Mystic Politics

Religion & Brain: Belief Decreases With Analytical Thinking

‘Researchers say the findings have potentially significant implications for understanding the cognitive underpinnings of religion.’

The persistence of superstition in an irreligious Britain

‘The decline in religious belief in the UK is matched by increasing faith in life after death – something incompatible with materialism’

Get Radical - And Maybe Be A Better Scientist

‘If someone on the right wants to debunk biology, for example, and is denied here, they will complain Big Science (that would be us) is part of some vast, left-wing conspiracy to block out opposing views and protect academic funding. It just isn’t possible, scientists are too darn difficult to play along with any organized agenda.’

Has Physics Made Philosophy and Religion Obsolete?

‘From Aristotle’s prime mover to the Catholic Church’s first cause, we’re always driven to the idea of something eternal. I think Steven Weinberg said it best when he said that science doesn’t make it impossible to believe in God, it just makes it possible to not believe in God.’

Swedish Stonehenge? Ancient Stone Structure Spurs Debate

‘A team of researchers now argues it’s really 2,500 years old, dating from the Scandinavian Bronze Age, and was built as an astronomical calendar with the same underlying geometry as England’s Stonehenge’

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No ‘God Spot’ In Brain, Spirituality Linked To Right Parietal Lobe

“We have found a neuropsychological basis for spirituality, but it’s not isolated to one specific area of the brain. Spirituality is a much more dynamic concept that uses many parts of the brain. Certain parts of the brain play more predominant roles, but they all work together to facilitate individuals’ spiritual experiences.”

Gary Lachman: Why You Should Know Emanuel Swedenborg

‘The 18th century Swedish scientist, traveller, statesman, and religious philosopher Emanuel Swedenborg is one of the most fascinating and least understood figures in western history.’

Research into brain’s ‘God spot’ reveals areas of brain involved in religious belief

‘Scientists searching for a ‘God spot’ in the brain have found three areas that control religious belief.’

Spirituality v Science: Is This Your Brain On God?

‘More than half of adult Americans report they have had a spiritual experience that changed their lives. Now, scientists from universities like Harvard, Pennsylvania and Johns Hopkins are using new technologies to analyze the brains of people who claim they have touched the spiritual — from Christians who speak in tongues to Buddhist monks to people who claim to have had near-death experiences. Hear what they have discovered in this controversial field, as the science of spirituality continues to evolve.’

Invisible Children & Kony2012: A Better Story About Faith and Science

‘I want to take a break from the usual does-science-contradict-faith controversies and look at the intersection of faith and science in another way … from the perspective of the Kony 2012 campaign.’