Sioux Falls Atheists endorse The Spiritual Brain for showing how spiritual
experiences are driven by the our mind's response to brain chemistry.
The Spiritual Brain
Science and Religious Experience
Lectures by Dr. Andrew Newburg
The Spiritual Brain: Science and Religious Experience (2012)
24 lectures, 12 hours
The Spiritual Brain: Science and Religious Experience at TheGreatCourses.com
Does God exist? Do we have a soul? Is it possible to make contact with a spiritual realm? How should we respond to the divine? Will life continue beyond death?
Whether you are a deeply religious person, a spiritual seeker, or one who has come to doubt or disbelieve in a spiritual power, you have probably pondered these questions and at least begun to answer them for yourself. In fact, archaeological and historical records show that even the earliest humans were aware of a spiritual realm and developed religious practices as a result.
One of humanity's most awesome forces, the spread and practice of religion has exerted a profoundly outsized effect on individuals and entire civilizations, altering the course of history. The religious impulse is so powerfully pervasive that neuroscience has posed a provocative question: Are our brains wired to worship?
Dr. Andrew Newburg is Director of Research at the Myrna Brind Center of Integrated Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. He is also a Professor in the Departments of Emergency Medicine and Radiology at Thomas Jefferson University. He received his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and board certified in Internal Medicine and Nuclear Medicine. Dr. Newburg has published extensively on brain function, brain imaging, and the study of religious and spiritual experiences. He also has appeared on Good Morning America, Nightline, CNN, and ABC's World News Tonight.
24 Lectures - 30 minutes each
| 1: A New Perspective on Ancient Questions |
13: Transmitters to God |
| 2: Why Do We Have a Spiritual Brain? |
14: Stimulated States and Religious Experiences |
| 3: Brain Function and Religion |
15: Near-Death Experiences and the Brain |
| 4: How Does Science Study Religion? |
16: The Believing Brain |
| 5: Believers and Atheists |
17: The Brain's Influence on Religious Ideas |
| 6: Spiritual Development |
18: Revelation, Salvation, and the Brain |
| 7: The Myth-Making Brain |
19: The Brain's Influence on Religious Behavior |
| 8: The Brain and Religious Rituals |
20: How the Brain Changes God |
| 9: The Biology of Spiritual Practices |
21: How God Changes the Brain |
| 10: Religion and Health |
22: Why God Won't Go Away |
| 11: Religion and Mental Health |
23: The Mystical Mind |
| 12: Religion and Brain Dysfunction |
24: Reality and Beyond |
(Comment by Webmaster: If you want to know what is going on in the brain when people have religious experiences this course will describe and attempt to explain those experiences. It is religiously biased but the descriptions of what is going on seem completely valid.)
The Spiritual Brain
Science and Religious Experience
Lectures by Dr. Andrew Newburg
Sioux Falls Atheists endorse The Spiritual Brain for showing how spiritual
experiences are driven by the our mind's response to brain chemistry.
