After watching McCain's dire green-screen performance last night I see no possible way he can even compete against Obama. It will be total white-wash, unless...
I think the bigwigs in the GOP will make it known to him that he hasn't a hope of winning this thing and they'll basically convince him to step down. We'll see him "taken ill" or somesuch, and his VP (Romney would make most sense) will step up as the replacement nominee.
At least then it'll be more of a fair fight.
I am a Christian, consider that I have had what people would call "spiritual experiences", and have no problem with this research or it's conclusion. It is no surprise to me that there are areas of our brain that when stimulated make us feel this way. I believe that when we have these "spiritual experiences" God makes use of our physical and mental facilities.
This mapping of the spiritual to the material is something C.S. Lewis termed "Transposition". Something from a complex dimension (the spiritual) is being transposed into a simpler dimension (the material). Whenever we go from a "higher" to a "lower" medium we end up having to use aspects of the lower medium more than once to represent the higher.
Example: A piano version of an orchestral score. At one point in the score the pianists Ab may represent a violin, and at another point it may represent an oboe. The orchestra is a richer entity than a piano, so in order to represent things double ups are needed.
Another example is our emotions and our bodies. The emotions are arguably a "higher" medium than our physical sensations. This is why we get goose bumps on the back of our neck both when terrified and awe-struck. There are a limited number of ways our physical senses can represent our emotions.
So in regards to the article, these areas of our brain are used day-to-day to represent certain emotions. However they can also be used to represent something of a richer medium - the supernatural.
God manifesting himself in the material is nothing new from a biblical point of view. People think that Christians see the spiritual as a ghostly disconnected dimension, when in fact the Bible is primarily about God's engagement in this reality.
...significantly reduced bacteria counts and mortality, when given either 24-48 hours before or four hours after infection began. In Salmonella, the peptide offered significant protection when administered prior to infection setting in.
Sweet. So if I get sick I just pop back in time to before I got infected and dose myself up...
The "spiritual laws" of the universe as portrayed by Christianity are indeed hard to swallow. I don't pretend to understand them better than anyone else, but I do understand the concept of free-will and what that means.
Many people point to the fact that Hell exists, ie that a choice exists between following God and not, and say that it shows God is unloving. I believe it shows the opposite - if you truly love something, you set it free. It is then up to man whether or not you use that freedom appropriately or not. Someone who doesn't want a bar of God should not be forced into His presence, ie heaven. It shows the respect that God has for his creation that he does not see our freedom as purely a means to an end, but that our freedom is so important to Him that yes, he allows us to choose against Him. The Bible uses the analogy of branches on a tree to represent those who are 'attached' to God. If you are not attached to the life source of the universe, how can you possibly do anything but die?
Anyway we could debate about this all we liked - neither of us is going to know all the answers. However I consider this all secondary evidence to the evidence of actualy knowing God. If I see your car parked up the driveway and the house lights on, chances are you're home. But when I actually open the door and meet you face to face, all that evidence becomes secondary. It's the same thing with Christianity - which is why so many Christians aren't at all fazed by apparant mysteries and debate surrounding the existance of God. They've met Him and He's real to them. It really is something you have to experience for yourself, you can't just work it all out by logic:)
Couldn't it just be that we no longer find the idealistic Christian view of the world compatable with our experience as adults?
Idealistic? Christianity presents a view that is anything but. In fact this is often what makes Christianity so unattractive - because it isn't idealistic enough. It's not a pie-in-the-sky spirituality that is about warm fuzzies. It deals with reality in all its fullness. In my opinion Christianity presents us with an extremely accurate picture of the state of mankind, but the truth hurts and it definitely makes us squirm.
Maybe we just don't see anything just or right about sacrificing the innocent to save the guilty.
Exactly. If the 'just' or 'right' thing was done, it would be us (the guilty) paying the price. This is why I find the grace of God so incredible. How can a judge be both merciful and just? The two seem like opposites, yet in the death of Jesus both are reconciled.
