Preface - Endorsement Qualifications: For the record - long ago I sent this to Congressman Ruppersberger (MD)
1. Dr. Paul Wong: prominent author, researcher, and theorist, as well as existential-positive psychologist stated about this essay, "Your letter to a congressman needs to be published somewhere.!"
2. Dr. Harold Koenig, a medical doctor-psychiatrist and a well published author and researcher stated about this article: "Charlie – makes perfect sense to me, and very nice letter right on target! HK
3. Stefan Schindler, an award-winning author, and retired psychology-philosophy professor responded to my question: "Would you say the argument about the "methodological flaw" is correct" by stating, "Yes, correct!" And a Maryland University Psychology Professor stated "getting the message out"
4. Dr. Stephen Farra: Recently - after the original essay was published, I connected with Dr. Stephan Farra of Columbia International University Emeritus, Psychology, who stated unequivocally that the "Prove God Norm Fallacy" - or "Definist Fallacy (leading to a closed Materialism) is spiritual poison, and has hurt us all!" Dr. Paul Wong also confirmed specifically that the Definist Fallacy is actually (surprise, surprise) a Fallacy!
The Limitations of Science
A Deeper Dimension - Beyond the Scope of Scientific Inquiry
A common mistake I find among college graduates is many "assume" that science does not have any limits and is - in essence - a form of infinite knowledge. That is the question I address in this section. Einstein observed, “Try and penetrate with our limited means the secrets of nature and you will find that, behind all the discernible laws and connections, there remains something subtle, intangible and inexplicable. Veneration of this force beyond anything that we can comprehend is my religion. To that extent I am, in fact, religious."
Generally, many people tend to like simple explanations. In fact unconscious researchers like John Bargh have demonstrated that a great deal of information processing is accomplished by unconscious processes using stereotypes which perhaps could be envisioned as a kind if mental-psychological simplified shorthand. Bargh observes that “Mental categories are absolutely essential in simplifying and understanding the information-rich environment (e.g., Bruner, 1957; E. E. Smith & Medin, 1981), but stereotypes are maladaptive forms of categories because their content does not correspond to what is actually present or going on in the environment.”
Bargh emphasizes the prevalence of this stereotypical thinking when he states “The idea that social perception is a largely automated psychological phenomenon is now widely accepted. Many years of research have demonstrated the variety of ways in which behaviors are encoded spontaneously and without intention in terms of relevant trait concepts. stereotypes of social groups become activated automatically on the mere perception of the distinguishing features of a group member (e.g., Bargh, 1994, 1999; Brewer, 1988; Devine, 1989).” (The Unbearable Automaticity of Being, John A Bargh & Tanya L. Chartrand - p. 462 July 1999 American Psychologist p. 462)
This stereotypical factor applies to science as well. The thinking of many people regarding science – in my experience involve stereotypes which often tend to be misleading oversimplifications. Many people I speak with have the idea that modern science is unlimited and boundless. That simply is not true.
The Philosopher: David Hume (1711–1776)
What is referred to as Hume's Guillotine states the premise that factual statements do not necessarily lead to evaluative or what “should be.” Scotty Jenkins, in his essay-blog, David Hume and Deriving an “Ought” from an “Is”, observes that “The blunder, according to Hume, is one of logic. Factual statements are logically different from moral statements, so no factual statements can, by themselves, entail what people morally ought to do.” Jenkins goes on to say that Hume “thought they [value judgments and morals] come from sentiments or feelings rather than logical deductions.”
Hume’s position in ethics, which is based on his empiricist theory of the mind, is best known for asserting four theses: (1) Reason alone cannot be a motive to the will, but rather is the “slave of the passions” (see Section 3) (2) Moral distinctions are not derived from reason (see Section 4). (3) Moral distinctions are derived from the moral sentiments: feelings of approval (esteem, praise) and disapproval (blame) felt by spectators who contemplate a character trait or action (see Section 7). (4) While some virtues and vices are natural (see Section 13), others, including justice, are artificial (see Section 9). (The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Hume’s Moral Philosophy First published Fri Oct 29, 2004; substantive revision Mon Aug 20, 2018)
Nowhere could the limits and boundaries of rational analysis and knowledge be more apparent than when it comes to the question of "purpose" which is embedded within the dimension of good versus evil and right versus wrong. Every scientist will tell you that scientifically, there is no purpose. At an Address to the Princeton Theological Seminary on May 19, 1939, Einstein stated unequivocally, as noted in the book, Ideas and Opinions (1954, 1982): that it is “equally clear that knowledge of what is does not open the door directly to what should be. One can have the clearest and most complete knowledge of what is, and yet not be able to deduct from that what should be the goal of our human aspirations.”
