasure with what Sprankle wrote.

“Fifty years ago, this kind of shallow banality would be something in the province of a drunk undergraduate at three in the morning,” he said.

‘Stupid, Banal and Shallow’: Steyn Blasts MN Prof Who Criticized God For ‘Impregnating’ Mary Without ConsentMark Steyn blasted a Minnesota State University-Mankato professor who criticized the Biblical Christmas story as one in which God wrongfully “impregnated” St. Mary without “consent.”

Fox News Insider/Dec 6, 2018

Sprankle didn’t return e-mails or telephone calls Friday seeking comment. The university issued the following statement:

“As a public institution of higher education, Minnesota State University, Mankato respects the rights and privileges associated with the U.S. Constitution, including in this case the First Amendment right of freedom of speech and religion.”

A spokesman said the university wasn’t aware of parents or donors who may have contacted the school about Sprankle’s tweets. He added that the school had received a handful of complaints.

In addition to being a college professor, Sprankle also is a licensed psychologist and certified sex therapist. He leads the university’s Sexual Health Research Team, which examines sex work stigma, the effects of sexually explicit material and older adult sexuality.

On his Twitter bio, he said he reads Edgar Allan Poe and advocates for sex workers’ rights. The bio also includes the words “Ave Satanas,” Latin for “Hail Satan.”

Sprankle has nearly 17,000 followers on Twitter. A few posted critical tweets this week: “This idiot clearly is an atheist! Has no clue of scripture. Just spewing hate & lies!” said one. Another read, “Eric Sprankle the professor who thinks God is a sex predator? We should not want to see anyone go to hell and we all only have a limited time in this world. So with any luck God will work on him and lead him to Jesus Christ.”

Sprankle’s tweet was discussed only briefly on Carlson’s show, but Steyn got his point across.

“The idea that God has got the Virgin Mary back to his pad, and she’s saying ‘I really must go,’ and he’s saying ‘Baby, it’s cold outside’ … I miss the days when atheists were at least intelligent enough to take seriously what they were purporting to knock down,” he said.

¿Abuso de los padres?

Profesor de Mankato criticado por tuitear que Dios es culpable de violación de #MeToo
El presentador de televisión Tucker Carlson entre los que critican al profesor de psicología de Mankato.
Por David Chanen Star Tribune 7 DE DICIEMBRE DE 2018 — 9:59 p. m.

ESTADO DE MINNESOTA, MANKATO (IZQUIERDA) Y PRENSA ASOCIADA
El profesor Eric Sprankle y el presentador de Fox News Channel, Tucker Carlson.
TAMANO DEL TEXTO
166
EMAIL
IMPRIMIR
MÁS
Mankato, profesor de psicología en la Universidad Estatal de Minnesota, recibe críticas del conservador presentador de televisión Tucker Carlson por tuitear que Dios es culpable de una violación de #MeToo por el embarazo de la Virgen María.

Eric Sprankle, que se especializa en estudios de sexualidad, enfureció a Carlson y al comentarista invitado Mark Steyn el jueves en el programa Fox News de Carlson con su tuit de principios de semana: “La historia del nacimiento virginal trata sobre una deidad omnisciente y todopoderosa que embaraza a un adolescente humano. No existe una definición de consentimiento que incluya ese escenario. Felices vacaciones.”

En respuesta a un tuit crítico, Sprankle respondió con un tuit que decía que “el dios bíblico castigaba regularmente la desobediencia. La diferencia de poder (deidad versus mortal) y el potencial de violencia por decir ‘no’ niega su ‘sí’. Poner a alguien en esta posición es un abuso de poder poco ético en el mejor de los casos y extremadamente depredador en el peor”.

ANUNCIO PUBLICITARIO

En el programa de Carlson. Steyn expresó su descontento con lo que escribió Sprankle.

“Hace cincuenta años, este tipo de banalidad superficial sería algo propio de un estudiante borracho a las tres de la mañana”, dijo.

ANUNCIO PUBLICITARIO

‘Estúpido, banal y superficial’: Steyn critica al profesor de MN que criticó a Dios por ’embarazarse’ de Mary sin su consentimiento
Mark Steyn criticó a un profesor de la Universidad Estatal de Minnesota-Mankato que criticó la historia bíblica de Navidad como una en la que Dios “embarazó” injustamente a Santa María sin “consentimiento”.

Fox News Insider/6 de diciembre de 2018
Sprankle no devolvió correos electrónicos ni llamadas telefónicas el viernes en busca de comentarios. La universidad emitió el siguiente comunicado:

“Como institución pública de educación superior, la Universidad Estatal de Minnesota, Mankato respeta los derechos y privilegios asociados con la Constitución de los EE. UU., incluido en este caso el derecho de la Primera Enmienda a la libertad de expresión y religión”.

Un portavoz dijo que la universidad no estaba al tanto de padres o donantes que pudieran haber contactado a la escuela sobre los tuits de Sprankle. Agregó que la escuela había recibido un puñado de quejas.

Además de ser profesora universitaria, Sprankle también es psicóloga licenciada y terapeuta sexual certificada. Dirige el Equipo de Investigación de Salud Sexual de la universidad, que examina el estigma del trabajo sexual, los efectos del material sexualmente explícito y la sexualidad de los adultos mayores.