Perhaps we understand the 'greater story', but we find it inherently evil and decide to align ourselves with good.
We obviously disagree, but I would be wary of whether or not it is in fact Christianity you are reacting to, or to the far-from-perfect representation of Christianity that Christians show. In my experience when we take the risk and pray for God to reveal himself to us he does so. Give it a whirl, what do you have to lose?:)
Slashdot Mirror
Testing? Or filming...
After watching McCain's dire green-screen performance last night I see no possible way he can even compete against Obama. It will be total white-wash, unless... I think the bigwigs in the GOP will make it known to him that he hasn't a hope of winning this thing and they'll basically convince him to step down. We'll see him "taken ill" or somesuch, and his VP (Romney would make most sense) will step up as the replacement nominee. At least then it'll be more of a fair fight.
...at the end of M$ that has become so popular* for many. * in 1998Laughing Squid just received an apology letter.
I am a Christian, consider that I have had what people would call "spiritual experiences", and have no problem with this research or it's conclusion. It is no surprise to me that there are areas of our brain that when stimulated make us feel this way. I believe that when we have these "spiritual experiences" God makes use of our physical and mental facilities.
This mapping of the spiritual to the material is something C.S. Lewis termed "Transposition". Something from a complex dimension (the spiritual) is being transposed into a simpler dimension (the material). Whenever we go from a "higher" to a "lower" medium we end up having to use aspects of the lower medium more than once to represent the higher.
Example: A piano version of an orchestral score. At one point in the score the pianists Ab may represent a violin, and at another point it may represent an oboe. The orchestra is a richer entity than a piano, so in order to represent things double ups are needed.
Another example is our emotions and our bodies. The emotions are arguably a "higher" medium than our physical sensations. This is why we get goose bumps on the back of our neck both when terrified and awe-struck. There are a limited number of ways our physical senses can represent our emotions.
So in regards to the article, these areas of our brain are used day-to-day to represent certain emotions. However they can also be used to represent something of a richer medium - the supernatural.
God manifesting himself in the material is nothing new from a biblical point of view. People think that Christians see the spiritual as a ghostly disconnected dimension, when in fact the Bible is primarily about God's engagement in this reality.
...he's pining for the fjords!
So why are we still stuck with desktop LCDs with such crappy resolutions? Laptop LCD screens have been kicking ass for years.
Obviously.
I just saved $10. It felt good. Please consider making a decent design.
The "spiritual laws" of the universe as portrayed by Christianity are indeed hard to swallow. I don't pretend to understand them better than anyone else, but I do understand the concept of free-will and what that means. Many people point to the fact that Hell exists, ie that a choice exists between following God and not, and say that it shows God is unloving. I believe it shows the opposite - if you truly love something, you set it free. It is then up to man whether or not you use that freedom appropriately or not. Someone who doesn't want a bar of God should not be forced into His presence, ie heaven. It shows the respect that God has for his creation that he does not see our freedom as purely a means to an end, but that our freedom is so important to Him that yes, he allows us to choose against Him. The Bible uses the analogy of branches on a tree to represent those who are 'attached' to God. If you are not attached to the life source of the universe, how can you possibly do anything but die? Anyway we could debate about this all we liked - neither of us is going to know all the answers. However I consider this all secondary evidence to the evidence of actualy knowing God. If I see your car parked up the driveway and the house lights on, chances are you're home. But when I actually open the door and meet you face to face, all that evidence becomes secondary. It's the same thing with Christianity - which is why so many Christians aren't at all fazed by apparant mysteries and debate surrounding the existance of God. They've met Him and He's real to them. It really is something you have to experience for yourself, you can't just work it all out by logic :)
Here endeth the sermon...
Why isn't science just the explanation of phenomena? Surely we all just want to find out the truth - be it natural or supernatural.
Not unless we were supposed to conclude something about God from the grandeur of the universe...