Eps 67: Science Mike McHargue – Spiritual Skeptic

I’m so happy to have on one of my very favorite podcasters, Mike McHargue. Mike is a joy to speak to and brings grace and insights to his show and I know you’ll enjoy our conversation.

The show notes today are stuffed full of links to everything we mention in the episode. Check it out below! Support what I’m doing, if you can, by listening to other episodes, sharing this show, or chipping in as a supporter with a dollar or more. (scroll to the bottom for all of that too.) 

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SHOWNOTES:

Science Mike McHargue:

new book: Finding God in the Waves

Intro 1:00

Finding God in the Waves

coming September 13 (2016)

Starting with the Liturgists podcast

on art, faith, and science

Ask Science Mike off shoot

5:30

Questions are okay.

7:30

Being aware of ignorance – not to be mistaken for humility.

8:00

“Understanding the mechanism behind a miracle doesn’t make it any less miraculous.”

Art is like this too.

Richard Feynman

Carl Sagan

these scientists appreciated the arts and mystery.

12:00

Seeing the Divine.

And understanding and appreciation he Trinity. Father, Son, Spirit

Celtics and Eastern Orthodox. Philokalia

Catholic Mystics

18:30

Who he’s reading. Richard Rohr, Thomas Merton, Thomas Keating.

Christianity is Eastern religion.

21:00

The great Schism 1,000 AD

dogma and chrisma

Karen Armstrong – The History of God.


Making meaning of the world and avoiding magical thinking.

25:00

Superstition is anti – science

Processing reality using language is what humans do.

T.M. Lurhmann with Stanford. “When God Talks Back” religious communities.

psych absorption test. thinking God is responsive in prayer.

The more you pray the more likely you will have these experiences.

Genetically primed to “hear” from God and environmental factors and disciplines. It helps us be better in the world.

Tanya Lurhman on NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross March 26, 2012-

30:00

Anthropologist and charismatic experience is easily replicable. Is the brain an antenna?

Deeply materialist views of the world disturb people.

32:30

Does Mike have haters?

At LIVE events there is a lot of love even among people who might be thought to be polarized.

35:30

About his Book Tour

Ask Science Mike Events

18-20 places.

FindingGodintheWaves.com

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Listen to many other fantastic guests and my special SOUL SCHOOL installments!


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Eps 60: The Science of the Imagination and Fascination

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This week Spark My Muse has hit a milestone. 30 episodes of Soul School and 60 regular Episodes! It also marks a big shift for things moving forward. The show will be far more collaborative and listener-driven.

This week, I have posed some specific questions for listeners/supporters to help decide some new and  important directions and decisions for the show. More questions will follow in the weeks to come. To participate, co-create, collaborate, give input, make suggestions, and be a part of this new era, put some skin in the game. It only takes $1 and you can make BIG difference.

Decide on guests, events, swag, and a lot more. You make the calls.

Ready? Here’s the link.


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This week, I welcome Jim Davies, an associate professor at the Institute of Cognitive Science at Carleton University. He is the Director of the Science of Imagination Laboratory, and the Author of “Riveted: The Science of Why Jokes Make Us Laugh, Movies Make Us Cry, and Religion Makes Us Feel One with the Universe.”

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SHOW NOTES

MIN 1:20
Where do the pictures in our visual imagination come from?

Do blind people have a visual memory?

MIN 6:00
The literal details and the meaning and symbol parts of the brain

Can computers imagine or learn to?

MIN 9:30
3D Environments

Neuro modeling simulation of thoughts and imagination.

MIN 14
Jim’s book called “Riveted”

Rules of art form and folk wisdom are they backed by science?

Cognitive science of religion and why we find anything interesting.

MIN 19
The genetics behind the desire for connecting with something greater.

MIN 22:00
What surprised him most in his research?
60% of religiosity is determined.

MIN 23:00
Groups that have religion outcompete groups that don’t
Moral code so you don’t cheat your neighbors.
Pro-social.

The Kibbutz secular vs religious

Prayer and meditation helps you cope with stress.

MIN 27
Why jokes make us laugh.
Social signals about danger.

MIN 28
about why offensive jokes might be funny

LINK TO SPARK MY MUSE
EPISODE 30 on the Science of humor
WITH NEUROSCIENTIST Dr VINOD GOEL

MIN 30
Our brain doesn’t really sense what is fiction or reality 100%

The “Finding Nemo” story

36:00
Jim’s TEDx talks

37:30
Planning bias and completion times


 

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Eps 59: Adam and John from The Deconstructionist Podcast

Thank you for visiting Spark My Muse!bestcake

This week is the celebration of 1 year of podcasting!
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 deconstruct

Adam Narloch and John Williamson started a podcast and after just a few episodes, they had thousands of listeners–find out why. Our conversation is wide-ranging and fantastic!

SHOW NOTES:

MIN 1:30

The deep seated need to find a home to talk about uncomfortable issues of faith and doubt.

4:30

Talking about the Bible first and having a wide range of guests, worldviews, and topics.

6:40

A no debate policy

10:00

Asking “Is this a Christian podcast?”

13:00

Realizing audience and context

14:30

Tempted to lead double lives when you can’t ask questions.

17:00

The conservative Christian bubble and fear-based groups.

26:00

The difficulty of building our lives around mystery.

We aren’t saved through scripture.

27:00

All the ideals are mystery. Many concepts can’t be measured.

29:30

Metaphor and biblical metaphor and historical truth.

A return to mystery in science and faith that beautifully underpins reality.

32:30

Confirmation bias and protecting our identity.

CS Lewis – the Weight of Glory (and other essays) influenced Adam

A Grief Observed

Surprised by Joy  “temples building not built”

It’s about mercy

Francis Schaeffer

Catholic writers write about the spiritual dark night

God takes away our idols.

39:30

Greg Boyd

Benefit of the Doubt – making an idol out of certainty.

pleasure and threats in the brain

42:00

Why the Deconstructionist podcast is NOT part of the fringe and rather is orthodox, but won’t seem that way for too many.

43:00

Will Adam get fired?

We should not believe by proxy.

45:20

The church [has become] a box of puppies that licks each other” -Adam Narloch

47:00

How the Deconstructionist event went in a third space.

(music, art, camaraderie, coffee bar)

50:00

All are welcome but the Christian bubble is titanium.

• John’s Twitter

• Adam’s Twitter

The Deconstructionists Podcast (link)


 

Soul School-Lesson 26: There’s No Place Like Home Over the Rainbow

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This was a wonderful review I got recently. Thank you, Noel!

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Somewhere over the rainbow I’ll find what I’m after lost in a lullaby.

Today, on Soul School I share a story of watching the movieThe Wizard of Oz as a child. I loved the story: The longing for more, the wanting to find home again, the fear of the evil witch, the friendships found along the way, the adventure and jolly fun, and the surprise ending that embedded a truth in me that I carry inside even now. It made a big impression on me and now I’ll share its secret.

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