ANUNCIO PUBLICITARIO

En su biografía de Twitter, dijo que lee a Edgar Allan Poe y aboga por los derechos de las trabajadoras sexuales. La biografía también incluye las palabras “Ave Satanas”, en latín “Hail Satan”.

Sprankle tiene casi 17.000 seguidores en Twitter. Algunos publicaron tuits críticos esta semana: “¡Este idiota claramente es ateo! No tiene ni idea de las escrituras. ¡Solo arrojando odio y mentiras!” dijo uno. Otro decía: “¿Eric Sprankle, el profesor que piensa que Dios es un depredador sexual? No deberíamos querer ver a nadie ir al infierno y todos tenemos un tiempo limitado en este mundo. Entonces, con un poco de suerte, Dios obrará en él y lo guiará a Jesucristo”.

El tweet de Sprankle se discutió solo brevemente en el programa de Carlson, pero Steyn entendió su punto.

“La idea de que Dios hizo que la Virgen María volviera a su casa y ella dijera: ‘De verdad debo irme’, y él ‘Bebé, hace frío afuera’… Extraño los días en que los ateos eran al menos lo suficientemente inteligentes como para tomen en serio lo que pretendían derribar”, dijo.

Note some facts about depression:

(1) It is universal. It is no respecter of persons. It touches the poor and the rich, the weak and the mighty, the educated and the uneducated. It hits everyone because, ultimately, it is not caused by circumstances, possessions, or position, but rather by the way one handles life.

(2) No profession is exempt from it. It reaches out and grabs doctors, lawyers, businessmen, cab drivers, construction workers, pastors, missionaries, nurses, secretaries, housewives, moms and dads, farmers, truck drivers, athletes, etc.

(3) Depression has nothing to do with one’s IQ. If anything, people with higher IQs are more susceptible.

(4) Age is not a defense against it. It attacks the young and old alike. Each decade of age has its own special susceptibility to depression. This is often referred to as the cycles of depression.

(5) Depression ranges from mild mood swings (which we all face) to deep psychosis.

(6) It may of course have physical causes. A lack of sleep, improper diet, vitamin deficiency, exhaustion are among the more simple causes. It may also be caused by such things as drugs, low blood sugar, glandular disorders, allergies, brain tumors, and chemical imbalances.

(7) One of the most common causes, however, is in the area of the spiritual, mental, and emotional. This can also affect the physical (Prov. 14:30; 17:22). In other words, while there are physical causes, and these should be checked out, the most common causes are spiritual. Some of these causes are:

Disappointment or failure. We tend to become depressed when our expectations are not met. Timothy LaHaye says, “of the hundreds of depressed cases I have examined, without exception they began with a disappointment or an experience in which the individual was displeased.”31 People tend to become depressed when they become disappointed in their performance, in another’s performance, or when something they were expecting did not materialize.
An Unbiblical Self-concept. Thinking wrongly about ourselves can be a terrible downer. This involves disappointment in ourselves, which may be the result of a wrong self-image of who we are in Christ. It also may be the result of false and unrealistic expectations or unresolved guilt, real or unreal. In other words, seeking happiness, security, and significance from our success or performance rather than from the Lord is a real downer–a big cause of discouragement or depression.
Covetousness. This is the strong desire for things–position, power, prestige, possessions, privileges, etc., in the belief that they will meet our needs, that they will give us happiness or security. When these things don’t meet our needs (and they won’t) depression sets in.
Rejection by Others. We all have a basic need for the ABC tripod of stability–acceptance, belongingness, and competence. When any one of these suffer, it can cause depression. Again, however, the root cause is our failure to find this tripod of emotional and mental stability in God’s evaluation and declarations regarding our lives. In Christ, we have acceptance. As God’s children, we belong to the family of God and we have the capacity He gives us to live the Christian life.
Elijah had experienced a great victory on Mount Carmel with a long-time goal accomplished. Yahweh was proven to be the true God, the people had worshipped the Lord as the true God, and the Baal prophets had been put to death. But this was also a very vulnerable time; a time where anyone could easily let down. Elijah had expended a great deal of energy–both physical and spiritual. It was truly a mountain-top experience, but now he needed to watch for the valleys that always follow.

As soon as Jezebel heard of the victory of Elijah, she sent her threat and his expectations for revival and reformation were dashed into pieces like a china cup on a concrete floor. Being disappointed, Elijah got his eyes off the Lord, became fearful, and ran for his life down to Beersheba and then beyond into the desert. He was alone, having left his servant behind. He was tired, exhausted, and in the wilderness by himself without food and water. Of course, he was not alone because the Lord was there, but he felt totally alone, helpless, fearful, hurt, a failure, and he wasn’t thinking with the viewpoint of the Word.

In such a state, what do we do? We become apathetic and faithless. We seek escape, feel sorry for ourselves and think irrationally (biblically speaking). We lose our perspective. The situation becomes a mountain and the Lord becomes in our sight like a mole hill. We stop enjoying life, we forget our goals, lose ground, and withdraw from God and people–the very ones we need the most. With this in mind, let’s note some of the causes for Elijah’s discouragement or depression:

Psychological Reason: There is generally a natural let down after victory and the accomplishment of a goal or a large task. https://bible.org/seriespage/crisis-elijah-1-kings-194-14

Tenga en cuenta algunos datos sobre la depresión:

(1) Es universal. No hace acepción de personas. Toca al pobre y al rico, al débil y al poderoso, al educado y al ignorante. Golpea a todos porque, en última instancia, no es causado por las circunstancias, las posesiones o la posición, sino por la forma en que uno maneja la vida.

