A distinction between spirituality and religion

[Dmartin]

Dmartin: Thanks for posting this anthonychipoletti. I found it interesting that Dr Newberg talked about the brain having the capability of being hardwired to religious and spiritual experiences. The question is how that ability got there is a complex philosophical and scientific question. It cannot be answered in the brain alone. The brain doesn't work alone it works together with the heart. Our thoughts whether emotions and/or understandings are spoken from our heart. The better question is how the ability of those experiences got in both the brain and heart. It's a creation question, God is the Creator He created every one. Science is not a creator. Dr Newberg seems to understand this and is trying to find a scientific fact God hardwired those experiences. If there is, he might can find it if he includes the heart.  

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/ ... s-AA1hAUFM

The God Gene
By Dean H. Hamer

Hamer makes a distinction between spirituality and religion. This is important to understand his theory because he explains that spirituality is a personality trait that we all have a degree of, while religion is an expression of that trait of spirituality that is culturally passed on.

In his own words, he explains: "Spirituality is based in consciousness, religion in cognition. Spirituality is universal, whereas cultures have their own forms of religion. I would argue that the most important contrast is that spirituality is genetic, while religion is based on cultures, traditions, beliefs, and ideas. It is, in other words, mimetic."

https://youtu.be/uxREBlWvxfk

The question as to whether or not we are hardwired for religion and spirituality is an important one, says pioneering neuroscientist Andrew Newberg. “When we look at how the brain works, we see it’s able to very easily engage in religious and spiritual practices, ideas and experiences.”

Dr. Andrew Newberg :

Dr. Andrew Newberg is the director of research at the Jefferson Myrna Brind Center of Integrative Medicine and a physician at Jefferson University Hospital. He is board certified in internal medicine and nuclear medicine. Andrew has been asking questions about reality, truth, and God since he was very young, and he has long been fascinated by the human mind and its complex workings. While a medical student, he met Dr. Eugene d’Aquili, who was studying religious experiences. Combining their interests with Andrew’s background in neuroscience and brain imaging, they were able to break new theoretical and empirical ground on the relationship between the brain and religion.

Andrew’s research now largely focuses on how brain function is associated with various mental states—in particular, religious and mystical experiences. His research has included brain scans of people in prayer, meditation, rituals, and trance states, as well as surveys of people's spiritual experiences and attitudes. He has also evaluated the relationship between religious or spiritual phenomena and health, and the effect of meditation on memory. He believes that it is important to keep science rigorous and religion religious. Andrew has also used neuroimaging research projects to study aging and dementia, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, depression, and other neurological and psychiatric disorders.

Dr. Newberg has published over 100 research articles, essays and book chapters, and is the co-author of the best selling books, Why God Won't Go Away: Brain Science and the Biology of Belief (Ballantine, 2001) and How God Changes Your Brain: Breakthrough Findings from a Leading Neuroscientist (Ballantine, 2009). He has presented his research throughout the world in both scientific and public forums. He appeared on Nightline, 20/20, Good Morning America, ABC's World News Tonight, National Public Radio, London Talk Radio and over fifteen nationally syndicated radio programs. His work has been featured in Time, Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and many other newspapers and magazines.

His newest work is How Enlightenment Changes Your Brain: The New Science of Transformation.

https://youtu.be/HxQjdiV8z_c

TRANSCRIPT:

Andrew Newberg: The question as to whether or not we are hardwired for religion and spirituality, I think, is a very important one. When we look at how the brain works, it looks like the brain is able to very easily engage in religious and spiritual practices, ideas and experiences. All the brain scan studies that we've done show that there are multiple parts of the brain that seem to get involved. So it really does look like the brain is so easily capable of having these experiences. Now exactly how that ability got into the brain is, of course, a much more complex and both philosophical and scientific question. The scientists would say, well, maybe it was through millions of years of evolution, that because being religious or spiritual was an adaptive process it got incorporated into the biological mechanisms of the brain. And there are certainly a lot of reasons to support that.

