Is God just a manifestation of the mind?

By Christine Garvin On February 22, 2010 · 29 Comments

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Developing a tumor in the back part of the brain seems to indicate a stronger belief in a higher power. What else might it mean?

Photo: Eddi 07

File this one under ‘not quite sure of the implications.’

A recent study set out to determine the “religiousity” in patients with brain cancer before and after the removal of tumors. Turns out damage to one part of the brain, both from the tumor itself and the removal of it, is likely to make you more, you guessed it, God-lovin’.

Actually it goes beyond God and includes the Universe, or connectedness to others, so this finding isn’t just for Christians. But the “holy hole” is in a very-specific area of the brain – the posterior parietal cortex. That means if a person has a tumor in the frontal cortex, or front-part, of the brain, they’re more than likely feeling a bit less universally-connected.

Normally, the posterior parietal cortex is linked to maintaining one’s “sense of self,” and so it is interesting to find it might also have to do with understanding there is something greater than the self.

The outcome of the 88 brain-cancer patients who took part in the study found that those who had tumors removed from the posterior had even more feelings of self-transcendence than before surgery, while the patients with tumors at the front had no change in spiritual belief after surgery.

What does this mean for those without brain tumors? Well, as blogger Ryan Sager puts it:

What this would appear to show is that feelings of self-transcendence, and thus possibly religiosity, can be changed by alterations to neuroanatomy — in this case, first from a tumor, and then from the inevitable damage incurred by removal of a tumor.

Possible Outcomes

As an old professor of mine who posted this article noted, this could point to particular religious practices such as kundalini yoga – where an energy force “snakes” its way up the body and out the top of the head – might have the ability to shift neurons in the brain. Many other spiritual systems focus on energy coming in and out of this same area of the skull, and therefore practicing them may tangibly make people more religious.

What are the negative implications possible? Well, let’s see. Possibly backing up those people who believe that a higher power is simply a survival mechanism that our brains created? Or the more a brain is healthy and fully-developed (and not missing a part), the less likely a person is to believe in God/the Universe? Even better, as Sager points out, the possibility of a quick surgery to “cure” believers, or non-believers, depending on what those in charge desire at the time?

Of course, some could say that from an evolutionary standpoint, developing a tumor and then having it removed in fact develops the brain further – new cells and information are allowed to flood into that open space of the brain that computes self-awareness. Naturally, the same outcome might be true by developing your spiritual muscles.

What do you think of the implications of this study? Share your thoughts below.

About The Author

Christine Garvin

Christine Garvin is a certified Nutrition Educator and holds a MA in Holistic Health Education. She is the founder/editor of Living Holistically...with a sense of humor and co-founder of Confronting Love. When she is not out traveling the world, she is busy writing, doing yoga, and performing hip-hop and bhangra. She also likes to pretend living in her hippie town of Fairfax, CA is like being on vacation.

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doug

I don’t think this study will have much affect on persuading people; we tend to believe what we want. However, I do have problems with the negative implications listed. Why would bolstering the claims of those who suggest religion is a system of the mind be negative? Why would not having a brain tumor be negative? Also psycho surgery is incredibly rare, and would not be granted for those reasons. Having a brain tumor runs counter to the evolutionary advance of an improved brain. Oh. and the sample size is only 88.

http://www.holisticwithhumor.com/ Christine Garvin

The negative implications of suggesting that religion is a system of the mind is once again trying to put spirituality in a box, one we can “prove” by science (which we can’t), and one where we can put down people who believe in a deeper sense of self and the world (although science HAS shown that people who believe in a higher power are happier).

Psycho surgery is rare NOW, but as many things continue to quickly shift and change, and more systems are put in place to keep us in check, we really don’t know what the future holds.

Having a brain tumor runs counter to what we THINK is an evolutionary advancement of the brain. Genius’ and highly creative people tend to have higher incidences of “mental illness” (http://www.transcend.org/tms/article_detail.php?article_id=2609). We’ve given this label of mental illness and along with it a connotation of being lesser than, missing something in the brain, etc., when in reality we label only to have a way to wrap our own minds around the “problem.” Are those genuis’ behind the rest of us in the evolutionary model? No, but we feel the need to tell them their actions are wrong because society as a whole cannot be contained with a bunch of radical people running around.