(2) Ninguna profesión está exenta de ella. Alcanza y agarra a médicos, abogados, empresarios, taxistas, obreros de la construcción, pastores, misioneros, enfermeras, secretarias, amas de casa, papás y mamás, granjeros, camioneros, deportistas, etc.

(3) La depresión no tiene nada que ver con el coeficiente intelectual. En todo caso, las personas con un coeficiente intelectual más alto son más susceptibles.

(4) La edad no es una defensa contra ella. Ataca a jóvenes y adultos por igual. Cada década de edad tiene su propia susceptibilidad especial a la depresión. Esto a menudo se conoce como los ciclos de depresión.

(5) La depresión varía desde leves cambios de humor (que todos enfrentamos) hasta psicosis profunda.

(6) Por supuesto, puede tener causas físicas. La falta de sueño, la dieta inadecuada, la deficiencia de vitaminas, el agotamiento se encuentran entre las causas más simples. También puede ser causado por cosas tales como drogas, niveles bajos de azúcar en la sangre, trastornos glandulares, alergias, tumores cerebrales y desequilibrios químicos.

(7) Sin embargo, una de las causas más comunes está en el área espiritual, mental y emocional. Esto también puede afectar lo físico (Prov. 14:30; 17:22). En otras palabras, si bien existen causas físicas, y estas deben verificarse, las causas más comunes son espirituales. Algunas de estas causas son:

Decepción o fracaso. Tendemos a deprimirnos cuando no se cumplen nuestras expectativas. Timothy LaHaye dice, “de los cientos de casos de depresión que he examinado, sin excepción comenzaron con una decepción o una experiencia en la que el individuo estaba disgustado”. , o cuando algo que esperaban no se materializó.
Un autoconcepto no bíblico. Pensar mal sobre nosotros mismos puede ser una terrible decepción. Esto implica una desilusión con nosotros mismos, que puede ser el resultado de una autoimagen equivocada de quiénes somos en Cristo. También puede ser el resultado de expectativas falsas e irreales o de culpa no resuelta, real o irreal. En otras palabras, buscar la felicidad, la seguridad y el significado de nuestro éxito o desempeño en lugar del Señor es una verdadera decepción, una gran causa de desánimo o depresión.
Codicia. Este es el fuerte deseo de cosas: posición, poder, prestigio, posesiones, privilegios, etc., en la creencia de que satisfarán nuestras necesidades, que nos darán felicidad o seguridad. Cuando estas cosas no satisfacen nuestras necesidades (y no lo harán), aparece la depresión.
Rechazo de los demás. Todos tenemos una necesidad básica del trípode ABC de la estabilidad: aceptación, pertenencia y competencia. Cuando cualquiera de estos sufre, puede causar depresión. Una vez más, sin embargo, la causa raíz es nuestra incapacidad para encontrar este trípode de estabilidad emocional y mental en la evaluación y las declaraciones de Dios con respecto a nuestras vidas. En Cristo, tenemos aceptación. Como hijos de Dios, pertenecemos a la familia de Dios y tenemos la capacidad que Él nos da para vivir la vida cristiana.
Elías había experimentado una gran victoria en el Monte Carmelo con una meta a largo plazo cumplida. Se demostró que Yahvé era el Dios verdadero, el pueblo había adorado al Señor como el Dios verdadero y los profetas de Baal habían sido condenados a muerte. Pero este también fue un momento muy vulnerable; una época en la que cualquiera podía defraudar fácilmente. Elijah había gastado una gran cantidad de energía, tanto física como espiritual. Fue realmente una experiencia en la cima de la montaña, pero ahora necesitaba estar atento a los valles que siempre siguen.

Tan pronto como Jezabel se enteró de la victoria de Elías, envió su amenaza y sus expectativas de reavivamiento y reforma se hicieron añicos como una taza de porcelana sobre un piso de concreto. Estando decepcionado, Elías apartó los ojos del Señor, se asustó y corrió para salvar su vida hasta Beerseba y luego más allá en el desierto. Estaba solo, habiendo dejado atrás a su sirviente. Estaba cansado, exhausto y en el desierto solo sin comida ni agua. Por supuesto, no estaba solo porque el Señor estaba allí, pero se sentía totalmente solo, impotente, temeroso, herido, fracasado, y no estaba pensando con el punto de vista de la Palabra.

En tal estado, ¿qué hacemos? Nos volvemos apáticos y sin fe. Buscamos escape, sentimos lástima de nosotros mismos y pensamos irracionalmente (hablando bíblicamente). Perdemos nuestra perspectiva. La situación se convierte en una montaña y el Señor se vuelve a nuestra vista como un topo. Dejamos de disfrutar la vida, olvidamos nuestras metas, perdemos terreno y nos alejamos de Dios y de las personas, precisamente las que más necesitamos. Con esto en mente, notemos algunas de las causas del desánimo o depresión de Elías:

Razón psicológica: generalmente hay una decepción natural después de la victoria y el logro de una meta o una gran tarea. https://bible.org/seriespage/crisis-elijah-1-kings-194-14

Stress Takes a Toll Sin the Workplace: Stressed people

are:

Less likely to eat healthily

30%

============

Less likely to exercise

25%

============

More likely to fail at weight loss programs

200%

============

Get half as much sleep
as people reporting low levels of stress

50%

tress affects over 100 million Americans and is a driver of many chronic diseases. But, stress in the workplace isn’t all bad. It can help us get things done. In fact, some amount of stress is essential for productive performance. But too much stress too often takes its toll. In the same way that one cup of coffee can make you productive and

focused, but five or six cups spin you out of control, chronic stress makes people unproductive, foggy, unable to control emotions, and ultimately ill.