And, of course, if you're a religious individual it also makes sense that if there is a God up there and we're down here that we would have a brain that's capable of communicating to God, praying to God, doing the things that God needs us to do. Otherwise there would be this kind of fundamentally silly disconnect. We wouldn't be able to have any kind of interaction with God. So it does look like the brain, no matter how it got there, does have this profound ability to engage in religious and spiritual experiences, and that's part of why we've seen religion and spirituality be a part of human history since the very dawn of civilization.

One of the things that we find to be such an important element of many of the rituals and practices that people do as part of their religious traditions is the repetition of it. The more that you come back to a particular idea, the more you focus on it, the more you say a phrase or a prayer, those are the ideas and beliefs that become written into the neural connections of the brain.

Read the full transcript at https://bigthink.com/videos/is-the-huma ... d-for-god/

https://youtu.be/_Ca30Fp3yIo

The god-gene hypothesis has inundated the world. It was basically invented by the human geneticist Dean Hamer, who now claims he has in fact discovered a gene that he decided to call the "god gene." Does he have a case? What is wrong with his claims? Find out in this video!

[Dmartin]

Dmartin, our brains try for 110 percent yet get maybe 10 percent, our spirit always has an infinite source of truth

Dmartin: Yes, our spirit always has an infinite source of truth to do in our minds and hearts Like I hinted at below having spiritual experience must include both our brain-mind and heart (both organs, that doctor has only been researching one-brain) to know and understand it.

Dmartin: You reminded me of something citing below that verse in many Bible translations. When I was on that theology discussion list there were several times biblical scholars told me what I was saying agreed with the Greek and Hebrew biblical texts. I don't know either language.

Dmartin: Thanks for posting this anthonychipoletti. I found it interesting that Dr Newberg talked about the brain having the capability of being hardwired to religious and spiritual experiences. The question is how that ability got there is a complex philosophical and scientific question. It cannot be answered in the brain alone. The brain doesn't work alone it works together with the heart. Our thoughts whether emotions and/or understandings are spoken from our heart. The better question is how the ability of those experiences got in both the brain and heart. It's a creation question, God is the Creator He created every one. Science is not a creator. Dr Newberg seems to understand this and is trying to find a scientific fact God hardwired those experiences. If there is, he might can find it if he includes the heart.  

https://biblehub.com/john/21-25.htm

[Dmartin]

Dmartin, our brains try for 110 percent yet get maybe 10 percent, our spirit always has an infinite source of truth

Dmartin: Yes, our spirit always has an infinite source of truth to do in our minds and hearts Like I hinted at below having spiritual experience must include both our brain-mind and heart (both organs, that doctor has only been researching one-brain) to know and understand it.

Dmartin: You reminded me of something citing below that verse in many Bible translations. When I was on that theology discussion list there were several times biblical scholars told me what I was saying agreed with the Greek and Hebrew biblical texts. I don't know either language.

Dmartin, you reminded me of the relationship of the artist and the work of art !!

Dmartin: Sorry, I don't know what you mean.

Our spirit has no language or words or sounds Truth can ONLY be experienced !!

Dmartin: I had to think about this a minute. Yes, it is not our spirit, it is truth that has language, words, sounds, knowledge and understanding. Romans 12:1-2, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, that you (in our spirits) present your (flesh) bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God (in meaning with Jesus Christ is come in the flesh), which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind (changed to spiritual), that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." Colossians 3:15-17, "And let the peace of God rule in your (spiritual) hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."

[Dmartin]

Hi anthonychipoletti,

Dmartin, I will try to answer each part of your comments since we are expressing such intricate ideas and experiences ??

I DEEPLY DISAGREE WITH YOUR COMMENT BELOW !! WE CANNOT JUDGE WHAT DOCTOR NEWBERG IS RESEARCHING ??

Just because his research on the brain is public knowledge, we cannot assume from that knowledge that he is NOT doing research on the heart or ANY other aspect of his life or work ??

