Science & Scripture · Medicine

A person's moral character can be determined by examining their kidneys.

Medicine 97 passages in this field

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The cited passage

What current science says

Kidneys are filtration organs. Their job is to remove waste products from your blood, regulate fluid balance, and produce urine. They contain zero neurons and play no role in thought, emotion, morality, or decision-making. Your moral character lives in your brain — specifically in regions like the prefrontal cortex (judgment), the amygdala (emotion), and the anterior cingulate cortex (empathy). Examining someone's kidneys for moral insight would be about as useful as checking their elbows for math skills.

What the text says

This comes from Psalms 7:9. The text says 'the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins' — where 'reins' is the archaic English word for kidneys. Ancient Hebrews believed kidneys were the seat of conscience and moral judgment.

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