Congratulations to them; they have scientifically confirmed that "feeling the spirit" is nothing more than a typical emotional response...an experience that Mormons are conditioned to have in response to certain stimuli. It's commonly referred to as a Pavlovian Response.
What baloney! The study only shows a response but has nothing to do with actually feeling "the Spirit". No Spirit has been confirmed and the same response is likely to a spiritual experience from any other denomination that excites the individual. I'd suspect that an emotional response to an exciting story of pure fiction would look very much the same. Should we conclude this is proof that the Joseph Smith story is pure fiction? Or is it simply a reaction to something an individual finds exciting to them?
Perhaps its just the finger of god, the one that touched the Jaredite stones and made them emit light, that is piercing the front of their head and swizzling their frontal lobe?
A spiritual lobotomy with the glowing finger of god that lights up their brain?
Makes sense....at least from a mormon perspective.
What I'd like to see is a scan of their brains when the shelf collapses. The article mentions one "spiritual experience" around the first vision. What I'd like to see is what lights up when the person hears all the parts of the first vision not in the official church video. Would there be something like fireworks between the "all is well in zion" part and the "Oh Sh*, this can't be true" part.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/29/2016 12:06PM by goatsgotohell.
"The most moving part of the experience for Peterson, who completed her mission in Salt Lake City, was watching a video of Joseph Smith's "First Vision," in which the Mormon founder said God and Jesus appeared to him. "Because I've seen that and read that several times, not only was I having memories, but I felt emotions, and I felt strongly about it," Peterson said. "It was epic."
I'm sure my brain would light up exactly the same way if they scanned it while I was watching the last 15 minutes of "White Christmas," "The Majestic," or "Scrooge (with Albert Finney)."
Well, golly gee, fMRI technology confirming elevated levels of glucose during a Morgasm! Similar studies have confirmed that those of us who enjoy music (whatever our tastes) also experience elevated levels when we hear music we enjoy. Wolfgang's Boner.
I'd (still) rather meditate, listen to music, and/ or have sex. Of course my brain is always lit up. Glowing like a bright lamp in inner darkness. The spirit I feel is real. Maybe that's why it's different.
The article also states, regarding the results, that some may believe that the brain reaction may be due to "deep conditioning" and we certainly are aware of the extent of conditioning that children of Mormon parents are exposed to.
Of course, my awareness is limited in that it's a result of the extensive reading I have done about Mormonism, both in books and here on this board. Unlike most of you who have experienced the deep conditioning first hand.
Don't forget to watch the A&E Special tonight at 9 pm on what Scientologists experience. Any religious conditioning can light up the brain's pleasure centers. Your brain on drugs=religion
The UK article on this study is definitely more entertaining!
sAiNTS go Marching Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Any > religious conditioning can light up the brain's > pleasure centers.
Personally, I prefer to light up my pleasure centers with pleasure. Not mormon torture.
Maybe that should be my approach to mormons from now on:
Hey! You can get the same brain response/feelings of pleasure that you get from mormonism without paying 10% of your income! Just have sex! And I've got proof!!!!!
You really need to dig around in the comments. I think the experimentation is also a reinvention of a very old wheel. I think they did the same thing years ago, and found out that all religious people light up when they hear stuff in the context of their own religions, or when baseball fans think about some really good game, or when you talk about anything warm and fuzzy. But it sure proves the church is true, doesn't it?