God On My Mind
April 7, 2010
In a very pertinent vein as to what is being discussed within this blog regarding religion and psychology… Matthew Taylor, Chief Executive of the RSA, discovers what the latest scientific research can tell us about the human need for religion.
Part 1: Evolution
We are programmed by our genes to believe in supernatural powers and to obey moral codes. Is this because it gave our ancestors an evolutionary advantage? Iranians, Scandinavians, Papuans, chimpanzees, twins and wedding rings offer some startling answers.
Part 2: Neurology
Almost half the population claim to have felt the presence of a power beyond themselves. But what happens in the brain during religious experiences? If magnetism can produce visions, then what price mysticism and meditation? What’s the difference between sainthood and schizophrenia? And why are many believers convinced that God speaks to them in their dreams?
To find out more about Matthew Taylor, please visit his blog by clicking here.
OR to find out more about this BBC radio 4 programme, please visit the BBC website by clicking here.
PLUS… You can follow Matthew here on Twitter.
[...] luminaries, scientists, philosophers and even spiritual leaders alike i.e. Dr Albert Hofmann, Matthew Taylor, Noam Chomsky, Jeremy Rifkin, Luang Por Chah, Carl Jung, George Monbiot, David Bohm, Elizabeth [...]
[...] as it feels, even… That Life naturally happens, whether you want to believe it or not, independently and regardless of any divine creator or omnipotent god that we care to imagine. This time someone else has opened the doorway to another side – and another aspect – [...]
[...] describes in “On The Origin Of Religion” and/or Matthew Taylor discusses in “God On My Mind” – it uses memetics as a truly revolutionary tool for understanding why we are so prone [...]
[...] and Buddhism – along with Zen – will allow us to see through old dogmatic ideals i.e. old religious doctrines, old world views, etc… And thus allow us to better understand our position here in the [...]