Star Trek

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But again, this isn't really a science & technology post, maybe we should petition for a rename of this forum to 'Philosophy, Religion, Politics, Science & Technology'!

The examination of religious beliefs through the prism of science and the scientific method can yield useful insights into the human condition.

I know that I went for years not understanding some of the historical roots of religion. Those historical roots, in turn, can give us clues as to how th human brain functions. Look at The Varieties of Religious Experience by William James, or The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind by Julian Jaynes, or the more historically oriented The Greeks and the Irrational by E. R. Dodds that Jaynes relied heavily upon. Jaynes book in particular gives us clues as to the physiology of the brain.

If you look at history, time and again you get these examples cropping up of people who we can now somewhat speculatively realize were experiencing auditory or even visionary hallucinations. These hallucinations, in turn, came to advise people in the course of action they took and the paths they pursued. Many of us, with our middle class security and well fed brains, have a hard time relating to what happens to peoples brains when they undergo tremendous stress under conditions of malnourishment. Today we easily recognize and diagnoss those suffering from schizophrenia. It was not easy to do that in the past. Moreover, rather than being carefully set aside into mental institutions seperated from society, some of individuals, when driven into a state of schizoaffective disorder, were looked upon as prophets or as in contact with some higher authority.

I have to keep asking myself, why is it that the idea of an omnipotent God who sacrificed his only begotten son as propitiation for our own sins such an overwhelmingly powerful idea among so many people. What is it about the human brain, and by extension the human mind, which is so receptive to that thought?

I recognize the dangerous ground that puts us on. It is ground where both men of science and Christians fear to tread. It strikes to the very core of our identities and so is more comfortably set aside and labeled "philosophy" or "theology" or "religion". Still, I can't help but wondering if science can help us to sort out these mysteries.

Quote (caltrek @ Nov. 13 2008, 11:18 am)

Quote But again, this isn't really a science & technology post, maybe we should petition for a rename of this forum to 'Philosophy, Religion, Politics, Science & Technology'! The examination of religious beliefs through the prism of science and the scientific method can yield useful insights into the human condition. I know that I went for years not understanding some of the historical roots of religion. Those historical roots, in turn, can give us clues as to how th human brain functions. Look at The Varieties of Religious Experience by William James, or The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind by Julian Jaynes, or the more historically oriented The Greeks and the Irrational by E. R. Dodds that Jaynes relied heavily upon. Jaynes book in particular gives us clues as to the physiology of the brain. If you look at history, time and again you get these examples cropping up of people who we can now somewhat speculatively realize were experiencing auditory or even visionary hallucinations. These hallucinations, in turn, came to advise people in the course of action they took and the paths they pursued. Many of us, with our middle class security and well fed brains, have a hard time relating to what happens to peoples brains when they undergo tremendous stress under conditions of malnourishment. Today we easily recognize and diagnoss those suffering from schizophrenia. It was not easy to do that in the past. Moreover, rather than being carefully set aside into mental institutions seperated from society, some of individuals, when driven into a state of schizoaffective disorder, were looked upon as prophets or as in contact with some higher authority. I have to keep asking myself, why is it that the idea of an omnipotent God who sacrificed his only begotten son as propitiation for our own sins such an overwhelmingly powerful idea among so many people. What is it about the human brain, and by extension the human mind, which is so receptive to that thought? I recognize the dangerous ground that puts us on. It is ground where both men of science and Christians fear to tread. It strikes to the very core of our identities and so is more comfortably set aside and labeled "philosophy" or "theology" or "religion". Still, I can't help but wondering if science can help us to sort out these mysteries.

Maybe the same mental defective that allow men to follow individual such as Hitler and Stalin.

People generally are lazy and the idea that an almighty Humaniod type All father or Mother , looking out for them is a seductive concept! It save them from be responible for their own action, christian is even more so since that it allow us to be forgiven for our bad action by praying for forgiven..

While I haven't read any of those books, I might just do so when I can eventually get my broke hands on them.

Anyway, I agree with you on your points on the origins of major Religion, but I think you're reading too much into their popularity in our modern world.

I think it simply comes down to what situations your life has put you in. From my own personal experience, religious kids come from religious families. religious families come from religious areas, etc. For instance, I'm living with a kid right now whose parents were both athiests. He was brought up to be accepting, to have an open mind, and now he's one of the most moral people I know. I really do believe that our brain has no preference to religion whatsoever, but merely has a preference to that that's popular.