DAVID BROOKS: The Neural Buddhists

A week ago, David Brook had a column in the NY on the intersection of brain research & faith.  He declares, "Just as 'The Origin of Species' reshaped social thinking, just as Einstein’s theory of relativity affected art, so the revolution in neuroscience is having an effect on how people see the world."   Brooks summarizes some of his core insights in this paragraph:

First, the self is not a fixed entity but a dynamic process of relationships. Second, underneath the patina of different religions, people around the world have common moral intuitions. Third, people are equipped to experience the sacred, to have moments of elevated experience when they transcend boundaries and overflow with love. Fourth, God can best be conceived as the nature one experiences at those moments, the unknowable total of all there is.

Andrew Sullivan has commented on it Neural Buddhists, Ctd, as has Rod Dreher.

image from JJ Tawd

Given that we are made in God's image, there seems like a lot of truth in the revelation that our God-ness would be at the cell or molecular level.  So much of the pervasive mindset in churchianity is that belief is a summary of facts we choose to know, understand & believe.  My own sense of where edge faith communities existence tracks with these implications Brooks shares:

That’s bound to lead to new movements that emphasize self-transcendence but put little stock in divine law or revelation. Orthodox believers are going to have to defend particular doctrines and particular biblical teachings. They’re going to have to defend the idea of a personal God, and explain why specific theologies are true guides for behavior day to day.