Before we had religion, we had fear. Fear of death. Fear of chaos. Fear of exile. Religion didn’t emerge because ancient humans were bored. It emerged because they were terrified.
I went through so much of what you talk about starting in the mid nineties never knew what it was, not sure it had a name at that point. However, this is / was key for me and still is to point - "And in a tribe, the greatest danger isn’t dying—it’s being cast out." for as cool as I think I am, some of what I write here I would hesitate to put out in a truly public forum even today.
Well written, Joe. Religion solves so many evolutionary problems of survival. I presented a paper on the neuroscience of religion long ago. I would recommend to anyone that they read a book by Andrew Newberg entitled "Why God Won't Go Away: The Biology of Belief." Or watch one of his videos. It supports much of what you say but takes it beneath psychology and looks at what things like speaking in tongues (glossolalia), hymn singing, and meditation do to our brains. Speaking in tongues deactivates the language centers in the brain. It is fascinating research.
I'd also recommend reading about a fascinating theory that hypothesizes that many cult leaders, like Joseph Smith, actually suffered from Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). It has been linked to heightened religious or spiritual experiences, with some individuals experiencing intense or altered religious beliefs or behaviors during or after seizures. The limbic system, particularly the temporal lobes, is often implicated in these experiences, which can manifest as visions, ecstatic states, hearing voices, or a sense of spiritual connection. Some have even argued that the Apostle Paul might have had TLE, and his road to Damascus experience is a description of a TLE seizure.
It might be that TLE and other mental illnesses have evolved to replicate religions and keep the religious impulse strong and varied. The more religious expression types, the more likely it is that our religious impulse will continue. Some have said that humans are "homo sapiens" but we are also, "homo religiosus." We are inherently inclined towards religiosity, meaning a drive for meaning, transcendence, and a connection to something beyond the self.
I second Joe's comment. Also, I've heard of a connection between head trauma and psychic abilities. I'm not claiming to be psychic and I've never been tested for TLE, but I have had several head injuries as a kid and know I've had paranormal experiences I can't explain away so easily. Would be interesting to see if my trauma is connected to my experiences in some way.
Tara, I think there’s good evidence supporting that something is happening at the neural levels that is causing these spiritual hallucinations & “god like” experiences. When people see visions, hear voices, claim to be God, or claim to have psychic powers there’s definitely something chemical happening. They are not faking it! Their brains are creating this for them.
These could be the result of head injuries, genetics, drugs, tumors, or just a metabolic disease(e.g., schizophrenia).
There’s some research by Chris Palmer showing a strong relationship between metabolic resistance & diseases like schizophrenia, epilepsy & dementia. We’ve known since the 1950’s that some forms of epilepsy are often treated effectively by an extremely low carb diet. There is metabolic component to some forms of epilepsy.
Palmer just discussed the relationship between maternal obesity and autism rates on a podcast. There is growing evidence that maternal obesity before or during pregnancy may be associated with an increased risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in offspring.
Moral decision making can be affected by tumors or lesions on the brain too! One of the most famous cases is that of Charles Whitman, the 1966 Texas Tower shooter. An autopsy revealed a brain tumor pressing on his amygdala, and his writings had noted disturbing changes in his thoughts and behaviors, including sexual urges he found abnormal and distressing.
I guess what I’m getting at is that our brain is responsible for most of these behaviors & experiences. These aren’t caused by actual experiences with angels, demons or gods but by our brains acting in certain ways.
I had a completely different comment I was working on coming home from work. Then I started reading Forgiving What You Can't Forget by Lysa Terkeurst and realized so much of my deconstruction is more me learning to forgive wrongs I thought had been done to me. Some of which I blamed God for. Especially when I had no one else to blame BUT him. I've only read the first five chapters, but I've cried multiple times already. I also find it rather poetic that I'm going through this process after having such an emotionally bittersweet Easter weekend. I never actually mourned the God I knew in my childhood who I came to believe only loved me if I looked a certain way, leaned a certain way politically and was of one specific sexual orientation. Whether I profess it publically or not, that God for me is dead and a new one has resurrected to reflect the things I believe now about myself. I will still read my Bible, but I will do so with a new lense. All of a sudden, I feel a deeper, truer connection with Jesus now.
