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[Below is the original script. But a few changes may have been made during the recording of this audio podcast.]
One of the popular criticisms of fMRI brain imaging is the tendency for studies to plant flags in the brain. For instance claiming that one area is responsible for religion, and that the so-called “God spot” exists.
Critics say there is more to religious belief than a neural spot, as it involves faith and practice. So wide ranging networks of neurons may behave more like an R&B band, producing numerous melodies, rather than be dedicated solely to one rhythm.
Research published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences seems to support this side. Scientists scanned brains while subjects considered religious statements, one about God in our daily lives, “God’s will guides my family.” Another about God’s decrees, “God demands sacrifices.” And God’s emotions, “God is angered by human sin.”
All three types of statements sparked activity in well-known neural networks that also light up when we consider political beliefs, emotions, as well as abstract concepts, and when we understand others’ intentions.
Will we ever capture the idea of God in the brain? Most question this, after all, how does one find the region of soul in a rhythm and blues band?
—Christie Nicholson
Read more about this study in this 60-Second Science blog post.
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52 Comments
Add CommentWhat a load.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisStudying irrational thought, rationally... interesting, and bound to piss off nearly everyone.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisPeople learning about our stupidity makes us angry and defensive.
This ought to be good.
the think is, if they do find something, the religious fanatics will just clame that god put it their so we would know to worship It, so it realy will not mater, from a religous perspective, if they find anything, but from a scientific perspective it will further our knowledge.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisDoes scanning someone's brain while he's looking at a chair tells us that "chairs are in the brain"?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt's not that simple.
Wow! Kinda gives a whole new meaning to G Spot, huh? WE can no more prove, nor disprove the existence of god, than we can make someone believe, or not believe in it.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAlbert Einstein didn't think that Science, and Religion were really all that much disparate entities, but rather different aspects of the same Universe.
A god spot? I don’t think so. What is likely to be found is something more broad-based that deals with one’s beliefs in general. If there is found to be further refinement in this area, I believe it would be more akin to a gullibility spot. Rather than specifically having to do with a belief in a god, it likely would be related to one’s propensity toward being more gullible in other areas also.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisActually, anyone who has taken a theology class recently knows that it is actually more rational to believe in God, as shown through the Teleological argument. You'll see that in our Post Modern era, scientists admit that we can never know everything about anything, which directly contradicts the Modern era's anthem.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAlso, religion and science go hand in hand and both can testify of a Heavenly Father; however, one can never prove or disprove the existence of God, its impossible.
RE: Where is God? -- God is in ones thought in our brain!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI have always maintained that God is just a thought and memory system in our brain -- please see my seminal book "Gods, Genes, Conscience" (URL links below; see Chapter 5: The Origins of Gods; Chapter 12: Religions and Critical Analysis of Mind; Chapter 13: Afflictions and Remedies of Mind; Chapter 14: Sexuality, Spirituality, and Mind; etc).
Its not surprised that this nice and brief report concludes that "All three types of [God-related] statements [queried] sparked activity in [the] well-known neural networks that also light up when we consider political beliefs, emotions, as well as abstract concepts, and when we understand others intentions."
Best wishes, Mong 3/12/9usct3:37p; author "Decoding Scientism" and "Consciousness & the Subconscious" (works in progress since July 2007), "Gods, Genes, Conscience" (2006: http://www.iuniverse.com/bookstore/book_detail.asp?isbn=0595379907 ) and "Gods, Genes, Conscience: Global Dialogues Now" (blogging avidly since 2006: http://www2.blogger.com/profile/18303146609950569778 ).
"Actually, anyone who has taken a theology class recently knows that it is actually more rational to believe in God, as shown through the Teleological argument."
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWell of course, what did you think you were going to get in a theology class? You're getting a theologists viewpoint of the universe. Take modern philosophy classes and you'll see it's more rational not to believe in anything at all. Take science classes, and you'll see it's more rational to believe in probabilities derived from empirical data gleaned through testable experimentation.
And then, you might be able to stand back and judge what holds more value. ...but you might not, either.
well, obviously to anyone versed in the subject, "direct experience" (a poor term) of god is far different that states of being, religious or not, in that being god is equivalent to not being or beyond being.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisFrom the physcal point of view, however, that seems to correlate to one moment of time where existence ceases and only that which is regardless of of existence (at last in the the way normally considered) is.
