NeuroTheology: Brain, Science, Spirituality, Religious Experience [Paperback]

Rhawn Joseph (Author), Andrew Newberg (Author), Carol Rausch Albright (Author), Carol Albright Rausch (Author), Michael Persinger (Author), William James (Author), Friedrich Nietzsche (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 15, 2003

Is the Brain Wired for God?
Is There a Scientific Basis for Spirituality & Religious Belief?
Does God Exist?
What is the Physics of God?
Is There Life After Death?
What is the Anti-Christ?

These questions and more are answered by the World's Leading Experts... Andrew Newberg, Michael Persinger, Matthew Alper, Eugene G. d'Aquili, Scott Atran, William James, Michael Winkelman, Carol Rausch Albright, Fraser Watts, and more. Over 600 pages. Nearly 200 illustrations. Thirty Eight Chapters. Thousands of References. And more....

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

NeuroTheology is the Alpha and Omega of this exciting new science. Over 600 pages. Nearly 200 illustrations. Thirty Eight Chapters. Thousands of References. The World's Leading Experts. And more....

Product Details

• Paperback: 620 pages
• Publisher: University Pr; 2nd edition (May 15, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0971644586
• ISBN-13: 978-0971644588
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.8 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,824,265 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

52 of 76 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant. Provocative. Not for the Narrow Minded., October 16, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: NeuroTheology: Brain, Science, Spirituality, Religious Experience (Paperback)

Religion and spirituality have had a bad "rap" and perhaps for good reason. How many crimes have been committed, how many wars, how many murders, all in the name of religion? The answer is actually provided in this book which is edited by pioneering neuroscientist Rhawn Joseph, the man who discovered or first documented neuroplasticity and recovery of function in the primate brain, the hormonal basis of sex differences, the role of early environmental influences on learning, memory, and emotional development, and who is the author of two best selling scholarly text books on the brain. Neurotheology contains over 30 chapters written by over 20 distinguished scientists and authors who offer a wide range of perspectives including the views of those who do not believe in neurotheology. The third edition includes chapters by William James, Nietzsche, Newberg, Persinger, Alper, Winkelman, and so on, in short, all the leading scholars and authors who have contributed to this field. There are nearly 200 eye-popping pictures and photographs and over a 1,000 scientific references. Of course, this book is not for everyone. Those who begin to gag at the very mention of religion or spirituality will hate this book. Those who believe that science and religion should never be mentioned in the same sentence, will also be agag. This book, with scientific chapters on such diverse subjects as the organic soup, the evolution of spirituality, the anti-christ, and so on, has the potential to open many doors, but only for those with open minds.

50 of 76 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars full of garbage and a little bit of good stuff, July 22, 2003

By 

Tell me your name (Atlantis (center for pseudoscience study)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: NeuroTheology: Brain, Science, Spirituality, Religious Experience (Paperback)

There are full of garbages and a little bit of potentially interesting stuffs that can be scientifically validated/invalidated in this book. Intelligent design creationism elucidated by Rhawn Joseph not only lacks scietific evidence (well he does use the term "evidence", but they are not. They are mere speculations based on scientific evidence), but can be refuted by major scientific evidence (not by speculations). It is an interesting attempt to shift readers' attention from "hard-earned Darwin's evolution theory" to "creation of life by intelligent being (aliens?) theory, by invalidating some minor aspects of evolution theory. But does everyone think "if evolution is invalidated, creationism must be true"? I don't think so (I hope not). For the sake of devil's adovocate, let's assume that creationism does become prevalently popular among non-critical public. Some people with a little bit of critical thinking will eventually claim "show me intelligent beings that created us, and how they did it. Until that happens, I will not decide that this hypothesis is not any closer to the truth than other hypotheses out there." Reasonable?
Chapters by other scientits, both famous and not-so-famous, try to invalidate or validate the "reality" of anomalous experiences such as religious experiences. Evidence and scientific methods for/against those phenomenon are so thin that we can interpret in any possible way. I recommend that you buy and read this book, but read a book called "The Demon-Haunted World: Science As a Candle in the Dark" by Carl Sagan beforehand or afterwards to decide where you want to place your opinion in this vague area that occupies science and pseudoscience. If you would really like to know solid "scientific" studies of anomalous experiences (e.g. near-death experiences), please take a look at "Varieties of Anomalous Experience: Examining the Scientific Evidence" by Etzel Cardena (Editor), Steven Jay Lynn (Editor), Stanley C. Krippner (Editor). It might be more worthwhile to read those books first.

1.0 out of 5 stars Do not bother, October 30, 2011

By 

BeingQuaBeing (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: NeuroTheology: Brain, Science, Spirituality, Religious Experience (Paperback)

Rhawn Joseph's work is recognized in this field as being unprofessional and unreliable. For a more authoritative and reputable introduction, look to works by Andrew Newberg.