Perception and the Awareness of God: The Importance of Neuronal Habituation in the Context of the Jewish and Christian Faiths

One of the most significant existential dilemmas for the religious person is the discrepancy between the assertion that God is everywhere and eternally present, and the inability to become aware of His presence. In this paper, we discuss how developments in our understanding of the brain's mech...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of religion and health
Authors: Drubach, Daniel A. (Author) ; Claassen, Daniel O. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Springer Science + Business Media B. V. [2008]
In: Journal of religion and health
Further subjects:B Neuronal habitutation
B Awareness of God
B Theophany
Online Access: Volltext (Resolving-System)
Description
Summary:One of the most significant existential dilemmas for the religious person is the discrepancy between the assertion that God is everywhere and eternally present, and the inability to become aware of His presence. In this paper, we discuss how developments in our understanding of the brain's mechanisms for perception may resolve this apparent contradiction. We submit that if God is eternally present and unchangeable, then by the process of neuronal habituation, an individual can be "unaware" of the presence of God. We also discuss the limits of human perception and illustrate the biblical questions concerning the awareness of God.
ISSN:1573-6571
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal of religion and health
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1007/s10943-008-9186-x