Dmartin: I wasn't judging him/assuming about his research. I'm trying to help him further in it. I would think that it would logically follow if he included the heart in his research with the brain then both would also have been together in this part of his research you posted of his research about the ability of being hardwired to the "God Gene.' He didn't write 'heart' so I seen he overlooked putting the heart in with the brain in at least this part of his research. I cited both the mind and the heart in the scriptures to show they are together in knowing and understanding about God. That you might also see this could be helpful to him. Instead, you took what all I said out of context and separated the brain from the heart. That's not what I did at all.

Dmartin: I repeat, I speak the truth in Christ and that God is working in me to do of His will and good pleasure. Didn't you keep that in mind? Now why would you accuse me of wrongdoing that I didn't do? God and Jesus are in me, I have the Father and His Son, do you think it's possible in His working in me to do of His will and good pleasure I might do wrong in helping someone then do you think it's also possible He could fail working in me to do that? Did you also not keep in mind that I'm both a hearer and doer of the word? That I speak the truth from God's knowledge, not from my own, nor anyone else's. Anthonychipoletti you may also find this hard to believe that I have an unction in the Holy Ghost to know all things. I'm not boasting in that I'm wanting to help people in it. If I'm wrong about something, God has revealed/will reveal it to me so He corrects me. Will you please keep this in mind too.

Dmartin: If you or anyone else doesn't want my help that's ok. Just let me know. Thanks.

Dmartin wrote:

Dmartin: Yes, our spirit always has an infinite source of truth to do in our minds and hearts Like I hinted at below having spiritual experience must include both our brain-mind and heart (both organs, that doctor has only been researching one-brain) to know and understand it.

[Dmartin]

Dmartin, these topics are beyond my ability to comment ??

If I stopped communicating with anyone I disagree with, I would have no one to communicate with

People can only give what they have, I do NOT have infallibility so it is impossible for me to understand it ??

Dmartin: You don't have to disagree with me. I'm not giving you my own understanding. I made it clear below that I don't have infallibility that I have both the Father and the Son-He does have infallibility and that He has/does correct me if I'm understanding something in the scriptures wrong. It is also possible for you/any one to understand Him through Scripture it has to be done with Him-His understanding. It is just as Jesus said without Him you can do nothing. Yes, disagreements come up everywhere hence people have nothing to give. No one is being edified. Let me know if you still disagree with me. I won't keep putting you through that.

Hi anthonychipoletti,

Dmartin: I wasn't judging him/assuming about his research. I'm trying to help him further in it. I would think that it would logically follow if he included the heart in his research with the brain then both would also have been together in this part of his research you posted of his research about the ability of being hardwired to the "God Gene.' He didn't write 'heart' so I seen he overlooked putting the heart in with the brain in at least this part of his research. I cited both the mind and the heart in the scriptures to show they are together in knowing and understanding about God. That you might also see this could be helpful to him. Instead, you took what all I said out of context and separated the brain from the heart. That's not what I did at all.

Dmartin: I repeat, I speak the truth in Christ and that God is working in me to do of His will and good pleasure. Didn't you keep that in mind? Now why would you accuse me of wrongdoing that I didn't do? God and Jesus are in me, I have the Father and His Son, do you think it's possible in His working in me to do of His will and good pleasure I might do wrong in helping someone then do you think it's also possible He could fail working in me to do that? Did you also not keep in mind that I'm both a hearer and doer of the word? That I speak the truth from God's knowledge, not from my own, nor anyone else's. Anthonychipoletti you may also find this hard to believe that I have an unction in the Holy Ghost to know all things. I'm not boasting in that I'm wanting to help people in it. If I'm wrong about something, God has revealed/will reveal it to me so He corrects me. Will you please keep this in mind too.

Dmartin: If you or anyone else doesn't want my help that's ok. Just let me know. Thanks.

[Dmartin]

Dmartin, once again, these comments are impossible for me to comment about.

However you experience understanding through the scriptures is a mystery to me ??

Dmartin: I continue experiencing understanding the scriptures-God's words from God Himself-I'm of God. John 8:47, "He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."

I do understand the presence of God and the person of Jesus, however to me this is spiritual.

