Comments on: On Neurotheology http://poeticinterconnections.org/2009/03/03/on-neurotheology/ Spirituality › Science › Creativity Tue, 03 Jan 2012 11:51:50 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: poeticinterconnections http://poeticinterconnections.org/2009/03/03/on-neurotheology/comment-page-1/#comment-278 poeticinterconnections Fri, 13 Mar 2009 17:54:00 +0000 http://poeticinterconnections.org/?p=366#comment-278 Thank you so much for your comment, Sharon! Yours is obviously a widely held point-of-view. And I agree with you: Self-created gods merit potential fear. Personally, I can roll with most answers to questions about God that don't sanction violence against those with a different belief. And so <em>your</em> answer is respected, and appreciated. And your point that no one can invent the creator is noteworthy: Many mystics define God as the "uncreated" generative power of the universe. All the deities of world faiths are thought to simply be different faces of this power—God's infinite visage turned toward a particular group of people at a particular time in their history. It's an idea I find resonant, and warming. Thank you so much for your comment, Sharon! Yours is obviously a widely held point-of-view. And I agree with you: Self-created gods merit potential fear.

Personally, I can roll with most answers to questions about God that don’t sanction violence against those with a different belief. And so your answer is respected, and appreciated. And your point that no one can invent the creator is noteworthy: Many mystics define God as the “uncreated” generative power of the universe. All the deities of world faiths are thought to simply be different faces of this power—God’s infinite visage turned toward a particular group of people at a particular time in their history. It’s an idea I find resonant, and warming.

]]> By: Sharon Harris http://poeticinterconnections.org/2009/03/03/on-neurotheology/comment-page-1/#comment-274 Sharon Harris Thu, 12 Mar 2009 18:10:13 +0000 http://poeticinterconnections.org/?p=366#comment-274 No one can invent God, God is the creator. If someone think they could have possible created god then that is one god i would be afraid of. I wouldn't be able to trust that god for anything, because I made him. If I needed an answer concerning a problem in life that I'm having, I couldn't ask god because I made him, therfore I would be more superior then him. Wouldn't want to trust that. If my god is cut out and made out of wood and I worship that wood, wouldn't want to trust that. A god who is not living is dead, made by man. therfore the person that made the god knows all about the god. There is only one God, The God of Abraham , Isaac, and Jacob and my God. He is the only true living God. He is a God who you can meditate on night and day, ( Joshua 1:8 ) He will give you Joy in the morning, Joy in the noon day, even when the sun goes down. You can call upon him in the time of trouble ( Psalm 50:15 ) and He will answer. No one can invent God, God is the creator. If someone think they could have possible created god then that is one god i would be afraid of. I wouldn’t be able to trust that god for anything, because I made him. If I needed an answer concerning a problem in life that I’m having, I couldn’t ask god because I made him, therfore I would be more superior then him. Wouldn’t want to trust that. If my god is cut out and made out of wood and I worship that wood, wouldn’t want to trust that. A god who is not living is dead, made by man. therfore the person that made the god knows all about the god. There is only one God, The God of Abraham , Isaac, and Jacob and my God. He is the only true living God. He is a God who you can meditate on night and day, ( Joshua 1:8 ) He will give you Joy in the morning, Joy in the noon day, even when the sun goes down. You can call upon him in the time of trouble ( Psalm 50:15 ) and He will answer.

]]> By: ssadlon http://poeticinterconnections.org/2009/03/03/on-neurotheology/comment-page-1/#comment-217 ssadlon Wed, 04 Mar 2009 20:32:01 +0000 http://poeticinterconnections.org/?p=366#comment-217 I would think that any kind of discussion relating to altered mental states through meditation and/or chemical means cannot avoid the overlap of science and spirituality. Part of the problem in the past has been the polarization of the two camps and resistance to see the other's point of view. With time though, these two aspects of our humanity are more and more finding themselves intertwined and there seems to be a greater openness to how they can augment each other, rather than prove or disprove whatever concepts they currently espouse. Its hard because I think we always want to be able to explain everything we experience in very concrete terms and these experiences are so ethereal in nature that they often defy explanation. Regardless though, in order for this to come to the forefront of a large scale dialogue, having both science and spirituality contributing to the cause is needed to have any wide spread appeal. Up until this point, things remain pretty esoteric in both camps with only the diligent, hard core students or disciples or seekers or whatever being the ones carrying the torch. Perhaps it will always be this way, and yet evolution is an unstoppable force. Human curiosity about the universe and how things work will always be there. Thirsty for the next great revelation about how we ended up here. Any contact with a state of consciousness that transcends this earthly state has got to be super exciting for anyone experiencing it. But for now, to experience these places, you get high on some chemical that opens certain doors in your brain, or your sitting in silence for hours on end trying to block out all the chatter that's clogging up your unconscious all for a glimpse of something that is real experientially for the experiencer, but not necessarily for everyone else. Addiction to this high is always close, and around the corner for those who just can't get enough. I think that the science can serve as a grounding force for those who can't stop meditating and be a rational signpost amidst a very fuzzy field of nirvana. That being said, no one can really say what is real anyway. What is real for you may not be so real for me. In the end we're all right and we're all wrong. It would be interesting to be around in 100 years to see where this discussion is. Who knows? Maybe we will be... I would think that any kind of discussion relating to altered mental states through meditation and/or chemical means cannot avoid the overlap of science and spirituality. Part of the problem in the past has been the polarization of the two camps and resistance to see the other’s point of view. With time though, these two aspects of our humanity are more and more finding themselves intertwined and there seems to be a greater openness to how they can augment each other, rather than prove or disprove whatever concepts they currently espouse. Its hard because I think we always want to be able to explain everything we experience in very concrete terms and these experiences are so ethereal in nature that they often defy explanation. Regardless though, in order for this to come to the forefront of a large scale dialogue, having both science and spirituality contributing to the cause is needed to have any wide spread appeal. Up until this point, things remain pretty esoteric in both camps with only the diligent, hard core students or disciples or seekers or whatever being the ones carrying the torch. Perhaps it will always be this way, and yet evolution is an unstoppable force. Human curiosity about the universe and how things work will always be there. Thirsty for the next great revelation about how we ended up here. Any contact with a state of consciousness that transcends this earthly state has got to be super exciting for anyone experiencing it. But for now, to experience these places, you get high on some chemical that opens certain doors in your brain, or your sitting in silence for hours on end trying to block out all the chatter that’s clogging up your unconscious all for a glimpse of something that is real experientially for the experiencer, but not necessarily for everyone else. Addiction to this high is always close, and around the corner for those who just can’t get enough. I think that the science can serve as a grounding force for those who can’t stop meditating and be a rational signpost amidst a very fuzzy field of nirvana. That being said, no one can really say what is real anyway. What is real for you may not be so real for me. In the end we’re all right and we’re all wrong. It would be interesting to be around in 100 years to see where this discussion is. Who knows? Maybe we will be…

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