Jung goes even further than positioning “aspirations” and good or evil being beyond the scope of psychology. He states that there are some generally intangible characteristics of the human mind that are beyond the ordinary scope of the ‘science’ of psychology. In Collected Works, Volume 8 , Jung states, “Since nobody can penetrate to the heart of nature, you will not expect psychology to do the impossible and offer a valid explanation of the secret of creativity.” - as for example art!
Sixty-one years after Einstein concluded that “what is” does not rationally reveal or determine “what should be,” Antonio Damasio, in his book, The Feeling of What Happens: Body and Emotion in the Making of Consciousness (2000), states “Inevitably emotions are inseparable from the idea of good and evil.” It would seem an inescapable conclusion that there would likely be a lot of concepts and behaviors that relate, in the end, to ideas of right or wrong.
The bottom line is that, especially when it comes to human consciousness science has definite and often distinct limitations due in part to measurement methodologies and limitations. Lastly I would highlight the fact that rational analysis is an analytic tool - neither good nor bad - more like a mathematics methodology and definitely not "Good in and of itself" and rational analysis diverges dramatically from reason. After all rational analysis was used by the Nazi to maximize the efficacy of their concentration camp killing machines - yet can be used to help feed the poor and hungry,
Introduction to Several Distinct Flaws of Materialsit Methodology and Approach
Although, a number of scholars, social scientists, and scientists, including NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins, French philosopher Rene Guenon, the maverick scientist Rupert Sheldrake, the psychologists Baruss and Mossbridge, the physicist Josephson, and numerous other scholars and psychologists, not many people have a good understanding - or much awareness either - of the Materialist Doctrine and the Distinct Materialist Bias in mainstream psychology.
However, you know Spirituality is a problem in Psychology, when a 700 plus page comprehensive 'History of Psychology' textbook, "The Story of Psychology," which was written by Morton Hull, a well-known and prolific author on the subject of psychology (Anchor Books, 2007), when that comprehensive history of psychology textbook does not have even a single reference to either spirit [except archaic Greek philosophy references] , spirituality, religion, or even meaning (hard to believe – but true).Furthermore there were only two paragraphs about collective consciousness. Materialism excludes through what I call an "academic swindle" - the Prove God Norm-Fallacy - All spirituality - completely!
I Materialist Methodology Excludes Some Very Important Information and Facts
Is it Even Possible to Find the Meaning of Life in a Laboratory?
Offhand finding the meaning of life in a laboratory doesn't sound all that reasonable. Iain McGilchrist, psychiatrist, author, and Oxford literary scholar: The Downside of "Rigid Adherence to the Arbitrary Quantification!" The rigid adherence to quantification and laboratory Experiments Excludes all phenomena which don't fit a laboratory agenda - like group related emotions as Kay Deux points out as well as genocides and atrocities.
1, Kay Deux - Intense Displays of Emotions by Groups!"
Preface: First I should briefly explain how I came to be especially interested in Kay Deaux's Intense Displays of Emotions by Groups. In September 2016 I wrote Congressman Ruppersberger and stated the obvious - That Trump's Hate Speech and Racist Rhetoric would incite white Supremacist extremists into action and that hate crimes would increase as well as right wing extremist terrorism - which came true - of course. in both 2017 and 2018 there was a 17% increase in hate crimes (by FBI-DOJ statistics) and a severe spike in right wing terrorist shootings in both years as well. I wrote researched and wrote about it since 2016 and though not all that many people were into racism I did in the end manage to get over a 1,000 views of the s=essays below.
Anyone with common sense plus any minimal reasoning capability would realize from history that this violence has roots in group related instincts and the ingroup-outgroup syndrome - and that these instincts apply bot only to religious groups but to political groups as well as ethnic groups. These instincts are the most basic and primal known to mankind and once unleashed can easily results in genocides - including black on black of Hutus versus the Tutsi's in Africa. You won't find this information in any social psychology book because as Kay Deaux observed social psychologists have a fixation with laboratory experiments and you can't fit genocides into a laboratory setting.
