Table Of ContentEXPLORATIONS IN NEUROSCIENCE,
PSYCHOLOGY AND RELIGION
In the 1990s great strides were taken in clarifying how the brain is involved in behaviors
that, in the past, had seldom been studied by neuroscientists or psychologists. This
book explores the progress begun during that momentous decade in understanding
why we behave, think and feel the way we do, especially in those areas that interface
with religion. What is happening in the brain when we have a religious experience?
Is the soul a product of the mind which is, in turn, a product of the brain? If so, what
are the implications for the Christian belief in an afterlife? If God created humans
for the purpose of having a relationship with him, should we expect to find that our
spirituality is a biologically evolved human trait? What effect might a disease such
as Alzheimer’s have on a person’s spirituality and relationship with God?
Neuroscience and psychology are providing information relevant to each of these
questions, and many Christians are worried that their religious beliefs are being
threatened by this research. Kevin Seybold attempts to put their concerns to rest by
presenting some of the scientific findings coming from these disciplines in a way that
is understandable yet non-threatening to Christian belief.
Ashgate Science and Religion Series
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J. Wentzel van Huyssteen, James I. McCord Professor of Theology
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Theology and Modern Physics
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Explorations in Neuroscience,
Psychology and Religion
KEVIN S. SEYBOLD
Grove City College, Pennsylvania, USA
© Kevin S. Seybold 2007
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system
or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording
or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher.
Kevin S. Seybold has asserted his moral right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act,
1988, to be identified as the author of this work.
Published by
Ashgate Publishing Limited Ashgate Publishing Company
Gower House Suite 420
Croft Road 101 Cherry Street
Aldershot Burlington, VT 05401-4405
Hampshire GU11 3HR USA
England
Ashgate website: http://www.ashgate.com
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Seybold, Kevin S.
Explorations in Neuroscience, Psychology and Religion. –
(Ashgate Science and Religion Series)
1. Neurosciences. 2. Neurosciences – Religious aspects – Christianity 3. Neurosciences
– Religious aspects.. 4. Psychology and religion. 5. Religion and science.
I. Title
612.8’01
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Seybold, Kevin S., 1956–
Explorations in Neuroscience, Psychology, and Religion / Kevin S. Seybold.
p. cm. – (Ashgate Science and Religion Series)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Brain – Religious aspects – Christianity. 2. Theological anthropology – Christianity.
3. Psychology and religion. I. Title.
[DNLM: 1. Neuropsychology – methods. 2. Religion and Psychology. 3. Brain –
physiology. 4. Christianity – psychology. WL 103.5S519e 2006]
BT702.S49 2007
261.5’15–dc22 2006022470
The book has been printed on acid-free paper.
ISBN 978-0-7546-5563-3
Printed and bound in Great Britain by MPG Books LTD, Bodmin, Cornwall.
Contents
List of Illustrations vii
Acknowledgements ix
Introduction 1
1 Neuroscience 3
2 Psychology 21
3 Religion 33
4 Philosophy of Science 53
5 Integration Issues 61
6 Brain and Religion 75
7 The Self 87
8 Evolutionary Psychology 107
9 Religion/Spirituality and Health 125
10 The Future? 137
Bibliography 145
Index 159
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List of Figures
1.1 The neuron and its principal structures. 8
1.2 The synapse. 11
1.3 A lateral view of the brain. 13
1.4 A medial view of the brain (left hemisphere removed). 14
4.1 A stratified model of the sciences. 57
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Acknowledgements
Chaim Potok starts his book In the Beginning saying ‘All beginnings are hard’.
When it comes to writing, I think I agree with him. The idea for this book goes
back to the mid 1990s when an explosion of research on the brain occurred, some of
that research having direct implications for religious experience, belief and practice.
The actual writing of these pages did not begin, however, until several years later
with the help of a grant from the John Templeton Foundation to participate in the
Oxford Seminars on Science and Christianity sponsored by the Council for Christian
Colleges and Universities (CCCU). Over the course of three summers I enjoyed
and greatly benefited from the friendship and intellectual inspiration of my fellow
participants. Their impact on my life is considerable and will not be forgotten. Many
thanks to the Foundation and the CCCU for the opportunity to attend these seminars
held at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University, and to the faculty and staff at Wycliffe.
Special appreciation goes to Alister McGrath and John Roche who organized the
summer programs. I have also benefited from many colleagues, here at Grove City
College and elsewhere, who have influenced (subtly or more directly) my thinking
on neuroscience, psychology and religion. In particular, I thank Peter Hill for his
sustained support and friendship over many years, and Heather Looy, Kevin Reimer
and Brent Waters for their insights and encouragement. I am grateful to Sarah Lloyd,
my editor, for her recommendation that this book be considered for the Ashgate
Science and Religion Series and others at Ashgate who provided helpful advice in
the editorial process. Finally, I thank my son, Adam, for creatively and helpfully
challenging my own worldviews and my wife, Ginny, for sharing the last 25 years
with me. It is to her that I dedicate this book.
KEVIN SEYBOLD
January 2007
Description:In the 1990s, great strides were taken in clarifying how the brain is involved in behaviors that, in the past, had seldom been studied by neuroscientists or psychologists. This book explores the progress begun during that momentous decade in understanding why we behave, think and feel the way we do,
