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Fingerprints of God: The Search for the Science of Spirituality
From the award-winning NPR religion correspondent comes a fascinating investigation of how science is seeking to answer the question that has puzzled humanity for generations: Can science explain God?
Is spiritual experience real or a delusion? Are there realities that we can experience but not easily measure? Does your consciousness depend entirely on your brain, or does ...more
Is spiritual experience real or a delusion? Are there realities that we can experience but not easily measure? Does your consciousness depend entirely on your brain, or does ...more
Hardcover, 336 pages
Published
May 14th 2009
by Riverhead Hardcover
(first published 2009)
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Hagerty sets out to explore the link between science and faith through a series of interviews and self reflection. What she finds is that ultimately you can read the data to support either a theistic or atheistic worldview and that a theistic reading of the data points to a god spoken of by apologists and loved by no one.
What I liked about the book is that Hagerty presents a bunch of scientific (and pseudo-scientific) studies through the eyes of her own personal quest for the truth about god. S...more
What I liked about the book is that Hagerty presents a bunch of scientific (and pseudo-scientific) studies through the eyes of her own personal quest for the truth about god. S...more
It’s been nearly a week since I finished reading this book by NPR correspondent Barbara Bradley Hagerty, on “the search for the science of spirituality.”
When I was only about a quarter of the way into the book, I sat down with two fellow writers to talk shop, and mentioned what I was reading. I surprised myself by admitting to these two ladies — whom I like and respect, but whom I don’t know very well — that I had cried my way through roughly half of what I’d already read of Hagerty’s ...more
When I was only about a quarter of the way into the book, I sat down with two fellow writers to talk shop, and mentioned what I was reading. I surprised myself by admitting to these two ladies — whom I like and respect, but whom I don’t know very well — that I had cried my way through roughly half of what I’d already read of Hagerty’s ...more
I liked this book. I enjoyed learning about scientific studies of spiritual experience. I was a little ambivalent about the author's personal opinions being so clearly a part of the ideas put forward, and felt that at times this compromised her analysis... but hey, at least she was honest about being biased toward the existence of God.
But what really drove me crazy was that, aside from a few token references to "He or She", the God that she imagines is clearly, solely male....more
But what really drove me crazy was that, aside from a few token references to "He or She", the God that she imagines is clearly, solely male....more
Frank Jude
rated it
Recommends it for:
only those who want to bolster thier 'faith' and 'willfulness to believe.'
Well, Barbara Bradley Hagerty set out to find the evidence of God, and the Transcendent reality she hoped to find and -- guess what? She found it! She asserts she's a "journalist" and "reporter," but her awards as a "religion correspondent" tell me more that what she is is a believer looking for any evidence -- or lacking that, any justification to lower the bar for what counts as evidence -- for grounding her belief.
She often asserts her feeling that "...more
She often asserts her feeling that "...more
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This book can't answer the Big Question: is God really communicating with people who have spiritual experiences during prayer, in spontaneous healing, or in near-death experiences? What it can do is describe some new science that studies the brains of people who have had life-changing spiritual events. Brain activity, brain chemistry, and in some cases genetics are different for people who have had what they consider encounters with the spiritual than they are from people who haven't. What's mor...more
I added this book to my wishlist after hearing the story about the book on NPR. Almost two years later, I finally read it. It's very interesting. You get to read about all sorts of spiritual experiences people had, like encounters with God, near death experiences, spiritual conversions... and then an explanation of what's going on from the neurological perspective. There were quite a few interesting stories. The writer shares her own spiritual experience, which wasn't quite as interesting, but r...more
A very good "intro" book to the junction of faith and science. I particularly enjoyed the studies on the meditative and psychedelic-tripped brain... which did make me want to try LSD at some later date in life. Also really loved the study on "paired" couples and their ability to effect the other over distance and with no known material connection.
The chapters on near-death experiences I found tedious. While I understand that they are life-changing for many peo...more
The chapters on near-death experiences I found tedious. While I understand that they are life-changing for many peo...more
When I first heard of Fingerprints of God I was filled with anticipation that this might be the book I've been looking for on the search for physical evidence of spirituality in the world.
