Neurotheology

Neurotheology PDF Author: Andrew Newberg
Publisher: Columbia University Press
ISBN: 0231546777
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 482

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Book Description
Religion is often cast in opposition to science. Yet both are deeply rooted in the inner workings of the human brain. With the advent of the modern cognitive neurosciences, the scientific study of religious and spiritual phenomena has become far more sophisticated and wide-ranging. What might brain scans of people in prayer, in meditation, or under the influence of psychoactive substances teach us about religious and spiritual beliefs? Are religion and spirituality reducible to neurological processes, or might there be aspects that, at least for now, transcend scientific claims? In this book, Andrew Newberg explores the latest findings of neurotheology, the multidisciplinary field linking neuroscience with religious and spiritual phenomena. He investigates some of the most controversial—and potentially transformative—implications of a neurotheological approach for the truth claims of religion and our understanding of minds and brains. Newberg leads readers on a tour through key intersections of neuroscience and theology, including the potential evolutionary basis of religion; the psychology of religion, including mental health and brain pathology; the neuroscience of myths, rituals, and mystical experiences; how studies of altered states of consciousness shed new light on the mind-brain relationship; and what neurotheology can tell us about free will. When brain science and religious experience are considered together in an integrated approach, Newberg shows, we might come closer to a fuller understanding of the deepest questions.

Neurotheology

Neurotheology PDF Author: Andrew Newberg
Publisher: Columbia University Press
ISBN: 0231546777
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 482

Get Book

Book Description
Religion is often cast in opposition to science. Yet both are deeply rooted in the inner workings of the human brain. With the advent of the modern cognitive neurosciences, the scientific study of religious and spiritual phenomena has become far more sophisticated and wide-ranging. What might brain scans of people in prayer, in meditation, or under the influence of psychoactive substances teach us about religious and spiritual beliefs? Are religion and spirituality reducible to neurological processes, or might there be aspects that, at least for now, transcend scientific claims? In this book, Andrew Newberg explores the latest findings of neurotheology, the multidisciplinary field linking neuroscience with religious and spiritual phenomena. He investigates some of the most controversial—and potentially transformative—implications of a neurotheological approach for the truth claims of religion and our understanding of minds and brains. Newberg leads readers on a tour through key intersections of neuroscience and theology, including the potential evolutionary basis of religion; the psychology of religion, including mental health and brain pathology; the neuroscience of myths, rituals, and mystical experiences; how studies of altered states of consciousness shed new light on the mind-brain relationship; and what neurotheology can tell us about free will. When brain science and religious experience are considered together in an integrated approach, Newberg shows, we might come closer to a fuller understanding of the deepest questions.

Christianity and the Brain

Christianity and the Brain PDF Author: Ramsis Ghaly
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 0595424937
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 320

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Book Description
What are the basic understandings of the brain, the mind, and the soul of near-death experiences? In the first of three volumes, Christianity and the Brain, Volume 1: Faith and Medicine in Neuroscience Care delves into the fascinating aspects of the human brain-God's hidden treasure-and its development. Inspired by the Coptic Orthodox faith while growing up in Egypt, Christian neurological surgeon and anesthesiologist Ramsis F. Ghaly uses his experiences to reflect on spirituality and science and the ties between Christianity and the human brain. He also explores neuroscience and God, faith and medicine, the universe and heaven, and birth and life beyond death. Through Ghaly's innovative research, you will grow closer to the Creator and learn to understand Him like never before. A medical career is a sacred vocation with high ethical morals and values. In accordance with such standards, Ghaly illustrates the ideal neuroscience health-care structure in view of holism and patient empowerment, especially toward the dire need of modern care in the world, including the United States of America. Powerful and informative, Christianity and the Brain, Volume 1 takes a new perspective on a seldom-studied subject.

Neuroscience, Psychology, and Religion

Neuroscience, Psychology, and Religion PDF Author: Malcolm Jeeves
Publisher: Templeton Foundation Press
ISBN: 1599473550
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 173

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Book Description
Neuroscience, Psychology, and Religion is the second title published in the new Templeton Science and Religion Series. In this volume, Malcolm Jeeves and Warren S. Brown provide an overview of the relationship between neuroscience, psychology, and religion that is academically sophisticated, yet accessible to the general reader. The authors introduce key terms; thoroughly chart the histories of both neuroscience and psychology, with a particular focus on how these disciplines have interfaced religion through the ages; and explore contemporary approaches to both fields, reviewing how current science/religion controversies are playing out today. Throughout, they cover issues like consciousness, morality, concepts of the soul, and theories of mind. Their examination of topics like brain imaging research, evolutionary psychology, and primate studies show how recent advances in these areas can blend harmoniously with religious belief, since they offer much to our understanding of humanity's place in the world. Jeeves and Brown conclude their comprehensive and inclusive survey by providing an interdisciplinary model for shaping the ongoing dialogue. Sure to be of interest to both academics and curious intellectuals, Neuroscience, Psychology, and Religion addresses important age-old questions and demonstrates how modern scientific techniques can provide a much more nuanced range of potential answers to those questions.

The Cognitive Neuroscience of Religious Experience

The Cognitive Neuroscience of Religious Experience PDF Author: Patrick McNamara
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108833179
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 291

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Book Description
An account of the neuroscience of religious experiences for those interested in scientific approaches to religion.

The Neuroscience of Religious Experience

The Neuroscience of Religious Experience PDF Author: Patrick McNamara
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 0521889588
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 319

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Book Description
Aimed at researchers and graduate students, this book describes how brain processes support religious expression and provides a current account of the neuroscience of religion.

Explorations in Neuroscience, Psychology and Religion

Explorations in Neuroscience, Psychology and Religion PDF Author: Kevin S. Seybold
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317137582
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 193

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Book Description
In the 1990s great strides were taken in clarifying how the brain is involved in behaviors that, in the past, had seldom been studied by neuroscientists or psychologists. This book explores the progress begun during that momentous decade in understanding why we behave, think and feel the way we do, especially in those areas that interface with religion. What is happening in the brain when we have a religious experience? Is the soul a product of the mind which is, in turn, a product of the brain? If so, what are the implications for the Christian belief in an afterlife? If God created humans for the purpose of having a relationship with him, should we expect to find that our spirituality is a biologically evolved human trait? What effect might a disease such as Alzheimer's have on a person's spirituality and relationship with God? Neuroscience and psychology are providing information relevant to each of these questions, and many Christians are worried that their religious beliefs are being threatened by this research. Kevin Seybold attempts to put their concerns to rest by presenting some of the scientific findings coming from these disciplines in a way that is understandable yet non-threatening to Christian belief.

Neuroscience and Religion

Neuroscience and Religion PDF Author: Volney P. Gay
Publisher: Lexington Books
ISBN: 0739133934
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 299

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Book Description
This is a unique set of multidisciplinary reflections on how the neurosciences shape our understanding of religious experience and religious institutions. Twelve scholars and scientists assess how advances in the neurosciences affect our traditional sense of mind, self, and soul.

Religion, Neuroscience and the Self

Religion, Neuroscience and the Self PDF Author: Patrick McNamara
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 0429671431
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 200

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Book Description
The purpose of this book is to use neuroscience discoveries concerning religious experiences, the Self and personhood to deepen, enhance and interrogate the theological and philosophical set of ideas known as Personalism. McNamara proposes a new eschatological form of personalism that is consistent with current neuroscience models of relevant brain functions concerning the self and personhood and that can meet the catastrophic challenges of the 21st century. Eschatological Personalism, rooted in the philosophical tradition of "Boston Personalism", takes as its starting point the personalist claim that the significance of a self and personality is not fully revealed until it has reached its endpoint, but theologically that end point can only occur within the eschatological realm. That realm is explored in the book along with implications for personalist theory and ethics. Topics covered include the agent intellect, dreams and the imagination, future-orientation and eschatology, phenomenology of Time, social ethics, Love, the challenge of AI, privacy and solitude and the individual ethic of autarchy. This book is an innovative combination of the neuroscientific and theological insights provided by a Personalist viewpoint. As such, it will be of great interest to scholars of Cognitive Science, Theology, Religious Studies and the philosophy of the mind.

Neuroscience and Christian Formation

Neuroscience and Christian Formation PDF Author: Mark A. Maddix
Publisher: IAP
ISBN: 1681236753
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 183

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Book Description
Why a text on neuroscience and Christian formation? Simply put, we need one that represents the range of possible intersections for today and into the future. In recent years, neuroscience’s various fields of study have influenced our understanding of the person, memory, learning, development, communal interaction, and the practice of education. The book serves as an introductory textbook for Christian education/formation professors to use in Christian education or Christian formation courses at the College or Seminary level. The book is designed to provide an overview of how current research in neuroscience is impacting how we view Christian education and formation with particular attention given to faith formation, teaching, development, and worship The first four chapters discuss how neuroscience broadly influences Christian education and formation. Chapters five through eight explore how neuroscience informs specific formational practices, from personal meditation, to intercultural encounter, to congregational formation and worship. The last four chapters explore various aspects of neuroscience along developmental lines, The book also moves from conceptual overviews to more empirical studies late in the text. Each chapter of this book can also be read and discussed individually. Each author has provided both discussion topics, suggestions for future reading within neuroscience, and discussion questions at the end of the chapter.

Soul, Psyche, Brain: New Directions in the Study of Religion and Brain-Mind Science

Soul, Psyche, Brain: New Directions in the Study of Religion and Brain-Mind Science PDF Author: K. Bulkeley
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 1403979235
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 278

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Book Description
Soul, Psyche, Brain is a collection of essays that address the relationships between neuroscience, religion and human nature. Kelly Bulkeley's book highlights some startling new developments in neuroscience that have many people rethinking spirituality, the mind-body connection, and cognition in general. Soul, Psyche, Brain explores questions like: what can knowledge about the neurological activities of the brain tell us about consciousness? And what are the practical implications of brain-mind science for ethics and moral reasoning?