Principles of Neurotheology

Andrew B. Newberg

Dec 2016 · Routledge

About this ebook

First Published in 2017. Neurotheology has garnered substantial attention in the academic and lay communities in recent years. Several books have been written addressing the relationship between the brain and religious experience and numerous scholarly articles have been published on the topic, some in the popular press. The scientific and religious communities have been very interested in obtaining more information regarding neurotheology, how to approach this topic, and how science and religion can be integrated in some manner that preserves both. If neurotheology is to be considered a viable field going forward, it requires a set of clear principles that can be generally agreed upon and supported by both the theological or religious perspective and the scientific one as well. Principles of Neurotheology sets out the necessary principles of neurotheology which can be used as a foundation for future neurotheological discourse. Laying the groundwork for a new synthesis of scientific and theological dialogue, this book proposes that neurotheology, a term fraught with potential problems, is a highly useful and important voice in the greater study of religious and theological ideas and their intersection with science.

About the author

Andrew B. Newberg, M.D. is Director of Research in Myrna Brind Center of Integrative Medicine Thomas Jefferson University and Hospital, Philadelphia,. He is co-author of the bestselling books, How God Changes Your Brain (2009) and Why God Won't Go Away: Brain Science and the Biology of Belief (2001) which both explore the relationship between neuroscience and spiritual experience. He has also co-authored Why We Believe What We Believe (2008) and The Mystical Mind: Probing the Biology of Belief (1999). The latter book received the 2000 award for Outstanding Books in Theology and the Natural Sciences presented by the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences.