Christian Phrenology: A Guide to Self-Knowledge

by Joseph Bunney

Situated in the middle of the coronal region of the brain; gives an innate disposition to religious truth; a veneration for things sacred; belief in the word of God, and hope in Christ Jesus; it is this innate principle that bids the savage bow down to stocks and stones, to graven idols, and the works of his own hands; it is this that inspires the missionaries of God’s word, and leads others to bestow their wealth in furthering the good cause; and to pray for the time when the “knowledge of the Lord shall cover the earth, as the waters cover the sea;” when abused, this organ leads to superstition, an undue reverence for the material portion of Christianity, to the depreciation of the spiritual, thus producing fanaticism, fear, and mystery; this organ requires to be guided by conscientiousness, and the light of God’s word, as the only true guide to religion, as composed of its elements, Faith, Hope and Charity.

35. Hope.

The organ of Hope lies on each side of Veneration; the mental faculty being altogether different from desire, led phrenologists to seek for a primitive organ, and thus the faculty has been identified with this portion of the brain. In well formed characters, this faculty leads to sanguine expectation in the goodness of God, it produces the blessed hope of everlasting life, the perfect love that casteth out fear, through hope and belief in Christ; it gives confidence in all undertakings commenced and carried on in a Christian spirit; it is the true staff of moral and religous courage, buoying up the soul amid the darkest terrors of distress or desolation. Hope supports Faith, and perfects Charity, since without it, the religion of man would be dark, gloomy, and desponding; in abuse, the faculty is directed to hopes of this world only; it creates too sanguine expectations, leading to disappointment that is often the bitter but wholesome fruit of experience; it often leads to vain and foolish speculations, and sometimes to want of exertion from a hope of good happening; “hope deferred maketh the heart sick.” When in unity with faith, benevolence, and the higher sentiments, it is productive of Theosophy, the knowledge of God from his works of love, and by a warm hope of everlasting life, leads men to subdue the lusts of the flesh, to be humble in their own wisdom, and to hope for the accomplishment of the great promise, “to be heirs of glory, and joint heirs with Jesus Christ.”

36. Benevolence.

Benevolence is the noblest sentiment that man is enabled fully to exercise: it is in the coronal bone, central and immediately before the fontanel, it produces the generous and forgiving Christian, and the faculty is always delighted in doing good, and in ministering to the happiness of others; it compassionates distress, communicating a warmth of generous feeling that overcomes acquisitiveness and selfishness: it disposes to mildness of disposition, general kindness, charity, sympathy and love; it is the foundation of Christian charity and tends to relieve the wants and necessities of others. The higher sentiment is that of charity to the weaknesses of others, and a due regard to their opinions and errors; if too freely exercised it becomes abused that is, it inclines to generous extravagance, and alms-giving without regard to necessity in the object; it may thus be used to effect injustice to others, and although one of the noblest virtues of the human character it is useless unless exercised in a right way: for as St. Paul says—“though I give all my goods to feed the poor, and my body to be burned, and have not Charity, it profiteth me nothing.”

37. Self Esteem.

Self Esteem rightly exercised confers self respect, a due regard to rank or station, and induces confidence in one’s own abilities; the organ is placed just at the top or crown of the head. When exercised in a right way, it imparts a degree of self-satisfaction, and enables us to apply our powers to the best advantage in whatever station we are placed; it leads to self esteem, so that the individual contemns every action that is base and unworthy of an exalted mind; it restrains from forming improper connections, and this too when the moral qualities are not sufficient. When the organ is too small, the individual is bashful, has no reliance on himself, and from rating his abilities too low, gets them rated less. When large, it produces egotism, pride, hauteur, and self conceit. Combined with good moral sentiments, it is a valuable organ. In ABUSE it tends to self-love, self-will, and uncharitableness; and towards others contempt, disdain, and tyranny; it is a mortal enemy to Christian love and peace.

38. Love of Approbation.

This faculty regards the opinion that other persons form of us: the organ is situated on each side of Self esteem about half an inch from the lambdoidal suture: it produces the desire of approbation, admiration, praise and fame: it renders us anxious to please those whose approval we esteem, and to excel in whatever pursuit our associates admire. If well balanced by conscientiousness and veneration, it seeks the approval of the Great Judge of all things, by becoming worthy of eternal life: a due endowment is indispensable to an amiable character. In ABUSE it tends to vanity, a thirst for praise and flattery, a dread of the world’s opinion, and a too easy giving way to the ways of the world to obtain the applause of the worthless;—the faculty is cultivated by the system of rewards for merit offered in youth,—it is not often the abstract value of the object so much as the approbation of those who know us. This organ causes bashfulness or Mauvaise Honte, and produces the fear of doing wrong, which it often originates by over anxiety to do well; it requires to be closely watched, as it leads to envy, one of the most subtle and dangerous passions, that afflict man in his fallen state; it stirs up the animal propensities and the earthly affections, overcoming the superior sentiments; the man who endeavours to seek the applause of others should remember that his Redeemer said, “And whosoever of you be the chief, let him be the servant of all.” The faculty requires to be cultivated and regulated by conscientiousness, guided by the understanding to seek the applause of the good, and influenced by the spirit to seek the applause that is all in all to the christian, “Well done thou good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.”