Download or read book The Phantom God written by John C. Wathey and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2022-10-15 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Does neuroscience have anything to say about religious belief or the existence of God? Some have tried to answer this question, but, in doing so, most have strayed from the scientific method. In The Phantom God, computational biologist and neuroscientist John C. Wathey, Ph.D., tackles this problem head-on, exploring religious feelings not as the direct perception by the brain of some supernatural realm, nor as the pathological misfiring of neurons, but as a natural consequence of how our brains are wired. Unlike other neurobiological studies of religion and spirituality, The Phantom God treats mysticism not as something uniquely human and possibly supernatural in origin, but as a completely natural phenomenon that has behavioral and evolutionary roots that can be traced far back into our vertebrate ancestry. Grounded in evolutionary and behavioral biology, this highly original and compelling book takes the reader on a journey through the neural circuitry of crying, innate knowledge, reinforcement learning, emotional bonding, embodiment, interpersonal perception, and the ineffable feeling of certainty that characterizes faith. Wathey argues that the feeling of God’s presence is spawned by innate neural circuitry, similar to the mechanism that compels an infant to cry out for its mother. In an adult, this circuitry can be activated under conditions that mimic the extreme desperation and helplessness of infancy, generating the compelling illusion of the presence of a loving, powerful, and all-knowing savior. When seen from this perspective, the illusion also appears remarkably like one that has long been familiar to neurologists: the phantom limb of the amputee, spawned by the expectation of the patient’s brain that the missing limb should still be there. Including a primer on the basic concepts and terminology of neuroscience, The Phantom God details the neural mechanisms behind the illusions and emotions of spiritual experience. ,

Download or read book The Illusion of God s Presence written by John C. Wathey and published by Prometheus Books. This book was released on 2016 with total page 464 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An essential feature of religious experience across many cultures is the intuitive feeling of God's presence. More than any rituals or doctrines, it is this experience that anchors religious faith, yet it has been largely ignored in the scientific literature on religion.Starting with a vivid narrative account of the life-threatening hike that triggered his own mystical experience, biologist John Wathey takes the reader on a scientific journey to find the sources of religious feeling and the illusion of God's presence. His book delves into the biological origins of this compelling feeling, attributing it to innate neural circuitry that evolved to promote the mother-child bond. Dr. Wathey argues that evolution has programmed the infant brain to expect the presence of a loving being who responds to the child's needs. As the infant grows into adulthood, this innate feeling is eventually transferred to the realm of religion, where it is reactivated through the symbols, imagery, and rituals of worship. The author interprets our various conceptions of God in biological terms as illusory supernormal stimuli that fill an emotional and cognitive vacuum left over from infancy. These insights shed new light on some of the most vexing puzzles of religion, like the popular belief in a god who is judgmental and punishing, yet also unconditionally loving; the extraordinary tenacity of faith; the greater religiosity of women relative to men; religious obsessions with sex; the mysterious compulsion to pray; the seemingly irrepressible feminine attributes of God, even in traditionally patriarchal religions; and the strange allure of cults. Finally, Dr. Wathey considers the hypothesis that religion evolved to foster reproductive success, arguing that, in an age of potentially ruinous overpopulation, magical thinking has become a luxury we can no longer afford, one that distracts us from urgent threats to our planet.Deeply researched yet elegantly written in a jargon-free and accessible style, this book presents a compelling interpretation of the evolutionary origins of spirituality and religion.

Download or read book Phantom written by Susan Kay and published by Llumina Press. This book was released on 1990 with total page 367 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An imaginative and sensitive story of the life of the Phantom of the Opera; winner of the Boots Romantic Novel Award.

Download or read book Mystery of the Phantom Gold written by Lee Roddy and published by . This book was released on 1991 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Phantom of the Colosseum Volume 1 written by Sophie De Mullenheim and published by In the Shadows of Rome. This book was released on 2020-09-22 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Phantom of the Colosseum is the first volume of the gripping new series for 10 yr. olds and up titled In the Shadows of Rome (5 books total). Being a Christian in ancient Rome was very dangerous. To spread the faith and stay alive, you had to live in the shadows . . . Now that Blandula's master has been arrested for being a Christian, what will she do? Little does she know that she is about to meet three boys who will help her to find the answer: Maximus, the son of a senator; his slave Aghiles; and Titus, who never goes anywhere without his pet monkey. Follow their adventures as Blandula and her new companions forge priceless friendships--and discover the many secrets lurking in the shadows of the Colosseum.

