Regards

Dan
DNDistribution2011.com

Here is a Slate article that gives a good summary of the state of current research: http://www.slate.com/id/2165004/pagenum/all/#p2

If you want to look further, here is a book that goes into much more detail:”The ‘God’ Part of the Brain: A Scientific Interpretation of Human Spirituality and God”

Cheers!

Thanks for responding. I think your point is well taken. I’ve know people who have made errors based on the idea of “feeling good” about a decision. Having said that, I need to add that for me it has been different. The Lord has answered some of my prayers by sending ministering angels. I didn’t see them, but I heard them speak. This kind of experience creates certainty.

I’ve learned the Lord answers prayers in many ways. It’s not my purpose to go into more detail out of respect for your decision, but the Lord has made me a witness and I would be remiss if I didn’t make that clear.

You bring up an excellent point. I did have a hand full of spiritual experiences over the years that I interpreted as being divine confirmation that the LDS church was inspired of God. What I began to notice in my late 20′s and early 30′s is that occasionally I’d have those same “spiritual” feelings in very non religious settings like a sporting event, or most memorably while watching the movie the Bourne Identity. God giving me a testimony of the Bourne Identity?

What I’ve learned since is that most people have these spiritual feelings to a greater or lesser extent (depending on the wiring of their brains), and that how they interpret those feelings depends almost exclusively on their upbringing. So when a member of the Catholic church has a spiritual experience while listening to some beautiful music during mass, they usually interpret that as confirmation that they are in God’s true church. When a follower of Buddha has a spiritual experience while meditating, they interpret that as confirmation that they are on the right path.

The same spiritual feelings, experienced in the exact same setting, can be interpreted in wildly different ways depending on the beliefs of the individuals involved. That you have had spiritual experiences is not remarkable. That you interpret them as confirmation of the divine nature of the LDS church is predictable given your association with the church. The same thing is happening to people in other churches and faith traditions all over the world.

I still occasionally have “spiritual” experiences (none of them church related at this point), but how I interpret them is much different that I did as an active member of the Mormon church.

First, I believe in agency. You’ve decided to leave the church with stated reasons. I respect your right of choice. Some of the people I love most in this world have left the church for a variety of reasons.

As I’ve thought about this over the years, I concluded those who leave over the reasons you stated never acquired a testimony. I believe they lived on “borrowed light”.

Why do I feel this way?

I’m troubled by a few things in church history, some of them are on your list. But when I reflect on the sacred experiences I been given by the Lord there’s no contest. If I hadn’t been given these experiences then I might have left the church too.

On my blog I’ve stated my reasons for staying. See “My Experience with the Savior”.

If you and your family are happy in the church, I wish you the best. If your “book shelf” ever gets too heavy and you need someone to talk to, just let me know.

Perhaps you have thought of this question in one way or another: who needs libraries when we have the Internet? What is the future of libraries?……

You are very creative. I really do enjoy the type of thing.

Cheers,

Murray Peterson, Energy Manager

Annik :

Are you the Rich from Tappan?

I don’t think so… Is Tappan a website or a please in the real world?