M.J. Rose

I studied the Bible in college, I’ve read many Buddhist texts, and I’ve even been known to crack open the Book of Mormon when I find it hiding in motels…but the most interesting, mysterious, and utterly mindboggling religious text I’ve ever read is The Urantia Book (According to this tome, Urantia is the “true” name of Earth.) Essential hip reading in the ’70’s, my father had a copy in his bookshelf when I was growing up and for laughs he’d read a passage here and there as a trippy bedtime story of sorts. Check it out for yourself and consider getting your own copy for the bookshelf (it has been translated into numerous languages). It’s the ultimate conversation piece and from the very first section – Part I: The Central and Superuniverses (all you’ve ever wanted to know about the intricacies of the universes in EXTREME detail, yes, “universes” with an “s”) – you’ll be hooked to read on and blow your mind a little more…

“The Urantia Book was written in 1934-1935 and published in 1955. The book proclaims to be authored by numerous supermortal (angel-like) beings as a Revelation to our world. It is the first Epochal Revelation since Jesus and the fifth since the beginning of human life on Earth. No humans are associated with authoring The Urantia Book and the technique whereby the papers were transcribed is unknown. Like all other religious books, the contents should be evaluated by the fruits of the spirit which the teachings produce, not by any claim of authorship. You may want to treat this book as fascinating literature until the spiritual quality authenticates its message in your soul. The final judge of its validity must be the “indwelling spirit of God” within you…” (from truthbook.com)

Tune in to this hour of To The Best of Our Knowledge:

The Brain and Belief

“Independent producer Karen Michel reports that some of the country’s leading neuro-biologists are collaborating with Buddhist monks in an effort to understand the effects of meditation on the mind and the brain. Andrew Newberg directs the Center for Spirituality and the Mind at the University of Pennsylvania, and he tells Steve Paulson what brain imaging technology can tell us about the experiences of Franciscan nuns and Pentecostalists at prayer...”

As life saving and resuscitation techniques improve there are more and more accounts of Near-Death Experiences. In this short video clip Gary Habermas delivers an account of the amazing near-death experience of a little girl from Idaho.

(From The Mindful Hack*) “Agnostic pediatric intern and brain specialist Melvin Morse admitted a small girl, Katie, to a mid Western American emergency room. She was said to have been under water for nineteen minutes and was comatose. She was hooked up in the ICU but was not treated. She came to three days later, and remembered the two doctors who worked on her. That is, she watched them at work on her while she had no brain wave activity (“profoundly comatose”). She recalled other details that could later be verified.”

*(The Mindful Hack is a Web log of Denyse O’Leary, co-author of The Spiritual Brain: A neuroscientist’s case for the existence of the soul (HarperOne August 2007). The Mindful Hack publishes information of interest on the relationship between the mind and the brain. O’Leary also publishes the Post-Darwinist, which keeps up with the intelligent design controversy.)