McDougall's Group Mind - the "Unreasoning Impulsiveness" of Groups Very Relevant to Current Events - But, Group Mind was Excluded by Allport's Taboo (1927) of All Social Consciousness. https://www.spirittruthandmeaning.com/mcdougall-group-mind
New Theory of Social Identity - Explaining Scapegoating & The Ingroup-Outgroup Syndrome of Social Identity Theory PLUS Powerful Emotions of Unconscious Processes from Group-Related Instincts
https://www.spirittruthandmeaning.com/new-theory-social-identity-scapegoating
Scapegoating from 1890's - Learning from the Systemic Anti-Semitism In Medieval Europe
https://www.spirittruthandmeaning.com/anti-semitism-europe
If the World wants Peace, "We" Need to Outlaw the Ingroup-Outgroup Syndrome: Ideologies and Instincts - Incredibly Powerful Emotions are Generated by Group-Related Instincts
https://www.spirittruthandmeaning.com/instincts-and-ideologies
Underlying Causes of Racism: Human History, in a sense, has been a History of Conflict with Outgroups with Genocide after Genocide after Genocide!
https://www.spirittruthandmeaning.com/underlying-causes
Kay Deux, a social psychologist, in her analysis of group related studies and theories in her chapter in the Social Psychology Handbook of Basic Principles observed that the exclusive use of laboratory experiments as the only tool of research “precluded” “affective displays.” In psychology, it is well known that emotions are notoriously subjective and not easily quantified - and in groups whether at a concert, at a heated political rally, or during genocides, powerful emotions are very, very prominent . Kay Deux goes on to emphasize that “In contrast, natural groups, whether family, fraternity, or nation, are often the arena for intense displays of emotion and strong affective ties.” (p. 794 Social Psychology Handbook of Basic Principles edited by E. Tory Higgins and Arie W. Kruglanski)
2, Materialist Methodology: “Rigid Adherence to Arbitrary Quantification” & Racism
As Claudia Nielsen pointed out, the psychiatrist McGilChrist astutely observed that “The scope of inquiry and understanding of the Materialist Doctrine with its rigid adherence to the actually arbitrary principle of quantification and over-emphasis on physiological characteristics is severely restricted and limited in the analyses that can be performed.” If one stops and thinks for a moment, and seriously considers the question, “Art” of course pops right out as a subject impossible to quantify or measure. Then of course Jung also pointed out that “creativity” is beyond the scope of scientific inquiry. Einstein – and Jung - both emphasized that right-and-wrong cannot be quantified either and are also beyond the scope of scientific inquiry.
On top of that, pretty much all of metaphysics, philosophy, as well as mysticism is far beyond the scope of science. Finally, imagination, by definition, is not measurable or quantifiable -especially using physiological methods. As Einstein observed, "The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination." Several scientists among them Max Planck the iconic quantum physicist swear that imagination is what makes science tick – not rational analysis. The thought experiments of Einstein are what led him to discover curved space-time and the theory of relativity. In spite of all this time after time I encounter academics and college graduates who absolutely swear that the Materialist Doctrine is the answer to the meaning of Life and that they are guardians of science (and truth).
Of course, as Kay Deux emphasized, the Materialist methodology has some serious shortcomings – specifically citing the failure to recognize the “Intense Displays of Emotions.” On top of that, because social psychology obviously could not possibly mange to bring genocides – an expression of group-related instincts in outgroup conflicts, Social psychology also failed to bring to light the horrifically powerful emotions related to group-related behaviors in outgroup conflicts. Having basically the same limitations as social psychology, nor neuroscience or neuropsychology do not Emphasize that horrifically powerful emotions are at minimum a major characteristic of racism. In America, at this time the issue of racism has to be one of the most important issues in todays’ society and the powerful emotions connected with racism would be a very salient question in todays’ world.