But this is debatable: is this "moment" really a moment, or more accurately described as falling into the gap between moments? - The cracks between the pavement of reality.
So one possible experiment would be to wire up a suitable candidate, someone who experiences enlightenment with some regularity and therefore is less likely to be phased by the intrusion of wiring, in a relevant situation, (an enlightenment intensive would probably work best as it it is specifically designed to produce enlightenments, but there are religious equivalents, particularly in Buddhism), and see if their enlightenment has a corresponding activity in the brain.
It must be noted, however that from the perspective of enlightenment it is already and consistently observed that any phenomena that results from such a realisation of what is is unrelated to the enlightenment itself, it would however show the physical effects on the brain of such a (non)event.
It would also open the possibility of answering the enlightened ones question " did I cease to exist for a moment yet here I am or did I simply notice the crack that is always there between moments?"
I believe the latter and probably more enlightenments is the only way to know.
(John1:1-5). Everything in creation is composed of God's Light, Energy, Consciousness and has Innate Intelligence. Our God is a consuming fire and we were made in his image and likeness, spirit sparks from the One Flame. God is in every part of us, there is nowhere that God is not. We are spiritual beings temporarily housed in a physical body. Just as the physical body has organs, our spiritual body has energy centers known in Sanskrit as Chakras. Chakras are step down transformers that step down the high frequency energy vibrations from spirit to matter to nourish our souls and four lower bodies. These 4 bodies are the etheric body (memory), mental body (mind), emotional body (feeling) and physical body. The mind is separate from the brain and uses the computer like brain to help us cognize. That gives us intellectual intelligence. There are 7 major chakras along the spinal column and 144 other chakras. There is one special chakra known as The Secret Chamber of the Heart. Within the hearts of men and women is a sacred space. In the writings of Therese of Avila she described an Interior Castle. Within that castle is a majestic temple or cathedral. On the high altar of that cathedral burns a triune, unfed flame and that flame within our hearts is our "Seat of Authority" our direct connection to the Most High God, the I Am That I Am, or I Am Presence. Jesus said that the Kingdom of God is within us. The flame within our hearts sets us apart from all other parts of the Creation. We are not of the animal evolution. The ancients thought more highly of heart intelligence than of brain intelligence. The heart has as many or more neural connections than the brain. When you know something by heart you know it in all of its nuances. The flame within our hearts is our connection to the Higher Mind also known as The Christ Mind. St Paul admonished us to let that mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus and that he strove with us until Christ be formed in us. The Higher Mind or Christ Mind enables us to do those things that Jesus did and more. Jesus said that these things that I do ye shall do and more because ... when he returned to the Father, he re-established a connection which we long ago broke due to our disobedience and defiance of God when we proclaimed our unworthiness to be God. God in us is worthy to be himself in us. He created us in order to expand his selfawareness of himself (1John 3:2) We are sons and daughters of God destined to become Sons and Daughters of God as demonstrated by Jesus.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisFascinating discussion, thanks to all who have created it. I consider the above remarks do not go nearly far enough. We have not yet reached the implicit assumptions animating the views of both "camps." The 'scientific' approach to life rests on the assumptions of philosophical materialism, i.e. that all of reality exists in the familiar three-dimensional world available first to the physical senses, perception enhanced and extended by ever more sophisticated uses of observation and calculation. That everything is explainable in material terms is a well-respected philosophical position that has been around for many years.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisBy contrast, the many religious world views represent various facets of the conviction that there is more to reality than meets the eye, ears, nose...and even our most elaborate ways of extending perception into the realms of quarks and gluons and the like. This view likewise descends through a long line of great thinkers, beginning perhaps with Plato's philosophical idealism.
This is where the so-called "scientific" and "religious" worldviews meet. Each rests on a set of philosophic assumptions that are not subject to external verification; in other words, "faith." The supposed clash, therefore, is not between science and religion, but rather between the faiths of those who are inwardly convinced that "what you see is what you get," and those who are inwardly convinced "there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy."
