Scientific Study of Religion

[Procrustes Stretched]

Scientific Study of Religion: "Can the same basic circuitry produce Mother Teresa and the Sept. 11 hijacker Mohamed Atta?" --- "If so, how? To approach even speculative answers to such questions, the researchers have to capture what goes on in the brain of a believer during a religious moment.'

... Who would protest this and why? Would it be only the haters -- the haters who truly believe they are different than their perceived enemies? Will it include others with agendas both hidden and unhidden?

"I think some people worry that we're biologizing the religious response … that that will demystify it or make it somehow less important," said Anderson, who was raised Mormon but left the church a decade ago.

There are plenty who would relish any data that support the idea that God is all in the mind. But Korenberg and Anderson aren't looking for how people come to believe in a supernatural being. They want to know what happens once they do believe.


...

Until now, Korenberg and Anderson have done what medical researchers do — studied abnormalities. She has spent 15 years investigating the neurochemical and genetic roots of Williams syndrome, an obscure brain abnormality somewhat like the inverse of autism; it causes people to become hypersocial but befuddled by simple objects. They have extreme emotional reactions to music, akin to religious ecstasy.​

 

[Procrustes Stretched]

Interesting thread form last year:

The God spots revealed: Scientists find areas of the brain responsible for spirituality

By Daily Mail Reporter
PUBLISHED: 06:15 GMT, 21 April 2012 | UPDATED: 06:57 GMT, 21 April 2012

Scientists have speculated for years that the human brain features a 'God spot,' one distinct area of the brain responsible for spirituality.

Now, University of Missouri researchers have completed research that indicates spirituality is a complex phenomenon and that multiple areas of the brain are responsible for the many aspects of spiritual experiences.

Based on a previously published study that indicated spiritual transcendence is associated with decreased right parietal lobe functioning, Missouri University (MU) researchers replicated their findings. In addition, the researchers determined that other aspects of spiritual functioning are related to increased activity in the frontal lobe.

'We have found a neuropsychological basis for spirituality, but it’s not isolated to one specific area of the brain,' said Brick Johnstone, professor of health psychology in the School of Health Professions.

'Spirituality is a much more dynamic concept that uses many parts of the brain.'

'Certain parts of the brain play more predominant roles, but they all work together to facilitate individuals’ spiritual experiences.'

In the most recent study, Johnstone studied 20 people with traumatic brain injuries affecting the right parietal lobe, the area of the brain situated a few inches above the right ear.

He surveyed participants on characteristics of spirituality, such as how close they felt to a higher power and if they felt their lives were part of a divine plan.

He found that the participants with more significant injury to their right parietal lobe showed an increased feeling of closeness to a higher power.

'Neuropsychology researchers consistently have shown that impairment on the right side of the brain decreases one’s focus on the self,' said Johnstone.

'Since our research shows that people with this impairment are more spiritual, this suggests spiritual experiences are associated with a decreased focus on the self.

'This is is consistent with many religious texts that suggest people should concentrate on the well-being of others rather than on themselves.'

Johnstone says the right side of the brain is associated with self-orientation, whereas the left side is associated with how individuals relate to others.

Although Johnstone studied people with brain injury, previous studies of Buddhist meditators and Franciscan nuns with normal brain function have shown that people can learn to minimize the functioning of the right side of their brains to increase their spiritual connections during meditation and prayer.

In addition, Johnstone measured the frequency of participants’ religious practices, such as how often they attended church or listened to religious programs.

He measured activity in the frontal lobe and found a correlation between increased activity in this part of the brain and increased participation in religious practices.

The research indicated that there are all kinds of spiritual experiences that Christians might call closeness to God and atheists might call an awareness of themselves.

'This finding indicates that spiritual experiences are likely associated with different parts of the brain,” said Johnstone.

Spirituality exists across the whole brain | Mail Online

Scientists find areas of brain responsible for spirituality... US Message Board - Political Discussion Forum

...and more interesting to Dante is 'what a difference a year makes'

Neuroscientist Mario Beauregard of the University of Arizona is writing a book criticizing the scientific belief that there eventually will be a material explanation for everything. His work helped disprove earlier studies that purported to find a "God spot" in the brain.

