Article June 24, 1996 Issue

No "replacement therapy" for perfection

Candace H. Berschauer

Hormone -replacement therapy for women has gained popularity in medical circles as a deterrent to the effects that are said to follow the onset of menopause. In fact, according to Time magazine, estrogen is now America's number one drug (June 26, 1995). Its wide use is due to its reputation as the new "elixir of youth." Side effects, however, present a degree of risk that must be considered. Men also face challenges associated with aging, and here, too, there are no easy solutions. Is there another way that is both safe and effective?

If we view ourselves and others as mere physical beings, as pieces of machinery that must eventually wear out, we face the dilemma of choosing the course of action that will best prolong the life of this fleshly equipment with the least risk associated. Educational systems favor this material model of man as substantial; but it is really only substantial to the physical senses, which these same systems admit to be fallible.

On the other hand, if we look to a completely different model of who we truly are, the spiritual model that Christ Jesus so clearly exemplified, then physical cycles and mental or physical decline are seen to be powerless to affect the real life of God's creation. The Bible shows that we are made in the likeness of God. Since God is Spirit, His likeness is spiritual, not material. The Bible also tells of people who overcame the effects of aging. Sarah, for example, gave birth long after the usual childbearing years. Hannah's barrenness was filled with the joy of giving birth to a son. Moses and Joshua both exhibited a strength and vigor far beyond the limits that age would impose. The Bible declares that Moses "was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated" (Deut. 34:7).

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