Each is a position of faith, adopted in good conscience, by human beings who each are trying to make their way through life. To continue quoting Shakespeare (Hamlet, Act 1, Scene V), " And therefore, as a stranger give it welcome."
bravo!!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisanother example of the old conumdrum-"damn if you do and damn if you don't..."!
all specific settings aside- belief and faith seem hardwired into the brain; perhaps some evolutionary artifact that millions of people find comfort and security in their private personal practice.
the basic platform, in Christianity anyway, seems to be eternal life provided through a surrender toJesus Christ.
simple and direct.
thoses of us who proclaim to be acting in a "Christ like way" are constantly reminded to display love and tolerance toALL people- to treat one another with love and respect, allowing for individual failures and forgiveness.
the "God spot"?-it's in your heart
Papercut yeah! In 2000 Linkin Park had released Hybrid Theory. Buy the album and listen to their first track. It's all about your head plans.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this'E'verytime you do something wrong, the inner face inside your skin(mind) knows that you're wrong but by continue doing it brings 'E'nigma machine....
....always remember the code of an Enigma. MC had said in The Cross of Changes that Eyes of Truth are always watching you, don't play games with your loved ones because enigma code says that man is dream of dol'Fin'....
....some indie rockStars are rolling somewhere in Finland, they had said in 2005 something about Locking up 'The Sun' "in the emptiness there's a solution, just look within yourself for absolution" Just go ogle it to find that out....
...In 2007 Kin Park had said that The Sun will set for you in '2' Minutes to Midnight....there's a 'road to Revolution...'
....in 1968 some golden words were written by Pink Floyd in form of book called a Saucerful of Secrets regarding some mysterious science of cosmic energy and mind power regarding heart of the sun...you have to apply da vinci Code to break it....
....even in some old pagan, Hindu etc etc religions, there's strong recommendation on Sun Worship...the key is to kneel in front of Sun...
....after that comes the code of the Warrior of Light who follows the tradition of the Sun...and Engima in 'Seven Lives' many Faces says similar to follow your inner guide & 'we Are nature'...
I know of some legendary Indian Classical musicians who can bring 'the rain' by their absolute powerful vocals...but again we are not forgetting those eyes of truth & inner voice...
legend says that go green, you'll find more coolness in it... and if you're feeling hot than go under the shade of the green...
Support Music For Relief which is founded by the band members of Linkin Park.... and at last what I wanted to say is to justify yourself against your mind... and you'll find yourself.
-h
"God is in every part of us, there is nowhere that God is not."
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSo, this god of yours is in Hell too, eh?
In other news, there would be no God spot, if people would only wake up from their delusional beliefs in what is only mere mythology. And what about an Allah spot, a Bhudda spot, a religious spot, a DELUSION spot? And finally, to the poster who said you can't prove God doesn't exist, I say unevquivocally that you most certainly can prove beyond any doubt that the historical, traditional, biblical god of christianity cannot possibly exist - there are Way too many logical contradictions.
I think that calling this spot in the brain a "god spot" is a huge disservice to science and people of reason.
Ok, people to know God exists you don't have to seek a region out in the brain. Just look around you, The nature already tells everything you need to know to find out if God exists.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI've looked around me for more than half a century and I still see no god, nor any evidence whatsoever that any god exists! So, do I have a god spot? Perhaps god has a spot of his/her/its own - - but probably not anywhere in This universe. Again I say that this business of a "got spot" is absurd and does nothing to further humanity's advance of reason beyond a logically absurd mythology.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIn my Flying Spaghetti Monster class we came to the conclusion that to believe in the Flying Spaghetti Monster was the only logical choice. The Monster is the only true god, the others are all fake.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt makes sense. I'm surprised at the crudeness of the statements about God, though perhaps any statement would have done. Those sound like something from an Indiana Jones movie: "God cuts out your dripping heart."
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisA more accurate statement might have been "God hates sin, not the sinner" or "God wants the best for me", or even "God died for me".
I'm not a Bible-thumping creationist, but I do lament our society's growing ignorance of and alienation from faith. It is a necessary component in human society.
Reid
"Actually, anyone who has taken a theology class recently knows that it is actually more rational to believe in God, as shown through the Teleological argument."
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHaving graduated from seminary I just want to make it clear that a theology class has very little to do with being rational. The "teleological argument" is far from something that is rational. It takes many preconceived ideas to buy into that premise.
What is more interesting in this research is that religion "sparked activity in well-known neural networks that also light up when we consider political beliefs, emotions, as well as abstract concepts, and when we understand others’ intentions." No wonder politics and religion are universally connected and seem to always be judgmental about "others". Maybe religion is only the rationalization of our internal prejudices. By exploring this connection we may end up with a rational discussion instead of the typical discussion about religion.