"There really is no such thing," said Michael Inzlicht, a psychologist at the University of Toronto who also has studied religion's effect on the brain. "Thinking of God could maybe activate certain spots of the brain, but they weren't evolved for that purpose. They have evolved for some other reason and have been co-opted for religious cognition."

Most neuroscientists have long since abandoned any search for a "God spot," and settled on delving deeper into networks involving attention, salience, self-reflection, emotion and other functions.

Scientists seek religious experience ndash in subjects apos brains - LA Times​

 

[Asclepias]

Once upon a time my people believed in the joint existence of religion and science.

 

[Uncensored2008]

Once upon a time my people believed in the joint existence of religion and science.

"Your people?" You mean "imbeciles in the asylum?"

 

[Asclepias]

Once upon a time my people believed in the joint existence of religion and science.

"Your people?" You mean "imbeciles in the asylum?"

No. "Imbeciles in the asylum" are your people. My people were the Ethiopians, Egyptians, Dogons, and the empires of West Africa.

 

[Procrustes Stretched]

Once upon a time my people believed in the joint existence of religion and science.

The science of today has no problem with religion per se. It has a problem with religion based on the experiences of ignorant people who lived thousands of years ago

 

[Procrustes Stretched]

Once upon a time my people believed in the joint existence of religion and science.

"Your people?" You mean "imbeciles in the asylum?"

No. "Imbeciles in the asylum" are your people. My people were the Ethiopians, Egyptians, Dogons, and the empires of West Africa.

you're people? what possible connections could you possibly have to them except maybe a water downed blood line ?

 

[Uncensored2008]

No. "Imbeciles in the asylum" are your people. My people were the Ethiopians, Egyptians, Dogons, and the empires of West Africa.

Funny, I doubt they would claim you.

But imbeciles in the asylum recognize you as one of their own...

 

[Asclepias]

No. "Imbeciles in the asylum" are your people. My people were the Ethiopians, Egyptians, Dogons, and the empires of West Africa.

Funny, I doubt they would claim you.

But imbeciles in the asylum recognize you as one of their own...

Doesnt matter what you doubt. Either way, I claim them is all that matters.

I believe you that imbeciles recognize you as one of their own.

 

[Asclepias]

Once upon a time my people believed in the joint existence of religion and science.

"Your people?" You mean "imbeciles in the asylum?"

No. "Imbeciles in the asylum" are your people. My people were the Ethiopians, Egyptians, Dogons, and the empires of West Africa.

you're people? what possible connections could you possibly have to them except maybe a water downed blood line ?

Genetics and way of thinking.

 

[Uncensored2008]

Doesnt matter what you doubt. Either way, I claim them is all that matters.

I believe you that imbeciles recognize you as one of their own.

You claim to be sentient, but your claims don't mesh with reality.

 

[Asclepias]

Doesnt matter what you doubt. Either way, I claim them is all that matters.

I believe you that imbeciles recognize you as one of their own.

You claim to be sentient, but your claims don't mesh with reality.

I dont claim to be sentient. Its self evident. You must be like the other low IQ people that dont understand that in order to type this sentence i would have to be sentient.

 

[Uncensored2008]

[
I dont claim to be sentient. Its self evident. You must be like the other low IQ people that dont understand that in order to type this sentence i would have to be sentient.

Nonsense. you are most likely an artificial stupidity routine written in basic by a frustrated 13 year old.

 

[Asclepias]

[
I dont claim to be sentient. Its self evident. You must be like the other low IQ people that dont understand that in order to type this sentence i would have to be sentient.

Nonsense. you are most likely an artificial stupidity routine written in basic by a frustrated 13 year old.

If that helps you deal with your cognitive dissonance I give you permission to think that.

 

[Procrustes Stretched]

Once upon a time my people believed in the joint existence of religion and science.

"Your people?" You mean "imbeciles in the asylum?"

No. "Imbeciles in the asylum" are your people. My people were the Ethiopians, Egyptians, Dogons, and the empires of West Africa.

you're people? what possible connections could you possibly have to them except maybe a water downed blood line ?

