i've heard some of you claim that what Christians believe is the holy spirit is actually just a release of endorphins. how does science explain that the body releases endorphins while sitting in church or praying, both of which require being rather idle? i thought endorphin release occured after a release or transfer of energy in the body? i am ignorant on the subject, and i know i could be very wrong, so i would appreciate if someone could clarify for me.
2007-07-04 12:07:22 · 13 answers · asked by KellyKapowski 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
johnmcn49~ i agree, i'm ignorant on the topic! however, i wouldn't go so far as to say that Christians are ignorant of how energy works. don't use me as a representative!
2007-07-04 12:18:56 · update #1
You can get a release of endorphins through watching a movie.
2007-07-04 12:14:42 · answer #1 · answered by skeptic 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you need to know how science explains something, you'll probably get a better answer in the science section (though in this case it's psychology you need most, and for some reason that isn't in the science section). Just a hint - here you're more likely to get people arguing about religion.
Anyway, endorphins do generally occur after energy transfer, however this is not always the case. In certain examples of conditioning (which is a part of the learning process) endorphins are released.
For example, is a person has been brought up to sit in church and to pray, and when they do this, they are rewarded, they will feel good. Sometimes this is due to endorphins, sometimes due to other hormones (like serotonin). If the reward is repeated a few times after to good behavior (in this case prayer) then the person no longer actually requires the reward in order to get the chemical release that makes them feel good.
Of course, this is just one theory, and one which is often criticised for over-simplifying human nature. If you're still curious try re-posting in the psychology section, and I'm sure you'll get much more comprehensive answers that those I could give.
2007-07-04 19:15:12 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
I'm not particularly energetic, nor religious (anymore), but I understand the 'feeling' that one gets that moves you 'spiritually'. The first time this happened to me, I was the typical mormon male, and I before I accepted a calling I said I'd think about it, expecting the a dramatic event. I didn't get it at all, and thought, well, okay, I'll accept anyway - and *then* got the long sought sensation of supreme spiritual confirmation. I can see why many people claim this as absolute proof of the 'spirit' or the existence of god.
Except I got the same sensation again some years later when I saw a former girlfriend at a 30 year reunion (Still a beauty). And, I always feel it when I see the names engraved on the Vietnam Vet Memorial Wall, or watch 'Band of Brothers' on TV.
Memorial Day, Veterans Day and Independence Day and my kid's successes are my spiritual opiates.
2007-07-04 19:30:36 · answer #3 · answered by Dances with Poultry 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
" Transfer of energy "? Yes, you are ignorant. If you were sitting stock still and I insulted your delusion, do you not think it possible that hormonal release would anger you. Endorphins are another hormone mediated in their release by well understood neurological and psychological processes. The transfer of energy is not mechanical, but electrical and chemical.
You christains have a distorted view on what energy actually is.
2007-07-04 19:15:07 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is really a medical question, but - they can be released by thought alone. Millions of people experience the same sensations while thinking about different gods.
Of course, if you really want a huge dose of endorphins, intercourse is the way to go.
2007-07-04 19:12:32 · answer #5 · answered by Dreamstuff Entity 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Science can't explain God or the Holy Spirit since the Holy Spirit is God.
Sometimes emotions flow with the Holy Spirit, after all, God is Love and Love is an emotion, but Love is so much more than an emotion.
Let me sugget you visit a church where people believe in the moving of the Holy Spirit sometime.
Pastor Art
2007-07-04 19:12:58 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Endorphins are part of the reward circuit in the brain.
Almost any achievement of an objective will release endorphins.
http://pages.prodigy.net/unohu/endorphins.htm
http://www.jimmyr.com/endorphins.php
2007-07-04 19:15:26 · answer #7 · answered by ? 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's a psyco-somatic thing. Like monks who can slow their heart rate - you think it will happen, and it will. Praying and other activities that you expect to make you feel good or have some result basically have the result of releasing endorphins.
2007-07-04 19:27:29 · answer #8 · answered by eri 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It is well documented that various kinds of mediation can produce ecstatic states and hormonal responses.
Christians believe that they can sense the "holy spirit" through their feelings, and when they have strong feelings in situations where they believe the holy spirit should be present, they believe those feelings confirm the presence of a real holy spirit. But there are other explanations for those feelings that do not require anything supernatural, and non-Christians can generate those kinds of feelings even though they don't believe in any kind of holy spirit.
2007-07-04 19:16:30 · answer #9 · answered by Jim L 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Endorphins can be released because of emotions, etc. There are many different kinds, and most of them make us feel good. Nothing mysterious about it, if you get a kick out of religion, that is great for you. If a runner gets a kick out of passing the "wall," that is great for them. We all get our kicks in our own ways. Good luck
2007-07-04 19:11:36 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 0⤋