But, wow, was I disappointed!! Written by a journalist, Barbara Hagerty, this book lets you down on all fronts. Firstly, the book's title is a HUGE disservice to the core topic she was writing about. The book should have been titled 'Religion and the Brain - the Search for Physical Influences on Per...more
But, wow, was I disappointed!! Written by a journalist, Barbara Hagerty, this book lets you down on all fronts. Firstly, the book's title is a HUGE disservice to the core topic she was writing about. The book should have been titled 'Religion and the Brain - the Search for Physical Influences on Per...more
Nicole Marble
added it
When I was in college I took a comparative religion class - I wanted to learn about those 'other religions', the ones that succeeded and are still here, and the ones that failed. I didn't learn much because the instructor was a Baptist minister who was quite anxious to share his own beliefs, but not interested in any other points of view.
This book reminds me of that experience - Hagerty is a devout Christian and seems sure that science will eventually explain the religious experience, or b...more
This book reminds me of that experience - Hagerty is a devout Christian and seems sure that science will eventually explain the religious experience, or b...more
How does the brain function when a Buddhist monk is in deep meditation or a charismatic Christian speaks in tongues? What do scientists know about out of body experiences? Can the mind function apart from the brain? These are some of the interesting questions that Hagerty tackles. However, she does so in a way that gives both highly educated mystics and skeptics a fair treatment in voicing their interpretations of such paranormal events.
Hagerty also speaks of a new generation of scie...more
Hagerty also speaks of a new generation of scie...more
A very well- documented account of many near- death experiences. She tries very hard to be objective about the question of proof of God. My conclusion is that with so many people seeing and experiencing the same things at the time of "death", it has meaning to me. They all report an incredible peace and oneness. It did get a bit long and drawn out. Her conclusion was that she found no conclusive proof that there was a God, but certainly no proof that there is not a God. She conti...more
I only got about about a third of the way through this book when I had to return it to the library. Hagerty admits that she is biased in favor of religion and spirituality (her grandma was a Christian Science healer) but strives to be as objective as she can.
It was interesting to read how she came to reject Christian Science. I can't imagine being a 34-year-old who had never visited a doctor, taken any medicine other than one vaccination, or even popped a vitamin pill.
I ...more
It was interesting to read how she came to reject Christian Science. I can't imagine being a 34-year-old who had never visited a doctor, taken any medicine other than one vaccination, or even popped a vitamin pill.
I ...more
I heard this author interviewed on NPR and couldn't wait to read her book. She is a former NPR journalist, who, after experiencing something mystical and life-changing, sets out to explore what is behind the very common and similar mystical/spiritual experiences of people from many different backgrounds, cultures, religions and perspectives. This is well researched and documented and seems like a very fair and unbiased exploration of the mystical and how science can or cannot explain them-- and ...more
Thomas
added it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Wishy-washy lovers of Consilience
Shelves:
audiobook,
could-not-finish
It took me a while to figure out what I disliked about this book. It's true that the author goes out of her way to offend pretty much every reader, but that's not the main problem. She does so by lumping together evangelical Christians, drug addicts, Native Americans, Sufis, parapsychologists, epileptics, and just-plain-crazy persons. For me, that's not so difficult to swallow--we are all human. What really gets under my skin is the fact that when she gets interviews with assorted elite neurolog...more
When I bought this book, it was the subtitle that had caught my eye: "What Science is Learning About the Brain and Spiritual Experience." I thought I was going to get a purely journalistic account, not someone's personal search (although the slant should have been obvious to me from the main title); it turned out to be an interesting mix of both. Hagerty does detail all the science with lucidity and thoroughness, complete with extensive footnotes about various experiments, while at the...more
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I loved this book, both for the beautiful quality of the author's writing, and for the subject matter it attempts to tackle: finding scientific legitimacy to a variety of human spiritual experiences. I didn't feel that Hagerty always maintained a complete scientific objectivity herself, but she was able to find scientists who are conducting research in many different ways, to either support or refute spiritual experience. Among the studies/scientists she visited: a comparison of the brain act...more
This was a beautiful nonfiction book, one of the best I’ve read. I usually like to just read nonfiction one chapter at a time, but Fingerprints of God is so conversational and engaging; it’s easy to get caught up in it like a good novel. Barbara Bradley Hagerty is the religious correspondent for NPR, and she took a year off to research this work. Hagerty is scrupulously honest about how this book is as much about her personal journey (and admits her lack of objectivity to a certain degree) as...more
Did you ever wonder why the notion of God has been a central element in the culture of zillions of people from different epochs across the globe. Well, Hagarty has some interesting answers or at least she presents some interesting possibilities. Most interesting might be her discussions of how we seem to be wired for belief in something bigger than the world we experience. Hagarty's combination of recent scientific research with stories that flesh out the data makes for an absorbing book.
