Comments on: Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Scientist: Andrew Newberg

By: Jay Bunting

Jay Bunting — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 16:24:00 +0000

If Mr Waldman had done his research very well he would have discovered that the 03 and 02 research of Dr. Newberg refutes what he claims that a Christian is “in Control.” Alson when one looks ad Dr. Newberg’s book “Born to Believe” he speaks to the same subject again and offers that a person can be enticed into speaking in tongues by merely vocalising the tongues of another over and over like a mantra. Is this the Holy Spirit? I think not. This is what one would call autosuggestion at best.
Even St Paul warns that we should bridle the tongue if it would cause confusion and that he would rather speak ten words that people would understand than thousands that nobody can understand. There is a fine line in tongue speaking that can be crossed from praising God to self glorification. I have personally witnessed such in churches where people looked out of the corner of their eye to see who was watching them speak in tongues, when the desired effect was being achieved, they did it all the more. This does not bring glory to God and only goes to back up what the first commenter wrote.
If Mr. Waldman claims to be in total control maybe he realy never has experienced the mind blowing exctacy of the Holy Spirit, but rather has been mimicing others via autosuggestion.

By: Mark Robert Waldman

Mark Robert Waldman — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 19:57:28 +0000

You’ll find a complete description of the speaking in tongues study in Newberg’s new book “Why We Believe What We Believe,” Since I’m one of the authors of the study, let me add some notes to this intriguing discussion. First, speaking in tongues is essentially an altered state of consciousness in which the person deliberately changes the overall neural functioning of his or her brain. Chanting, drumming, and shamanic trance states probably would show similar brain states, with decreases in frontal lobes and unusual changes in other areas. Interestingly, in Newberg’s other brainscan studies, nuns praying and Buddhists meditating had similar altered brain patterns to each other, but were almost the opposite of the Pentecostals, who never lost sense of themselves and thus do not feel “at one” with the universe or God. Instead they stay present, in dialogue with the Holy Spirit. Is God just an imaginative construct in the brain? Obviously yes (even if God does exist, the brain has to conceive of God to experience it). But what is most interesting about intense meditations is that they can permanently change the neural structure of the brain. All of Newberg’s subjects, including the nuns, Buddhists, and one atheist who attempted to pray to God (see the book, “Why We Believe What We Believe” for a full description of all of these studies) had assymetric activity in the thalamus when they weren’t even meditating. The longer you focus on any concept, other parts of the brain will respond as if that idea was objectively real. Focus on peace, you become more peaceful; focus on your anger, and your anger will feel justified and real. If you believe in God, God eventually becomes real. So be careful about what you believe!

By: anomalous4

anomalous4 — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 22:05:18 +0000

I always knew that people who spoke in tongues weren’t in their right minds. Nice to see that science appears to be catching up with me. —grin, duck, and run—