The following is a link to a National Public Radio (NPR) website. The title of the documentry is "The living Matrix". It is very interesting and I would encourage many to check out this link. It often seems that on one hand science is trying to disprove religion. I have often disagreed with this statement. Because I believe science cares less about faith, and more about "just the facts."

NPR: Is This Your Brain On God?

[christkid777]

Interesting thread Lewis. I feel vindicated. lol. When we look at things from the spiritual perspective we see more and better than when we see from the fleshly perspective. Sooner of later science will confirm everything written in the Bible. I consider it likely that science and Christianity will one day rejoin into one. The religious people in both camps will stumble on in disagreement but the "enlightened" will go on together.

[Brad]

So you get an emotional reaction after eating magic mushrooms and taking mescaline. They had to do a study to tell them that? (is it just Native Americans are allowed peyote?)

Parts 1- 3 are general explanations of why we get emotional highs and which part of the brain is affected, either by chemicals or prayer or simply contemplating your navel. Not sure if there’s anything new there, but it was quite interesting. Leads on to all sorts of fascinating questions about the brain/mind/soul. I’m trying to get through Daniel Dennett’s Consciousness Explained at the moment - I need all the help I can get with it.

But Part 4 looks at “research to uncover whether a person's thoughts can affect another person's body”. They show part of a doco about the Institute of Noetic Sciences which isn’t exactly overburdened with scientific credibility (they investigate esp, clairvoyance etc). They’re trying to show that remote prayer works. But limited experimentation (one couple!), lots of unverifiable assumptions, no controls, no blind testing – just adds up to a lot of bad science.

Part 5 is Near-Death Experience. Look, just stay away from the light and you’ll be fine.

[christkid777]

Perhaps some of what you say has some merit Brad, but there is not much difference between this science and a lot of other science. Many scientific investigations fail the test of common sense and can not survive opinionated review. That is why there is so little agreement between different sects of the scientific community. But it is logical to apply the scientific method to the examination of any physiological link between flesh and spirit. The results will be hard for anyone who does not believe to accept.