Download or read book The Phantom Forest written by Liz Kerin and published by Inkshares. This book was released on 2019-07-16 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Right from the very first page you’re drawn into the dark atmosphere of the world. There’s an expectant menace in every situation. . . Surprisingly, this is the author’s first novel and on this evidence I’d say dark fiction has a new rising star.” —British Fantasy society Every tree in the sacred Forest of Laida houses a soul. And each of those souls will return to the mortal world for many future lives. But not all of them deserve to. Seycia’s father told her this story as a child—a story of the most holy place in the Underworld, the Forest of Laida, where all souls go to rest before embarking on a new life. But Seycia’s father is dead now, and his killer has put a target on her back. After she is chosen for her village’s human sacrifice ritual, Seycia is transported to the Underworld and must join forces with Haben, the demon to whom she was sacrificed. Together, they journey to the forest in the Underworld where all souls grow in a quest to destroy the tree of the man who killed her.

Download or read book God Says No written by James Hannaham and published by McSweeney's. This book was released on 2009 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Gary Gray marries his first girlfriend, a fellow student from Central Florida Christian College who loves Disney World as much as he does. They are 19 years old, God-fearing, and eager to start a family, but a week before their wedding Gary goes into a rest-stop bathroom and lets something happen. God Says No is his testimony -- the story of a young black Christian struggling with desire and belief, with his love for his wife and his appetite for other men, told in a singular, emotional voice. Driven by desperation and religious visions, the path that Gary Gray takes -- from revival meetings to "out" life in Atlanta to a pray-away-the-gay ministry in Memphis, Tennessee -- gives a riveting picture of how a life like his can be lived, and how it can't.

Download or read book Master of the Phantom Isle written by Brandon Mull and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2020-10-13 with total page 496 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As the evil Celebrant, the Dragon King, conquers more and more dragon sanctuaries, Kendra must raise an army of friends and allies on her own to fight him because her brother Seth and Bracken are missing.

Download or read book Phantoms in the Brain written by V. S. Ramachandran and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 1999-08-18 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Neuroscientist V.S. Ramachandran is internationally renowned for uncovering answers to the deep and quirky questions of human nature that few scientists have dared to address. His bold insights about the brain are matched only by the stunning simplicity of his experiments -- using such low-tech tools as cotton swabs, glasses of water and dime-store mirrors. In Phantoms in the Brain, Dr. Ramachandran recounts how his work with patients who have bizarre neurological disorders has shed new light on the deep architecture of the brain, and what these findings tell us about who we are, how we construct our body image, why we laugh or become depressed, why we may believe in God, how we make decisions, deceive ourselves and dream, perhaps even why we're so clever at philosophy, music and art. Some of his most notable cases: A woman paralyzed on the left side of her body who believes she is lifting a tray of drinks with both hands offers a unique opportunity to test Freud's theory of denial. A man who insists he is talking with God challenges us to ask: Could we be "wired" for religious experience? A woman who hallucinates cartoon characters illustrates how, in a sense, we are all hallucinating, all the time. Dr. Ramachandran's inspired medical detective work pushes the boundaries of medicine's last great frontier -- the human mind -- yielding new and provocative insights into the "big questions" about consciousness and the self.

Download or read book The Phantom of Manhattan written by Frederick Forsyth and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2007-04-01 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The stunning continuation of the timeless classic The Phantom of the Opera. In The Phantom of Manhattan, acclaimed, bestselling suspense novelist Frederick Forsyth pens a magnificent work of historical fiction, rife with the insights and sounds of turn-of-the-century New York City, while continuing the dramatic saga which began with Gaston Leroux's brilliant novel The Phantom of the Opera... More than two decades have passed since Antoinette Giry, the mistress of the corps de ballet at the Paris Opera, rescued a hideously disfigured boy named Erik from a carnival and brought him to live in the labyrinthine cellars of the opera house. Soon thereafter, his intense, unrequited love for a beautiful chorus girl set in motion a tragic string of events, forcing him to flee Paris forever. Now, as she lies dying in a convent, Madam Giry tells the untold story of the Phantom and his clandestine journey to New York City to start anew, where he would become a wealthy entrepreneur and build the glorious Manhattan Opera House...all so he could see his beloved, now a famous diva, once again. But the outcome of her visit would prove even more devastating than before-- and yet, would allow the Phantom to know, for the first time in his brutal life, the true meaning of love...