Dmartin: Spiritually understanding God's words is being in the presence of God and the person of Jesus. John 4:24, "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him, must worship Him in spirit and truth."

I repeat: NOTHING IN THE HUMAN OR PHYSICAL EXPERIENCE MAKES ANY SENSE TO ME !!

Whatever truth and love we share, whatever our sharing of life with God, to me, this is spiritual.

Dmartin: God is love and His words are truth having these in God is spiritual life.

To me, spirituality has NOTHING TO DO WITH ANYTHING PHYSICAL OR ANY HUMAN EXPERIENCE.

I use logic and science to understand humanity and physicality, however they are still nonsense ??

Dmartin: God knows while we are still on earth we are physically in the flesh and have human experience. He doesn't take those must needs away from us or out of the world. His Son is in me it is how I know He is come in the flesh, 1John 4:2b, "Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God." 4b, "He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world."

Dmartin: Yes, if using logic and science to understand humanity and physicality without Jesus Christ (in the flesh-in you) is nothing/nonsense. Do you understand now I'm trying to help further understand the 'God Gene?' If it can be with Him, it will be.

Dmartin: You don't have to disagree with me. I'm not giving you my own understanding. I made it clear below that I don't have infallibility that I have both the Father and the Son-He does have infallibility and that He has/does correct me if I'm understanding something in the scriptures wrong. It is also possible for you/any one to understand Him through Scripture it has to be done with Him-His understanding. It is just as Jesus said without Him you can do nothing. Yes, disagreements come up everywhere hence people have nothing to give. No one is being edified. Let me know if you still disagree with me. I won't keep putting you through that.

[Dmartin]

Hi anthonychipoletti,

Dmartin !! I just now realized that you might have taken my comments to mean that I disagree with YOUR FREEDOM !!

Dmartin: No, I didn't Thanks for checking. I seen that you were disagreeing with my comments as if I said them in my understanding. That's why I told you that you don't have to disagree with me/my comments I didn't say them in my own understanding. Then I repeated I speak the truth in Christ-His words-Their understanding. Yes, I have total freedom in the truth it has set me free in Christ. I'm bringing forth new treasure it has new understanding in it (it is God's, we haven't heard it before). You are overlooking it.

PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT MY COMMENTS ARE ONLY ABOUT MY OWN BELIEFS EVEN IF I SEEM TO INCLUDE OTHERS !!

Dmartin: I have understood that

You and anyone have complete freedom to identify yourself and define all of your beliefs, experiences and ideas.

Dmartin: I have complete freedom in two identities of myself. Either way I'm not alone, I have both the Father and the Son in me. That I'm able to bring forth old treasure from my old self such as my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has saved me-and I have even kept my own understanding. I'm also able to bring forth new treasure from my new self being born of God the only understanding I hear in it is His own in His words. Either way I know how to answer you.

As far as 'putting me through' anything that is not even a thing you can express anything with complete freedom !!

Dmartin: Ok! Thanks Now that I've explained my freedom better I'm sure you won't disagree

[Dmartin]

Dmartin: I love when you correctly get what I'm saying and your response shines through! What a pic! The new bottle a little above the old bottle. Yep, I put new wine in the new bottle, and I put old wine in the old bottle

[Dmartin]

Dmartin, actually I did NOT EVEN KNOW that there was a brain-heart connection !!

Dmartin: Anthonychipoletti, yes there is! I'm sorry for the delay replying to you. I replied to you yesterday and submitted the post without knowing the internet was down so it didn't get posted. I'm going to try to remember what all I said and try to remember checking the internet before I sent it.

Dmartin: First I tell you that I certainly felt the brain(mind)-heart connection listening to the video. So much so that I felt in them my spirit filling up beside the Spirit of Truth's in me.

Dmartin: It is not possible to think without the heart. Whether to thinking/speaking wrong things or right things. Proverbs 23:6a, 7a, 9, "Do not eat the bread of a miser," "For as he thinks in his heart, so is he." "Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words." Verse 12, "Apply your heart to instruction, And your ears to words of knowledge." Verse 15, "My son, if your heart is wise, my heart will rejoice-indeed, I myself; yes, my inmost being will rejoice when your lips speak right things." Verse 26, "My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways."

