"And no religion, too"

[BDBoop]

Man Made God | Science and religion: God didn't make man; man made gods - Los Angeles Times

Good editorial.

Beyond psychological adaptations and mechanisms, scientists have discovered neurological explanations for what many interpret as evidence of divine existence. Canadian psychologist Michael Persinger, who developed what he calls a "god helmet" that blocks sight and sound but stimulates the brain's temporal lobe, notes that many of his helmeted research subjects reported feeling the presence of "another." Depending on their personal and cultural history, they then interpreted the sensed presence as either a supernatural or religious figure. It is conceivable that St. Paul's dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus was, in reality, a seizure caused by temporal lobe epilepsy.

The better we understand human psychology and neurology, the more we will uncover the underpinnings of religion. Some of them, like the attachment system, push us toward a belief in gods and make departing from it extraordinarily difficult. But it is possible.


We can be better as a species if we recognize religion as a man-made construct. We owe it to ourselves to at least consider the real roots of religious belief, so we can deal with life as it is, taking advantage of perhaps our mind's greatest adaptation: our ability to use reason.

Imagine that.

 

[daveman]

It's funny when leftists stamp their feet, pout, and insist the world can only be the way they say it is.

 

[Dr.House]

Man Made God | Science and religion: God didn't make man; man made gods - Los Angeles Times

Good editorial.

Not really....

 

[koshergrl]

Lolol...too funny.

A God helmet. REALLY???

This is why psychology is a soft science.

 

[random3434]

Well, this liberal believes in God. And no article or scientist or anyone will ever make me lose my faith.

 

[tonystewart1]

You can never measure faith.

 

[Marie888]

Man Made God | Science and religion: God didn't make man; man made gods - Los Angeles Times

Good editorial.

Beyond psychological adaptations and mechanisms, scientists have discovered neurological explanations for what many interpret as evidence of divine existence. Canadian psychologist Michael Persinger, who developed what he calls a "god helmet" that blocks sight and sound but stimulates the brain's temporal lobe, notes that many of his helmeted research subjects reported feeling the presence of "another." Depending on their personal and cultural history, they then interpreted the sensed presence as either a supernatural or religious figure. It is conceivable that St. Paul's dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus was, in reality, a seizure caused by temporal lobe epilepsy.

The better we understand human psychology and neurology, the more we will uncover the underpinnings of religion. Some of them, like the attachment system, push us toward a belief in gods and make departing from it extraordinarily difficult. But it is possible.


We can be better as a species if we recognize religion as a man-made construct. We owe it to ourselves to at least consider the real roots of religious belief, so we can deal with life as it is, taking advantage of perhaps our mind's greatest adaptation: our ability to use reason.

Imagine that.

Yes, imagine that. Though "reason" suggests otherwise. We look at the world around us and see that overall mankind, sins. This isn't no utopia; two world wars in the last 100 years alone. (We all can and/or do things wrong, hurt each other, etc). Just why is that?

To try to fix it, if someone wants to take out others "religion"..well that's their own "religion". And welcome to a dictatorship and the dictator being wrong also.


I've got a "God helmet", but one that is direct opposite of what this article talks about. I've also got a Sword and whole bit of armor to go with it also, Praise God.

Ephesians 6

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

.

 

[Marie888]

Man Made God | Science and religion: God didn't make man; man made gods - Los Angeles Times

Good editorial.

Beyond psychological adaptations and mechanisms, scientists have discovered neurological explanations for what many interpret as evidence of divine existence. Canadian psychologist Michael Persinger, who developed what he calls a "god helmet" that blocks sight and sound but stimulates the brain's temporal lobe, notes that many of his helmeted research subjects reported feeling the presence of "another." Depending on their personal and cultural history, they then interpreted the sensed presence as either a supernatural or religious figure. It is conceivable that St. Paul's dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus was, in reality, a seizure caused by temporal lobe epilepsy.

The better we understand human psychology and neurology, the more we will uncover the underpinnings of religion. Some of them, like the attachment system, push us toward a belief in gods and make departing from it extraordinarily difficult. But it is possible.


We can be better as a species if we recognize religion as a man-made construct. We owe it to ourselves to at least consider the real roots of religious belief, so we can deal with life as it is, taking advantage of perhaps our mind's greatest adaptation: our ability to use reason.

Imagine that.

Here's something good in regard to "reasoning".

Isaiah 1:18
Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

.

 

[BDBoop]

Well, this liberal believes in God. And no article or scientist or anyone will ever make me lose my faith.

I believe in God.

I don't believe in religion. I don't believe other people on the planet should say who is or isn't going to heaven. I believe the most serious verses in the Bible go to not judging. I further believe that if a person feels spiritually superior, they are in Deep Serious.

Additionally? People who claim to be Christian and wouldn't want your pastor dropping by this board might want to take a long, hard look at your behaviors here.

 

[sparky]

Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Listening to Yoko sing....

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWU67u3yW7s&feature=player_detailpage]Yoko Ono: "Yang Yang" (1972) - YouTube[/ame]

(it hadda be love...)

 

[sparky]

Additionally? People who claim to be Christian and wouldn't want your pastor dropping by this board might want to take a long, hard look at your behaviors here.

oh puuleeease, has anyone else here done biz with a church?

~S~

 

[dilloduck]

Well, this liberal believes in God. And no article or scientist or anyone will ever make me lose my faith.

I believe in God.

I don't believe in religion. I don't believe other people on the planet should say who is or isn't going to heaven. I believe the most serious verses in the Bible go to not judging. I further believe that if a person feels spiritually superior, they are in Deep Serious.

Additionally? People who claim to be Christian and wouldn't want your pastor dropping by this board might want to take a long, hard look at your behaviors here.

Would you call this a judgement or merely an observation ?

 

[BDBoop]

Additionally? People who claim to be Christian and wouldn't want your pastor dropping by this board might want to take a long, hard look at your behaviors here.

oh puuleeease, has anyone else here done biz with a church?

~S~

I can pick out some who have shown themselves to be people of faith long before I knew they were.

In this thread? Echo Zulu is good peeps. The rest have behaved so badly and often that I have them on ignore. (*Except TS1*)

 

[C_Clayton_Jones]

We can be better as a species if we recognize religion as a man-made construct. We owe it to ourselves to at least consider the real roots of religious belief, so we can deal with life as it is, taking advantage of perhaps our mind's greatest adaptation: our ability to use reason.

Correct.

Religion is a consequence of man’s unique ability to contemplate the future, including realizing his own mortality.

It’s interesting to note that for the great bulk of human history religion existed without a god or gods; death was perceived as a transition from one realm of existence to another.

The manifestation of a god or gods was a relatively recent phenomenon.

 

[sparky]

Additionally? People who claim to be Christian and wouldn't want your pastor dropping by this board might want to take a long, hard look at your behaviors here.

oh puuleeease, has anyone else here done biz with a church?

~S~

I can pick out some who have shown themselves to be people of faith long before I knew they were.

In this thread? Echo Zulu is good peeps. The rest have behaved so badly and often that I have them on ignore. (*Except TS1*)

and when you come to the point where faith and religion are so mutually exclusive it makes you cringe to write them in the same sentence, we'll talk BD

~S~

 

[BDBoop]

oh puuleeease, has anyone else here done biz with a church?

~S~

I can pick out some who have shown themselves to be people of faith long before I knew they were.

In this thread? Echo Zulu is good peeps. The rest have behaved so badly and often that I have them on ignore. (*Except TS1*)

and when you come to the point where faith and religion are so mutually exclusive it makes you cringe to write them in the same sentence, we'll talk BD

~S~

We don't need to talk. Are you happy where you are? I'm happy where I am. What's to talk?

 

[daveman]

Additionally? People who claim to be Christian and wouldn't want your pastor dropping by this board might want to take a long, hard look at your behaviors here.

oh puuleeease, has anyone else here done biz with a church?

~S~

I can pick out some who have shown themselves to be people of faith long before I knew they were.