When the balance tips from just enough stress to too much stress it becomes the biggest impediment to behavior change. This leads to a serious no-win situation: the more stressed your employees are, the less able they are to make lifestyle changes and adopt the very wellness programs you’ve already put in place.

According to the 2012 American Psychological Association (APA) study, Stress in America, highly stressed people are:

• LESS LIKELY TO EAT HEALTHILY (30%)
• LESS LIKELY TO EXERCISE (25%)
• MORE LIKELY TO FAIL AT WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAMS (200%)
• GET HALF AS MUCH SLEEP AS PEOPLE REPORTING LOW LEVELS OF

STRESS.

 

According
to the 2011 APA Stress
in America Survey ===============

44%
of Americans say they do only a poor/fair job of preventing stress

39% report doing only a poor/fair job of managing stress

31% report a poor/fair job of fully recovering or recharging from being stressed

===============

===============

===============

Bottom Line: Stress Is Costing Organizations a Fortune

One estimate is that stress and the related illness, absenteeism, and presenteeism, costs organizations as much as $300 billion a year. Stress contributes to unhealthy behavior which contributes to health care costs and lost productivity.

   ===========================================

According to the APA, 60% of workers reported losing productivity due to stress while at work during the past month.

   ===========================================

Stressed workers suffer from fatigue, make more mistakes, and are more likely to be absent than non-stressed employees.

   ===========================================

According to National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health: Workers who report being stressed incur healthcare costs that are 46% higher than their less stressed counterparts.

   ===========================================

An estimated one million employees miss work each day because of stress – and this costs companies an average of $702 per employee per year. https://www.mequilibrium.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/3-1-13-FINAL.pdf

El costo del estrés

El estrés cobra un precio en el lugar de trabajo
Estresado
gente

son:

Menos probabilidades de comer sano

30%

Menos probabilidades de hacer ejercicio

25%

Más probabilidades de fracasar en los programas de pérdida de peso

200%

Duerma la mitad que las personas que reportan bajos niveles de estrés
50%
El estrés afecta a más de 100 millones de estadounidenses y es un impulsor de muchas enfermedades crónicas. Pero, el estrés en el lugar de trabajo no es del todo malo. Puede ayudarnos a hacer las cosas. De hecho, cierta cantidad de estrés es esencial para el desempeño productivo. Pero demasiado estrés con demasiada frecuencia pasa factura. De la misma manera que una taza de café puede hacerte productivo y
concentrado, pero cinco o seis tazas te hacen perder el control, el estrés crónico hace que las personas sean improductivas, confusas, incapaces de controlar las emociones y, en última instancia, enfermas.
Cuando la balanza se inclina de suficiente estrés a demasiado estrés, se convierte en el mayor impedimento para el cambio de comportamiento. Esto conduce a una situación grave sin salida: cuanto más estresados ​​​​estén sus empleados, menos capaces serán de hacer cambios en el estilo de vida y adoptar los mismos programas de bienestar que ya ha implementado.
Según el estudio de la Asociación Americana de Psicología (APA) de 2012, Stress in America, las personas muy estresadas son:

• MENOS PROBABILIDAD DE COMER SALUDABLE (30%)
• MENOS PROPUESTA A HACER EJERCICIO (25%)
• MÁS PROBABILIDAD DE FRACASAR EN LOS PROGRAMAS DE PÉRDIDA DE PESO (200%)
• DUERME LA MITAD DE LAS PERSONAS QUE INFORMAN NIVELES BAJOS DE
  ESTRÉS.

Según la encuesta Stressin America de la APA de 2011 ===============
El 44% de los estadounidenses dicen que solo hacen un trabajo deficiente/regular para prevenir el estrés.
El 39% informa que solo hace un trabajo deficiente/regular en el manejo del estrés

El 31% informa un trabajo deficiente/regular para recuperarse o recargarse por completo del estrés

===============

Conclusión: el estrés les está costando una fortuna a las organizaciones
Una estimación es que el estrés y las enfermedades relacionadas, el ausentismo y el presentismo cuestan a las organizaciones hasta $ 300 mil millones al año. El estrés contribuye a un comportamiento poco saludable que contribuye a los costos de atención médica y la pérdida de productividad.
===========================================
Según la APA, el 60% de los trabajadores reportaron pérdida de productividad debido al estrés en el trabajo durante el último mes.
===========================================
Los trabajadores estresados ​​sufren fatiga, cometen más errores y es más probable que se ausenten que los empleados no estresados.
===========================================
Según el Instituto Nacional para la Seguridad y Salud Ocupacional: Los trabajadores que informan estar estresados ​​incurren en costos de atención médica que son un 46 % más altos que sus contrapartes menos estresados.
===========================================
Se estima que un millón de empleados faltan al trabajo todos los días debido al estrés, y esto le cuesta a las empresas un promedio de $702 por empleado por año. https://www.mequilibrium.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/3-1-13-FINAL.pdf

Todo

Ver sinónimos de: totalidad / totalidad en Thesaurus.com

adjetivo

comprendiendo la totalidad de su cantidad, cantidad, extensión, número, etc., sin disminución ni excepción; entera, completa o total:

Se comió todo el pastel. Corrieron toda la distancia.

que contiene todos los elementos que le pertenecen propiamente; completo:

Tenemos un juego completo de porcelana antigua.

indiviso; en una pieza:

tragarse una cosa entera.

