Posted by habbyshabit on September 4, 2003, at 22:35:39
In reply to re: neurotheology » Liligoth, posted by lil' jimi on September 4, 2003, at 21:47:52
Hey Jimbo,
I'd vote for this being on the faith board too. Surprised by Dr. Bob's response. Oh well, You sure are getting more replies then if it had been on faith. There is more then one way to get the "word" out, eh?
The following are the pargraphs from that long article that pretty much said it all for me. So for those who didn't read the link - here is the short of it.
"Remembrances of pies past (Grandma's kitchen, the corner bake shop ...) activate association cortices. A neuroscientist with too much time on his hands could undoubtedly produce a PET scan of "your brain on apple pie." But that does not negate the reality of the pie. "The fact that spiritual experiences can be associated with distinct neural activity does not necessarily mean that such experiences are mere neurological illusions," Newberg insists. "It's no safer to say that spiritual urges and sensations are caused by brain activity than it is to say that the neurological changes through which we experience the pleasure of eating an apple cause the apple to exist.""The bottom line, he says, is that "there is no way to determine whether the neurological changes associated with spiritual experience mean that the brain is causing those experiences ... or is instead perceiving a spiritual reality."
"Those most open to mystical experience tend also to be open to new experiences generally. They are usually creative and innovative, with a breadth of interests and a tolerance for ambiguity (as determined by questionnaire)."
"it is likely that they will never resolve the greatest question of all-namely, whether our brain wiring creates God, or whether God created our brain wiring. Which you believe is, in the end, a matter of faith."Or, as in my case - a lack of faith!
Thanks for that link Jim, it was fascinating.Hab
poster:habbyshabit
thread:256893
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20030829/msgs/257124.html