Rating: 
Summary: Not a good ending...
Review: I enjoyed much of the book. It was a great experience to read how people experience religion, ritual. Creation of miths and mysticism's neurological definitions were great. Relations of brain higher, sophisticated regions within themselves and to lower, primitive regions were defined clearly. But the last 2 chapters assumed the existence of God and that's a big shadow on the book. Science does not deal with God. So writers clearly put their personal, subjective experiences in life to a "scientific" book. Great beginning, poor ending.
Rating:
Summary: more about philosophy than science
Review: I expected a book about "brain science" to be, well, scientific. I would categorize Newberg, D'Aquili, and Rause's book as philosophic, or perhaps mystic, but certainly not scientific. While the book contains some description of their method and findings, the description is so vague that the reader is given no understanding of how "brain science" can foster such voluminous speculation that pervades this book. That said, I was intrigued by the philosophy and the speculation about the origins of mysticism and its relationship to ritual and religion. And, if I wasn't so disappointed by the books title, I might have given it a slightly better rating.
Rating:
Summary: This 'New Age' book is misrepresented as serious science
Review: I found this book in the Science / Biology section, and since it seemed to go address an important and interesting topic ("A facinating study of the neurological basis of mystical and religious experience") I bought a copy. The first several chapters contained interesting information about brain structure and function, but had the feel of 'lightweight' science. The authors seemed to be drawing conclusions not supported by the data. As the book progressed it became apparent that the authors had their own agenda and beliefs to promote, and rational scientific inquiry was nowhere to be seen. Statements like "The wisdom of the mystics, it seems, has predicted for centuries what neurology now shows to be true: In Absolute Unitary Being, self blends into other, mind and matter are one and the same state" show how far afield the authors take their data. Their clear belief in the "Absolute Unitary Being" (not to be confused with anything like the Judeo-Christian concept of a personal God), and frequent use of phrases like "being one with the universe" were difficult to take seriously. If you're into 'New Age' reading, this book is right up your alley. If you're looking for serious science, save yourself some time and frustration and look elsewhere.
Rating: 
Summary: So Is It a Brain Thing or a Real Thing?
Review: I must admit that I'm very torn as to how to review this book. On the one hand, I thoroughly enjoyed the first 80% of it. It was new information for me, it was insightful, it was affirming, and I was devouring it. Then I came to this transition point, where the authors make the leap from neuroscience to philosophy, and suddenly my notes in the margins kept getting more and more critical. So here's what I think I'll say about it...First, I enjoyed enormously the discussion on the biological brain functioning, and the conclusions that they derive in the first few chapters. The best way to summarize that particular discussion is as follows. Your brain is designed to keep you alive. As it developed particularly unique and complex abilities, most notably the ability for causal analysis, it discovered that there is one thing that the brain cannot do with regard to our surival...it cannot ultimately prevent our death. Since the limbic system creates an "anxiety response" to physical threats, the brain must create a response to quiet the anxiety produced by this existential discovery. If it is a normal stimulus, the brain knows how to tell the self to flee or fight. But with the ultimate death, there is no such possible response. So the brain invents answers, including God, life after death, etc. to quell the anxiety, and the neurology of the brain creates such powerful physiological response that we "feel" we have come to "true" conclusions. I liked that part. But then they make some major leaps and begin to describe a concept that they call "Absolute Unitary Being," about which I never did get a clear idea of what they mean. On the one hand, it sounds like they are simply describing a "ground-state" of reality, from which all our neurological perceptions arise. I'm okay with that. But then they go further and posit the notion that this Absolute Unitary Being is a higher plane of reality, more real than ordinary reality, and may be identified as "God." For me, things just ground to a halt, both because I philosophically disagree (which is okay), and because I felt like they never did establish a firm linkage between the science and the philosophy. Maybe I'm too dense to get it, but it just seemed to fall apart at that point. That said, I still think this is a book well worth reading. It's short, so it won't take you long to get some good stuff out of it. And maybe you'll get more out of their leaps into philosophy than I did.
Rating: 
Summary: Exciting subject
Review: I was impressed that subject matter of this nature is gaining more widespread interest in the last few years. It seems there was a real dearth of study on the concepts of religion and the science of the brain. This book dovetails nicely then with a number of great books that have recently hit the market exploring this topic. Horgan's "Rational Mysticism," Pinker's "The Blank Slate," and even the Dalai Lama's "Art of Happiness" were books I was reading at about the same time as this one. The cumulative effect was very thought-provoking. This book is again refreshing because it dares to explore the relationship (all too often the struggle) between Religion and Science - concepts as old as humankind itself. I think a truly free-thinker has to entertain ALL possibilities so as not to become a raving theophobe that excludes possible answers in the name of the deity of Science. Religion has taken its toll in human casualties throughout history, true, but we may well be living in an age that can embrace both without stigma or favouritism to the other? The research at times appears hit and miss, even inconclusive, but a systematic approach to the world of mysticism is long over-due and for this reason the seminality of the work is to be applauded. Perhaps in time others will stand on the shoulders of this kind of study, taking it further. A fascinating book well worth the time.
Rating:
Summary: Exciting subject
Review: I was impressed that subject matter of this nature is gaining more widespread interest in the last few years. It seems there was a real dearth of study on the concepts of religion and the science of the brain. This book dovetails nicely then with a number of great books that have recently hit the market exploring this topic. Horgan's "Rational Mysticism," Pinker's "The Blank Slate," and even the Dalai Lama's "Art of Happiness" were books I was reading at about the same time as this one. The cumulative effect was very thought-provoking. This book is again refreshing because it dares to explore the relationship (all too often the struggle) between Religion and Science - concepts as old as humankind itself. I think a truly free-thinker has to entertain ALL possibilities so as not to become a raving theophobe that excludes possible answers in the name of the deity of Science. Religion has taken its toll in human casualties throughout history, true, but we may well be living in an age that can embrace both without stigma or favouritism to the other? The research at times appears hit and miss, even inconclusive, but a systematic approach to the world of mysticism is long over-due and for this reason the seminality of the work is to be applauded. Perhaps in time others will stand on the shoulders of this kind of study, taking it further. A fascinating book well worth the time.
