The problem with God is that nobody has any real clue as to the nature of the mystery, and a lot of people are willing to kill over the interpretation. Unfortunately this finding won’t change the minds of anyone out there who is not willing to open their minds (pun intended).
The human brain does not contain a single “God spot” responsible for mystical and religious experiences, a new study finds.
Instead, the sense of union with God or something greater than the self often described by those who have undergone such experiences involves the recruitment and activation of a variety brain regions normally implicated in different functions such as self-consciousness, emotion and body representation.
The finding, detailed in the current issue of Neuroscience Letters, contradicts previous suggestions by other researchers that the there might be a specific region in the brain designed for communication with God.
If more people cared about respecting and cherishing life here on Earth they wouldn’t need to search for God.
Where is your god spot now?
Maybe they just find comfort in the fact that there might be something more to this life than the mortal coil thats why people search
To # 2 – I think so. I’m also thoroughly convinced that the scientific search for spirituality will not be in vain, but we’re still far to technologically underdeveloped. Physicists are only in this day and age beginning to seriously study things like ‘dark matter’ which would have seemed laughable hundreds of years ago. I’m convinced that people who do experience a spiritual event of some sort are actually experiencing something and not making things up – we just aren’t technologically advanced to even begin to detect the cause of these events, and probably won’t be for many hundreds of years, or even thousands.
You know, in my youth and rebellion I have said and heard the same remarks said here all the time. I hope you folks aren’t that old because it would be a shame to offer up the same old banalities in middle age.
Reducing the believers into frighful children hoping for someone to save us from ourselves or console us in our fear of death, is pathetic and way overdone.
Read C.S. Lewis for starters.
#3 – I have heard that argument many times. But let’s reverse it. Let’s assume that it’s all human experiences until we are technologically advanced to discover the intracacies of the brain.
Those familiar with Keirsey Temperment Types know that religious types tend to be NF (Idealist) and SJ (Guardian). NF are the ones that have religious experiences, and SJ follow the religious authority (or secular authority, as the case may be).
I’m here — and I don’t believe in me either.
But, then, why waste time doing so — anyway?
Oh, F….or crying out loud.
The god didn’t give me a god spot! So I just can’t believe in the tales. And now I’m heading to hell, or? And that’s just because the god found it convenient to not give me a spot!
Geeee, what a cruel and sadistic god you’re beliveing in…..
I thought only women have a g spot.
Hey, Anon, well said. That might be it!
Dang it, I’m soooo without a g spot. So my description of a cruel and nasty god stands 🙂
The G spot truly qualifies as heavenly…
I would have dissapointed if someone had found a “God-Spot.” I’ve always thought that the proper relationship with God required something more that the proper anatomy.
I’m mildly religious (can one be mildly religious? is that like half pregnant? 😛 ) and I never expected a god spot. Why would such a thing exist? What’s wrong with the rest of the brain. I don’t think the bible (or other religious texts) ever mention a separation of church and state in the brain.
Also, if a spiritual self begins, wouldn’t your godspot be there and not in your physical body at all? If there was a godspot in the brain, would atheists have it removed to make sure they don’t have any accidental communications? 😉
Fun how the G spot makes them scream “God!”, too.
Thank you Jesus.
OK, that last statement is obviously bait. But I can equally assert that it’s been atheists who don’t seem to care for earth, nature, humanity or life in general. After all, a belief system based upon denial must encourage (or attract) depressive personalities.
I’ve always considered belief in God to be, among other things, a simple acknowledgement that there are things, beings, states of mind that are greater than ourselves. A denial of that possibility, as suggested by atheists, smacks of intellectual paroichialism; we are the only intelligent things in the universe. For me, my empirical education combined with my life experience, has taught me to reject the religion of atheism. It’s easier to be humble if you aren’t convinced you are all that matters.
Yeah James, if done right 😉
However, the human g-spot is a physical REALITY.
Any theological god is nothing but a mindset and beliefs. Appareantly with no substance to it other than a state of mind.
What a religious person’s mind is filled with, seems to be very dependent on where the person grew up, what the parents BELIEVE in, and which books and dogmas the person mindlessly accepts. Some call it brainwashing.
