Check out this article - it's worthwhile reading.
http://www.sciam.com/print_version.cfm?articleID=434D7C62-E7F2-99DF-37CC9814533B90D7
I have read recently - it may have been in Stephen Hawking's "A Brief History of Time" - that current belief in physics is that the universe really encompasses 5 or 7 or 9 dimensions ( rather than the three that we can measure) and that 90% of the universe is composed of Dark Matter and/or Dark Energy that we are unable to detect.
Similarly physically examining the brain for chemical or electrical reactions can lead to an understanding of the "hardware" of the brain, but not necessarily the "software" of the mind (e.g. how much does a program weigh?) What is the physical manifestation of your personality? There is indeed a gross relationship between the two - consider the ending of "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest" when the performed a lobotomy on Jack Nicholson (and he became a Republican :-)),
It could well be that what we experience as "God" is merely a three-dimensional manifestation of an N-dimensional Matter/Being/Force/Energy, and we are never going to be able to fully comprehend God in this lifetime, but only to experience three-dimensional projections of God.
Dave
2 comments:
That's a very interesting article. I happen to be one of those strange nerds who find brain functioning fascinating, but I cannot get past how absurd it is for the scientists to try to find a rational hypothesis behind a spiritual experience. You cannot expect to find God in an MRI machine. Prayer, meditation, and bible study are the ways to seek God.
I, too, love articles on how the brain works; it has been very useful in understanding my children better. However, this seems to go a bit too far. Even if they find a connection, who is to say which came first, the feeling, or the supposed brain response? I also noticed that they found a connection with one part of the brain of epileptics and the sensation of someone else being in the room even when there wasn't anyone there. But who is to say that there isn't "someone" there? I believe that these people are more able to feel these presences because they are able to use other parts of the brain not available to others.
I have to agree with Dave that we cannot possibly understand the completeness of God in this lifetime, but that we are to prepare ourselves for the time in which we will. And like Richard said, that is thru prayer, meditation, and bible study.
Post a Comment