Matemáticas. integral o no fraccionario.

VER MÁS

sustantivo

el conjunto completo de partes o elementos pertenecientes a una cosa; la cantidad total, cuenta, extensión o número:

Aceptó algunas de las partes pero rechazó el todo.

una cosa completa en sí misma, o que comprende todas sus partes o elementos.

un conjunto de partes asociadas o vistas juntas como una sola cosa; un sistema unitario. https://www.dictionary.com/browse/wholeness

An early life full of neglect, deprivation and adversity leads to people growing up with smaller brains, a study suggests.

The researchers at King’s College London were following adopted children who spent time in “hellhole” Romanian orphanages.

They grew up with brains 8.6% smaller than other adoptees.

The researchers said it was the “most compelling” evidence of the impact on the adult brain.

The appalling care at the orphanages came to light after the fall of Romania’s communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu in 1989.

“I remember TV pictures of those institutions, they were shocking,” Prof Edmund Sonuga-Barke, who now leads the study following those children, told the BBC.

He described the institutions as “hellholes” where children were “chained into their cots, rocking, filthy and emaciated”.

The children were physically and psychologically deprived with little social contact, no toys and often ravaged by disease.

The children studied had spent between two weeks and nearly four years in such institutions.

Previous studies on children who were later adopted by loving families in the UK showed they were still experiencing mental health problems in adulthood.

Higher levels of traits including autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and a lack of fear of strangers (disinhibited social engagement disorder) have all been documented.

There were 67 Romanian adoptees in the study and their brains were compared to 21 adoptees who did not suffer early life deprivation.

“What we found is really quite striking,” Prof Sonuga-Barke told the BBC.

First the total brain volume – the size of the brain – was 8.6% smaller in the Romanian adoptees on average.

And the longer they spent in the Romanian orphanages, the greater the reduction in brain size.

However, the impact on the brain was not uniform.

Prof Mitul Mehta, one of the researchers, said: “We found structural differences between the two groups in three regions of the brain.

“These regions are linked to functions such as organisation, motivation, integration of information and memory.”

The researchers say these findings could help explain lower IQ and higher rates of ADHD in these adults.

What the study cannot explain is what exactly about early life neglect and deprivation has this effect on the brain.

It means it is hard to work out the effect of other early life traumas such as abuse or being a refugee.

However, the study is clear that the impact on the developing brain goes far beyond just poor nutrition.

Prof Sonuga-Barke said: “This study is important because it highlights for the first time, in a compelling way, the power of the early environment and early adversity to shape brain development.

“It drives impairments over this long period of time – over 20 years – even when children have received top-notch care in loving adoptive families.” https://www.bbc.com/news/health-51010388

 

Una vida temprana llena de abandono, privaciones y adversidades hace que las personas crezcan con cerebros más pequeños, sugiere un estudio.

Los investigadores del King’s College London estaban siguiendo a niños adoptados que pasaban un tiempo en orfanatos rumanos “infiernos”.

Crecieron con cerebros un 8,6 % más pequeños que otros adoptados.

Los investigadores dijeron que era la evidencia “más convincente” del impacto en el cerebro adulto.

El espantoso cuidado en los orfanatos salió a la luz después de la caída del dictador comunista rumano Nicolae Ceausescu en 1989.

“Recuerdo las imágenes de televisión de esas instituciones, fueron impactantes”, dijo a la BBC el profesor Edmund Sonuga-Barke, quien ahora dirige el estudio que sigue a esos niños.

Describió las instituciones como “infiernos” donde los niños estaban “encadenados a sus catres, meciéndose, sucios y demacrados”.

Los niños estaban privados física y psicológicamente con poco contacto social, sin juguetes y, a menudo, devastados por enfermedades.

Los niños estudiados habían pasado entre dos semanas y casi cuatro años en dichas instituciones.

Estudios anteriores sobre niños que luego fueron adoptados por familias amorosas en el Reino Unido mostraron que todavía tenían problemas de salud mental en la edad adulta.

Se han documentado niveles más altos de rasgos que incluyen autismo, trastorno por déficit de atención con hiperactividad (TDAH) y falta de miedo a los extraños (trastorno de compromiso social desinhibido).

Hubo 67 adoptados rumanos en el estudio y sus cerebros se compararon con 21 adoptados que no sufrieron privaciones en la vida temprana.

“Lo que encontramos es realmente sorprendente”, dijo el profesor Sonuga-Barke a la BBC.

Primero, el volumen total del cerebro (el tamaño del cerebro) era un 8,6 % más pequeño en promedio en los adoptados rumanos.

Y cuanto más tiempo pasaban en los orfanatos rumanos, mayor era la reducción del tamaño del cerebro.

Sin embargo, el impacto en el cerebro no fue uniforme.

El profesor Mitul Mehta, uno de los investigadores, dijo: “Encontramos diferencias estructurales entre los dos grupos en tres regiones del cerebro.

