Does Neurotheology not work for some because their soul's are not open to God?

Question

I watched a fascinating documentary on the brain and religious belief. A man who had been a hard-core athiest all his life had a seizure that was so severe that he almost died. During the time he was unconscious, he believed he was taken to some other place where he discovered that he was either in hell or going to hell. He was shocked to learn that Christianity was the accurate religion and was quite alarmed because he had rejected it and now was going to pay the price. The doctors saved the man. They told him he'd had a seizure. He related his experience.

They found this interesting and started to study the temporal lobe responses to things. They are still studying. They found that those who are "temporal lobe sensitive" respond to a particular kind/shape of magnetic fields and report more religious experiences. Then they designed a helmet that applies these magnetic fields directly to the temporal lobes, but it only worked on some of the people they studied.

Answer 1

Hi Jewel,

Wow. Great input. I will star it and study it later. I have always suspected that we have a "worship" mutation that came when God gave us abstract reasoning. Maybe, some people are born with that switch turned off. Seriously, I was watching a program about Diagnosing certain illnesses, in which they used that term, a certain switch was turned off. So they said the persons dna could be implanted (by a stem cell?)with a workable something that would turn on that switch.

Answer 2

I forgot to say, God is in the brain, these people prove that clearly. I hope you don't believe that this proves that he exists outside of the constructs of the human brain. This is where he was created and where he dies.

Yes I have seen various studies on the brain and god like experiences. Many times, people that suffer from mental illness have delusions that they are divine, a common belief is that they are Jesus, others believe they are god.

Also, drugs can create a great feeling of deep spirituality and understanding of our world. This one documentary called The Secret Life of the Brain included a man that was epileptic and had divine feelings of spirituality when he had seizures. Certain lobes of the brain are affected and fire off so severely that delusions and intense feelings emerge to even people that never had a belief in God before.

Answer 3

Only God can save people, he allows us to think that we are saving someone, but ultimately he makes the decision as to whether we live or die. God does not bring bad things to us, he does allow us to go through bad things that are created because we live in a fallen world, therefore bad things will happen to us. If that thing does not take our life, then there is a lesson to be learned from that by us and others. God has saved many who are not open to him but by saving them he is giving them more time to make the right decision to accept him. It is still on the person to exercise their free will to accept him. He will not drag us into heaven kicking and screaming. He wants us to come there because we want to and because we Love him.

Answer 4

It's not actually surprising that a man who has lived in a Christian country all his life would - with the right/wrong pressure on his brain - suddenly decide that Christianity is correct. Those thoughts had been dormant in him all along - I'd say.

Answer 5

Yes, because not only when it's ajar and ready to welcome ecstasy, it is also ajar to pour out love and beauty in return. My favorite is finding the first flower of spring. They are so tiny, and fragile, yet so perfect, that it is a joy to be on the ground peering down into the grass just to spot the flower. Hugs :)

Answer 6

Cool. We all have a GOD sized hole in us that needs to be plugged into the spirit of GOD to work. I believe we can see the physical results of that light coming on.
I wish I had seen the show.
Shalom Sis!

Answer 7

You are exactly right!