Atheists: What is a good scientific experiment to test for divine communication?

Question

Has there ever been a verifiable scientific test on God-believers to see if they are really talking to Jesus (or equivalent anamoly) or just imagining it?

If it has never been done before, what would be a good strategy/protocol? If it has been done, who did the experiment (name of PI or psychiatrist/year/institution), what was the protocol, results, and conclusion?

The argument by incredulity is insufficient. It's time to get serious.

Answer 1

Predictions of the future would need to be specific (on 'x' date an earthquake will occur at 'y' location and the tsunami will will hit 'z' city). Too often predictions are so vague that anything will fit the criteria, (For example, 'At some point during the year, we'll have a violent natural disaster.'

Healing occurring without medical intervention that could not otherwise be explained. For example, the regrowth of an amputated limb. This would have to be observable under strictly controlled conditions.

Others may come to mind, but for now these would suffice.

Answer 2

I can think of lots of tests. Any such test would have to be double blind. This would be hard to do, however there is a good precident for it set by James Randi.

Basically, you'd have to test if the person gained information that they couldn't have guessed at or known otherwise.

One way to do this is:
1) Have a set of people who claim to have conversations with God.
2) Over a few days, have them write down what God told them.
3) Have another group of people just sit and think about stuff that might happen in the next few days. This will be the control.
4) For both sets of people, have someone else chronicle each thing they do in the next couple days, but don't talk to the subjects. The chroniclers also wouldn't know which were told to talk to god or not.
5) Take the "god" discussions and chronicles and give them to a third party after screening to make sure the chronicles don't have any leading observations. The third party would then rank the stories according to how much they matched the chronicles.
6) Use standard statistical analysis to determine if there is any coorellation.

Answer 3

I have successfully done mind reading experiments that really worked. A similar experiment would have to get information that could only come from God.

If you translate Genisis correctly you will find scientific information included in it that could not have been known to primitive man except through some higher being.

Still not a proof of God

The best proof I know is logic.

Every effect has a cause.
The universe didn't used to exist.
The universe exists now
Something had to cause it to exist.
That something had to be more powerful than all the energy in the universe.

We call that God

The real question is " Is God an active part of our lives?"

Answer 4

No, there have been no scientific tests that are valid. The reason is that science needs observable phenomena, and a persons inner thoughts are not observable. Unless God/Jesus were to tell such a person the future as way of proof, this line of testing will always fail.

I think the only way to test this would be to try and compare different people's perceptions of their inner voice and see if everyone is hearing from the same one.

Answer 5

Well, the Templeton Foundation (a CHRISTIAN ORGANIZATION) commissioned a Double Blind study on prayer, believing that the effects of prayer could be tested. Results: Prayer is an absolute waste of time, as neither group expereinced any favors/disfavors granted from the prayers... Oddly, the only correlation made was that those INFORMED that they would receive prayers had negative correlations, meaning they actually suffered a higher incidence of complications from surgery than those NOT informed they would receive prayers.... Hhmmmmm...

I wonder - had the results proved that prayers actually worked, would Christians still be complaining that prayer cant be studied? This is a classic example of ignoring test results when they dont give the results you wanted....

Answer 6

not atheist but if i may answer :o)
it would seem to me that the only method of testing communication of any sort is evidence that can be validated
as you probably know i am a medium and i would only accept that i had spirit with me if the information i have given out was validated by someone who i do not know
dates names descriptions personal details etc
so the only way i can see this being possible is if Jesus was to give information about himself that could be validated in such a way

Im a democrat below .... the Hebrew would be a great test if the background of the person could be checked to make sure they dont know Hebrew

for always below
the supernatural can be tested in this world ... it is my hobby and study

Answer 7

The God gene. Science has studied several monks, priests and nuns and during there moments of feeling that are "talking" to god. A part in their brains lites up, controlling the feelings of love and oneness. In reality they are having these feelings because they WANT to have them.

Answer 8

Mental tests, lie detectors, the fact that jesus spoke hebrew and likly isn't going to know what they are saying, ect.

Answer 9

There is none and you cant test the supernatural in a physical world.

Answer 10

I can think of one... let me look it up....

www.livescience.com/humanbiology/060919_shadow_person.html

These experiments were able to simulate many false perceptions in the brain.