The Illusion of God's Presence
The Illusion of God's Presence

Author: John C. Wathey

Publisher: Prometheus Books

Published: 2016-01-12

Total Pages: 464

ISBN-13: 1633880753

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An essential feature of religious experience across many cultures is the intuitive feeling of God's presence. More than any rituals or doctrines, it is this experience that anchors religious faith, yet it has been largely ignored in the scientific literature on religion. Starting with a vivid narrative account of the life-threatening hike that triggered his own mystical experience, biologist John Wathey takes the reader on a scientific journey to find the sources of religious feeling and the illusion of God's presence. His book delves into the biological origins of this compelling feeling, attributing it to innate neural circuitry that evolved to promote the mother-child bond. Dr. Wathey, a veteran neuroscientist, argues that evolution has programmed the infant brain to expect the presence of a loving being who responds to the child's needs. As the infant grows into adulthood, this innate feeling is eventually transferred to the realm of religion, where it is reactivated through the symbols, imagery, and rituals of worship. The author interprets our various conceptions of God in biological terms as illusory supernormal stimuli that fill an emotional and cognitive vacuum left over from infancy. These insights shed new light on some of the most vexing puzzles of religion, like the popular belief in a god who is judgmental and punishing, yet also unconditionally loving; the extraordinary tenacity of faith; the greater religiosity of women relative to men; religious obsessions with sex; the mysterious compulsion to pray; the seemingly irrepressible feminine attributes of God, even in traditionally patriarchal religions; and the strange allure of cults. Finally, Dr. Wathey considers the hypothesis that religion evolved to foster reproductive success, arguing that, in an age of potentially ruinous overpopulation, magical thinking has become a luxury we can no longer afford, one that distracts us from urgent threats to our planet. Deeply researched yet elegantly written in a jargon-free and accessible style, this book presents a compelling interpretation of the evolutionary origins of spirituality and religion.

Discovery of the Presence of God
Discovery of the Presence of God

Author: David R. Hawkins, M.D., Ph.D.

Publisher: Hay House, Inc

Published: 2021-02-16

Total Pages: 306

ISBN-13: 1401944981

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This awe-inspiring sixth installment of the profound consciousness series by Dr. David R. Hawkins reveals the true essence of Enlightenment, from world-renowned author, psychiatrist, clinician, and spiritual teacher David R. Hawkins, M.D., Ph.D. A true instruction manual for the serious spiritual devotee, this masterpiece from Dr. David R. Hawkins reveals information only known by those who have transcended the ego to reach Divine Realization. Chapters Include: Devotional Nonduality The Inner Path Spiritual Practices The "Experiencer" The Razor's Edge Allness Versus Nothingness Spirituality and the World Teachers and Teachings The Devotee Transcending Identification with the Ego/Self Enlightenment: The Presence of Self Progressive States of Consciousness This spiritual book is the inner route from the self to the Self and an invitation into the profound depths of higher consciousness and enlightenment. It walks you through the path to divine consciousness through the fusion of psychology, philosophy, metaphysics, and spirituality. Immerse yourself in a devotional exploration of non-duality, a profound philosophy that bridges the gap between existential questions and spiritual answers. This transformative work will help you evolve spiritually by connecting to divine love. Dr. David Hawkins explains complex concepts with clarity, making them accessible and relatable for everyone, from spiritual seekers to business professionals seeking personal growth. His spiritual awakening guidance offers meditation techniques for inner peace and provides tools to transcend the confines of the mundane, illuminating the path to spiritual growth. Drawing on his profound understanding of spiritual liberation, Dr. David Hawkins' words guide us toward our spiritual evolution and higher consciousness. Through this journey, you will discover an empowering understanding of your divine consciousness, leading to a sense of inner peace and a heightened state of spiritual awareness.

Neuroscience, Psychology, and Religion
Neuroscience, Psychology, and Religion

Author: Malcolm Jeeves

Publisher: Templeton Foundation Press

Published: 2009-03-01

Total Pages: 173

ISBN-13: 1599473550

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Neuroscience, Psychology, and Religion is the second title published in the new Templeton Science and Religion Series. In this volume, Malcolm Jeeves and Warren S. Brown provide an overview of the relationship between neuroscience, psychology, and religion that is academically sophisticated, yet accessible to the general reader. The authors introduce key terms; thoroughly chart the histories of both neuroscience and psychology, with a particular focus on how these disciplines have interfaced religion through the ages; and explore contemporary approaches to both fields, reviewing how current science/religion controversies are playing out today. Throughout, they cover issues like consciousness, morality, concepts of the soul, and theories of mind. Their examination of topics like brain imaging research, evolutionary psychology, and primate studies show how recent advances in these areas can blend harmoniously with religious belief, since they offer much to our understanding of humanity's place in the world. Jeeves and Brown conclude their comprehensive and inclusive survey by providing an interdisciplinary model for shaping the ongoing dialogue. Sure to be of interest to both academics and curious intellectuals, Neuroscience, Psychology, and Religion addresses important age-old questions and demonstrates how modern scientific techniques can provide a much more nuanced range of potential answers to those questions.

Radical
Radical

Author: David Platt

Publisher: Multnomah

Published: 2010-05-04

Total Pages: 242

ISBN-13: 1601422210

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New York Times bestseller What is Jesus worth to you? It's easy for American Christians to forget how Jesus said his followers would actually live, what their new lifestyle would actually look like. They would, he said, leave behind security, money, convenience, even family for him. They would abandon everything for the gospel. They would take up their crosses daily... But who do you know who lives like that? Do you? In Radical, David Platt challenges you to consider with an open heart how we have manipulated the gospel to fit our cultural preferences. He shows what Jesus actually said about being his disciple--then invites you to believe and obey what you have heard. And he tells the dramatic story of what is happening as a "successful" suburban church decides to get serious about the gospel according to Jesus. Finally, he urges you to join in The Radical Experiment -- a one-year journey in authentic discipleship that will transform how you live in a world that desperately needs the Good News Jesus came to bring.