Genetics and way of thinking.

do you actually know anything about genetics? and ways of thinking evolve too. you're not living centuries ago

give it up

 

[Asclepias]

Once upon a time my people believed in the joint existence of religion and science.

"Your people?" You mean "imbeciles in the asylum?"

No. "Imbeciles in the asylum" are your people. My people were the Ethiopians, Egyptians, Dogons, and the empires of West Africa.

you're people? what possible connections could you possibly have to them except maybe a water downed blood line ?

Genetics and way of thinking.

do you actually know anything about genetics? and ways of thinking evolve too. you're not living centuries ago

give it up

I dont use words I dont know the meaning of. Evidently you dont know what genetics is. Ways of thinking evolve but some ways are time tested and remain true no matter what. Blacks inhabited this earth for multiple millennium,and learned this easy to understand concept.

 

[Procrustes Stretched]

"Your people?" You mean "imbeciles in the asylum?"

No. "Imbeciles in the asylum" are your people. My people were the Ethiopians, Egyptians, Dogons, and the empires of West Africa.

you're people? what possible connections could you possibly have to them except maybe a water downed blood line ?

Genetics and way of thinking.

do you actually know anything about genetics? and ways of thinking evolve too. you're not living centuries ago

give it up

I dont use words I dont know the meaning of. Evidently you dont know what genetics is. Ways of thinking evolve but some ways are time tested and remain true no matter what. Blacks inhabited this earth for multiple millennium,and learned this easy to understand concept.

there is no race gene. Look it up

next

 

[Asclepias]

No. "Imbeciles in the asylum" are your people. My people were the Ethiopians, Egyptians, Dogons, and the empires of West Africa.

you're people? what possible connections could you possibly have to them except maybe a water downed blood line ?

Genetics and way of thinking.

do you actually know anything about genetics? and ways of thinking evolve too. you're not living centuries ago

give it up

I dont use words I dont know the meaning of. Evidently you dont know what genetics is. Ways of thinking evolve but some ways are time tested and remain true no matter what. Blacks inhabited this earth for multiple millennium,and learned this easy to understand concept.

there is no race gene. Look it up

next

Who said there was a race gene?

 

[Procrustes Stretched]

you're people? what possible connections could you possibly have to them except maybe a water downed blood line ?

Genetics and way of thinking.

do you actually know anything about genetics? and ways of thinking evolve too. you're not living centuries ago

give it up

I dont use words I dont know the meaning of. Evidently you dont know what genetics is. Ways of thinking evolve but some ways are time tested and remain true no matter what. Blacks inhabited this earth for multiple millennium,and learned this easy to understand concept.

there is no race gene. Look it up

next

Who said there was a race gene?

your poor attempt at sophistry will get you nowhere. You have continually implied a racial gene applied to the color of one's skin. Blacks did not inhabit the Earth millennium ago. Human beings and their cousins did. People today do not look like our ancestors.

Though you may think portraying yourself as one or two generations removed from swinging in the tress makes you special -- it does, just not in the way your silly mind imagines it does.

go back to school

 

[Asclepias]

Genetics and way of thinking.

do you actually know anything about genetics? and ways of thinking evolve too. you're not living centuries ago

give it up

I dont use words I dont know the meaning of. Evidently you dont know what genetics is. Ways of thinking evolve but some ways are time tested and remain true no matter what. Blacks inhabited this earth for multiple millennium,and learned this easy to understand concept.

there is no race gene. Look it up

next

Who said there was a race gene?

your poor attempt at sophistry will get you nowhere. You have continually implied a racial gene applied to the color of one's skin. Blacks did not inhabit the Earth millennium ago. Human beings and their cousins did. People today do not look like our ancestors.

Though you may think portraying yourself as one or two generations removed from swinging in the tress makes you special -- it does, just not in the way your silly mind imagines it does.

go back to school

That seems to be your problem. You see implications where no one made any. Stop assuming and ask if you cant figure it out. Sorry but Black people inhabited the earth long before whites came about. Thats science. Look it up son.