“Estas regiones están vinculadas a funciones como la organización, la motivación, la integración de la información y la memoria”.

Los investigadores dicen que estos hallazgos podrían ayudar a explicar un coeficiente intelectual más bajo y tasas más altas de TDAH en estos adultos.

Lo que el estudio no puede explicar es exactamente qué tiene este efecto en el cerebro sobre el abandono y la privación en la vida temprana.

Significa que es difícil determinar el efecto de otros traumas de la vida temprana, como el abuso o ser un refugiado.

Sin embargo, el estudio deja claro que el impacto en el cerebro en desarrollo va mucho más allá de la mala nutrición.

El profesor Sonuga-Barke dijo: “Este estudio es importante porque destaca por primera vez, de manera convincente, el poder del entorno temprano y la adversidad temprana para dar forma al desarrollo del cerebro.

“Produce discapacidades durante este largo período de tiempo, más de 20 años, incluso cuando los niños han recibido atención de primer nivel en familias adoptivas amorosas”. https://www.bbc.com/news/health-51010388

The Human Brain Can Create Structures in Up to 11 Dimensions

SIGNE DEAN
21 APRIL 2018
Last year, neuroscientists used a classic branch of maths in a totally new way to peer into the structure of our brains.
What they discovered is that the brain is full of multi-dimensional geometrical structures operating in as many as 11 dimensions.

We’re used to thinking of the world from a 3-D perspective, so this may sound a bit tricky, but the results of this study could be the next major step in understanding the fabric of the human brain – the most complex structure we know of.
This brain model was produced by a team of researchers from the Blue Brain Project, a Swiss research initiative devoted to building a supercomputer-powered reconstruction of the human brain.
The team used algebraic topology, a branch of mathematics used to describe the properties of objects and spaces regardless of how they change shape.
They found that groups of neurons connect into ‘cliques’, and that the number of neurons in a clique would lead to its size as a high-dimensional geometric object (a mathematical dimensional concept, not a space-time one).
“We found a world that we had never imagined,” said lead researcher, neuroscientist Henry Markram from the EPFL institute in Switzerland.
“There are tens of millions of these objects even in a small speck of the brain, up through seven dimensions. In some networks, we even found structures with up to 11 dimensions.”

Just to be clear – this isn’t how you’d think of spatial dimensions (our Universe has three spatial dimensions plus one time dimension), instead it refers to how the researchers have looked at the neuron cliques to determine how connected they are. 
“Networks are often analysed in terms of groups of nodes that are all-to-all connected, known as cliques. The number of neurons in a clique determines its size, or more formally, its dimension,” the researchers explained in the paper. 
Human brains are estimated to have a staggering 86 billion neurons, with multiple connections from each cell webbing in every possible direction, forming the vast cellular network that somehow makes us capable of thought and consciousness.
With such a huge number of connections to work with, it’s no wonder we still don’t have a thorough understanding of how the brain’s neural network operates.
But the mathematical framework built by the team takes us one step closer to one day having a digital brain model.
To perform the mathematical tests, the team used a detailed model of the neocortex the Blue Brain Project team published back in 2015.

 

The neocortex is thought to be the most recently evolved part of our brains, and the one involved in some of our higher-order functions like cognition and sensory perception.
After developing their mathematical framework and testing it on some virtual stimuli, the team also confirmed their results on real brain tissue in rats.
According to the researchers, algebraic topology provides mathematical tools for discerning details of the neural network both in a close-up view at the level of individual neurons, and a grander scale of the brain structure as a whole.
By connecting these two levels, the researchers could discern high-dimensional geometric structures in the brain, formed by collections of tightly connected neurons (cliques) and the empty spaces (cavities) between them.
“We found a remarkably high number and variety of high-dimensional directed cliques and cavities, which had not been seen before in neural networks, either biological or artificial,” the team wrote in the study.
“Algebraic topology is like a telescope and microscope at the same time,” said one of the team, mathematician Kathryn Hess from EPFL.

“It can zoom into networks to find hidden structures, the trees in the forest, and see the empty spaces, the clearings, all at the same time.”
Those clearings or cavities seem to be critically important for brain function. When researchers gave their virtual brain tissue a stimulus, they saw that neurons were reacting to it in a highly organised manner.
“It is as if the brain reacts to a stimulus by building [and] then razing a tower of multi-dimensional blocks, starting with rods (1D), then planks (2D), then cubes (3D), and then more complex geometries with 4D, 5D, etc,” said one of the team, mathematician Ran Levi from Aberdeen University in Scotland.
“The progression of activity through the brain resembles a multi-dimensional sandcastle that materialises out of the sand and then disintegrates.”
These findings provide a tantalising new picture of how the brain processes information, but the researchers point out that it’s not yet clear what makes the cliques and cavities form in their highly specific ways.
And more work will be needed to determine how the complexity of these multi-dimensional geometric shapes formed by our neurons correlates with the complexity of various cognitive tasks.

El cerebro humano puede crear estructuras en hasta 11 dimensiones

SIGNO DECANO
21 ABRIL 2018
El año pasado, los neurocientíficos utilizaron una rama clásica de las matemáticas de una forma totalmente nueva para escudriñar la estructura de nuestro cerebro.
Lo que descubrieron es que el cerebro está lleno de estructuras geométricas multidimensionales que operan en hasta 11 dimensiones.