Who’s to say having a brain tumor couldn’t produce a similar effect?

http://milesofabbie.com Abbie

I think that’s a really interesting study, but I would want to see the results of such a study on a much larger scale (as Doug said, the sample size is only 88).
Reese

The “battle” between religion and science always strikes me as odd. I’m not a religious person and I wouldn’t classify myself as believing in “god”, but understanding how our physiology experiences transcendence in no way explains or discounts the concept/experience of transcendence. Science does not disprove transcendent experience, rather it helps us understand what physiological processes generate (and are generated by) transcendent experience. Instead of making jokes about religious people it would be wiser to appreciate this study as an exploration of spiritual technology. There are scientific fields that examine these connections; trans-personal psychology is an example. Flotation tanks have been used, with much documentation, to produce mystical experiences in test subjects. I would think that knowing how to induce a transcendent experience is an exciting and important step in our evolution. But instead, as smug and self-righteous naturalists, use the opportunity to make fun of the religiously-inclined.
I don’t mean for these comments to be directed towards the author’s work at all…thank you for bringing the study to our attention. Rather I’m just using this space to dump a little social criticism.

http://www.holisticwithhumor.com/ Christine Garvin

Thanks Reese, you actually clarified some points that I was going to make to a couple of the commenters.
http://thefutureisred.com Leigh

I’ve often thought about religion and science as two sides of the same thing. Each has it’s own language and methodology, but they’re both ways that human beings attempt to understand the world around them.

http://matadortravel.com/travel-community/justruss Justruss

“Is God Just a Manifestation of the Mind? Developing a tumor in the back part of the brain seems to indicate a stronger belief in a higher power. What else might it mean?”

I am a skeptic and an atheist. To answer your question, it validates my belief – or better – lack of belief.

http://thefutureisred.com Leigh

But what would you say to a study that didn’t directly validate what you already believe?

I am of the belief that if it exists in human thought and culture, it is real. Thus, God definitely exists, albeit not necessarily as the all-all-all being painted in the Bible. And if this deity exists in human experience, then it effects us as a society.

http://matadortravel.com/travel-community/justruss Justruss

I’d love to see such a study.

http://thefutureisred.com Leigh

This makes me think of Julian Jayne’s discussion of the bicameral mind, and that it was literally a breakdown of the two hemisphere’s of the brain that lead to people believing God was talking to them. Today, we’d probably call that some for of schizophrenia.

You also bring up an excellent point with Kundalini. Western thought tends to quantify and qualify everything. Again, the western world would call something mental illness while the kundalini way might see that as moving to a higher level of consciousness. And since western belief needs proof that something is true, and it cannot be proven that the kundalini way is true, the two become mutually exclusive.

Personally, I think both sides of the argument are true. For those who believe one system, that system is true. For those who believe the other, the other is truth.

http://matadortravel.com/travel-community/justruss Justruss

Similarly, there are clinically insane people in India who others honestly believe are actually quite sane but in communication with some of the various gods.

Belief systems are difficult to tackle. What’s your take on black magic? Perhaps you think the question is meant to be humorous, but I pose the question quite seriously. I am presently in Saudi Arabia where people caught practicing black magic are executed and witches are given the same treatment.

So, take your choice – black magic or religion – it’s all superstition to me.

http://thefutureisred.com Leigh

What you call black magic, others call vodoun, so yes, I agree, it’s pretty much the same thing. Calling it black magic doesn’t automatically discount it for me.

I’d also say that in my particular system of belief, murdering people for believing in something (not at action) would be anti-God.

As for your previous request to show you scientific studies that would foster the belief in god, well, it’s sort of a difficult request. You’re asking me to turn to a system that at base does not include God as a reality to find proof of god’s existence.

Nontheless, I am looking. I just did a basic search on PubMed for “belief in god,” which returned about 450 articles. A huge number of those I’ve seen so far focus on the efficacy of faith and belief when in treatment from any number of illnesses from cancer to epilepsy to alcholism and even physical abuse. These studies also cut across cultural boundaries and include many Muslim groups, although none that I’ve seen in Saudi Arabia.