An interesting read, but ultimately disappointing. This would be a good introduction into the interaction of science and spirituality for a non-scientist. As a scientist who has read some on this topic, I found it a little shallow, not in terms of research (obviously extensive and with an honest attempt at balance), but in thinking. In the end, it didn't really tell me anything I didn't know already.
This book is written by a reporter who has a spiritual experience and sets her on a journey to get to know God better. She interviews people from all different walks of life. Scientists who believe and those who don't. She visits an American Indian tribe and joins in one of their religious ceremonies where they use peyote.
Very interesting and thought provoking.
Very interesting and thought provoking.
Haggerty tried; she really did. She entered the process admitting her own strong paradigm preference: she's a God person. She makes an effort throughout the book to present evidence for another level of reality beyond the material and then interviews the debunkers. I just found the debunkers a lot more persuasive than the evidence, which wasn't given in enough detail to let me know if it was peer-reviewed, had a large enough sample, got truly significant results etc. I had only her word or ...more
This was actually an interesting book -- more so than I expected. It's a topic I don't think a lot of people want to cover since it is not too popular but it was well done and interesting. It gets you thinking. Of course in the end there is never concrete proof for or against God but this does put some more weight on the for God side. Some of what is covered is very amazing. Anyway I enjoyed it. I found it very interesting.
I really wanted to like this book. Books dealing with spirituality and quantum physics - how could you go wrong? I am still fascinated by the idea of quantum physics, and the insights it would seem to provide on life. But - this book just couldn't hold my interest. the author appeared to be trying too hard to quantify spirituality, and I just don't believe it's possible. I DO believe that a lot of people are asking themselves, "Is this it?" "Is this all there is to...more
I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, but I heard an interview with the author on NPR, and thought it sounded interesting. I thought the author, although a journalist and supposedly objective, did have a clear slant. (She was looking for affirmation that there is a God.) She was raised in the faith of Christian Science, but then left the faith. She spent a year interviewing scientists to see if there was data to support whether there is a God. She describes various studies and experim...more
NPR religion correspondent Barbara Bradley Hagerty examines recent brain research from her Christian perspective. I love that she freely expresses her biases. For example, she does not enjoy her time at a peyote ceremony - and makes plain that she is at most tolerating the endless evening of longwinded altered folk.
Her love of science, and love of religion blend and I appreciate a mind that can hold those two things at once.
Her love of science, and love of religion blend and I appreciate a mind that can hold those two things at once.
With the mind of a fine journalist and science writer and the eye of an artist, Barbara Bradley Hagerty takes you through her own journey toward a better understanding of how modern science can exist in harmony with religious belief. I wish there were more books like this out there.
There is an increasing number of phenomenon, such as spontaneous mystical experiences, certain temporal lobe seizures, meditation, near death experiences and experiments showing the connection of couples over a distance that are challenging the materialistic paradigm.
I thought this book was really well written and worthwhile. I think at some point in our lives, many of us question spirituality and seek to find the truth. This book acts as a guide to some of the science and data out there related to faith and how we are created, but is not overly pushy or driven towards a certain belief system. I found it very interesting.
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“The real distinction between a material and spiritual worldview, [William] James wrote does not rest in "hair splitting abstraction about matter's inner essence, or about the metaphysical attributes of God. Materialism means simply the denial that the moral order is eternal, and the cutting off of ultimate hope; spiritualism means the affirmation of an eternal order, and the letting loose of hope".
Given the choice, I throw my lot in with hope.”
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1 person liked it
Given the choice, I throw my lot in with hope.”
“I came to define God by His handiwork: a craftsman who builds the hope of eternity into our genes, a master electrician and chemist who outfits our brains to access another dimension, a guru who rewards our spiritual efforts by allowing us to feel united with all things, an intelligence that pervades every atom and every nanosecond, all time and space, in the throes of death, or the ecstasy of life.”
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1 person liked it
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