Aww … thanks so much! I don’t have a blog; not for lack of interest but for lack of time.

As it is, I take an exorbitant time away from my work to read and participate at several blogs (not only religious ones) that I enjoy. Someday when I don’t have to work so hard I’ll probably start my own blog. In the meantime, I’m enjoying this one, so thanks for being here.

Personally, I find awesome “religious” experiences at a Red Hot Chili Peppers concert (no, its not just the weed speaking) just as much as at Vespers, if not moreso.

I remember watching a Garth Brooks concert on TV once and he was singing “The Dance.” The camera spanned the crowd (it was in a park) and they were all singing, dancing, raising their hands, some crying. Overall the emotions were very high. At that moment, I realized that if he was singing a song about God, they would all think it was “God’s presence.”

karen,

Do you have a blog? I’ve loved reading your comments here.

aA

It is not true of all, yet it is of the vast majority. There are those of us who seek what the Bible teaches first and decide what we believe based on it. There is not distortion in that. My point is that the denominations that some people on here seem to have been a part of in the past have formed their beliefs and teachings and then gone to the Bible to back it up. If you leave out the right parts, you can back up virtually any belief by doing that. Now, do most Christians “practice” the presence of God? I would have to say yesish. However is the worshiper has the right aim in his woship(expressing love to God) this question is unimportant. All I do in my life is in some way related to my worship of God. I raise my kids the best I can to show them the truth and teach them to walk in it. I do this in response to his grace in entrusting them to me. I believe God’s presence in worship is not fake, yet you don’t have to feel it to know he’s there.
I appreciate your respectful response to my comment on this post. Thanks

This is what finally “sealed the deal” for me in understanding those emotion-soaked “spiritual highs” I had experienced a few times during my Christian years.

At the time, I readily accepted that they were “proof” of the Holy Spirit moving in my heart. Later, when I was re-evaluating, I wondered how else to explain them.

Then I realized that I had the very same kinds of feelings when reading highly inspiring poetry, listening to gorgeous music, or – like HeIsSailing – contemplating the vastness and mystery of the universe in relation to my own tiny insigificance.

It’s all emotion and brain rush and a chemical reaction. There’s nothing supernatural needed to explain it, and clinical though the actual explanation is, it does nothing to diminish the power of the experience, or the insight it provides, at least for me.

This would be expected of social creatures such as humans. Throughout history, people have “connected” to something “more” than themselves, often giving their lives in the process.

That something, in ancient times, was often the family, the tribe or the city / polis. Patriots of any nation are clearly “connecting” to something they deem greater than themselves. As are those who act heroically to save another.

These denominations have twisted the Bible to fit their own agenda.

This is true of every denomination, sect, or cult. It’s also true of political parties and factions and of individuals as well.

Sometimes it’s a simple matter of perspective, other times it’s outright distortion.

It’s something that is done not just with the Bible but with many other significant texts or historic events.

My point is this is becoming an undeniable fact supported by copious research, even some by believers such as Newberg. God is fully created by the human brain, and when we experience ‘god,’ it is our brain being high on itself. Period.