Dmartin: Remember what I've said to you about my bringing forth new treasure and old treasure? Solomon had been teaching his son about his ways in bringing forth new treasure. Then he teaches him how to bring forth his old treasure. Proverbs 24:27, "Prepare your outside work (old treasure), Make it fit for yourself in the field; And afterward build your house." Verses 30-34, "I went by the field of the lazy man, And by the vineyard of the man, devoid of understanding; And there it was, all overgrown with thorns; Its surface was covered with nettles; Its stone wall was broken down. When I saw it, I considered it well; I looked on it and received instruction: A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to rest; So shall your poverty come like a prowler, And your need like an armed man." I hear in this the harvest is ripe. There is another lazy man in his son's outside work...

Dmartin: Proverbs 26:1, "As snow in summer and rain in harvest, So honor is not fitting for a fool." Verse 4, "Do not answer a fool according to his folly, Lest you (this lazy man's neighbor above) also be like him." Verses 10-11, "The great God who formed everything gives the fool (this lazy man, Proverbs 26:1-28) his hire and the transgressor his wages. As a dog (this lazy man) returns to his own vomit (he will leave his son's outside work he prepared), So a fool repeats his folly." This lazy man is the other lazy man's neighbor.. Verse 19, "Is the man who deceives his neighbor, And says, "I was only joking!" Verse 24, "He (the lazy man) who hates (his neighbor the other lazy man), disguises it (a wicked heart, verse 23) with his lips, And lays up deceit within himself;"

Dmartin: The Heartmath Institute below talks about the heart-brain synchronization and coherence being in optimal sync. Do you think they have thought about measuring the heart-brain synchronization and coherence being in perfect sync while hearing and doing God's word their together in knowing and understanding it?


https://youtu.be/6JsLH1kbo4Q

0.1 hertz frequency meditation music. Create heart brain syncronization and coherence with this Binaural Beats meditation music for 1 Hour. Pls. share if you find it useful. Thx:-)
Use HEADPHONES for the binaural beats to work. ↴↴↴

♡ What is heart brain coherence??
When the brain and the heart are in optimal sync, the brain waves change from an irregular, chaotic pattern to a more harmonic pattern. This is called heart coherence. You can attain this in various ways. By meditating on for instance compassion and/or listening to like the binaural beats meditation music above.

♡ Benefits?
When experiencing heart brain coherence, the nervous system, cardiovascular system, hormonal system and immune system, work much more harmoniously & efficiently together, creating a more optimal level of performance. This has been measured in several scientific studies. Check the Heartmath Institute for more information.

♡ About this track( for nerds... )
This track vibrates around the base frequency of 110 hz, with two different frequencies 109.95 and 110.05 (binaural beats) creating the phantom 0.1 frequency.

Dmartin wrote:

Dmartin: Yes, our spirit always has an infinite source of truth to do in our minds and hearts Like I hinted at below having spiritual experience must include both our brain-mind and heart (both organs, that doctor has only been researching one-brain) to know and understand it.

[Dmartin]

Dmartin, sorry for the moment, I feel that any comment I make to your question below would be inadequate ??

Dmartin: That's ok. I asked because I doubt that they have. I tend to think the Heartmath Institute and the doctor (I forgot his name) have similar resources/goals. The question is how far they are willing to go in their research (the heart-brain, the God gene) unless they are content where they're at. If they are seeking to find the unknown/spiritual in the heart-brain, then all they have to do is research the works being done in them. I'll leave it at that. You seem to post quotes that any may be helpful to readers but not to a reader that may be helpful to those who wrote the quote/s? If so, I'll stop responding to them I don't want to make you be inadequate/lack in anything. I don't think you are

Dmartin: The Heartmath Institute below talks about the heart-brain synchronization and coherence being in optimal sync. Do you think they have thought about measuring the heart-brain synchronization and coherence being in perfect sync while hearing and doing God's word their together in knowing and understanding it?