Can Neurotheology Explain Religion?

Abstract

Neurotheology is a fast-growing field of research. Combining philosophy of mind, neuroscience, and religious studies, it takes a new approach to old questions on religion. What is religion and why do we have it? Neurotheologists focus on the search for the neural correlate of religious experiences. If we can trace religious experiences to specific parts of the brain, chances are we can reduce religion as such to that grey soggy matter as well. This article predicts neurotheology will not be able to locate the neural correlate of religious experiences. As we cannot decide phenomenally what makes an experience religious, neurologically we cannot find its correlate either. That is, if there are fixed neural correlates to begin with, because their existence is still a matter of debate. In addition, religious experiences seem to be a kind of experience, like emotional or relational experiences, making them indistinguishable from similar nonreligious experiences. Even if one manages to trace the neural correlate of religious experiences, neurotheology will still not be able to account for the rise of religion without resorting to theories from other disciplines. In the end, we do not know enough about consciousness and the way it relates to the brain to make conclusive claims about the search for religious states of consciousness. It seems, however, that even though neurotheology could provide fascinating insights in the workings of the religious brain, on its own, it will prove unable to explain religion fully.

Islam and suicide: An interdisciplinary scoping review.

“…Neurotheology integrates theories from psychology, theology, biology, anthropology, philosophy, and cognitive science to provide insights into the neural correlates of religious experience (Vliegenthart, 2011). Several studies have investigated the relationship between religion, neurobiology, and mood disorders (Bonelli et al, 2012; Hölzel et al, 2011; Koenig et al, 1997; Lazar et al, 2005; Lutgendorf et al, 2004; Miller et al, 2012, 2014; Mosqueiro et al, 2015; Smith et al, 2003).…”

Epilepsy and religiosity: A historical overview

“…Instead of its contradictions, the reborn theory of the epileptic personality proved to be a stimulating framework for the psychologist Michael A. Persinger, a popular 20th-century representative of neurotheology (a research field focusing on the neural correlates of religious experiences; see Vliegenthart, 2011). It was Persinger who introduced a distinct theory regarding the neuropsychological bases of God beliefs and highlighted the temporal lobe’s importance in the genesis of religious experiences.…”

“…Some clinical observations seem to support the relationship between religious experiences during, after, and in between seizures; 0.4%–3.1% of partial epilepsy patients were reported to have ictal religious experiences, 3.9% of epilepsy patients reported religious auras, while the frequency of postictal religious experiences was 1.3% of all epilepsy patients and 2.2% of temporal lobe epilepsy patients (Devinsky & Lai, 2008). However, there is a relative lack of support for drawing a direct link between epilepsy and religiosity (Azari & Slors, 2007; Reich, 2004; Tucker et al, 1987; Vliegenthart, 2011). Instead of this, the possibility of religious experiences with epilepsy, and especially temporal lobe epilepsy remains a popular research question (Devinsky & Lai, 2008; Dong & Zhou, 2016; Greyson et al, 2015; Newberg et al, 2002; Ogata & Miyakawa, 1998; Tedrus et al, 2015; Trimble & Freeman, 2006).…”