The Neurophysiology of Religious Conversion Experiences
نویسنده
چکیده
This paper explores various scientific studies and neurophysiological evidence that describe and authenticate the two main forms of religious conversion: progressive andinstantaneous. Progressive conversion experiences are thought to occur via the Stage Model and are explained by the emotional-cognitive processing theory, while instantaneous conversion experiences have been found to result from seizure-like temporal lobe activity, leading to the localization of the ‘God Spot’ in the human brain. The potential for religious conversion (and general religiosity) is dependent on both environmental and genetic factors including ‘Attachment Theory’based learning and inheritance of the VMAT2 (‘God’) gene, respectively.A Christian worldview was applied to the analysis of the information presented in this paper to achieve the following conclusive rational: religious conversion experiences are regulated by neurological mechanisms that exist and operate as a result of genetic and environmental factors which are ultimately controlled
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