Neurotheology
Andrew Newberg
Columbia University Press
Religion is often cast in opposition to science. Yet both are deeply 
rooted in the inner workings of the human brain. With the advent of the 
modern cognitive neurosciences, the scientific study of religious and 
spiritual phenomena has become far more sophisticated and wide-ranging. 
What might brain scans of people in prayer, in meditation, or under the 
influence of psychoactive substances teach us about religious and 
spiritual beliefs? Are religion and spirituality reducible to 
neurological processes, or might there be aspects that, at least for 
now, transcend scientific claims?
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<br>In this book, Andrew Newberg explores the latest findings of 
neurotheology, the multidisciplinary field linking neuroscience with 
religious and spiritual phenomena. He investigates some of the most 
controversial―and potentially transformative―implications of a 
neurotheological approach for the truth claims of religion and our 
understanding of minds and brains. Newberg leads readers on a tour 
through key intersections of neuroscience and theology, including the 
potential evolutionary basis of religion; the psychology of religion, 
including mental health and brain pathology; the neuroscience of myths, 
rituals, and mystical experiences; how studies of altered states of 
consciousness shed new light on the mind-brain relationship; and what 
neurotheology can tell us about free will. When brain science and 
religious experience are considered together in an integrated approach, 
Newberg shows, we might come closer to a fuller understanding of the 
deepest questions.
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