“After all, a belief system based upon denial must encourage (or attract) depressive personalities.”
That’s a pretty sweeping statement. Atheism (For the record, I beieve in God, I just don’t believe in religion) is more ignoring God than denying God. A fraction of Atheists are militant, but that is the same for any belief system, spiritual or political. You seem to be projecting your inner disgust for Atheism pretty strongly.
Why is it that so many religious people like to think Atheists are a bunch of pathetic bastards? More people have been horribly slaughtered over religion than Atheism, so I would say the holy-rolling bible-thumpers are the ones with the abnormal personalities.
“Any theological god is nothing but a mindset and beliefs. Appareantly with no substance to it other than a state of mind.”
By what authority do you make this statement?
Even though I enjoy reading your blog, I must say I really don’t understand why a technical/computer blog has so many articles and comments degrading Christians. How someone has no problem believing that man started as a pool of slime, progressed into apes and then into man, yet think it’s ridiculous to think that there is a GOD out there somewhere that created us just amazes me. Even primitive jungle tribes have a sense of right and wrong and if there is no GOD, then who’s to say what’s right and what’s wrong? I think the GOD spot is in our souls, not in our brains.
Scott, belief is a mindset, state of mind. And as far as I know, NO god has ever been verified by using any scientific method. I don’t need any authority to claim this. It’s just common sense.
You believe in one of mankinds horde of gods; good for you. I hope.
Wikipedia starts defining belief as “Belief is usually defined as a conviction to the truth of a proposition without its verification, therefore it is a subjective mental interpretation of the perception results, own contemplation/reasoning or communication.”
“If more people cared about respecting and cherishing life here on Earth they wouldn’t need to search for God.”
Funny, I think that’s exactly backwards…
If more people sought and found God, we would respect and cherish life here on Earth more.
#18, you had me up until “technical/computer blog”\
#20, as long as said god is the same as yours, right?
“Funny, I think that’s exactly backwards…
If more people sought and found God, we would respect and cherish life here on Earth more. ”
Unfortunately, reality (based on historical facts) shows the opposite effect on human behaviour.
I respect life out of humanism. You do because you think your god told you to. This makes a BIG difference between the two of us.
18,
One can believe in God without following a religion.
20,
If that’s the case, why are so many proclaimed Christians doing bad things?
I am not sure that this posting has anything directly to do with the word “God” because everyone has differing views of what God is. Scientific studies of meditators indicate changes in brain physiology.
http://www.mum.edu/brain_research
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4770779
#24, arguably, for better or worse the god discussion goes part in parcel with these topics. It’s evidently a self-defeating simplification of the matter. Nice links.
# 23 – Alix
To your response to # 20 – Because a lot of people who assosciate with an organised religion do not nescessarily stay true to it’s teachings. There are millions of people who will fill out ‘Christian’ under Religion on a form, or who act Christian for 1 hour a week on Sundays, but conveniently forget Jesus’ teachings the other 167 hours of the week.
These kinds of people have made it a hard life for Muslims right now. The extremist view that the world at large has been subjected to is not how the Qur’an would have you live your life…
In any system – political, religious, military, or simply social – the genuine will be outweighed by those who just want to attach themselves for the perceived benefits but who don’t want to pay the costs.
I’m sure your question was rhetorical and meant to make people think, but I couldn’t help but reply anyways.
If more people cared about respecting and cherishing life here on Earth they wouldn’t need to search for God.
If more people cared about respecting and cherishing life here on Earth they might just find God.
#23 for #20, many that proclaim religion do not know God
Do not confuse Christians for Christ
or… Do not confuse $DIETY followers for $DIETY
I pretty well know where I’m at with my current life, where I’m right and where I’m wrong, but what I’m really interested in is the after life. I surely hope it isn’t going to be some old coot in a white toga showing me the way to golden streets and a bunch of idiots singing hossannahs, or whatever. I want to be converted to pure energy, and just lay around and feel time spin and watch the galaxies grow, and maybe meet up with a proper young female cloud of energy to make a few sparks with, or maybe even make a few galaxies, and watch them grow.
If I become a ghost when I die I’m going to Area 51 to see if there really is an alien spacecraft there.