NeuroTheology is an excellent, comprehensive, scholarly text which begins at the beginning (the Creation) and ends at the end (Armageddon). Some of the best, most daring minds in the science of religious experience, have chapters included in this book, including Newberg, Persinger, Alper, Albright, d'Aquili, Bruce MacLennan, and Fraser Watts of the University of Cambridge. ... this is otherwise an excellent, comprehensive text which deserves a place on the bookshelf of any serious scientist.

This is a provocative and ground breaking book. NeuroTheology contains 34 chapters written by 20 different experts, including Michael Persinger (who many consider the father of the field), Rhawn Joseph (who Newberg refers to as one of the founders of the field), Dr. Paloutzian (the editor of the International Journal of the Psychology of Religion), Dr. Albright (the former Executive Editor of Zygon the Journal of Science & Religion), and a host of others including those who do not believe in NeuroTheology. The value of this book is that it offers so many different perspectives. It is 644 pages in length, contains over 100 pictures, and addresses and answers many provocative questions regarding the nature, origin, and scientific basis of spirituality and religious belief.

This is a great and wonderful, sometimes disturbing book. It is clearly ahead of its time. The chapters range from discussions of the big bang and the origin of life to the coming of the "anti-Christ" --an astronomical event which, according to the author, has to do with "precession" and the slow progression of the equinox from "house to house" i.e. the Age of Pieces (the Fish) and the Virgo (Virgin) being replaced by the Age of Acqurious and Leo (the Beast). I also enjoyed the chapters by Newberg and Persinger which provide an overview of the neuroanatomy and neurochemistry of religious experience. The chapters by Alper were also very interesting. I guess what I liked best about this book is that it is very scientific yet offers a variety of opinions from a number of different scientists. There are over 30 chapters. The only major flaw in this book, were the rather superficial and boring chapters by "pop" writer Susan Blackmore. Why anyone takes her serious is beyond me. I highly recommend this book. It has something for everybody.

I was involved with Transcendental Meditation for 13 years, including 11 years qualified as a TM teacher. Persinger is absolutely dead-on. "TM" is just trance and suggestion, which is applied unethically to implant very eccentric spiritual doctrines in unsuspecting recruits who happen to be susceptible to post-trance indoctrination. This is a psychological issue, not a spiritual doctrinal issue. See also "Combatting Cult Mind Control" by Steven Hassan.

Use your own copy of the NIV Study Bible as I have. The list of quotes came from the Seventh Day Adventist Church on a long multi-colored, plastic-coated list, which I quote: (look them up in any bible to see what God says about cults).
John 8:32. Romans 6:23. 1 Corinthians 7:13,14. Psalm 146:3.
2 Thessalonians 2:10-12. Isaiah 45:22. John 14:6. and 12:35.
Mark 7:7. Joshua 24:15.

And decide for yourself what a cult is in God's eyes!

This is a solid, well-supported work by the scientist who did much of the supporting research himself. For the atheist, agnostic, or skeptic, it provides a thorough, rational explanation for universal religious experiences, which transcends denominations and applies to all faiths.

For the theist, it challenges their faith by suggesting a biological/psychological explanation of religious experiences. Regardless of how subjectively real and compelling these experiences may seem, they can easily be reproduced by electrically stimulating a specific part of the brain, causing the exact same symptoms. I challenge any religious person who is confident in their faith to read this book with an open mind.

Michael A. Persinger's book deserves serious and dispassionate consideration - devoid of emotion and allegiance to preconceived notions. It may, in fact, be one of the most significant texts - albeit not 'recent' - that exposes the underpinnings of the ubiquitous compulsion to believe in god or supernatural 'influences'.

The evidence presented, for those who are objective, is also more than adequate to satisfy criteria of acceptability to support his underlying hypothesis: that god-belief as well as all supernaturalist-based experience arise in the brain's temporal lobes. Indeed, decades of experimentation, including earlier investigations by Wilder Penfield, reinforce Persinger's conclusions.

We cannot, on the basis of the cumulative experiments, rule out the strong possibility (I would even say probability) that the human brain is fundamentally defective, and may even be hard-wired to predispose uncritical humans toward religiosity and god belief. Also, it is important to note - Persinger's meticulously presented hypothesis and experimental support meets the requirements of the Ockham's Razor Principle: to wit, that theoretical existences are not to be increased without necessity. Hence, it is begging the question for critics to assert that 'not all religious experience can be explained by temporal lobe stimulation'.

The fact is, the ball is in *their* court to show why not, definitively, and that includes submitting a comprehensive hypothesis of their own to account for the spectrum of religious or 'supernatural' experiences. Persinger's results, by contrast, enable us to account for the diversity of religio-mystical experiences without having to postulate their (added)objective 'existence' to our physical cosmos. As Carl Sagan once said: "extraordinary claims demand extaordinary evidence", and the fact is a claim of genuine supernatural origin is more 'extraordinary' than Persinger's - that experiences arise from temporal lobe stimulations.

Persinger's text and his specific evidence also complements many recent advances in brain science and neurology, not to mention the rise of the 'strong AI' (for artificial intelligence) model to describe the brain. Indeed, Daniel Dennett in his own monograph ('Consciousness Explained') shows how a fully materialist model can explain all brain phenomena using a 'virtual machine' model.

The Persinger model and evidence also provides a complementarity with another useful concept - the 'meme' - rendered by Richard Dawkins. As Dawkins' has noted (see his book 'The Selfish Gene'), the meme is the cultural counterpart to the gene - and just as the gene transmits heredity, the meme transmits cultural baggage, and particularly beliefs. In this guise, the 'god-meme' appears, offering the advantage of comfort or at least certainty (in an uncertain world) to those who accept it with 'faith'. It is quite plausible, in this light - that there are chemical receptors in the temporal lobes for 'god-memes' or other memes of supernatural origin (i.e. for afterlives, or salvation).

Finally, Persinger's book presents a nice complement to my own recent book: 'The Atheist's Handbook To Modern Materialism' in which I note (p. 18):

"If the nearly universal need to believe in or worship a deity is grounded in brain architecture or operation then scientists and the general population must know about it. It's too important not to investigate scientifically, especially since the findings could be valuable in informing a more objective light on the issue. Such investigations could also shed light on why a minority group (Atheists) do not share this need to worship or adhere to god-concepts. Do they lack the requisite brain chemicals or wiring? Or, is there a brain self-stimulation dynamic present in believers' temporal lobes that is absent in the temporal lobes of unbelievers?"

At the very least, a positive finding - such as Persinger's excellent book affords, would release the millions of Atheists in the U.S. from being marginalized for not having a specific brain defect inducing them toward religiosity. For this, they ought to be extolled, rather than condemned. At the same time, the refutation of any absolute mode of origin for religious belief might cause believers to be more temperate about pushing their ideas on others. And perhaps, politicians would finally cease invoking an 'almighty' that resides only in their fervid brains.

Michael A. Persinger's book is a major milestone in ultimately attaining the aforementioned ends. And for that he deserves all kudos and commendations. I wholeheartedly recommend this text, and the price is more than worth the insight - for those who are tough enough mentally to accept it!

Even though this book has been out for a while it's topic is especially contriversial even now...and has spawned many alternative views based on Persinger's experiments. I'd especially like to suggest another Amazon favorite: The 'God' Part of the Brain by Matthew Alper

I found the book to be exactly as advertised. It is a compendium of newspaper articles from The Charlotte Observer following the career of Dale Earnhardt. The book was not meant to be a history of Dale's career. I was somewhat disappointed in the photographs and the physical layout--the colors on some of the pages made it difficult to read-- but overall got exactly what I paid for.

This is a must for any Earnhardt fan. I enjoyed reading the stories about Dale's races and the pictures are great. The Charlotte Observer did a good job putting together their articles and pictures for a book on Dale's racing career.

I just finished my copy of this book and wanted all Dale Earnhardt fans to know how terrific it is. This is a collection of articles from the Charlotte Observer that covers the span of his career. It is a really neat way to remember all he has done.