Adult Education

Pastor Jim McDonald will lead a discussion of Why We Believe What We Believe, by Andrew Newberg and Mark Waldman. Newberg and Waldman study the origin of beliefs and their connection to the biology of the brain. Newberg argues that we are "biologically driven to find meaning and wholeness throughout our lives" and that our belief systems, as well as providing us with a moral framework, also have a profound effect on healing our bodies and minds. Newberg does not believe that neuroscience can say whether God exists or not, but he does believe that it is important to understand how religious experience is "hard-wired into the human brain."

In preparation for a two-day workshop that Andrew Newberg will be leading at First United in September, everyone is invited to join in an all-church read of this stimulating book. It can be purchased online or in book stores, or you can ask the church office to purchase a copy for you.

Brain Science and the Biology of Belief

Carol Lysne will lead a discussion of Why God Won’t Go Away: Brain Science and the Biology of Belief, by Andrew Newberg and Eugene d'Aquili. Newberg and d'Aquili explore the connections between the biology of our brains and our religious experience, using sophisticated neurological imaging techniques to study those engaged in deep spiritual contemplation, such as Buddhist monks and Franciscan nuns. Their results showed how alterations in brain activity are associated with our sense that the transcendent is tangibly real. This is not, however, a reductionist exercise designed to debunk religious belief. Newberg does not believe that neuroscience can say whether God exists or not, but he does believe that God seems to be hard-wired into the human brain, finding "echoes of the infinite buried within its convoluted folds."

In preparation for a two-day workshop that Andrew Newberg will be leading at First United in September, everyone is invited to join in an all-church read of this stimulating book. It can be purchased online or in book stores, or you can ask the church office to purchase a copy for you.

Brain Science and the Biology of Belief

Pastor Greta McDonald will lead a discussion of Why God Won’t Go Away: Brain Science and the Biology of Belief, by Andrew Newberg and Eugene d'Aquili. Newberg and d'Aquili explore the connections between the biology of our brains and our religious experience, using sophisticated neurological imaging techniques to study those engaged in deep spiritual contemplation, such as Buddhist monks and Franciscan nuns. Their results showed how alterations in brain activity are associated with our sense that the transcendent is tangibly real. This is not, however, a reductionist exercise designed to debunk religious belief. Newberg does not believe that neuroscience can say whether God exists or not, but he does believe that God seems to be hard-wired into the human brain, finding "echoes of the infinite buried within its convoluted folds."

In preparation for a two-day workshop that Andrew Newberg will be leading at First United in September, everyone is invited to join in an all-church read of this stimulating book. It can be purchased online or in book stores, or you can ask the church office to purchase a copy for you.