The bottom line is the “Rigid Adherence” – or perhaps more accurately the complete fixation with Materialist Methodology’s “arbitrary principle of quantification” resulted in psychology overlooking and ignoring the historical evidence found in genocides which happen only too often with way too much predictability. The truth of it is that prejudice, discrimination, and persecution of “outgroups” has been going on for thousands – if not tens of thousands - of years in human history. Racism isn’t new, nor are the horrifically powerful emotions connected with group related instincts in outgroup conflicts. Yet, few people - including most American Leaders, know much of anything about group-related instincts.
II When an Academic Abstraction is More Important than a Human Being
Definition of Definist Fallacy.
One definition of the Definist Fallacy explains it as defining a term used in an argument in a biased manner (e.g., using "loaded terms") One example cited is "Before we argue about the truth of creationism, let’s define evolution as, “Faith in a crackpot theory that is impossible to prove with certainty.” In a nutshell using a Definist Fallacy creates a situation in which any true or honest dialogue is impossible.
"Don't you have a church to go to?? Spirituality has no place in science!"
What does this question of "Don't you have a church to go to?? Spirituality has no place in science!" come from? In a Religion FB group a member stated bluntly: "Don't you have a church to go to?? Spirituality has no place in science at all!" What that individual was saying is that my spiritual beliefs are so worthless - such superstitious nonsense - they are not even worthy of scientific inquiry. How did this come about? First, for the record, I need to state categorically that this question has absolutely Nothing to do with belief - it is a question of true or false and right or wrong - simple as that.
The methodological question posed by "Academic Materialist Doctrine" in their maxim that one need to “Prove God” before one can have valid spiritual beliefs is currently an ongoing problem and an extremely salient question - as an article recently published on the Pubmed site on the NIH website clearly demonstrates. The psychologists, William R. Miller and Carl E. Thoresen, unequivocally state in their article, Spirituality, religion and health: an emerging field of research, that “A philosophical basis for this perspective is materialism, the belief that there is nothing to study because spirituality is intangible and beyond the senses.”
One of my strongest assets is that I will go out into hostile environments and engage others – partly in an effort to come to grips with the problem. What I discovered is that the idea that “spirituality is intangible and beyond the senses.” is a core argument of the Academic Materialist Doctrine, which I encountered only far too often in posting on psychology, religion, and neuroscience FB groups. However what I keyed into was the form it took. Time after time, I was told I can’t talk about spirt or spirituality until I prove the existence of “spirit” or “God!” Due to my personal spiritual-psychic experiences, when I came across that, my reaction was: "You can't be serious! Prove God? That is a preposterous idea and a really stupid question - to be blunt!"
Furthermore, after consideration and having the prove God fallacy thrown into my face I realized that it was just plain “stupid” and not scientific or rational in any way. Even a precursory overview of the statement “nothing to study because spirituality is intangible and beyond the senses” would clearly indicate that that statement is a fallacy on the face of it because what they mandate is simply Not Possible – at all. Secondly as a logical statement it is a [Definist] fallacy because it takes the same form as “You need to “Prove God to talk about religious beliefs [that is, for your religious beliefs to be valid] – and of course no one can prove God so it is an impossible request and therefore a Definist Fallacy (which I illustrate below).
As a point of order, this question has nothing at all to do with "God"! And it has Nothing to do with beliefs, either. The question is solely and entirely about scientific methodology. The question is about how a blatant Fallacy like that could exist in "science" - especially since that maladaptive norm as Bargh would say, conveys the message that spiritual beliefs are inherently worthless!
My position:
First off, to me "Truth" is very important. Secondly what psychology and the social sciences teaches young people is critical. Third the "Prove God Norm-Fallacy" is - for all practical purposes - an "academic swindle" - literally. That academic abstraction which is a fallacy, and not worth the it is printed on, allows the materialists to artificially and arbitrarily completely exclude and severely repress evidence and information important to understanding spirituality. That is, the "Prove God Fallacy is destructive and harmful. - And it is all smoke and mirrors - utter horse-hockey - lies and bulls**t. And what possible "reasonable" reason could these wonderfully enlightened psychologists have for excluding studies which would help people understand peoples' spirituality. What excuse could there be for keeping information about the spirituality of gr9eing, or the spirituality of autistics, or the spirituality of awe-wonder from people and psychologists? What is absolutely infuriating is that many theologians, Christian leaders, and many Jungians are being led around by their noses by materialists who are using a fallacy - a swindle - to push them around. And it is like pulling teeth to get a yes or no - or a true or false for a simple straightforward and impel question - the equivalent of asking what is 2+2.