They'd better look for the God spott for they will never find the Evulution spott ;)
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisDoes brain washing have an effect in only one area?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisFriends,
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe above comment of mine which is posted on 13th March was my silent dedication to all music creators artists/musicians/bands to whom I follow.
I have also tried to enlighten some mysterious part of that theory by using the resources which are in the form of books. As far as I believe that return word is mankind's greatest achievement. You guys can read first 4 books Sir Paulo Coelho & Sir Dan Brown. After that you will get some ideas regarding some hidden symbols & crypts in it.
I have a mind for simple things. Many humans who will take those courses will feel that it's somehow related to religion. I don't want it to make it complicated so here are some words from Jainism. Atheist can also give some try to decrypt this particular algorithm.
As some of you may have heard that date of 13th on friday considered as one of the most unluckiest days on some calenders.
Now here's the simple maths of it.
13 = 1 + 3 = 4
Now enlarge this '4' in your mind.
- After that change some angles, you should find the symbol of invisible triangle on the base and there's another reverse triangle in upward direction. It's one the most contemporary quest of your life. If you are able to understand that logic than everything's very simple.
If we talk about the alphabet 'E', here you can add some another invisible pillar or curve or you can remove any of the pillar. Numerically it can make 0, H, B etc. Symbol enthus can interpret it as a bridge or locked door or anything which comes in your mind.
Now if we talk about 2nd alphabet 'X' than again, we are back on the same contemporary ride of an ancient wisdom.
'J' is the alphabet which can represent U or Umbrella or Underground or whatever else comes in your mind. You have to dig very deeper to break all the codes of Jainism . Because currently there 24 gods(tirthankars) in it.
(One fact, there's one female tirthankar in all 24 tirthankars)
The main quest in J is the 'Tradition of Omniscience'.
Now 2 + 4 = 6. I think 6 is the magic number.
And if we talk about the week days than Friday starts with one of the most widely used word F. Here again, it all depends up on interpretation of that word inside your head plans.
If we add '1' in front of '4' than it makes 14. So what 1 symbolizes?
Now I'll try to keep it down.
Understanding the philosophy of 'language of the world' is self-enlightenment. I'm not that religious especially in following their strict principles but I always got awareness from some mystic force from within to understand the soul of the world.
-h
While I am sure your book is full of merit, it perhaps isn't too seemly for you yourself to describe it as "seminal". That is surely for the future to decide...
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisConsidering that God is simply the dynamic energy that formed and expands the universe nullifies this kind of research.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisConsidering God is the dynamic energy that formed and expands the universe nullifies this kind of research.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMy current philosophy classes have not actually led me to that conclusion, but I'll take your word for it. Empirical data has proved to be some of the least reliable information given that the brain fabricates data between the gaps that our senses miss, and besides, only 0.051% of all matter is visible to humans. So empirically derived data is oozing with flaws, and relying solely upon scientific method for knowledge appears to be less rational than being open to a religious belief. And as for this study, this doesn't in any way show that God is made up in our minds, and I'm sure you believe that all of us who claim to have personal mystic beliefs are simply irrational or insane, which is more that 70% of the world.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI have always stated to people that have faith in god...god did not make man...Man made god!!!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI have always stated to people that have faith in god...god did not make man....man made god......when we die we fall like a leaf from a tree....spring comes and brings new life...hence another new leaf... when we die we crubble up like the leaf that falls from the tree...hey thats not to bad for me....
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI state this is paradise....so make the most of it...The earth we live on is paradise...there is no other.
i respect the views of people with faith in god, I also want people to respect my belief...
I state there is no god, never has been...great story though and it aids comfort to so many people...thats o.k. with me.
My belief is in Man/Women kind
Mike...from New Zealand
That is correct. God is in every part of you, He is your breath and very heartbeat. Even in the pit of hell, God is there, you are never alone.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThere are 33 levels of the etheric plane (heaven) the 33rd level being the highest just before ascending to the ascended realms. And there are 33 levels of the astral plane (hell), the 33rd level being the bottomless pit of hell.
The soul has two choices, to be or not to be. The soul is the non-permanent part of God that can be made permanent when the soul is fused to God in the ritual of the ascension. The soul has been evolving for eons. There is an allotment of time and space for the soul to put on an identity. Each of us has a divine blueprint and plan that we are meant to fulfill. This is how God expands his self-awareness of himself through us. But, we are not robots. He gave us freewill and He does does not interfere in our affairs unless he is commanded by us to do so, it is a law of octaves. The angels and hosts of heaven are there waiting for mankind to ask for their help.
The laws of karma and re-incarnation are the means by which we learn the result of our use and mis-use of God's energy which flows to us continuously over the Crystal Cord or River of Life. We are co-creators with God. We created all of the ills that befall us as the law of karma returns to us our misqualified energy for balancing.
If we stubbornly refuse to play our role in the creation, balance our karma, fulfill our divine plan, reason and purpose, balance and expand the threefold flame in our hearts and ascend back to God as immortal Sons and Daughters of God, then there is an alternative. That alternative is called the Second Death which takes place at the Court of the Sacred Fire on the God Star Sirius. The soul and all of its energy and consciousness are cancelled out and are recyled back to God. Either way everything goes back to God eventually.
There is only one God. The various names of God: Yaweh, I Am That I Am, Elohim, Adonai, El Shadai, Allah, Brahman, the Tao, etc. are an energy signature, a frequency by which can gain an understanding in these finite planes of the infinity of God. Unfortunately there are false brethren crept in unawares, blind leaders of the blind, who strain at a gnat but swallow a camel, who follow the letter of the law but know not the spirit of the law, who themselves enter not in yet prevent others from entering in, hippocrites. They rail and preach what they know not and turn God's children from Him. God is not mocked.
It is not "God" that we will ever find in a brain scanning, no matter how sophisticated our technology becomes. But there are areas of the brain where activity increases when we face the anguish of the inevitability of death and suffering, and I believe these areas help us to compensate the loss of homeostasis provoked by such fears by means of the creation of ideas of trascendence, love, meaning, beauty, magnificence, etc., ... the ideas that make us feel that in spite of all, life is worth it, even if limited in time... Otherwise, life would be unbearable. But that is no proof that God exists. Being myself a proud atheist, I can appreciate the meaning and importance of religion as a space where we, human beings, have been creating ethics as a way of protecting life and collective wellbeing. Sometimes religion has promoted cruelty and ignorance, it is true. We the atheists can do the same: promote ethics or do the opposite. That is a matter of free will. But we do so without the hypothesis of the existance of a God. The brain will most probably be triggered into activity at the same spots, when confronted with ethical issues, for believers and nonbelievers.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSeparating the g-spot from the G-spot is a not a matter of centimeters, it is the same process of learned behavior and the repeated satisfaction that turns conviction into belief.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWe have inherited a strategic algorithm that tells us that some of nature's forces may be purposeful, so that we will consider which of those might be directed at us for a reason, and which to appease just to be on the safe side.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhat to appease and why became the basis of our various mythological formations. So far, we still haven't found the right formula for diffusing nature's ire, but don't tell that to the fundies.
The human is wired to belong to groups. It helped us survive in the distant past. Every group regardless of where they are in the world has a culture, set of rules, a language, rituals and a religion which was originally a philosophy/science to explain things. They are all bound together.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisEven without the religious aspect we have men's clubs, motorcycle clubs, girl guides and scouts etc.
I'm not sure how we rid ourselves of the destructive parts of this trait which seems to keep wars going across the globe, each faction thinking God is on their side.
Wayne Jones
god doesn't play my guitar, I do
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI really like the articles on Siam but the forums are a completely different matter. I don't know why so many nut jobs are attracted to his site when they clearly have no interest in science.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI don't think its possible or rational to spot God in mind.. God is in the soul and belief. I believe on one God, if i read my mind and rational then somehow its negate God, but if i listen to my heart and soul then i feel nearer to God. Its in my breath, beat of heart , my pulse..
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisYou mean the "Teleological fallacy", didn't you?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI've been openly mocking all of the gods and their followers daily for almost 30 years now. Still waiting for one of them to show up and make any kind of deal about it.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisContemplating God proves nothing. As with Einstein's anomaly in quantum
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thismechanics or the existence of dark matter, it is beyond our capability to understand, and it might just be God itself that we can't see.We have a long way to go before being gifted with that info, but it's fun watching the monkeys clammer about the tree of understanding. God help us if we find out while we're still barbarians. -Mojo
"Actually, anyone who has taken a theology class recently knows that it is actually more rational to believe in God, as shown through the Teleological argument... one can never prove or disprove the existence of God, its impossible." Sure. However the argument is usually about much more specific claims made by world religions i.e. a God answering prayer, having a moral sense etc.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt is impossible to prove the existence of God. Evolution is now a fully proven Theory, thanks to genetic study. So if you beleive in God, that does not mean to say you are not a pongid ape, with primate behaviour and thought patterns. Most religions have evolved little over time, and are destined be eliminated by natural selection in favour of rational thought systems. Mankind needs clear-thinking voters and politicians as survival is becoming a very complex and critical issue for our species.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisTo eco-steve and others. It is important to not confuse religion with spirituality. The word religion comes from the Latin root religio or religo meaning to bind, especially to what is perceived as a higher power, usually by the practice of certain tenets of a doctrine or dogma. It is there as a guide to tutor souls who have not yet fully established their personal reconnection to the Godhead. The problem is that those who also do not have that connection try to interpret the Master's original intent and don't always do a very good job of it. Before mass production of books it was easy for misinterpretation, misconceptions and other errors to become part of the doctrine. Jesus taught the laws of karma and reincarnation. But people used that as an excuse to not do the right thing saying they will do it in another life. The church decided to remove that teaching from doctrine. St Paul rhetorically asked, "Are ye so foolish, having begun in the spirit are ye now made perfect in the flesh?" We are spiritual beings temporarily housed in "viels of flesh". Our souls have been evolving for eons. Evolution is God's plan. He does create a "full blown" angel or man or other cosmic being. Through millions of years of trial and error the soul puts on layers of consciousness and mastery much like a pearl puts on layers of patine over a grain of sand. The soul has total power and control over it's own evolution. There are guides and teachers that are sent but no one forces the soul to attend school or to make the connection within their own hearts. Free will is supreme. It is an inviolate law that even God himself will not break. If you want help it is there but you have to ask, nay you have to DEMAND it with fervor and constancy. You have to be the loudest bird in the nest. Be persistent. Seek and ye shall find, ask and ye shall receive, knock and the door will be opened to you. Trouble is most give up before the answer comes. You don't chop down a mighty oak with one blow of the ax. If you go to the librarian with a question, then leave before you get an answer is it the librarians fault? People like to blame God for the misfortunes that are only the result of their own returning karma, karma that they may have created several lifetimes ago. Karma also returns to us blessings for the good we have done. If you don't like the result change your attitude and what you are doing, it is your fault not God's. Knock your head against the wall if you want, God will not stop you, but its your headache.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisExcuse me. In my previous comment I left out the "not" as in God does not create a "full blown" man or angel or cosmic being.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe questions are unenlightening. The God-spot, be there such, is the sum of all. We exist, by unavoidability, within all. Perhaps the brain mirrors nature such that we sometimes perceive such a unified state.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisUnlikely that the questions asked would illustrate such a case.
When will the enlightened group realize that purporting a non-belief in God requires just as much faith as a belief in God? Neither belief is more intellectually sound than the other. A truely honest and fully enlightened person would tend towards Agnostic and realize what we know to be true at this point in our childish 'Scientific' unstanding of the universe...God is possible.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAs well, this study proves nothing of real value. Speaking of God or thinking of God activites certain neural patterns in certain regions of the brain. Would we not expect as much? There are more fundamental and important questions that go unanswered and unmentioned. What precedes the measured neural activity? What is the source of thought from which detected brain activity is measured and seen? How are thoughts of God developed or even possible? What is the source?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisRE: Where are the thoughts of God coming from!?
Fmascare at 07:20 PM on 03/20/09: "What precedes the measured neural activity? What is the source of thought from which detected brain activity is measured and seen? How are thoughts of God developed or even possible? What is the source?"
I thought these are legitimate and sharp questions and observations -- ones that I have had researched and analyzed elsewhere, in my 2006 book "Gods, Genes, Conscience" (URL links below).