Rating:
Summary: Walking By Faith -- Intrigued By Science
Review: In the epilogue to the paperback edition the authors write, "...Reality happens in the brain, and while our imaging studies do not prove the existence of a higher spiritual plane, they do indicate that to the brain, these states are as real as any other" (p.178). Therein lies the crux of this book. If you are interested in an in-depth explaination of the how, what, where etc., in fairly popular language, this is an excellent choice. The authors argue neither "for" or "against" the actuality of God or a realm of the spiritual, they merely demonstrate how the findings of neurobiology indicate that we are hard-wired for transcendent experiences. Personally, I believe in a Creator behind, above, beneath, before, around, in, through, and energizing all of Creation, who created me and all of us with the very hard wiring that would instill in us a longing and a capacity to experience the transcendent. My friend Darrell Johnson, professor at Regent College in Canada, puts it this way: "At the center of the universe is a relationship...It is out of that relationship that you and I were created and redeemed. And it is for that relationship that you and I were created and redeemed" (see his book Experiencing The Trinity). I have found this relationship with the transcendent through the grace and truth that have come to me through the love of Christ. I know others who have comparable but different experiences with the transcendent through other avenues. The fact that throughout human history, long before the Jesus through whom I have found this connection walked the earth, humans have sought to engage with something greater than oursevles is not necessarily evidence that God exists. And, the apparent fact that our brains "create" the capacity to seek and experience the transcendent is not necessarily evidence that God does not exist. Those of us who choose to take a spiritual path know better than to depend on science to prove that our experiences are real or that the God we believe in exists. Ultimately, faith is assurance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. As the saints and mystics in many traditions have shown us, it is typically in the unknowing and darkness that the spiritual life most deeply unfolds.
Rating:
Summary: WHY God won't go away...
Review: Interesting look at how human beings apparently believe as they do religiously because biologically, they get something from it. Nice look at how myth--and by that they mean religion of all sorts, as the word myth doesn't necessarily mean untrue--developed in Neanderthal man--out of a need to understand death and the universe around them. Interesting research on how the brain reacted to both Tibetan monks meditation and Nuns' union with G-d the same way. Supports my own theory--unhindered by a PhD. :-)--that all religions are equally valid and serve a need within the individual. They also discussed how religion lengthens life--which the author pointed out can be explained partially b/c religion encourages healthy behavior. but, also the biological kick believers get from it. I disagree with the reviewer who felt these two scientists were claiming that "G-d" created the universe, etc. I felt it was clear throughout that the researchers were not religious per se. Was this most the interesting book I ever read? No. Not at all. But there was some interesting discourse put forth here. Worth your time.
Rating:
Summary: A worthwhile read
Review: Not perfect, but a good read. The authors are on to something here and have done their homework. They present a well thought-out body of theories based on scientific evidence and reason, but while they deeply examine how brain structure and function relate to religious belief and experience, they do not use this as an opportunity to *invalidate* religious belief. Carefully done.
Rating: 
Summary: God in the Brain's Machine?
Review: Science cannot determine that gods of any type exist, nor can it determine that no gods exist. However, there may be scientific reasons why the belief in gods remains strong. In the surprisingly titled _Why God Won't Go Away_ Ballantine Books) by Andrew Newberg, M.D., Eugene D'Aquilli, M.D., and Vince Rause, we get a fascinating scientific answer to the title question, and a review of the current scientific understanding of the roots of belief. The authors have done research by means of brain scans on those who are having mystical or religious experiences. The brain scans show that something is going on among the neurons that doesn't happen at other times. Most of the scans described in the authors' research show an increase in activity in the posterior superior parietal lobe, an area just behind the top of the head. They call this for operational purposes the "orientation association area (OAA)," because the OAA orients a person in physical space. "To perform this crucial function, it must first generate a clear, consistent cognition of the physical limits of the self. In simple terms, it must draw a sharp distinction between the individual and everything else; to sort out the you from the infinite not-you that makes up the rest of the universe." When this area is damaged by trauma or stroke, patients have difficulty maneuvering in physical space; when it is extra active, it seems to be a source of an inexplicable feeling of connection to all creation. A meditator describes the ineffable state in terms that are typical: "There's a sense of timelessness and infinity. It feels like I am part of everyone and everything in existence." The authors explain that the gene-driven wiring of the brain to encourage religious beliefs exists because it has been evolutionarily good for us. Stimulating the OAA or the autonomic nervous system can produce calm and a sense of well-being which may be not only pleasant but physically beneficial. Beliefs driven by neurology could reinforce themselves by building myths, encouraging ritual, uniting societies and providing social support from fellow believers. They can check worry about eventual annihilation. They can provide a feeling of control. Those of a religious bent will find matter to argue with inside these pages, even though the authors are very careful not to argue for or against the existence of deities, only that "the neurological aspects of spiritual experience support the sense of the realness of God." Some may also find disconcerting the idea that ecstasy of religious mysticism may have its roots in the structures that bring on orgasm. Others will find the practical answer to the title's question just too pragmatic and pat, but given the extraordinary research as it now stands, it is the best that science can do as it begins to look into religious feeling: "What we know beyond question is that the mind is essentially a machine designed to solve the riddles of existence, and as long as our brains are wired as they are, God will not go away." This book is a wonderful introduction into this fascinating research.
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