figment of the imagination?

'Serotonin, the brain chemical crucial to mood and motivation, also shapes personality to make you susceptible to spiritual experiences. A team of Swedish researchers has found that the presence of a receptor that regulates general serotonin activity in the brain correlates with people’s capacity for transcendence, the ability to apprehend phenomena that cannot be explained objectively. Scientists have long suspected that serotonin influences spirituality because drugs known to alter serotonin such as '___' also induce mystical experiences. But now they have proof from brain scans linking the capacity for spirituality with a major biological element.'
cms.psychologytoday.com...

I personally find this intriging.. some might find it disturbing [others might not give a]. I have two theories.. one.. that our brains developed spirtuality as extra insentive to aquire knowlege.. such as "Why are we here?", meaning of life etc. I am of the opinion that god is an evolutionary carrot that we'll never stop chasing.

To be fair so I don't get flamed- I have an alternative theory for the believers.. that these receptors in the brain were built in to communicate with god like a two way radio. He is very thoughtful that way.

Most things about human behaviour can be explained with biology. A serial murderer might have brain legions make him violent, he's genetically that way, or perhaps been traumatised.. on the flipside belivers might say he's been possessed by the devil.


It is also theorised that joan of ark was perhaps schizophrenia and that is why she heared voices.

Thoughts?

[edit on 24-1-2005 by riley]

``

i'm in agreement with your thoughts,

in my juggling ideas & rationals.. that there spirituality you noted,
is the price we pay for being humans,
seperate from other animals in our capacity of 'self-awareness'
the boon or bane of humanity...a titanic, epic, lifelong struggle.

the adage, 'we are not alone'
operates on many levels

caio

Well said.
I can be an atheist all I want but I can't think away my spirituality.. I crave for answers- I might eventually get some but there will always be other question beyond that. I think even if god was disproved.. the mystery of ourselves will always persist with the same passion.

I have always contended that highly emotional experiences in religion and spirituality can be traced back to psycholgical phenomenon. All of it. Speaking in tongues is something that can actually be recreated for instance by placing people in highly emotional states and giving them the idea that is how to relieve the high emotion from their mind. Thats just one example.