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Comment by doone on May 4, 2012 at 7:07pm

Work on the gargoyles they said. It’s going to be fun they said.

Comment by doone on May 4, 2012 at 6:51am

THE NEUROSCIENCE OF PRAYER: IT'S A BRAIN PUZZLE

From The European:

In a recent study our team used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate how the brain responded to praying in Christian believers. Surprisingly, considering God’s postulated invisibility, omnipresence, omnipotence, and omniscience, we found that conversing with God was not associated with regions that process abstract concepts. Rather, we found a marked pattern of activity in four regions that typically activate when humans relate to other humans. Neurologically, this finding suggests that strong believers process God as a concrete person – in spite of the theologically complex and highly abstract nature of the Christian God. Interestingly, we did not find this pattern in believers who did not use praying regularly. Perhaps the religious brain can learn to treat gods as real persons through regular practice and strong beliefs. 

Importantly and somewhat contrary to the widespread assumption that communicating with God constitutes a unique experience reserved for believers, our findings suggest that praying to God is comparable to ‘normal’ interpersonal interaction, at least in terms of brain function. Praying, it seems, is subserved by the basic processing of our biologically evolved dispositions like other complex cultural phenomena, in this case the evolved human capacity for social cognition. One might ask if these findings, then, are evidence that God is just an illusion, an imagined friend that always listens in times of distress? Or may they in fact be proof that God affects us even at the level of brain function? Atheists and believers alike take considerable interest in this kind of research. Fortunately, as a scientist my interest lies solely in the physical world and speculations about the spiritual dimension lie well beyond scientific scrutiny.

More here.

Posted by Azra Raza at 06:26 AM | Permalink

Comment by doone on May 3, 2012 at 4:13pm

Comment by Neal on May 2, 2012 at 10:11am

Nice. =)

Comment by Adriana on May 2, 2012 at 9:11am

Hahahaha!

Comment by doone on May 2, 2012 at 8:51am

Nobody F**ks With The Jesus!

May. 1, 2012

Comment by Chris on April 30, 2012 at 8:43pm

Listen to Teresa MacBain, a methodist pasture who comes out as an atheist at the March 25 American Atheist convention. There is also a transcript.

Comment by doone on April 30, 2012 at 11:05am

How Homing Pigeons Get Home

A survey of the science:

Decades of studies with frosted lenses, magnetic coils or scent deprivation show they use pretty much every clue available. The most difficult one for us to comprehend may be the earth’s magnetic field.

Birds see it, but what it looks like to them, nobody knows. Work by Roswitha and Wolfgang Wiltschko in Germany, among others, suggests that this sense relies on quantum mechanics—that is, birds detect something happening in the eye at a subatomic level. Light striking the retina seems to stimulate chemical reactions that produce pairs of molecules with electrons that are "entangled," meaning they share certain quantum properties. One of those properties, called "spin," is affected by a magnetic field. That effect could tell the bird which way is north.

The above image is from an installation called "Suspended Together," by Saudi Arabian artist Manal Al Dowayan. Kawlture explains:

[E]ach dove carries on its body a permission document that allows a Saudi woman to travel. Notwithstanding their circumstances, all Saudi women are required to have this document, issued by their appointed male guardian.

Comment by Hope on April 30, 2012 at 8:35am

LOLz :D

Comment by doone on April 29, 2012 at 3:10pm

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