Definist Fallacy is Spiritual Poison - Dr Stephen Farra Columbia International University Emeritus, Psychology [Also, Dr. Paul Wong sent me an email stating the "Prove God Norm-Fallacy" is wrong as well!
"Charles, I strongly agree that the Definist Fallacy (leading to a closed Materialism) is spiritual poison, and has hurt us all! Frankl writes about how a closed Naturalism leads to a suffocating Reductionism, which leads to a mental and emotional Nihilism and the kind of Moral Corruption he experienced in Auschwitz and Dachau. We have bodies and brains, but within those bodies and brains, we develop transcendent Souls, and self-transcendent Spirits. We potentially have great freedom and flexibility. On all this, I think we agree."
Where I Personally Break From the Crowd!
Clearly we are in the Age of Science and unfortunately materialist Doctrine - which is much, much different from two thousand years ago when Christ lived. And a large number of people say the conflict between science and religion is problematic, to say the least. To my knowledge there is only One thing common to both science and religion - and that is people. Studies of people have been done but the "Prove God norm-fallacy is an artificial academic roadblock that works only too well within academia and has effectively excluded all the studies from mainstream psychology under the guise of separation of church and state. Keeping information and studies from the public and which would help people understand spiritual people does not fall under the heading of separation of church and state.
III The Blob that Ate Chicago
As Bargh highlights, much of the human mind revolves for better or worse around maladaptive stereotypes and norms. The Materialist Doctrine and anti-spirituality attitude and ideology in part built into their methodology actively promote distorted stereotypes and norms. People quite often have a stereotypical image of Spirit as some kind of monolithic huge spirit entity something like the Blob that Ate Chicago (great movie). For instance, I often come across social "scientists" like the one I encountered on a neuroscience FB group who referred to all spirituality in terms of a "Giant Cosmic Parrot. However, once you take that monolithic entity idea out of the picture and look at studies of peoples' spirituality, what you find are - rather incredibly - "People." Spiritual people are what? People? - unbelievable - huh?? Spiritual people are actually people??? Who would have thought? That is, when you look at the studies what you find in general is that some people thrive on spirituality. Some people benefit moderately from spirituality, and some just don't connect with spirituality at all.
People and Materialist Dogma - Smoke and Mirrors!
After 7 years of research I discovered all these wonderful materialist psychologists and psychiatrists actually know absolutely NOTHING about people with spiritual experiences - SQUAT. Dr Neal told me that as a graduate of Johns Hopkins she had absolutely NO Training in peoples' spirituality or spiritual experiences. Her psychiatrist manger said he didn't understand why psychiatrists don't have training about spirituality.
The psychologists, William R. Miller and Carl E. Thoresen, unequivocally state in their article, Spirituality, religion and health: an emerging field of research, that “A philosophical basis for this perspective is materialism, the belief that there is nothing to study because spirituality is intangible and beyond the senses.” In this article the authors point out that materialists say "that there is nothing to study because spirituality is intangible and beyond the senses.” I run into materialist college graduates quite often, who say the same thing - that there is no spirituality because you can't measure it. Far too often I encounter materialists who state categorically "There is no spirituality!"
So, the question is: What are the studies below that create these categories or types of spirituality??? I'm telling you materialism is all smoke and mirrors - nothing but a academic mirage of nothing but artificial and arbitrary prejudices and intolerances. And there are a lot of other studies and experiments. Materialism is based on the make-believe academic abstraction of a spirit or God completely and totally disconnected from people. These materialist scientists are literally pretending studies and evidence don't exist.
Jung's Mars Prophecy = Extinction of the Human Species
The Materialist Extreme Escapism of Materialist Psychologists - so Recently Proven True.
A journalist's question to Carl Jung: Do you think that, in twenty years, anyone will care about the spirit of symbols, fully in the era of interplanetary journeys, with the Sputniks, the Gagarins, and the Shephards? Will not the spirit come to appear passé? Dr. Jung smiles cunningly and states: “Sooner or later man will have to return to himself, even if from the stars. All this that is happening now is an extreme form of escapism, because it is easier to reach Mars than to find oneself. If man doesn’t find himself, then he faces the greatest of dangers: his own annihilation.