A Stranger in the House of God
A Stranger in the House of God

Author: John Koessler

Publisher: Zondervan

Published: 2009-08-30

Total Pages: 227

ISBN-13: 0310864216

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Growing up the son of agnostics, John Koessler saw a Catholic church on one end of the street and a Baptist on the other. In the no-man’s land between the two, this curious outside wondered about the God they worshipped—and began a lifelong search to comprehend the grace and mystery of God. A Stranger in the House of God addresses fundamental questions and struggles faced by spiritual seekers and mature believers. Like a contemporary Pilgrim’s Progress, it traces the author’s journey and explores his experiences with both charismatic and evangelical Christianity. It also describes his transformation from religious outsider to ordained pastor. John Koessler provides a poignant and often humorous window into the interior of the soul as he describes his journey from doubt and struggle with the church to personal faith

The Manifest Presence of God
The Manifest Presence of God

Author: Walter Beuttler

Publisher: CreateSpace

Published: 2015-09-14

Total Pages: 176

ISBN-13: 9781517341022

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Walter Beuttler was a teacher in the Bible School that I attended. He personally knew and walked with the Lord as few have. I personally witnessed the effect and the outworking of the very unusual personal relationship which he maintained with the Lord. The Lord often visited the classroom, as he taught, to reveal Himself and manifestly move in the lives of the students who sat under his ministry. As a result, my life was both challenged and changed. He often exhorted his students to cultivate a personal, experiential knowledge of the Lord. He used his unique spiritual walk and experiences with the Lord as a means to provoke us to begin seeking the Lord in earnest. Walter Beuttler traveled extensively in overseas ministry, teaching the principles of the "Manifest Presence of the Lord," and "Divine Guidance," until close to the time of his death in 1974. --Wade Taylor This is the intimate story of a man who walked with God as friend.

God’s Absence and the Charismatic Presence
God’s Absence and the Charismatic Presence

Author: Roy D. Kindelberger

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2017-05-17

Total Pages: 250

ISBN-13: 1532614535

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The author's theological inquiry is intended to raise questions of interpretation within the camp of openness theology and to direct a discussion on the implications of this movement for the charismatic/Pentecostal community. Open theism or openness theology affirms that the universe is open, the future is not settled, God is essentially relational love, and the risks of love and the threats against it are real. The author digs deep into this area of doctrine in order to question how far openness theology is willing to go. Is it only the future that is open to God, or are there perhaps unknown aspects to the past and present as well? What does God know about sin, and when does he know it? Is it possible for God to be totally absent from a person's life or even from an entire nation? If God can be absent, can he also be exceptionally present in the lives of believers? What would the divine presence and the charismata (spiritual ministries) look like in an open universe?

How God Becomes Real
How God Becomes Real

Author: T.M. Luhrmann

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2020-10-27

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 0691211981

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The hard work required to make God real, how it changes the people who do it, and why it helps explain the enduring power of faith How do gods and spirits come to feel vividly real to people—as if they were standing right next to them? Humans tend to see supernatural agents everywhere, as the cognitive science of religion has shown. But it isn’t easy to maintain a sense that there are invisible spirits who care about you. In How God Becomes Real, acclaimed anthropologist and scholar of religion T. M. Luhrmann argues that people must work incredibly hard to make gods real and that this effort—by changing the people who do it and giving them the benefits they seek from invisible others—helps to explain the enduring power of faith. Drawing on ethnographic studies of evangelical Christians, pagans, magicians, Zoroastrians, Black Catholics, Santeria initiates, and newly orthodox Jews, Luhrmann notes that none of these people behave as if gods and spirits are simply there. Rather, these worshippers make strenuous efforts to create a world in which invisible others matter and can become intensely present and real. The faithful accomplish this through detailed stories, absorption, the cultivation of inner senses, belief in a porous mind, strong sensory experiences, prayer, and other practices. Along the way, Luhrmann shows why faith is harder than belief, why prayer is a metacognitive activity like therapy, why becoming religious is like getting engrossed in a book, and much more. A fascinating account of why religious practices are more powerful than religious beliefs, How God Becomes Real suggests that faith is resilient not because it provides intuitions about gods and spirits—but because it changes the faithful in profound ways.

Inviting Gods Presence
Inviting Gods Presence

Author: Larry Keefauver

Publisher: FaithWords

Published: 2009-05-30

Total Pages: 204

ISBN-13: 0446561207

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Keefauver believes that the passionate pursuit of God is the most authentic method of finding God's presence in our lives. Divided in two parts, this volume is a journey into developing a genuine relationship with God.

When God Talks Back
When God Talks Back

Author: T.M. Luhrmann

Publisher: Vintage

Published: 2012-11-13

Total Pages: 466

ISBN-13: 0307277275

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A New York Times Notable Book A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2012 A bold approach to understanding the American evangelical experience from an anthropological and psychological perspective by one of the country's most prominent anthropologists. Through a series of intimate, illuminating interviews with various members of the Vineyard, an evangelical church with hundreds of congregations across the country, Tanya Luhrmann leaps into the heart of evangelical faith. Combined with scientific research that studies the effect that intensely practiced prayer can have on the mind, When God Talks Back examines how normal, sensible people—from college students to accountants to housewives, all functioning perfectly well within our society—can attest to having the signs and wonders of the supernatural become as quotidian and as ordinary as laundry. Astute, sensitive, and extraordinarily measured in its approach to the interface between science and religion, Luhrmann's book is sure to generate as much conversation as it will praise.