Religion and Science.
Tali sent me a few papers on the scientific basis of religious experiences... This was my reply, which will be similar to any other conversations I have with people who don't believe in spirituality who read my last post, so hence I'm posting my reply:
"Thanks I'll read through them =)
I have a feeling though that like any good scientific paper, they will attempt to explain spirituality it terms of only naturalistic variables... and well they should, for thats what science is. I don't like it when science tries to do anything but.
However, I don't believe science can really explain it... If it were hallucinations or the product of an overactive imagination, I wouldn't expect to at times predict the future, or meet people who know minute details about my life when I never met them... or who can relate to me the intimate details of a dream I have or the characters within it - (like the red haired asian chic in leather armor and a sword... seeing me and starting off a story with that character in it moves beyond the realm of chance or generalities). If I could have ruled out my experiences to halluncinations or imagination... I would have done so long ago.
It would have saved me a lot of breakups... and friendships... My problems with Mark started coming out when he met a friend of mine who claimed to be very "spiritual" and Mark had a dream that freaked him out a bit... but I don't really want to talk about that, and I know for a fact he does even less...
All people, including me, like to understand the world around them. It sucks to realize there are limitations..."
"Thanks I'll read through them =)
I have a feeling though that like any good scientific paper, they will attempt to explain spirituality it terms of only naturalistic variables... and well they should, for thats what science is. I don't like it when science tries to do anything but.
However, I don't believe science can really explain it... If it were hallucinations or the product of an overactive imagination, I wouldn't expect to at times predict the future, or meet people who know minute details about my life when I never met them... or who can relate to me the intimate details of a dream I have or the characters within it - (like the red haired asian chic in leather armor and a sword... seeing me and starting off a story with that character in it moves beyond the realm of chance or generalities). If I could have ruled out my experiences to halluncinations or imagination... I would have done so long ago.
It would have saved me a lot of breakups... and friendships... My problems with Mark started coming out when he met a friend of mine who claimed to be very "spiritual" and Mark had a dream that freaked him out a bit... but I don't really want to talk about that, and I know for a fact he does even less...
All people, including me, like to understand the world around them. It sucks to realize there are limitations..."
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