On February 18, 2021, five days ago, this was a highlight in international news: "The new NASA Mars rover, Perseverance, lands on the Red Planet on February 18, 2021—and we'll be following every step of the way. Adding to our rich history of working with NASA and covering their planetary exploration missions, join us online for these free events celebrating and following Perseverance's landing and work on Mars." (https://www.exploratorium.edu/)
A Preliminary summary of Types of Spirituality
1, The spirituality of autistics (Varieties Of Supernatural Experience: The Case Of High-Functioning Autism by Ingela Visuri Ingela Visuri concludes, “A majority of the participants report unexplainable, sensory experiences that seem to occur without any input of stimuli: touch by invisible hands, visions of things that other cannot see, whispers when no one else is to at home, and sensations of invisible bodies being present. The autistic participants scored significantly higher on supernatural experiences when compared to the non-autistic sample, and the emergent literature suggests that unusual, sensory experiences are prevalent among autistic individuals.” The most salient aspect of autistic spirituality is that it would stand to reason that the consistent “peculiar” type of spirituality as in Invisible touch would necessarily appear to be a product of the “peculiar” autistic physiology.
2, Art has been intimately associated or connected with spiritual and religious beliefs since prehistoric times. Chelsea Ann Rulofson, in her thesis, Spirituality in Modern Art observed that, “Artists since the beginning of time have been closely and, most times, inseparably fused with spirituality and religion. (p.33). As Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907 – 1972), the famous Jewish theologian and Jewish philosopher, that “What would art have been without the religious sense of mystery and sovereignty, and how dreary would have been religion without the heroic venture of the artist to embody the mysterious in visible forms, to bring his vision out of the darkness of the heart, and to fill the immense absence of the Deity with the light of human genius.”(p. 118) As Jessica Frazier observes the inner vision and sight brings to life creativity in that “Art draws on emotion’s transformative, creative, generative power to shape reality as well as reveal it.”
The sociologist Carole Cusack observes, "It is a truth generally acknowledged that religions have been the earliest and perhaps the chief progenitors of cultural products in human societies. Mesopotamian urban centres developed from large temple complexes, Greek drama emerged from religious festivals dedicated to deities including Dionysos and Athena, and in more recent times Christianity has inspired musical masterpieces including the ‘St Matthew Passion’ by the Lutheran Johann Sebastian Bach (1686-1750), the motets of the Catholic William Byrd (1540-1023), and the striking paintings of the Counter-Reformation Spaniards Ribera, Zurbaran, and Murillo in the seventeenth century (Stoichita 1995). Nor can we forget the cinematic renderings of biblical story in such works as William Wyler’s epic Ben Hur (1959) starring Charlton Heston, Pier Paolo Pasolini’s (1922-1975) Il Vangelo Secondo Matteo (1964), or Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ (2004).
3, The spirituality of a person grieving for a lost loved one. Spirituality in grieving is well documented and quite common – since death is a universal in human life. The authors, Gilles and Neimeyer observe that Richards (2001) emphasizes the fact that in his study, “68 out of 125 participants spoke of spiritual phenomena in their experiences.” (p.33 Loss, Grief, And the Search for Significance: Toward a Model of Meaning Reconstruction in Bereavement, James Gillies and Robert Neimeyer)
A rare study of actual experiences by the authors of the article, Spiritual Experience, Church Attendance, and Bereavement (Linda S. Stirman Kenneth W. Sewell, Ph.D. Larry W. Easterling, Th.D. Louis A. Gamino, Ph.D.) stated that “Pastoral caregivers have long suspected that those persons who simply perform religious rituals or attend church regularly do not necessarily cope better with bereavement or other personal crises. This study seems to support these long held clinical observations….. [that] individuals do seem to cope better if they can "actualize" their spiritual experiences in times of crisis. In instances of loss and bereavement, such spiritual experiences may offer not only comfort but also a contextual framework of meaning for understanding.” This would seem to suggest that spiritual experiences may have a synthesis function in that Gilles and Neimeyer focus on meaning reconstruction – which spiritual experiences appear to help. Also, J E Kennedy mentioned briefly that spiritual experiences did seem to have an antidepressant effect.
