You can read about Dr. Raymond Damadian’s invention of the MRI in the book Gifted Mind. But I think it’s the spiritual aspect of the MRI story that’s most interesting of all. You see, an MRI scan forms a strong magnetic field around the area to be imaged. This excites the hydrogen atoms. These excited vibrating hydrogen atoms emit radio waves, and a contrast between normal and diseased tissues occurs because the excited atoms relax back to their “equilibrium state of vibration” at a unique rate depending on whether the tissue is normal or diseased.
In other words, Dr. Damadian found a way to differentiate between the undefiled beauty in creation and the dysfunctional ugliness of disease. In doing so, he highlighted an important creationist principle. At the end of the six creation days, the Bible tells us, “And God saw every thing that He had made, and behold it was very good” (Genesis 1:31a). Later, after Adam and Eve sinned, the world lost its innocence and became marred with imperfection – including disease. Good and bad have separate origins.
Dr. Raymond Damadian was burdened to find a way to medically diagnose between the ugliness of disease and the beauty of the created order. And he discovered a non-invasive total scanning way to do this, capitalizing on the fact that material objects distinguish themselves in an immaterial fashion. In doing so, he came close scientifically to what works spiritually – since we exercise our own spiritual sensitivity to discern between the beautiful and the ugly on a level of the moral, ethical, civil, and even physical.
Just like many Christians, Dr. Damadian was concerned about the increasing ugliness of sin in society. Yet, what we know to be true, just as with the contrast between good and bad tissue in MRI scans, is that God’s eternal Beauty is always available to behold in contrast to the ugly – as we gaze upon and contemplate His truth, His nature, His love, justice, and mercy, through prayer and worship and Scripture meditation. And we can be energized to a refreshing “equilibrium” level of joy and peace and all fruits of the Spirit!
– Mark Cadwallader, Creation Moments Board Chairman
Photo: Girl and MRI machine, Envato.
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