Download or read book The Phantom Tollbooth written by Norton Juster and published by Yearling. This book was released on 1988-10-12 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With almost 5 million copies sold 60 years after its original publication, generations of readers have now journeyed with Milo to the Lands Beyond in this beloved classic. Enriched by Jules Feiffer’s splendid illustrations, the wit, wisdom, and wordplay of Norton Juster’s offbeat fantasy are as beguiling as ever. “Comes up bright and new every time I read it . . . it will continue to charm and delight for a very long time yet. And teach us some wisdom, too.” --Phillip Pullman For Milo, everything’s a bore. When a tollbooth mysteriously appears in his room, he drives through only because he’s got nothing better to do. But on the other side, things seem different. Milo visits the Island of Conclusions (you get there by jumping), learns about time from a ticking watchdog named Tock, and even embarks on a quest to rescue Rhyme and Reason. Somewhere along the way, Milo realizes something astonishing. Life is far from dull. In fact, it’s exciting beyond his wildest dreams!

Download or read book What Science Is and How It Really Works written by James C. Zimring and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2019-07-18 with total page 407 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A timely and accessible synthesis of the strengths, weaknesses and reality of science through the eyes of a practicing scientist.

Download or read book The Phantom Detective Fangs of Murder written by Robert Wallace and published by Wildside Press LLC. This book was released on 2011-09-29 with total page 135 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mysterious doom hovers menacingly over the members of the Gargoyle Club! Follow the world's greatest sleuth as he pits brain and brawn against a vicious criminal! Ripped from the pages of "The Phantom Detective" magazine, here is the lead novel from the January, 1938 issue!

Download or read book Baphomet Book written by Prettyhorses and published by Xlibris Corporation. This book was released on 2017-03-06 with total page 140 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the log of communication between a digital age necromancer and the 90s kid he possessed and still has possession of and the fight for freedom undergone in a world lost to magical thinking.

Download or read book The Phantom Detective 5 Murder Mysteries in One Volume written by Robert Wallace and published by DigiCat. This book was released on 2023-12-26 with total page 408 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This carefully edited Phantom Detective collection has been designed and formatted to the highest digital standards and adjusted for readability on all devices. The Phantom is actually the wealthy Richard Curtis Van Loan. He is a world-famous detective, whose true identity is only known by one man—Frank Havens, the publisher of the Clarion newspaper. Richard Curtis Van Loan is orphaned at an early age but inherits wealth. Before World War I, he leads the life of an idle playboy, but during the war he becomes a pilot and downs many German planes. Contents: Empire of Terror Death Flight The Sinister Dr. Wong Fangs of Murder Tycoon of Crime

Download or read book Fall of the Phantom Lord written by Andrew Todhunter and published by Anchor. This book was released on 2013-02-13 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1989, while attempting a new route on a difficult overhanging rock face, climber Dan Osman fell. Again and again, protected by the rope, he fell. He decided then that it would not be in climbing but in falling that he would embrace his fear--bathe in it, as he says, and move beyond it. A captivating exploration of the daredevil world of rock climbing, as well as a thoughtful meditation on the role of risk and fear in the author's own life. In the tradition of the wildly popular man-versus-nature genre that has launched several bestsellers, Andrew Todhunter follows the lives of world-class climber Dan Osman and his coterie of friends as he explores the extremes of risk on the unyielding surface of the rock. Climbing sheer rock faces of hundreds or thousands of feet is more a religion than a sport, demanding dedication, patience, mental and physical strength, grace, and a kind of obsession with detail that is crucial just to survive. Its artists are modern-day ascetics who often sacrifice nine-to-five jobs, material goods, and the safety of everyday life to pit themselves and their moral resoluteness against an utterly unforgiving opponent. In the course of the two years chronicled in Fall of the Phantom Lord, the author also undertakes a journey of his own as he begins to weigh the relative value of extreme sports and the risk of sudden death. By the end of the book, as he ponders joining Osman on a dangerous fall from a high bridge to feel what Osman experiences, Todhunter comes to a new understanding of risk taking and the role it has in his life, and in the lives of these climbers. Beautifully written, Fall of the Phantom Lord offers a fascinating look at a world few people know. It will surely take its place alongside Into Thin Air and The Perfect Storm as a classic of adventure literature.

Download or read book Phantom Evil written by Heather Graham and published by MIRA. This book was released on 2012-03-27 with total page 360 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: OGraham expertly blends a chilling history of the mansion's former residents with eerie phenomena, once again demonstrating why she stands at the top of the romantic suspense category."--"Publisher's Weekly, " Starred Review.