4, The spirituality of a recovering addict - which is also very real and a frequent occurrence. The twelve-step program of AA is well known as well as its pivotal concept of a Transcendental Spirit or God. While not everyone benefits form spirituality, it is a fact that some people do in fact benefit from spirituality and spiritual experiences. The conclusion of an article about a meta-analysis I is that “Clinical trials assessing the effects of RSI (Religious-Spiritual-Interventions) showed additional benefits compared with control groups, including reduction of clinical symptoms (especially levels of anxiety).” (“Religious and spiritual interventions in mental health care: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled clinical trials by J. P. B. Gonçalves, G. Lucchetti, P. R. Menezes, and H. Vallada)
5, The spirituality of awe-wonder - which has been studied tested and well proven – has been advocated by Einstein, Sagan, Heschel and many other leaders as very profound spiritual experiences which are a powerful source of inspiration as well as drive to understand and need for meaning.
6, The Spirituality of Adolescents first documented by Stanley Hall in 1882.
7, The spirituality of compassion. The compassion principle and doctrine are in every major religion: Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Hinduism (Upanishads), and Buddhism. There are 77.4 million American care-giver volunteers. Then of course, there are the "Christian" volunteers, Lutheran Dr. Sweitzer, Catholic Mother Teresa, who founded an entire network of charity hospitals.
8, The spirituality of civic activists like Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi, and Tolstoy who had profound spiritual beliefs which served as inspiration for their idealism as well as drive and endurance in the face of despotic oppression of the establishment involving imprisonment and harassment at every turn.
9, Furthermore, in studying the effects of religion and spirituality on the elderly population Kraus found that (religious) social connections produced a “deeper sense of meaning in life,” improved “adoption of religious coping responses,” and better support for coping with financial strain.” (Handbook of the Psychology of Religion p.206)
10. Spirituality of NF Personalities: Using the Myers-Briggs personality model, “Keirsey (1998) stated that people having intuitive, feeling (NF) personality types are mystical in outlook and often explore occultism, parapsychology, and esoteric metaphysical systems.” (p. 267 J. E Kennedy PERSONALITY AND MOTIVATIONS TO BELIEVE, MISBELIEVE, AND DISBELIEVE IN PARANORMAL PHENOMENA. The significance of personality factors might best be illustrated “In a study of a technique attempting to induce a sense of contact with someone who had died, 96% of the participants with NF personality types reported after-death contact experiences, whereas 100% of the participants with ST (sensing, thinking) personality types did not have these experiences (Arcangel, 1997).” (p.267)
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References:
Dr. Paul Wong:
Paul T. P. Wong is a Canadian clinical psychologist and professor. His research career has gone through four stages, with significant contributions in each stage: learning theory, social cognition, existential psychology, and positive psychology. He is most known for his integrative work on death acceptance,[2] meaning therapy,[3] and second wave positive psychology (PP 2.0).[4] He has been elected as a fellow for both the American Psychological Association and the Canadian Psychological Association.
Wong is the Founder and President of the International Network on Personal Meaning [5] and Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Existential Psychology and Psychotherapy. With more than 300 publications in journals and book chapters, his major books are the two editions of The Human Quest for Meaning: A Handbook of Psychological Research and Clinical Applications (1998) and The Human Quest for Meaning: Theories, Research, and Applications (2012), as well as The Handbook of Multicultural Perspectives on Stress and Coping (2006).
Wong is currently Adjunct Professor at Saybrook University [6] and Professor Emeritus of Trent University [7] and Trinity Western University.[8] At the latter, he was the Founding Director of the Graduate Counselling Psychology Program. He also taught at the University of Texas at Austin, York University, and the Graduate Division of the University of Toronto. (Wikipedia)
Harold G., Koenig, MD
Duke University Medical School
Nationally known authority on spirituality, health and loss Harold G. Koenig, M.D., will lead “The Book of Life,” a unique all-day training conference to equip area faith leaders and medical providers in offering end-of-life care, scheduled for Tuesday, April 2, at the UTC University Center.
Originally for clergy and faith leaders, this year’s conference has been expanded to included health care providers and will provide continuing medical education for physicians.
