A fascinating article follows from BigThink, a wonderful source of intelligence, information and imagination. When you've finished enjoying it, please return to this page for some (in)famous last words. We'll wait.
Is The Human Brain Hardwired for God?
Why do we care whether or not God exists? And why do so many people believe? A new generation of neuroscientists is addressing those questions directly, with the ambitious goal of measuring what happens to the human brain during spiritual experiences. Dr. Andrew Newberg is the Director of Research at the Myrna Brind Center for Integrative Medicine and a pioneer in the field of neurotheology. He's studied the brains of Franciscan nuns during prayer, Tibetan monks during meditation, and Pentecostals speaking in tongues in his lab. His surprising finding -- belief is not as invisible as it seems. Read »
My personal opinion is that the Human Brain is not hardwired for God, per se, but that it is hardwired for a connection to a greater consciousness -- perhaps a spiritual awareness, perhaps a certain type of perception-altering experience, or perhaps to the Collective Mind, where we, as individuals, become holons, or complete cells which are self-contained components of a much greater, multi-dimensional consciousness or massive mind.
We have a center (or two) anatomically built into our physical brains which would indeed seem to be highly receptive to some greater power. But precisely what the nature of this greater power actually is still seems to be highly subjectively-defined force, depending upon the background and programmed religious and spiritual teachings and beliefs of the person to whom you are posing the question.
In other news, please take a moment and visit a recent post about DISRUPTION THEORY. That should provide enough material to challenge your cranial capacity!
Douglas E Castle for The Braintenance Blog
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