Briefly, these questions and observations of the intricate and dynamic brain-mind interactions require a new formulation of the Theory of Mind -- or God as a thought theory to be more scientifically and philosophically defined -- as one which must now incorporate all the more delicate mechanisms of our "thought and memory" systems in our brain; and one that has had been extensively and empirically characterized, localized, and defined as "memophorescenicity" as the brain-mind quantum panorama of our consciousness, in my seminal book "Gods, Genes, Conscience" (please see Chapter 5: The Origins of Gods; and Chapter 15: The Universal Theory of Mind, in general; and Chapter 15.4: Memory Modulation and Recall: A New Hypothesis of Psychic Imagery, Perceptivity, Creativity, and Reflectivity, in particular).
Best wishes, Mong 3/22/9usct2:34p; author "Decoding Scientism" and "Consciousness & the Subconscious" (works in progress since July 2007), "Gods, Genes, Conscience" (2006: http://www.iuniverse.com/bookstore/book_detail.asp?isbn=0595379907 ) and "Gods, Genes, Conscience: Global Dialogues Now" (blogging avidly since 2006: http://www2.blogger.com/profile/18303146609950569778 ).
See these old verses (or prayer, if you believe):
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisTHE EYE OF GOD
The eye of God is on us by day,
On us at night, on us at play,
On us when sick, on us when sad,
On us when good, on us when bad.
On when we eat, or sit, or talk,
On when we run, or only walk,
On when we laugh, on when we cry,
On us on earth or up in the sky.
That is it!
It is not possible localize god (without capital letter? Oh heavens!) in ours brains?
Oh,the science and its researches! God is like a melody in ours brains? Incredible!
I have for me that AGNOSTICISM is the more convenient position that a human being can have in face of life. In my opinion preferable than the beliefs of the religions or the certitudes of atheism.
Like an AGNOSTIC I believe that religion is based in fables (obviously invented), but that bring to us very vivid emotions. The verses above are capable of transported me to a world (only a sensation?) where God (god?) really exist (indeed?)!
The Teleological Argument is based on a logical fallacy in that it presupposes that randomness cannot lead to complexity. It also assumes that there are only two options, accident or creation by a sentient being.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAny person thinking rationally cannot give any credibility to a God that is purely & simply a conceive of the ignorant & apprehensive minds of early Man.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisFrom Witch-Doctors and Sorcerers of old to the Archbishops and Ayatollahs of today, erudite IMPOSTORS have used their dominant & deceitful acumen to charm the naive to wander in an unreal ‘Spiritual Wonderland’ that is totally unworthy of any HONEST contemplation.
It takes very little intelligence to understand the initiation of God-belief & the way it has been used to further reputations.
High time we all grew up & got the message that ALL gods are but Man-made products. Everyone is infected with an imaginative ‘Spiritual’ tendency, sentimentally induced, that is ‘merely’ the natural wonderment of our existence & surroundings.
‘Heavenly’ visions need to be truly assessed & not allowed to sabotage the prevalent common sense & research that seeks to counter Life’s ongoing problems. Unrealistic Man-made ‘beliefs’ are a basic cause of mayhem & mortality of the past & continues to exert it’s deleterious effects to the present day.
As the sponge-like mind of an infant readily absorbs info, authentic or fallacious, the teaching of the necessary basics of life should emphasize the follies of illogical & delusory religions – Strongly.
Let’s dump ALL of this sheer HUMBUG. No one is listening to our prayers. Life is controlled by natural forces, of which our own input is an essential part.
Do not stray into the transcendental. That path only leads to fantasyland.
When we depart this life, we all end up from whence we came – OBLIVION. Individual consciousness is gone for good. You were unique. Do not be misled by impostors.
Preachers pontificate on a subject so ‘Holey’, it is artlessly transparent. Visualise it’s benighted origins & it’s quite obvious that the early human mind was bound to generate mythological imagery of an Elysian nature & from there, receptive, fanciful & PREDACIOUS minds took over.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this‘Beliefs’ were surely born of ignorance & fear of the unknown! With this realization, why can’t we all recognize simple basic facts & treat all ‘Faiths’ of today as ever they really were –
Dogmatic preservations of irrational early thought - Pure Phantasmic Godswallop!
The Rt Rev Fred Flintstone & his equally-misguided confederates of other ‘Faiths’ should have dug themselves out of the Stone-age long long ago!
The past is unveiled thro time!
Of necessity, we must PROFIT from it! - Not PERPETUATE it! - - - - A M E N
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