“When faced with the end of life journey, individuals and their loved ones often feel anxiety and a great amount of uncertainty. The many clergy, doctors and spiritual advisors in our community walk alongside families through their end-of-life journey, and we are offering them an opportunity to receive training on how to address the difficulty of end of life with care, grace and wisdom. We need to understand that end-of-life care is not a failure of healthcare, but a part of healthcare,” said Dr. Greg Phelps, Chief Medical Officer at Hospice of Chattanooga, one of the event’s main sponsors.
Other sponsors include The Baylor School, Chattanooga Association for Clinical Pastoral Care, Chattanooga-Hamilton County Medical Society, Hospice of Chattanooga, CHI Memorial Hospital, Southeast Tennessee Area Agency on Aging & Disability, Tennessee Hospice Organization/Honoring Choices, and University of Tennessee Health Science Center.
Harold G. Koenig, M.D., keynote speaker, is the Director of Duke University’s Center for Spirituality, Theology and Health and has published extensively in the fields of religion, spirituality and health, with over 50 books in print or preparation. Dr. Koenig serves as Associate of Medicine at Duke University Medical School, where he is a Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and has given testimony before both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives on the benefits of religion and spirituality on public health.
In addition to Dr. Koenig, spiritual and medical leaders will lead a number of sessions throughout the day, including Burnout and Professional Self Care, The Chaplain’s Role in End of Life Care, On Losing a Child, and Family Grief & Resilience.
Stefan Schindler
A graduate of Dickinson College, Stefan Schindler taught philosophy, psychology and religion for 40 years at institutions of higher learning, including The University of Pennsylvania, La Salle University, Berklee College of Music, The Boston Conservatory of Music, Dance and Theater, Salem State University, and the Boston and Brookline Centers for Adult Education. For six years, he also taught language and computer skills in a state-sponsored program for immigrants and the unemployed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Co-founder of The National Registry for Conscientious Objection, a Woodrow Wilson Fellow, a recipient of The Boston Baha’i Peace Award, and a Trustee of The Life Experience School and Peace Abbey, Dr. Schindler received his Ph.D. in Philosophy from Boston College in 1975; worked one summer in a nature preserve; lived in a Zen temple for a year; did the pilot’s voice in a claymation video of St. Exupery’s The Little Prince; and acted in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf. He has also performed as a musical poet in Philadelphia, Boston and New York City with the world-beat jazz band The Psychic Pioneers.
Stefan wrote The Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience Awards for Howard Zinn and John Lennon, and co-wrote the Courage of Conscience Awards for Ram Dass, Thich Nhat Hanh, and the Dalai Lama. He has guest-lectured on Buddhism at Boston University and on The Vietnam War at Brandeis University. He is now retired and living in Salem, Massachusetts.
Stefan is best known for his essays “The Tao of Teaching,” “A Brief History of Zen,” “The Transpersonal Revolution,” and his you tube lecture on “A Reawakening of Bicameral Mind.” He currently teaches courses on "Biblical Buddhism" at Salem State University’s Lifelong Learning Institute. His YouTube musical videos include Ox Herding Searching and Butterfly Dream Buffalo Thunder. His poetry music CD is Coyote Chris and Don Stefan. His books include The Tao of Socrates: Eastern Wisdom and The Birth of Western Philosophy; America’s Indochina Holocaust: The History and Global Matrix of The Vietnam War; Discoursing with The Gods: The Art and Practice of Tarot Divination; and Space is Grace. His newest book, Buddha’s Political Philosophy, is scheduled for publication by Political Animal Press in 2021.
He has published essays in the journals College Teaching, Process Studies, Lies of Our Times, and Socialism and Democracy. While in Philadelphia, he published op-ed essays in The Philadelphia Enquirer and The Philadelphia Daily News. Stefan is a frequent contributor to the website Engaging Peace. He also writes for the website Political Animal Magazine.
Dr. Stephen Farra
After receiving his PhD from the University of Minnesota in 1985, Dr. Farra served as a Licensed Consulting Psychologist and helped run two mental health clinics in the Brainerd Lakes area of MN from 1985 to 1995. Since then, he has served as Director of a Psychology Program at Columbia International University, an accredited, faith-based university in South Carolina. He has also taught Research Statistics for the University of SC. He serves on statewide research-evaluation panels, and has received statewide awards for excellence in teaching and evaluation. Using the same original materials he has used in his many university courses, and his notes from his sermons and adult Sunday School classes at various churches, Dr. Farra (so far) has published three books: