"When God Talks Back"

[DaisyDeadhead]

This is a book by an atheist anthropologist about people who hear the voice of God. She is trying to explain it. http://www.randomhouse.com/book/104442/w...m-luhrmann

Interview (you can listen) here: http://freethoughtblogs.com/reasonabledo...-luhrmann/
(Great comments on that thread, by the way! Fascinating!)

What I find interesting that she does not cover: people in different religions hear different voices. A Mid-east Muslim will hear Allah, in Arabic, using Islamic theological concepts. An American Christian will hear Jesus, in English, using the Christian theological concepts they already believe in.

This is what interests me, but she is more interested in how the "voice" is formulated in the first place, and how it differs from all the other noise we hear every day... how do you differentiate the God voice from, say, the "super ego" (in Freudian terms... some would say "inner parent") voice reminding us to turn off the stove, lock the door, make sure all the lights are turned off, etc.

When people tell you that God spoke to them and that is their "proof" of his existence, how do you personally respond?

[Qrayze]

I've never had anyone tell me personally that they've heard the voice of God speaking to them, so I don't know how I would respond. I would hope that I would be polite enough to "smile and nod" then go on my way as quickly as I could.

I've heard things like shouts and a choir singing (the same phrase over and over...so annoying), but I believe in the paranormal, so I attribute it to that.

[lucrezaborgia]

My fundy MIL claims to hear god all the time,tho she also claims to be an apostle come back to life.

[FmrMarine]

(08-05-2012 08:27 PM)lucrezaborgia Wrote:  My fundy MIL claims to hear god all the time,tho she also claims to be an apostle come back to life.

Christian reincarnation? Awesome! She could start her own new denomination and make millions.

[oneflewoutofthecuckcoosnest]

I suppose I would tell them that, while their experience may be a reason that they believe in God, it is not proof that God exists.

[Ricardo]

I was fascinated by Jill Bolte's book "Stroke of Insight" describing how her brain was affected by a stroke.

She does not touch the subject of religious experiences, but I surely saw the markers there.

http://www.ted.com/talks/jill_bolte_tayl...sight.html

[Qrayze]

(08-06-2012 01:20 PM)Ricardo Wrote:  I was fascinated by Jill Bolte's book "Stroke of Insight" describing how her brain was affected by a stroke.

She does not touch the subject of religious experiences, but I surely saw the markers there.

http://www.ted.com/talks/jill_bolte_tayl...sight.html

I have similar experiences when i'm at the dentist office hopped up on nitrous oxide.