Estamos acostumbrados a pensar en el mundo desde una perspectiva tridimensional, por lo que esto puede sonar un poco complicado, pero los resultados de este estudio podrían ser el próximo gran paso para comprender la estructura del cerebro humano: la estructura más compleja que conocemos. saber de.
Este modelo de cerebro fue producido por un equipo de investigadores del Blue Brain Project, una iniciativa de investigación suiza dedicada a construir una reconstrucción del cerebro humano impulsada por una supercomputadora.
El equipo utilizó la topología algebraica, una rama de las matemáticas que se utiliza para describir las propiedades de objetos y espacios independientemente de cómo cambien de forma.
Descubrieron que los grupos de neuronas se conectan en ‘camarillas’, y que la cantidad de neuronas en una camarilla conduciría a su tamaño como un objeto geométrico de alta dimensión (un concepto dimensional matemático, no uno de espacio-tiempo).
“Encontramos un mundo que nunca habíamos imaginado”, dijo el investigador principal, el neurocientífico Henry Markram del instituto EPFL en Suiza.
“Hay decenas de millones de estos objetos incluso en una pequeña parte del cerebro, hasta siete dimensiones. En algunas redes, incluso encontramos estructuras con hasta 11 dimensiones”.

Para que quede claro, no es así como pensarías en las dimensiones espaciales (nuestro Universo tiene tres dimensiones espaciales más una dimensión temporal), sino que se refiere a cómo los investigadores han observado las camarillas de neuronas para determinar qué tan conectadas están.
“Las redes a menudo se analizan en términos de grupos de nodos que están conectados todos a todos, conocidos como camarillas. La cantidad de neuronas en una camarilla determina su tamaño, o más formalmente, su dimensión”, explicaron los investigadores en el documento.
Se estima que los cerebros humanos tienen la asombrosa cantidad de 86 mil millones de neuronas, con múltiples conexiones de cada red celular en todas las direcciones posibles, formando la vasta red celular que de alguna manera nos hace capaces de pensar y ser conscientes.
Con una cantidad tan grande de conexiones con las que trabajar, no es de extrañar que todavía no tengamos una comprensión profunda de cómo funciona la red neuronal del cerebro.
Pero el marco matemático construido por el equipo nos lleva un paso más cerca de tener algún día un modelo de cerebro digital.
Para realizar las pruebas matemáticas, el equipo utilizó un modelo detallado de la neocorteza que el equipo del Proyecto Blue Brain publicó en 2015.

 

Se cree que la neocorteza es la parte de nuestro cerebro que ha evolucionado más recientemente y la que está involucrada en algunas de nuestras funciones de orden superior, como la cognición y la percepción sensorial.
Después de desarrollar su marco matemático y probarlo en algunos estímulos virtuales, el equipo también confirmó sus resultados en tejido cerebral real en ratas.
Según los investigadores, la topología algebraica proporciona herramientas matemáticas para discernir los detalles de la red neuronal tanto en una vista de primer plano a nivel de neuronas individuales como en una escala mayor de la estructura del cerebro en su conjunto.
Al conectar estos dos niveles, los investigadores pudieron discernir estructuras geométricas de alta dimensión en el cerebro, formadas por colecciones de neuronas estrechamente conectadas (camarillas) y los espacios vacíos (cavidades) entre ellas.
“Encontramos una cantidad y una variedad notablemente altas de camarillas y cavidades dirigidas de alta dimensión, que no se habían visto antes en las redes neuronales, ya sean biológicas o artificiales”, escribió el equipo en el estudio.
“La topología algebraica es como un telescopio y un microscopio al mismo tiempo”, dijo uno de los miembros del equipo, la matemática Kathryn Hess de la EPFL.

“Puede hacer zoom en las redes para encontrar estructuras ocultas, los árboles en el bosque y ver los espacios vacíos, los claros, todo al mismo tiempo”.
Esos claros o cavidades parecen ser de importancia crítica para la función cerebral. Cuando los investigadores dieron un estímulo a su tejido cerebral virtual, vieron que las neuronas reaccionaban a él de una manera altamente organizada.
“Es como si el cerebro reaccionara a un estímulo construyendo [y] luego demoliendo una torre de bloques multidimensionales, comenzando con varillas (1D), luego tablones (2D), luego cubos (3D) y luego geometrías más complejas. con 4D, 5D, etc.”, dijo uno de los miembros del equipo, el matemático Ran Levi de la Universidad de Aberdeen en Escocia.
“La progresión de la actividad a través del cerebro se asemeja a un castillo de arena multidimensional que se materializa en la arena y luego se desintegra”.
Estos hallazgos brindan una nueva imagen tentadora de cómo el cerebro procesa la información, pero los investigadores señalan que aún no está claro qué es lo que hace que las camarillas y las cavidades se formen de formas altamente específicas.
Y se necesitará más trabajo para determinar cómo la complejidad de estas formas geométricas multidimensionales formadas por nuestras neuronas se correlaciona con la complejidad de varias tareas cognitivas.
Pero esto definitivamente no es lo último que escucharemos de i

A milestone is marked in our understanding of the brain with the recent acceptance, contrary to early dogma, that the adult nervous system can generate new neurons. One could wonder how this dogma originally came about, particularly because all organisms have some cells that continue to divide, adding to the size of the organism and repairing damage. All mammals have replicating cells in many organs and in some cases, notably the blood, skin, and gut, stem cells have been shown to exist throughout life, contributing to rapid cell replacement. Furthermore, insects, fish, and amphibia can replicate neural cells throughout life. An exception to this rule of self-repair and continued growth was thought to be the mammalian brain and spinal cord. In fact, because we knew that microglia, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes all normally divide in the adult and respond to injury by dividing, it was only neurons that were considered to be refractory to replication. Now we know that this long accepted limitation is not completely true, because there are two rather discrete areas of the brain, the dentate gyrus of the hippocampal formation and the subventricular zone and its projection through the rostral migratory stream to the olfactory bulb, which can generate new neurons. https://www.jneurosci.org/content/22/3/612

Plasticity is the ability of the brain to change and adapt to new information. Synaptic plasticity is change that occurs at synapses, the junctions between neurons that allow them to communicate.

The idea that synapses could change, and that this change depended on how active or inactive they were, was first proposed in the 1949 by Canadian psychologist Donald Hebb. Because of synaptic plasticity’s probable contribution to memory storage, it has since become one of the most intensively researched topics in all of neuroscience.

What is the function of synaptic plasticity?

Synaptic plasticity controls how effectively two neurons communicate with each other. The strength of communication between two synapses can be likened to the volume of a conversation. When neurons talk, they do so at different volumes – some neurons whisper to each other while others shout. The volume setting of the synapse, or the synaptic strength, is not static, but rather can change in both the short term and long term. Synaptic plasticity refers to these changes in synaptic strength. https://qbi.uq.edu.au/brain-basics/brain/brain-physiology/what-synaptic-plasticity

A milestone is marked in our understanding of the brain with the recent acceptance, contrary to early dogma, that the adult nervous system can generate new neurons. One could wonder how this dogma originally came about, particularly because all organisms have some cells that continue to divide, adding to the size of the organism and repairing damage. All mammals have replicating cells in many organs and in some cases, notably the blood, skin, and gut, stem cells have been shown to exist throughout life, contributing to rapid cell replacement. Furthermore, insects, fish, and amphibia can replicate neural cells throughout life. An exception to this rule of self-repair and continued growth was thought to be the mammalian brain and spinal cord. In fact, because we knew that microglia, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes all normally divide in the adult and respond to injury by dividing, it was only neurons that were considered to be refractory to replication. Now we know that this long accepted limitation is not completely true, because there are two rather discrete areas of the brain, the dentate gyrus of the hippocampal formation and the subventricular zone and its projection through the rostral migratory stream to the olfactory bulb, which can generate new neurons. https://www.jneurosci.org/content/22/3/612

Se marca un hito en nuestra comprensión del cerebro con la aceptación reciente, contrariamente al dogma inicial, de que el sistema nervioso adulto puede generar nuevas neuronas. Uno podría preguntarse cómo surgió originalmente este dogma, particularmente porque todos los organismos tienen algunas células que continúan dividiéndose, aumentando el tamaño del organismo y reparando el daño. Todos los mamíferos tienen células que se replican en muchos órganos y, en algunos casos, especialmente en la sangre, la piel y el intestino, se ha demostrado que las células madre existen durante toda la vida, lo que contribuye a un reemplazo celular rápido. Además, los insectos, los peces y los anfibios pueden replicar las células neurales durante toda la vida. Se pensaba que una excepción a esta regla de autorreparación y crecimiento continuo era el cerebro y la médula espinal de los mamíferos. De hecho, debido a que sabíamos que la microglía, los astrocitos y los oligodendrocitos normalmente se dividen en el adulto y responden a la lesión dividiéndose, solo las neuronas se consideraban refractarias a la replicación. Ahora sabemos que esta limitación aceptada durante mucho tiempo no es del todo cierta, porque hay dos áreas bastante discretas del cerebro, la circunvolución dentada de la formación del hipocampo y la zona subventricular y su proyección a través de la corriente migratoria rostral al bulbo olfatorio, que puede generar nuevas neuronas. https://www.jneurosci.org/content/22/3/612

La plasticidad es la capacidad del cerebro para cambiar y adaptarse a nueva información. La plasticidad sináptica es el cambio que ocurre en las sinapsis, las uniones entre las neuronas que les permiten comunicarse.

La idea de que las sinapsis pueden cambiar, y que este cambio depende de cuán activas o inactivas estén, fue propuesta por primera vez en 1949 por el psicólogo canadiense Donald Hebb. Debido a la probable contribución de la plasticidad sináptica al almacenamiento de la memoria, desde entonces se ha convertido en uno de los temas más intensamente investigados en toda la neurociencia.

¿Cuál es la función de la plasticidad sináptica?

La plasticidad sináptica controla la eficacia con la que dos neuronas se comunican entre sí. La fuerza de la comunicación entre dos sinapsis se puede comparar con el volumen de una conversación. Cuando las neuronas hablan, lo hacen en diferentes volúmenes: algunas neuronas susurran entre sí mientras que otras gritan. La configuración del volumen de la sinapsis, o la fuerza sináptica, no es estática, sino que puede cambiar tanto a corto como a largo plazo. La plasticidad sináptica se refiere a estos cambios en la fuerza sináptica. https://qbi.uq.edu.au/brain-basics/brain/brain-physiology/what-synaptic-plasticity