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Permalink Reply by Chris Dodds on August 17, 2011 at 12:35pm

On a similar note, I have a copy of National Geographic where the cover story is "The Birth of Religion."  I haven't had a chance to read the article, but from the picture used I think it's more about the birthplace of religion.  The article might not focus on who started religion, but rather where they started it and perhaps when.

Permalink Reply by Cheryl on August 18, 2011 at 1:23am

Mystics have visions, there's something neurological going on there.  But epilepsy isn't the only condition that causes ecstatic euphoria or visions.  I have bipolar disorder with atypical hallucinations, and it's not this way for everyone, but the mania portion of my episodes includes euphoria and a feeling of oneness with the universe and all of nature.  The world is a spectacularly beautiful place and I love all of mankind when I am manic.  I have seen trees glowing with a radiance of their own, and the air sparkle.  The Moon has spoken to me.   Bipolar disorder also causes delusions of grandeur.  I have a special destiny when I am manic.  Fortunately, when my father was alive, he didn't allow religion in the house so I wasn't raised with it.  After he died, my mother became a fundamentalist and today thinks she is a prophet.  If I had been raised with religion by my mother the prophet, who has had terrifying visions of her own, I would be a mystic today, with tales of messages from on high.  Instead, I'm a rational thinker with interesting neurological experiences.  Whew, close call!

Permalink Reply by Mark D. Zima on August 18, 2011 at 2:07am

Cheryl, thanks very much for sharing your experiences!  I have mentioned that mania is also a condition that can produce religious experiences in my YouTube video "Sick Mystics", and I've been reading up on the 17th C. "messiah" Sabbatai Zevi who seems very obviously to have been bipolar.  I intend to do some videos on him and other bipolar religious figures from the history of religion, as well as doing epilepsy-focused videos.  You may find it interesting.  I'd greatly appreciate your feedback on them.

Permalink Reply by Chris Dodds on August 18, 2011 at 8:08am

It's possible that one doesn't need any kind of mental condition to have visions.  I remember something my father once told me about the Loch Ness Monster, how if you stare at the Loch long enough trying to see Nessie, you'll see her, even if it's just a seagull or something.  Essentially, your brain creates an optical illusion based on your desires.  Also, many religious leaders who claim to have these visions claim to have them when they're wandering the desert, suffering from hunger and thirst.  Surely the combination of extreme heat, hunger, and thirst also plays a role.

Permalink Reply by Marc Draco on August 18, 2011 at 8:14am

Not to mention, good ol' fashioned bullshit.

 

Mormon leaders claim to be prophets. Yeah, right.

Permalink Reply by Mark D. Zima on August 18, 2011 at 8:33am

If your point is that there are alternative ways to reproduce the type of brain functioning that  creates religious hallucinations, I agree.  Entheogens are yet another way.

Permalink Reply by Chris Dodds on August 18, 2011 at 2:31pm

That's precisely my point.  You should write a book on this stuff.

Permalink Reply by Mark D. Zima on August 18, 2011 at 3:17pm

I hope to eventually.  If I get a lot of subscribers on YouTube, that could indicate that there is a market for a book.

Permalink Reply by Marc Draco on August 18, 2011 at 4:24pm

Not in the conventional sense, there isn't. I was published several times over in the 90s but now unless you're a major name, getting into the printed market is nigh on impossible.

Getting onto Kindle and iBooks, now there's a different matter - not to mention more accessible for small publishers.

Permalink Reply by Mark D. Zima on August 18, 2011 at 4:31pm

Thanks for the information about that.  I'm open to new methods (hence my YouTube approach).

Permalink Reply by Chris Dodds on August 22, 2011 at 1:33pm

Well, even if you don't get the number of subscribers on youtube that you want, I still hope you write a book on this.

Permalink Reply by Marc Draco on August 22, 2011 at 1:35pm

I'd have to agree. Youtube attracts a particular demographic - not perhaps the people you're reaching out to.

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