Why have we humans always longed to connect with something larger than ourselves? Why does consciousness inevitably involve us in a spiritual quest? Why, in short, won't God go away? Theologians, philosophers, and psychologists have debated this question through the ages, arriving at a range of contradictory and ultimately unprovable answers. But in this brilliant, groundbreaking new book, researchers Andrew Newberg and Eugene d'Aquili offer an explanation that is at once profoundly simple and scientifically precise: the religious impulse is rooted in the biology of the brain.
Newberg and d'Aquili base this revolutionary conclusion on a long-term investigation of brain function and behavior as well as studies they conducted using high-tech imaging techniques to examine the brains of meditating Buddhists and Franciscan nuns at prayer. What they discovered was that intensely focused spiritual contemplation triggers an alteration in the activity of the brain that leads us to perceive transcendent religious experiences as solid and tangibly real. In other words, the sensation that Buddhists call "oneness with the universe" and the Franciscans attribute to the palpable presence of God is not a delusion or a manifestation of wishful thinking but rather a chain of neurological events that can be objectively observed, recorded, and actually photographed.
The inescapable conclusion is that God is hard-wired into the human brain.
In Why God Won't Go Away, Newberg and d'Aquili document their pioneering explorations in the field of neurotheology, an emerging discipline dedicated to understanding the complex relationship between spirituality and the brain. Along the way, they delve into such essential questions as whether humans are biologically compelled to make myths; what is the evolutionary connection between religious ecstasy and sexual orgasm; what do Near Death Experiences reveal about the nature of spiritual phenomena; and how does ritual create its own neurological environment. As their journey unfolds, Newberg and d'Aquili realize that a single, overarching question lies at the heart of their pursuit: Is religion merely a product of biology or has the human brain been mysteriously endowed with the unique capacity to reach and know God?
Blending cutting-edge science with illuminating insights into the nature of consciousness and spirituality, Why God Won't Go Away bridges faith and reason, mysticism and empirical data. The neurological basis of how the brain identifies the "real" is nothing short of miraculous. This fascinating, eye-opening book dares to explore both the miracle and the biology of our enduring relationship with God.
This guide will tackle 3 key points: - Address the misconception of not enough men - Give 7 essential traits to determine if the man you seek is the one God intended for you - Provide guidance on how to heal from your past and be open to ...
What is the point of this? What is the purpose? In this provocative new book, Ken Ham makes clear answers found in the pages of Scripture - powerful, definitive, and in a way that helps our hearts to go beyond mere acceptance.
"How God Changes Your Brain" is a highly practical, easy-to-read guide on the interface between spirituality and neuroscience, filled with useful information that can make your brain and your life better.--Daniel G. Amen, M.D.
A chance meeting with a former US Army Special Forces officer AKA Candyman in war-torn Kabul sets Shiv, a disillusioned civil engineer, from the comforts of Mumbai on a journey to find his inner peace.
A revisionist analysis of the drama of philosophy explores its hidden but essential role in today's debates on love, religion, politics and science while colorfully imagining the perspectives of Plato on a 21st-century world.
E. G. Jones and T. P. S. Powell , " An Anatomical Study of Converging Sensory Pathways within the Cerebral Cortex of the Monkey , " Brain 93 ( 1970 ) : 793-820 ; J. T. Wall , L.L. Symonds , and J. H. Kaas , " Cortical and Subcortical ...
Now, if you're not a totally obsessive C. S. Lewis lover like I am, you may not be familiar with The Chronicles of Narnia book series. So let me give you the gist of the story. Lewis created the great lion Aslan as a “supposal” of ...
In short, we are all born believers. Belief begins in the brain.
Why are some people religious and others nonreligious? Everyone has thoughts and questions like these, and now Andrew Newberg and Mark Waldman expose, for the first time, how our complex views emerge from the neural activities of the brain.
Three weeks earlier, these men had been drafted into a special group of “Order Police” by the Nazis. Their commander, Major Wilhelm Trapp, affectionately known as Papa Trapp, informed them, with tears in his eyes, that the battalion ...