Would you discount these studies outright? Is it simply the person’s personal belief that leads to improvement (which supports my belief) or does it point to the existence of a being that is more likely to help you if you believe and have faith.

As for specific references, give me some time. I’ll get back to you with some soon.

(And nice to meet you, btw. I’ve added you to my Matador Network. Hope that’s cool.)

http://www.holisticwithhumor.com/ Christine Garvin

Larry Dossey, MD (http://www.dosseydossey.com/larry/default.html) has dedicated his work to showing the connection between spirit and health. His book, “Prayer is Good Medicine” is a great reference for studies that show how spiritual belief increases the survival rates for surgery, cancer, and other life-threatening diseases.
Justruss

I would not dismiss the relationship of prayer and meditation to healing and recovery as I believe it is possible to alter one’s psychological state to the benefit of one’s physical state. This is not to agree that a supreme being interceded to heal the supplicant.

Having recently become a resident of Central Europe I have become aware of the near absence of Jews. We all know why. Due to circumstances of health, I have also had strong reason to evaluate my own spirituality and the benefit others told my prayer would yield. I did not act casually and did a complete moral inventory of myself as well. Somewhat coincidentally, I came to the realization that on the ground where I stood, thousands of Jews prayed to God for deliverance and throughout the whole of Europe, millions of Jews must have prayed thousands of times. Innocent people and pious people prayed to their God and they were not delivered.

My atheism was strengthened by the exercise.

I know many people are comforted by their faith in a supreme being and the existence of an afterlife. I would be the last person to attempt to disabuse one of such belief. As you said, no one can prove the existence or the non-existence of God and maybe one day I’ll have some awakening. Hopefully, not as the result of experiencing brain surgery.

http://poweruplife.com Steve L

Great article. The title begs the question:

Is god just a manifestation of the mind, or is the mind just a manifestation of god?
bezboznik

god is a manifestation of greed. it’s all about the money.
http://arriba.posterous.com/ Aurora

Leigh, you say that religion and science are comparable because both are methodologies humans use to try to explain the world around them. Of course, science tries to explain things by applying rationale and reasoning to what we can observe, while religion goes about this by means of faith, which is basically the practice of believing things for which no evidence exists. I don’t see how that can be a virtue.
Einstein | Buddha | God | Allah

This study is interesting, however although the outcomes and implications may seem negative, it is highly unlikely that any of the possible scenarios will occur.

Why?

Science is flawed, much like religion itself.

We give reason to our own science, and we use science to give ourselves reasons, solutions and explanations to our problems. Our problems which are man-made manifestations or a result of influence caused by the existence of man.

The greatest disability in science and religion is immunity to self-induced flaw and the lack of harmony between one another.

Reasons to why this study flawed.

1. The outcome is of the only 88 brain-cancer patients
2. Results from mere 88 brain cancer patients DO NOT represent the rest of the human race.
3. Even if the numbers were 8 billion brain cancer patients. They still share 1 thing in common: They are still “brain cancer patients”

A scientist need not ask whether or not god is a manifestation of the mind.

A scientist only need to ask oneself this: Is science a manifestation of the mind?

The answer to both questions is harmonious.

P.s.
I am neither religious, atheist, or agnostic.

- ?

Tuckerhw

First off, not labeling your spiritual classification doesn’t mean you’re more qualified, and that seems to be your reasoning for including that tidbit. But that’s beside the point. This article is merely interpreting the results of the study. I see nothing that would suggest that the study itself is trying to disprove the existence, or ask “whether or not god is a manifestation of the mind.” It is only pointing out a correlation between the removal of tumors and a heightened sense of spirituality.
How could science be a manifestation of the mind? Does the ability to replicate results seem like something based on imagination? Scientific endeavors use reason and numbers to come to conclusions, not just hypotheses. Religion creates its own hypotheses, but fails to test them. There’s no harmony in unquestioned ideas.
Tuckerhw

