Many of the most complex decisions that man makes, including those relating to his spiritual nature, take place in the subconscious mind or are internally generated by the spiritual brain thus bypassing the conscious rational brain. In addition, the intake of new information, new knowledge and new insights is a pleasurable experience. This pleasure is brought about by the stimulation of opioid receptors in the higher sensory association areas located in the temporal lobes – in the spiritual brain. Through this mechanism spiritual experiences and insights may provide great pleasure. New knowledge or insights can also produce pleasure through the direct stimulation of the dopamine reward pathways. This can account for why man is such a spiritual being and derives such pleasure from participating in religious rituals.[p441]
The biology of faith and reason
Sometimes faith is described as the belief in something in the absence of evidence. By this view faith becomes the antithesis of reason. The existence of faith cuts to the core question of this book – how can reason and faith, a thinking rational brain and a spiritual brain, coexist in the same body? [p433]
