The Psychology of "Finding God"

[earl]

Perhaps, Tao is "God's chosen." earl

[Tao_Equus]

Originally Posted by China Cat Sunflower

From Dr. Persinger's bio:

Can someone explain this to me? What are endogenous and exogenous ligands?

Chris

Any substance that binds to a receptor is known as a ligand: those ligands that activate receptors are called agonists, while antagonists occupy receptors without activating them and thereby prevent the action of agonists. In normal circumstances, the ligands acting on our receptors are ‘endogenous’, i.e. they are substances produced within the body itself. However, many drugs cause their therapeutic actions on the body by specifically binding to particular receptors. These drugs are generally not themselves identical to the endogenous ligands, rather they are different substances, extracted from plants or other animals, or synthesized, which act as ‘exogenous’ ligands. There are two reasons for not using endogenous substances as therapeutic drugs. Firstly, many agonist drugs are actually much more effective at activating their receptor than the naturally-occurring endogenous ligand. Secondly, in the case of drugs that work by preventing overactivity of bodily systems, what is needed is an antagonist that binds to the receptor, blocking the action of the endogenous ligand.
membrane receptors: Information from Answers.com

Luckily I had been reading up on them in regard to endogenous viral combining in bacteria.

[Tao_Equus]

Originally Posted by earl

Perhaps, Tao is "God's chosen." earl

Well David, according to the ´name`books means "Beloved of God"... to which I usually add "Because nobody else can"

tao

[wil]

Namaste Ruby,

Great to see you around again.

In a live discussion just this weekend, I was commenting how I thought that G!d and Christianity would be saved by the dogmatic, literal, fundamentalists, not by those raised in more liberal traditions.

My reason being, those folks brought up in that world have a foundation when combined with reality that can look back at scripture and shine a new light. Those with the ideas and the light but without the 'book learnin' have a struggle to validate...

Now anyone confused didn't really expect me to make sense did they?

[RubySera_Martin]

Originally Posted by wil

Namaste Ruby,

Great to see you around again.

Good to see you again, too.

In a live discussion just this weekend, I was commenting how I thought that G!d and Christianity would be saved by the dogmatic, literal, fundamentalists, not by those raised in more liberal traditions.

My reason being, those folks brought up in that world have a foundation when combined with reality that can look back at scripture and shine a new light. Those with the ideas and the light but without the 'book learnin' have a struggle to validate...

Now anyone confused didn't really expect me to make sense did they?

Yup, I expected you to make sense. Wasn't I supposed to? Better try another language maybe.

Well, I've been talking with fairly fundamentalist Christians and they're dogmatic alright, but sense is one thing they don't make to an atheist. Their dogmatism doesn't end with their own beliefs; they will dictate what the atheist's world view must of necessity contain, and what atheists can and cannot believe.

[RubySera_Martin]

Originally Posted by path_of_one

Hello again, Ruby! We had talked quite a bit but not in some time... last time we spoke you were entering a graduate program (if I remember correctly) and I was still in mine... now finished!

I finshed my Masters degree in theological studies this spring.

[path_of_one]

Originally Posted by RubySera_Martin

I finshed my Masters degree in theological studies this spring.

Congrats!

[Tao_Equus]

Yeh congratulations Ruby and welcome back to Borgdom

[Dream]

Originally Posted by Tao_Equus

The reasons for rejection and rediscovery are highly personal but often intimately linked. But what exactly creates the right conditions to find God independent of these individual circumstances?

Walk through a city and envision the masses there who aren't aware that you even exist, and you will start to feel very small. I've best heard this feeling described as dealing with the infinite, and it is a strong feeling because there comes an awareness of your own death as you sense the infinite pressing upon you. In the most religion-unspecific sense I can think of, 'Finding God' is a realization of our own smallness and so think of it as dealing with the infinite. As people walk through that city and come near to the infinite they deal with it in different ways. Some people do it by...conquering the city in some way. Most avoid thinking about it, but some cannot. Others embrace everyone in the city like family trying to forget themselves and somehow remove the pressure of the infinite from their minds.

