I RECENTLY CAME ACROSS AN ARTICLE THAT SAYS RESEARCHERS ARE USING NEW TECHNOLOGIES TO PEER INSIDE PEOPLE’S BRAINS TO “TRY TO UNDERSTAND THE SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE.”

WHY DOES SCIENCE ATTEMPT TO PROVE GOD EXISTS?   GOD CANNOT BE EXPLAINED IN A LAB.  GOD CANNOT BE MEASURED, FABRICATED OR MANUFACTURED “SCIENTIFICALLY.”  SCIENCE CAN PROVE MANY THINGS BUT GOD OR A DIVINE EXPERIENCE CANNOT BE MEASURED, FABRICATED, OR CREATED BY ANY SCIENTIFIC EXPERIMENT.

ONE AUTHOR IN THIS SERIES I WAS READING ON ASKED THE QUESTION, “IS AN ENCOUNTER WITH GOD MERELY A CHEMICAL REACTION?”  SHE STATES IN DOING SOME RESEARCH, SHE WENT TO A MOUNTAINTOP IN ARIZONA (I KNOW PEOPLE WHO HAVE HAD MOUNTAINTOP EXPERIENCES, BUT NEVER ON ONE IN ARIZONA) AND OBSERVED A NAVAJO CEREMONY WHERE MEMBERS INGESTED PEYOTE.  THESE CEREMONY PARTICIPANTS BELIEVE IN THE LONG-STANDING TRADITION THAT PEYOTE CONNECTS USERS IN THE HUMAN WORLD TO THE DIVINE  WORLD.   WHEN INGESTED, PEYOTE CAUSES USERS TO SEE VISIONS.  THEY ALSO BELIEVE IT HAS HEALING PROPERTIES.  ONE WOMAN CLAIMED TO HAVE SEEN THE SPIRIT OF A MAN SHE HAD WRONGED AND IN THE VISION, HE FORGAVE HER.  SHE FEELS SHE WAS HEALED OF SHINGLES AND STRESS AS WELL. 

I SAY THIS:  GIVE ME LSD, PEYOTE, OR ANY OTHER MIND-ALTERING DRUG AND I WILL HAVE VISIONS, HEAR VOICES AND THINK I HAVE TALKED TO THE DEAD TOO, BUT IT DOES NOT MEAN I HAVE HAD A SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE.

REMEMBER IN THE 1960’S WHEN LSD STUDIES WERE DONE ON FOLKS AND THESE PEOPLE CLAIMED TO HAVE HAD A MYSTICAL EXPERIENCE?  THEY WERE ARTIFICALLY MADE TO HAVE EXPIERENCES, AND THEN THEY CLAIMED THEY MADE A CONNECTION WITH GOD.  GOD DOES NOT NEED TO HAVE US UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ANY TYPE OF DRUG TO CONNECT WITH US.  THOSE THAT CLAIM THEY HAVE TAKEN A DRUG AND “SEEN” OR “SPOKEN” TO GOD, ARE TRIPPING; THEY ARE NOT EXPRIENCING A MOMENT OF DIVINE REVELATION!

ACCORDING TO POLLS (DO NOT KNOW WHICH), 50% OF PEOPLE HAVE HAD A SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE.  THESE POLLS DO NOT DEFINE WHAT “SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE” MEANS.  THIS ARTICLE GOES ON TO MENTION PAUL’S EXPERIENCE ON THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS, MOSES’ EXPERIENCE AT THE BURNING BUSH AND JOAN OF ARC’S VISIONS.  THIS RESEARCHER SAYS, “ASSUMING FOR NOW A MORE RATIONAL SCIENTIFIC VIEW,” MOSES WAS EXPERIENCING A” VISUAL HALLUCINATION,” PERHAPS A SEIZURE, WHEN HE HEARD GOD’S VOICE.  THEN HE GOES ON TO EXPLAIN THAT THE EXPERIENCE INVOLVED THE TEMPORAL LOBE OF MOSES’ BRAIN.  THE WRITER OF THIS STORY ASKS THE QUESTION, “IF GOD USES THE TEMPORAL LOBE” TO CAUSE THESE EXPERIENCES TO HAPPEN, “CAN NEUROLOGISTS MAKE GOD COME AND GO AT WILL?”  THE QUESTION IS THEN ASKED, “BUT WHAT ABOUT SUMMONING GOD?”

THIS FIELD OF STUDY IS CALLED “NEUROTHEOLOGY.”  RESEARCH SCIENTISTS CAN DO ALL THE STUDIES THEY WANT AND SPEND MAGABUCKS ON THEIR EXPERIMENTS BUT I CAN SAVE THEM THEIR MONEY AND TIME. 

IF THEY WANT TO EXPERIENCE GOD, A FEW OF THE THINGS THEY CAN DO IS FAST, PRAY, AND SPEND TIME TALKING TO GOD.  THAT IS HOW THEY CAN CONNECT WITH THEIR CREATOR.   YOU CANNOT MANUFACTURE A DIVINE EXPERIENCE NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU TRY.  NO ONE CAN JUST SUMMON GOD.  ONLY GOD WILL BRING THEM THE EXPERIENCES THAT ARE TRYING TO CAUSE TO HAPPEN IN A RESEARCH LAB.  GOD GAVE MEN EXQUISITE BRAINS BUT ONE THING THEY WERE NOT GIVEN FOR-TO TRY TO FORMULATE HOW GOD DOES WHAT HE DOES SCIENTIFICALLY.  HE WILL GIVE YOU ALL THE EXPERIENCES HE WANTS YOU TO HAVE.  YOU CANNOT JUST CONJURE GOD ALMIGHTLY UP BASED ON PROVEN THEORY.  GOD IS NOT A SCIENCE WHOM YOU CAN PUT INTO AN EQUATION. 

I THINK THIS RESEARCH IS RATHER FUNNYACTUALLY.  THESE BRILLIANT MEN AND WOMEN ARE SPINNING THEIR WHEELS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THE UNFIGURABLE.  GOD IS NOT A SCIENCE BUT HE DID CREATE IT.   THERE ARE JUST SOME THINGS MAN IS NEVER GOING TO FIGURE OUT.  IF YOU WANT TO HAVE A SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE, ASK GOD FOR ONE.  DO NOT TRY TO FIGURE IT OUT ANY OTHER WAY.  IT IS EASER THAN YOU THINK.

KATIE