In this thread? Echo Zulu is good peeps. The rest have behaved so badly and often that I have them on ignore. (*Except TS1*)

"Behaved badly" = "disagreed with me".

 

[Intense]

Man Made God | Science and religion: God didn't make man; man made gods - Los Angeles Times

Good editorial.

Beyond psychological adaptations and mechanisms, scientists have discovered neurological explanations for what many interpret as evidence of divine existence. Canadian psychologist Michael Persinger, who developed what he calls a "god helmet" that blocks sight and sound but stimulates the brain's temporal lobe, notes that many of his helmeted research subjects reported feeling the presence of "another." Depending on their personal and cultural history, they then interpreted the sensed presence as either a supernatural or religious figure. It is conceivable that St. Paul's dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus was, in reality, a seizure caused by temporal lobe epilepsy.

The better we understand human psychology and neurology, the more we will uncover the underpinnings of religion. Some of them, like the attachment system, push us toward a belief in gods and make departing from it extraordinarily difficult. But it is possible.


We can be better as a species if we recognize religion as a man-made construct. We owe it to ourselves to at least consider the real roots of religious belief, so we can deal with life as it is, taking advantage of perhaps our mind's greatest adaptation: our ability to use reason.

Imagine that.

What's next? Morals and Values are relative to the interests of the Puppet Masters? I think not. Thought, word, action, teach us consequence through cause and effect. Seems like an exact science to me, regardless of Politics, no one escapes it forever. Our ability to discern and recognize is what is in question, not the reality we create. Natural Law is what most Cultures are built on, except for those that like fighting the tide. Why is it that for the most part the concepts of Justice and Injustice transcend Culture? Why is it professed in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, that there is but One God, and we are to Worship Him in Spirit and Truth, we are to seek Sincerity of Heart? When we do these things, does it not change us? Make us more tolerant, more understanding, less condemning of others?

True, there are those that use God, and their concept of God to control and manipulate others, yet the power of true belief, overpowers that which tries to bind. No? So when we talk about God, True God, by what ever name you call Him/Her, lets distinguish between the source and the claims we make about the source. Lets distinguish between God and the Churches, Temples, and Mosques, that claim to speak in His name. I say this with no offense intended to Anyone claiming to speak in God's name, I am just pointing out that God is not necessarily limited to our perspective of Him and can speak for himself with or without our help. Through Conscience, there is much to learn.

 

[sparky]

What's next? Morals and Values are relative to the interests of the Puppet Masters? I think not. Thought, word, action, teach us consequence through cause and effect. Seems like an exact science to me, regardless of Politics, no one escapes it forever. Our ability to discern and recognize is what is in question, not the reality we create. Natural Law is what most Cultures are built on, except for those that like fighting the tide. Why is it that for the most part the concepts of Justice and Injustice transcend Culture? Why is it professed in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, that there is but One God, and we are to Worship Him in Spirit and Truth, we are to seek Sincerity of Heart? When we do these things, does it not change us? Make us more tolerant, more understanding, less condemning of others?

True, there are those that use God, and their concept of God to control and manipulate others, yet the power of true belief, overpowers that which tries to bind. No? So when we talk about God, True God, by what ever name you call Him/Her, lets distinguish between the source and the claims we make about the source. Lets distinguish between God and the Churches, Temples, and Mosques, that claim to speak in His name. I say this with no offense intended to Anyone claiming to speak in God's name, I am just pointing out that God is not necessarily limited to our perspective of Him and can speak for himself with or without our help. Through Conscience, there is much to learn.

exemplary reverence Intense

 

[catzmeow]

Yes, imagine that. Though "reason" suggests otherwise. We look at the world around us and see that overall mankind, sins. This isn't no utopia; two world wars in the last 100 years alone. (We all can and/or do things wrong, hurt each other, etc). Just why is that?

In answer to your question, first, I don't believe in the concept of sin. So, I don't see sin when I look around me. I see curious primates with violent tribalistic tendencies and opposable thumbs. That's the answer to your question.