THE VARIETIES OF SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE

 Friday, March 10, 2023 - Sunday, March 12, 2023

Goshen College, Goshen, Indiana

The twenty second annual Goshen Conference on Religion and Science was held Friday, March 10, 2023, through Sunday, March 12, 2023.  The keynote speaker for the 2023 conference was Dr. Andrew Newberg, director of research at the Marcus Institute of Integrative Health and a physician at Jefferson University Hospital. He is board certified in internal medicine and nuclear medicine.

Dr. Andrew NewbergNewberg Photo 2011 has been asking questions about reality, truth, and God since he was very young, and he has long been fascinated by the human mind and its complex workings. While a medical student, he met Dr. Eugene d’Aquili, who was studying religious experiences. Combining their interests with Andrew’s background in neuroscience and brain imaging, they were able to break new theoretical and empirical ground on the relationship between the brain and religion.

Andrew’s research now largely focuses on how brain function is associated with various mental states—in particular, religious and mystical experiences. His research has included brain scans of people in prayer, meditation, rituals, and trance states, as well as surveys of people’s spiritual experiences and attitudes. He has also evaluated the relationship between religious or spiritual phenomena and health, and the effect of meditation on memory. He believes that it is important to keep science rigorous and religion religious.

Andrew has also used neuroimaging research projects to study aging and dementia, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, depression, and other neurological and psychiatric disorders.

–From AndrewNewberg.com

The conference comprises three lectures by the invited speaker, Dr. Andrew Newburg, as well as discussions (limited to registered attendees).

Two of the lectures are free and open to the public

  • 7:30 p.m., Friday, March 10
    How God Changes Your Brain
  • 10:30 a.m., Saturday
    Principles of Neurotheology

Registered participants will:

  • Take part in the third lecture, The Varieties of Spiritual Experience
  • Join the registrant-only conference sessions, including respondent reactions and discussions with the lecturer.

Conference program: 2023 Conference Program

 


The Midwest Religion and Science Society (MRSS) is an organization dedicated to the dialog between Religion and Science. A primary interest of the MRSS is Religion and Consciousness.

The MRSS has local chapters at Andrews University (MI), Bluffton University (OH), Goshen College (IN), Manchester College (IN), Ohio Northern University (OH), the University of Notre Dame (IN), and the University of St. Francis (IN). There are two major meetings of the MRSS each year, one at Goshen College (March) and one at Andrews University (October).