Random Dialog

Replies: (page   1   2   3   4)
wesrman 03/18/2012 15:58
How God changes your brain sounds very interesting Lanny. How was it?
Lanny Carlson 03/18/2012 19:12
It's quite good.

Some suggest the title might be a slight misnomer,
as it really focuses on how different BELIEFS about God
effect different parts of the brain -
e.g., belief in a God of love vs belief in a God of vengeance,
and how spiritual PRACTICES (meditation, prayer, etc)
affect different parts of the brain,
using lots of brain scans and other research
involving nuns and monks and others who are skilled meditators
and showing the extremely positive effects and changes such activity makes in the our neurological wiring.

The last third of the book is more practical,
providing a variety of practices and techniques
which can increase the health of our brain,
and the health of our interpersonal relations.

The book doesn't argue for any particular religious point of view,
and will be helpful to anyone.
But certainly doesn't argue against the existence of God,
and the primary writer is a believer,
and readers here will find much information
to support our faith perspective.

A good read!

P.S. - Fingerprints of God, which I cited earlier, refers to the research in this book, and much more. It's also a very good book

Lanny Carlson 04/30/2012 21:04
Hmmm...
I notice that I was the last one to post,
and it was a month and a half ago!
Is anyone reading anything out there?

I tend to read in clsuters...
several books on the same or similar subjects...
then move on to something else.
I'll read a lot of early American history,
then a lot of mysteries.

Lately my reading has been of a more spiritual bent.
I already mentioned -
-Thank God for Evolution, by Michael Dowd,
-Fingerprints of God: The Search for the Science of Spirituality,
by Barbara Bradley Hagerty
-How God Changes Your Brain: Breakthrough Findings from a Leading Neuroscientist,
by Andrew Newberg and  Mark Robert Waldman
-The Faith Instinct: How Religion Evolved and Why It Endures,
by Nicholas Wade
-Most recently, I finished The Evolution of God, by Robert Wright.

All of these books begin with the recognition that religion
is a part of every human society,
and attempt to answer why and how.
The human brain seems to evolve in such a way
that we are genetically wired for belief.
Religion also helped ancient peoples to find answers
in the midst of an unknown and frightening world,
and provided a sense of common identity and purpose
to emerging cultures.
Wright's book does an especially good job
in exploring how "God," or more accurately how our ideas of God evolved,
from the most primitive concepts of nature gods,
to the polytheism we see in most early nation states
(of most interest to DABers,
he shows how Judaism evolved from the polytheism we see in the early Scriptures
to the monolatry reflected in the days of the kingdom
to the monotheism which became full blown after the Exile).
He concludes by focusing on the future of faith,
as the three Abrahamic religions,
rather than providing commonalty for particular cultures
have now led to division within the global culture we now inhabit;
the hope is that our understanding will continue to evolve
as we seek greater dialogue and understanding.

Now I have moved on from the neurological/historical/anthropological
to the personal/experiential,
though these elements are certainly addressed in these other books,
especially by Hagerty and by Newberg.

I am currently reading
"The Big Book of Christian Mysticism: The Essential Guide to Contemplative Spirituality," by Carl McColman,
a very practical book about spirituality from a Christian perspective.

On my "to read" list are,
-"Meditation - The Complete Guide: Techniques from East and West to Calm the Mind, Heal the Body, and Enrich the Spirit," by Patricia Monaghan
(though I don't know if I'll read this cover to cover -
it's nearly 400 pages long, and includes descriptions of dozens and dozens of meditation styles, organized according to religious tradition;
an excellent and highly rated book).
-"Why Meditate," by Matthieu Ricard,
-"Aging as a Spiritual Practice: A Contemplative Guide to Growing Older and Wiser,"
by Lewis Richmond, a book I at 65 really need to read!

I also have copies of
-"Living In Gratitude: A Journey That Will Change Your Life,"
by Angeles Arrien, and
-"Spontaneous Happiness," by Dr. Andrew Weil
And I may want to re-read Herbert Benson's "The Relaxation Response"

Totally unrelated,
James Patterson's 11th entry in his
"Women's Murder Club" is coming out very soon,
and I've got it ordered.
The first 10 were great and I look forward to this one.

John Grisham's "Calico Joe" also looks like a "must read."

So,
that's what I have read, am reading, and am planning to read,
and why I am reading them.
Maybe some of you will find something of interest here.

As for you fellow DABers.
what are you reading these days?

What


John T 06/05/2012 10:45
I just finished reading two books by Joel Rosenberg - The Twelfth Imam and The Tehran Initiative. They are fiction, but also based on quite a lot of research he's done for his non-fiction books. Very interesting. I do wonder what the end times will look like sometimes.
Frank 06/07/2012 21:55
John T,
Have you read Rosenberg's Epicenter? I actually have never been much for all the discussion on the end times but his book really got my attention.
Frank
John T 06/08/2012 16:30
Hi Frank,
No I haven't yet, but it's on my list. I'm currently reading "Inside the Revolution", which is another non-fiction one of his.
John
Frank 06/08/2012 21:51
John, let me know what you think when you read it. I have read all his books so far but epicenter ties all of them together.
Shalom
Frank
jay.wysocki 06/24/2012 09:15
We've been studying Brian Zahnd and Eugene Peterson's books in our Sunday school class. We're currently reading "Beauty Will Save the World: Rediscovering the allure and mystery of Christianity" b Zahnd. His book, Unconditional?:? The call of Jesus to radical forgiveness, is excellent good and provided the seed for some good discussion. Peterson's Eat This Book and The Jesus Way were equally thought provoking. I'm looking for a book to study next. Does anyone have some suggestions? Thanks!
slaveofjesus923 07/21/2012 14:40
Anyone who hear the Holy Spirit calling whenever Brian talks about "going all in" has got to read Not A Fan. Its a great book showing the difference between "fans of Jesus" versus "followers of Jesus".
Frank 07/25/2012 06:34
Bart, I have seen Not A Fan in the bookstore but have not had a chance to read it, but it is "list". I think it will be similiar to Francis Chan's Crazy Love which my Sunday School class just finished. I have the impression with books like these beginning to appear that the Spirit my be speaking to the church in the West.
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