God in Our Minds?

God in Our Minds?

Recorded May 6, 2001

G U E S T S:

Why have humans always longed to connect with a force greater than ourselves? In the groundbreaking work of Andrew Newberg and Eugene d'Aquili, the answer is not theological or philosophical. Their research has located the religious impulse in the biology of the brain. Is your brain hardwired for an experience with the divine? Find out if scientists have found the answers that theologians have sought for thousands of years.

MODERATED BY:

Sean McConnell,
Program Producer for GraceCom
Media Ministry of Grace Cathedral

Andrew Newberg, M.D., is director of clinical nuclear medicine, director of NeuroPET research, and assistant professor in the Department of Radiology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. He is Board-certified in internal medicine, nuclear medicine, and nuclear cardiology. Dr. Newberg has written extensively on the topics of brain function, brain imaging, and the study of religious and mystical experiences.

Buy Andrew Newberg's books, Why God Won't Go Away: Brain Science and the Biology of Belief and The Mystical Mind: Probing the Biology of Belief and support GraceOnline. and support GraceOnline.

Noreen Herzfeld is associate professor of computer science at St. John's University, Collegeville Minnesota. She holds degrees in mathematics and computer science from Penn State University and a PhD in Christian Spirituality from the Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley. She is currently a visiting scholar at the Center for Theology and Natural Science, Berkeley where she is looking at questions such as the effect artificial intelligence might have on our conception of what it means to be human, and whether cyberspace might be an appropriate venue for spiritual experience.

See a video description of Dr. Andrew Newberg's groundbreaking work.

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Related Links

Why God Won't Go Away
Dr. Andrew Newberg has discovered startlingly evidence that suggests our brains are hardwired for mystical experiences. Could it be that we have evolved to perceive a spiritual reality? Excerpt.

Is There Soul in Cyberspace?
Jeff Zaleski discusses the nature of the Internet, focusing on the implications of the medium for one's consciousness. Is it possible for the Internet to coexist with a fulfilling spiritual life? Interview.

Science and the Spiritual Quest
Alan Jones and panelists discuss the beauty and mystery of the universe as discerned by science. Forum.