For instance, why do people continue to be fascinated by God, religion, haunted houses, UFOs, conspiracy theories and miracle cures when science can dispute many of these claims? This presentation will focus on a broad array of beliefs from the mundane to the mystical and will describe the results of groundbreaking brain-imaging studies that show how specific experiences such as prayer or speaking in tongues can result in profound and compelling beliefs. At 4 p.m., Newberg will discuss “Why We Believe What We Believe.” The researcher will examine where beliefs come from and why people hold on to some of them even if there is evidence to the contrary. Why would the forces of natural selection, which gave the human brain its powers of logical observation and rational analysis, allow that very same organ to place such fundamental hope and trust in strange myths? While neuroscience cannot confirm nor dispute the existence of God, it can help us understand why God will not go away. Two hundred years later, the concept of God and the primal stories of religion remain and appear to be gaining in strength in many instances. The intellectual elite at the end of the 18th century assumed that religion would vanish soon. Andrew Newberg, director of the University of Pennsylvania Center for Spirituality and the Mind, will present “Why God Won’t Go Away” at 10 a.m. 27, 2008) A doctor will discuss the relationship between the brain and religion at California Lutheran University on Monday, Nov. Still, I have no doubt that God speaks to me. This sometimes gets me funny looks during psychiatric evaluations. "Do I still believe God speaks to me? Absolutely."ĭo I still believe God speaks to me? Absolutely. I have even reviewed my finances with some since folks like me with bipolar disorder can be poor money managers. I share with him insights I’ve had from Scripture and insights from my prayer journal. I ask a trusted mature Christian to be my mentor.If I am praying on the page and it begins to sound contrary to the Spirit of Christ, I pause, take a deep breath, cross it out, and move on. As a writer, I have developed the capacity to self-edit. I still hear voices, but they are not as loud. In this way, my mind becomes steeped in the Word. When I read Scripture, I also put on my headsets and listen to the passage from the audio Bible.How do we tune out demanding and commanding voices such that we can listen for God speaking to us? I have found three ways that work. Those of us who hear what others do not hear have a distinct challenge. As we regularly read the Bible in the Spirit of prayer and meditation, our ears become more finely tuned to catch God’s whispers. God speaks through the faith community, as someone taps us on the shoulder and asks, “Have you considered doing this?” Most importantly, God speaks to us through the Word-made-flesh, Jesus Christ, who is revealed in the written Word of Scripture. God speaks to our hearts, with inward convictions that compel us to action. There is a difference between the voice of God and auditory delusions. "I have learned to be wary of the voices I hear."
But after spending time on a psychiatric unit and talking with trusted spiritual leaders within my faith community, I have learned to be wary of the voices I hear. More than this, I believed God answered my prayers in a very real way. They are deep truths that shape my life in faith.įrom the time I could talk, I spoke to God and trusted that He heard me. Things like the end of the world, Christ’s return, and the rescue of God’s children are much more than fairy tales to me. I am steeped in Scripture’s stories, concepts, images. As a life-long Christian serving in pastoral ministry, I take the Bible very seriously. Many would be quick to dismiss this as a religious delusion. "Many would be quick to dismiss this as a religious delusion. Through signs and visions, sounds and voices, I received the otherworldly message that the End was near and it was my mission to gather God’s children to a sanctuary, a safe haven to ride out the storm until Christ returned to carry us home.
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