[China Cat Sunflower]

Originally Posted by Tao_Equus

Any substance that binds to a receptor is known as a ligand: those ligands that activate receptors are called agonists, while antagonists occupy receptors without activating them and thereby prevent the action of agonists. In normal circumstances, the ligands acting on our receptors are ‘endogenous’, i.e. they are substances produced within the body itself. However, many drugs cause their therapeutic actions on the body by specifically binding to particular receptors. These drugs are generally not themselves identical to the endogenous ligands, rather they are different substances, extracted from plants or other animals, or synthesized, which act as ‘exogenous’ ligands. There are two reasons for not using endogenous substances as therapeutic drugs. Firstly, many agonist drugs are actually much more effective at activating their receptor than the naturally-occurring endogenous ligand. Secondly, in the case of drugs that work by preventing overactivity of bodily systems, what is needed is an antagonist that binds to the receptor, blocking the action of the endogenous ligand.
membrane receptors: Information from Answers.com

Luckily I had been reading up on them in regard to endogenous viral combining in bacteria.

Thanks!

Chris

[RubySera_Martin]

Thanks, path and tao.

[China Cat Sunflower]

Originally Posted by Dream

Walk through a city and envision the masses there who aren't aware that you even exist, and you will start to feel very small. I've best heard this feeling described as dealing with the infinite, and it is a strong feeling because there comes an awareness of your own death as you sense the infinite pressing upon you. In the most religion-unspecific sense I can think of, 'Finding God' is a realization of our own smallness and so think of it as dealing with the infinite. As people walk through that city and come near to the infinite they deal with it in different ways. Some people do it by...conquering the city in some way. Most avoid thinking about it, but some cannot. Others embrace everyone in the city like family trying to forget themselves and somehow remove the pressure of the infinite from their minds.

I enjoyed reading this. I got the visual. Nice work!

My experience of anonymity in the city, staying with the analogy, is similarly the feeling of smallness and essential unimportance. The oblivious masses have no idea that I even exist. They don't believe in the legend of me. The identity that I created out of hand me downs means nothing here. I'm not special, or even noticeable anymore. But insignificance doesn't sit well. What's needed is the sense of belonging to something trans personal which, in turn, bestows a new and improved identity on the participant. An identity that means something, that carries currency in the mass informational environment here in the big city. One could find God, and it really is the perfect occasion for that. Tailor made.

But one should also inquire into the nature of this need people have to construct legends of themselves in order to feel significant. If we were humbled by the weight of our own inherent insignificance before, and found solace in this new sense of belonging to a trans personal, identity bestowing God, team, nationality, political party...etc., is it because IT actually bestowed upon us status with the masses whose ambivalence started this whole mess, or is it because it gave us standing with IT in a new sense of trans personal self-ness which transcends the need for meaningful individuation?

Chris

[Snoopy]

Originally Posted by RubySera_Martin

I finshed my Masters degree in theological studies this spring.

Congratulations

Have you come out significantly different than when you went in, do you think?

s.

[Dream]

Thanks for that encouragment, Chris.

Originally Posted by ChrisSummercatBoneChina

But one should also inquire into the nature of this need people have to construct legends of themselves in order to feel significant. If we were humbled by the weight of our own inherent insignificance before, and found solace in this new sense of belonging to a trans personal, identity bestowing God, team, nationality, political party...etc., is it because IT actually bestowed upon us status with the masses whose ambivalence started this whole mess, or is it because it gave us standing with IT in a new sense of trans personal self-ness which transcends the need for meaningful individuation?

The human psychology exists for everything to be just as you are saying, but self honesty continues to be one of the most deceitful tools we have to work with. I think that the question cannot be answered in textbooks perhaps for that reason. There is another question worth answering though: if it is as you say than would an immature understanding of it result in chaotic anarchy? That is, would it destroy the world? That question keeps a lot of people from worrying about your question, but my opinion is that I don't know right now. The ancient traditions that I am barely aware of seem designed to guide meditation into understanding the infinite through a study of nature, although they focus upon different aspects: sex, marriage, the mind etc. I think this is why Bushadi, the big noisemaker, kept insisting upon Science as a new religion. Unfortunately, he was not aware of his own insignificance. Someone could reveal the mystery of the universe right in the next post and no one would care unless it was an idea whose time had come. Who can say whether the big ideas in this generation will be carried on to the next?

[China Cat Sunflower]

Originally Posted by Dreamy

There is another question worth answering though: if it is as you say than would an immature understanding of it result in chaotic anarchy? That is, would it destroy the world?

The functional paradigm is too firmly established for everything to come unglued like that. We people are, as a whole, completely assimilated. Not enough people will ever simultaneously look behind the curtain to derail "reality." So, everyone can just relax. Nothing is going to happen. Here, listen to this Ocean Moods CD. Ahhhh, relax...and imagine that Deepak Chopra is rubbing your feet. Mmmmmmmmmm, mama!

Chris