The God Spot

There is currently much research being done on a new theory about the reasons behind people’s beliefs and experiences with religion and spirit. The research stems from the recent discovery by neuroscientists at the University of California in San Diego that suggests there is a part of the brain that relates to our sensory perception and belief function. It is believed to be similar to those parts of our brain that make us able to see, hear and remember. However where as those parts of the brain are easily proven due to the scientific evidence to show they control these functions, belief in spirit and God (by any name) is impossible to prove/disprove scientifically and therefore so is the theory that a part in the brain controls such beliefs. The fact that the research focuses on a part of the brain that relates to religious/spiritual beliefs has led it to be named the “God Spot”
It is a subject that will take some time to even scratch the surface of, as it covers so many aspects of belief in God, in Spirit and indeed in our perceptions of the world around us. This report is a very basic overview as there is still much to be learnt and to express the ideas behind it in full as they are to this day would need a web-site of its own and far more knowledge than one person could learn in such a short time. However, from the little I have read so far it certainly does ask many questions of those who believe and the theories about those beliefs.
It is considered by many that a belief in religion is much more a result of the affects of nurture rather than nature. This has been a theory of why countries, families and groups in society have followed a pattern of belief. However, what has also been questioned is how much a persons following of a religion is down to personal belief and how much is down to expectations or a need to “fit in” to the culture to which they belong. In the stricter religious communities to turn ones back on ones faith is to turn ones back on the family, close or extended, and often to ostracise oneself from the very community on which you rely. In societies where religion is not such a major part of everyday life it seems more people turn away from the beliefs of their families, so is this down to the fact that those religions are not so strong or merely that it is easier in some cultures to follow your own true feelings. For example, I know many people who were brought up following the Catholic faith. In adulthood they realise this is something they do not believe in and so they turned away from it. As the culture around those people is not wholly Catholic and their day to day lives do not revolve around the religion itself it is accepted, and although no doubt the families of those people would have been happier if they had followed that religious path the fact that they don’t does not lead to a risk of a crumbling society or family circle.
This however still leads to the question, why do some people still truly believe and where did religion really start. If we take away the nature theory that suggests that people follow a pattern and believe what they are taught to believe, there has to be something that motivates some people to truly follow a faith and believe in it, or to feel and see spirit and believe that what they feel is true. From a spiritual point of view the thought is that some people are just more open to spirit and have the capacity to use those primal instincts with which we were born to see those things around us which to many remain unseen. Those with strong religious beliefs, we are led to understand, follow their paths due to experiences (personal or passed on to them), that in their minds prove there is a God by
Another view is that for many a belief in a God or Spirit is the result of a need. A need to believe that there is more to our existence than life or death, a need to believe that our loved ones are still around us and a need to believe that whatever happens in our lives there is someone watching over us that will make sure we are alright.

The God Spot theory has raised many more questions however. A question asked many times is “how did religion start”. Some people talk about the Bible and the proof within it, however how does this explain the belief in other religions. Maybe the God Spot theory goes some way to explaining this. If openness of mind can supposedly lead to easier communication with Spirit or God, then maybe it can also lead to easier use of this one part in the brain. The non-questioning of scientific fact that can make people supposedly see and feel those spirits around us may also lead them to not question the things that this particular part of the brain tells them to be true.
According to one study by Duke University’s Harold Koenig older people who attend religious ceremonies are both less depressed and physically healthier than others in society. The results of this study of 4,000 randomly selected people in North Carolina are interesting but to the more scientific mind would not be considered conclusive in proving the existence of a higher realm that takes care of the wellbeing of those who believe. A counter argument for those scientists would be that often a religion restricts or prevents behaviours that lead to many of these illnesses and therefore it is that fact alone that leads to better health. Plus, they would argue, those who believe in Spirit or God, tend to suffer less from stress and depression as their faith helps them cope with trauma etc in the belief that spirit will help them overcome their difficulties. Therefore it is not the intervention of God or Spirit that helps keep health good and aid healing, but the strength of the belief itself. Therefore the suggestion is that if there is a “God Spot” those who can access and believe in it more a likely to have better health.
The very interesting argument against the God Spot theory is that if there is one who put it there? When asked about this study the Bishop of Oxfords spokesperson commented “it would not be surprising if God had created us with a physical facility for belief”. While I guess the religious leaders cannot prove or disprove the theory, their counter argument that surely God would have put something in our minds to help us believe (i.e. the God Spot) does still have to make us ask if there a controlling being of any kind that makes us who we are, and gives us any abilities we have to imagine, believe and see what is really there, or is everything about us random, genetic and made purely by science and genealogy.