I went through so much of what you talk about starting in the mid nineties never knew what it was, not sure it had a name at that point. However, this is / was key for me and still is to point - "And in a tribe, the greatest danger isn’t dying—it’s being cast out." for as cool as I think I am, some of what I write here I would hesitate to put out in a truly public forum even today.
💯
Well written, Joe. Religion solves so many evolutionary problems of survival. I presented a paper on the neuroscience of religion long ago. I would recommend to anyone that they read a book by Andrew Newberg entitled "Why God Won't Go Away: The Biology of Belief." Or watch one of his videos. It supports much of what you say but takes it beneath psychology and looks at what things like speaking in tongues (glossolalia), hymn singing, and meditation do to our brains. Speaking in tongues deactivates the language centers in the brain. It is fascinating research.
I'd also recommend reading about a fascinating theory that hypothesizes that many cult leaders, like Joseph Smith, actually suffered from Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). It has been linked to heightened religious or spiritual experiences, with some individuals experiencing intense or altered religious beliefs or behaviors during or after seizures. The limbic system, particularly the temporal lobes, is often implicated in these experiences, which can manifest as visions, ecstatic states, hearing voices, or a sense of spiritual connection. Some have even argued that the Apostle Paul might have had TLE, and his road to Damascus experience is a description of a TLE seizure.
It might be that TLE and other mental illnesses have evolved to replicate religions and keep the religious impulse strong and varied. The more religious expression types, the more likely it is that our religious impulse will continue. Some have said that humans are "homo sapiens" but we are also, "homo religiosus." We are inherently inclined towards religiosity, meaning a drive for meaning, transcendence, and a connection to something beyond the self.
Dude you need to write in here - that’s fascinating
I second Joe's comment. Also, I've heard of a connection between head trauma and psychic abilities. I'm not claiming to be psychic and I've never been tested for TLE, but I have had several head injuries as a kid and know I've had paranormal experiences I can't explain away so easily. Would be interesting to see if my trauma is connected to my experiences in some way.
Tara, I think there’s good evidence supporting that something is happening at the neural levels that is causing these spiritual hallucinations & “god like” experiences. When people see visions, hear voices, claim to be God, or claim to have psychic powers there’s definitely something chemical happening. They are not faking it! Their brains are creating this for them.
These could be the result of head injuries, genetics, drugs, tumors, or just a metabolic disease(e.g., schizophrenia).
There’s some research by Chris Palmer showing a strong relationship between metabolic resistance & diseases like schizophrenia, epilepsy & dementia. We’ve known since the 1950’s that some forms of epilepsy are often treated effectively by an extremely low carb diet. There is metabolic component to some forms of epilepsy.
Palmer just discussed the relationship between maternal obesity and autism rates on a podcast. There is growing evidence that maternal obesity before or during pregnancy may be associated with an increased risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in offspring.
Moral decision making can be affected by tumors or lesions on the brain too! One of the most famous cases is that of Charles Whitman, the 1966 Texas Tower shooter. An autopsy revealed a brain tumor pressing on his amygdala, and his writings had noted disturbing changes in his thoughts and behaviors, including sexual urges he found abnormal and distressing.
I guess what I’m getting at is that our brain is responsible for most of these behaviors & experiences. These aren’t caused by actual experiences with angels, demons or gods but by our brains acting in certain ways.
I had a completely different comment I was working on coming home from work. Then I started reading Forgiving What You Can't Forget by Lysa Terkeurst and realized so much of my deconstruction is more me learning to forgive wrongs I thought had been done to me. Some of which I blamed God for. Especially when I had no one else to blame BUT him. I've only read the first five chapters, but I've cried multiple times already. I also find it rather poetic that I'm going through this process after having such an emotionally bittersweet Easter weekend. I never actually mourned the God I knew in my childhood who I came to believe only loved me if I looked a certain way, leaned a certain way politically and was of one specific sexual orientation. Whether I profess it publically or not, that God for me is dead and a new one has resurrected to reflect the things I believe now about myself. I will still read my Bible, but I will do so with a new lense. All of a sudden, I feel a deeper, truer connection with Jesus now.
💥♥️