The God helmet

[ddstory.livejournal.com]

Found this mentioned in that same book by Michio Kaku (Physics of the Impossible) that I talked about recently. Some Dr Michael Persinger found that there's a neural center in the right half of the brain which, when stimulated with electromagnetic waves, causes the subject to feel an alien presence.

"Persinger reports that at least 80 percent of his participants (working with the Koren Helmet) experience a presence beside them in the room, which ranges from a simple 'sensed presence' to 'God'."

Wikipedia - God Helmet

Here's the relevant excerpt from a documentary which deals with this discovery:

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Dr Persinger went on as far as to create the so-called "God helmet", a device which, when put on the subject's head, could stimulate said neural center and cause the subject to hallucinate, and feel that someone else was in the room with them. The scientist interprets this as some kind of "division" (or breaking of the symmetry) between the two halves of the brain, a disruption of the links between them and thus, each half starts to perceive the other as an "alien" entity. Ghost, poltergeist, angels, even God. Depending on the cultural background of the particular individual who's being examined.

Now, imagine that this is what happens to an individual in deep Antiquity. What if a select apprentice gifted with particular talent is trained in a Buddhist monastery by some yogi who have learned how to unlock this neural center through physical and mental exercises, then goes back to his country and starts preaching their wisdom and spreading a very topical (for the time) and socially relevant (for his society) message among his people, while using such yogi tricks on people? Would he possibly be perceived as an "enlightened" one, a Messiah, a person possessing divine powers and thus having the authority to speak on behalf of a divine boss? And how would that reflect on said society, and on the chances of establishing a new faith, with its institutions, adherents and all in all, of changing the course of history?

You know what? Fuck that. Let's strike off that part about the Messiah. You guys are right. I should've never had the audacity to even consider implying such a theory is right. You know what? It isn't. Let's say a guy went somewhere, met some people, they taught him some tricks, then he used them on the populace. Let's say his name was... well, let's say it was Muad-dib. OK?

Just curious: Does this hypothesis about the possible inception of religious systems sound too far-fetched, too Dan Brownish to you? Back to you, folks.

Comments

[policraticus.livejournal.com]

Given that there is plenty of other evidence to the contrary, though, preferring the complicated "Indian Jesus" over the old fashioned "Jewish Jesus" isn't very logical. If you find a blue stone on the ground the first preference is to find a local pile of blue stones, not assume that a traveler from half way across the continent brought it there and lost it.

[the-rukh.livejournal.com]

There isn't really plenty of other evidence to the contrary.

[policraticus.livejournal.com]

Sure there is. There is 2,000 years of scholarship looking at the claims of Jesus from every conceivable angle and it is pretty straight forward conclusion. Whatever you think of his existence, or his divinity, or his validity of the ideas expressed in the Gospels and the rest of the New Testament. they are firmly rooted in 1st and 2nd century Judaism. No one seriously thinks there is evidence of Buddhist or Hindu influence. You can make conjectures all you want, it is a free country, but you might as well say the NT was influenced by Scandinavian or Mayan thought. Or Martian thought, for that matter.

[prog-expat.livejournal.com]

The NT is clearly influenced by the great philosopher J'onn J'onzz!

[the-rukh.livejournal.com]

Give me evidence. Not the bible.

[policraticus.livejournal.com]

I didn't give you "the Bible." I gave you the breadth of scholarship over centuries concerning the Bible. Textual studies, archaeology, paleography, manuscript studies, comparative literature, anthropology, etc., etc. Studies done by believers, disbelievers, skeptics from all different walks of life and thought, all of which seems to boil down to this, these works are a product of the Jewish culture around Palestine at about the beginning of the Common Era.

[the-rukh.livejournal.com]

You claimed there were things, you didn't give me anything.

[policraticus.livejournal.com]

I don't think I should have to rehearse for you the entire scope of biblical scholarship in order to make a point on LJ.

[the-rukh.livejournal.com]

I didn't ask you to do anything close to that. Down with hyperbole!

[policraticus.livejournal.com]

Over my rotting, bloated corpse!

[the-rukh.livejournal.com]

Also something I should clarify. I'm saying there is not much evidence of Jesus outside the bible. Specifically, evidence of what he did, or collaboration of his actions. No evidence of where he went or who he met, etc.

That's what is difficult with suggestions he may have been to India or not.

[policraticus.livejournal.com]

It doesn't really matter, for the purposes of this debate, whether Jesus existed or not. He can be, if you want, just a metaphor for transmission of India thought to Palestine around the 1st century. The Gospels exist and the NT exists and they are clearly products of the era in question. But even taken on those terms, the idea that early Christianity is some form of Buddhist Judaism does not stand any scrutiny.

[the-rukh.livejournal.com]

Its a known fact that the cultures intermingled. I don't know why it couldn't be.

[policraticus.livejournal.com]

Because there is a much simpler answer is ready to hand. Why comb through the Upanishads for answers when you have the OT right there?

[the-rukh.livejournal.com]

That doesn't seem like a very good reason. ;)

[policraticus.livejournal.com]

Well, it is a working hypotheses.