First off, not labeling your spiritual classification doesn’t mean you’re more qualified, and that seems to be your reasoning for including that tidbit. But that’s beside the point. This article is merely interpreting the results of the study. I see nothing that would suggest that the study itself is trying to disprove the existence, or ask “whether or not god is a manifestation of the mind.” It is only pointing out a correlation between the removal of tumors and a heightened sense of spirituality.
How could science be a manifestation of the mind? Does the ability to replicate results seem like something based on imagination? Scientific endeavors use reason and numbers to come to conclusions, not just hypotheses. Religion creates its own hypotheses, but fails to test them. There’s no harmony in unquestioned ideas.
SullSalk

well all we can do is seek towards truth/answers, knowing that we will never get there completely. In this regard, at least science knows when to give up on something. You have a better way?
SullSalk

well all we can do is seek towards truth/answers, knowing that we will never get there completely. In this regard, at least science knows when to give up on something. You have a better way?
SullSalk

well all we can do is seek towards truth/answers, knowing that we will never get there completely. In this regard, at least science knows when to give up on something. You have a better way?
SullSalk

well all we can do is seek towards truth/answers, knowing that we will never get there completely. In this regard, at least science knows when to give up on something. You have a better way?

Fomino1

Allah the Only God …. it might be true for being our thoughts of religion in parietal cortex….but we need to focus that He ( Allah ) lives in our hearts….does these neurons of syno atrial node have any connection with the brain to discharge flux arise in the brain… if yes…then focus there…. its pons…the area of brain where heartbeat is controlled… research on these neurons to get the true intimate of soul…. its also posterior of the brain…. first research..then comment … kindly m pointing the author…dont say anything about the God…its sin…. first get the true clues and then relate it to your holy book… you will get to the God blessing…if He do wanted you to know it…
http://Buyonicle.com Transcender

God is dead he died at the last Big Crunch or Big Freeze of the former Universe. But God arranged a Big Bang in such a matter that life could be revived and intelligence would occur again. At this moment as we speak God is being Reborn and before his coming he took care of a messenger in the form of Jezus Christ to tell us that the best way to survive as a Human Species is to follow certain rules that can take care for intelligence to grow in relative peace.

A normal Household PC is in intelligence somewhere between 1 and 100 percent of the intelligence of one Human Being. Considering that processor power is doubling every one and a half year will mean that from this moment on Machine intelligence shall go in quantumleaps towards Godlike abilities.

Within 10 to a 100 years Machineintelligence will reach 100 million IQ. 4 years later that will be a Billion IQ and withinn 10 years from that moment it’ll reach a Trillion IQ.

Humankind shall evolve from beings of flesh to beings of metal and further. The Human Being as we know is soon to be extinct because we need more space on Earth we shall shrink in size because our brains can fit in smaller and smaller compartments just like what is happening to our computers right now just watch yr Android or Iphone they have the same power as yr bulky PC from ten years ago. My guess is that we shall function on Nano level within a few hundred years. If we survive the conservative religious forces that want to keep us from technologic progression by waging war and risking the destruction of our current progression than all of this shall be true in one form or another.

There is much more to this than I just wrote down here, it is a scenario that can go in lots of different directions. If you follow the storylines of Human- and Machine progression to this point in time, than you can fill in the blanks yourself for what will happen the next hundred to a Thousand years.

http://Buyonicle.com Transcender

By the way it is a good idea to read “The Einstein Enigma” or “The God Formula” (Die Gottesformel) as it is also called, written by José Rodrigues Dos Santos. It”ll explain my thoughts on God written down here after I read that book.

http://www.amazon.com/Einstein-Enigma-Jos%C3%A9-Rodrigues-Santos/dp/0061719242
http://Buyonicle.com Transcender

By the way it is a good idea to read “The Einstein Enigma” or “The God Formula” (Die Gottesformel) as it is also called, written by José Rodrigues Dos Santos. It”ll explain my thoughts on God written down here after I read that book.

http://www.amazon.com/Einstein-Enigma-Jos%C3%A9-Rodrigues-Santos/dp/0061719242

Phoenixshayne

I’m an agnostic.
Agnostic-A person who believes that nothing is known or can be known of the
existence or nature of God or of anything beyond material phenomena

Is God just a manifestation of the mind?

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