"St. Jack NopetheDopeofapes" <stjnd_021@NOTSOhotmail.com>
Re: Are Humans 'Computers Made of Meat'?
Are Humans 'Computers Made of Meat'?

Consciousness, God, and the Human Soul

Three years ago, the British journal Resuscitation published a remarkable
article about human consciousness. It described a year-long British study
that offered evidence that consciousness continues after a person's brain
has stopped functioning, and he has been declared clinically dead. As
former journalist Lee Strobel notes in his book The Case for a Creator,
"It was dramatic new evidence that the brain and mind are not the same,"
but are rather distinct entities.

As Reuter's journalist Sarah Tippit put it, the research "resurrects the
debate over whether there is life after death and whether there is such a
thing as the human soul."

In their article, physician Sam Parnia and neuropsychiatrist Peter Fenwick
described their study of sixty-three heart-attack victims who were
declared clinically dead but who were later revived. As Strobel relates,
about 10 percent of these people "reported having well-structured, lucid
thought processes, with memory formation and reasoning, during the time
that their brains were not functioning. The effects of oxygen starvation
or drugs -- [explanations] commonly offered by skeptics -- were ruled out
as factors."

According to Parnia, while large-scale studies are still needed, the
scientific findings to date "would support the view that mind,
'consciousness,' or the 'soul' is a separate entity from the brain." These
are important findings for Christians, who believe that human beings are
both body and spirit. But it's bad news for scientists who are determined
to find a purely physical answer to the question of human consciousness.
They are, Strobel says, "candid in admitting that they currently have no
explanation for how the brain might spawn consciousness."

But other scientists are determined to follow the evidence wherever it
leads. As the late neurophysicist Sir John Eccles put it, "I am driven by
data, not theory . . . There are solid, concrete data that suggest that
our consciousness, our mind, may surpass the boundaries of the brain."

This data supports the teachings of the Bible. As Strobel writes, "Jesus
described the body and soul as being separate entities when He said, 'Do
not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.' The
Apostle Paul says that to be absent from the body is to be present with
the Lord."

Looking at the current debate over mind and body, philosopher Alvin
Plantinga concludes: "Things don't look hopeful for Darwinian
naturalists." That dismal outlook, however, is not stopping them from
trying. "Faced with data and logic that support dualism, and unable to
offer a plausible theory for how consciousness could have erupted from
mindless matter," Strobel says, "atheists are pinning their hopes on some
as-yet-undetermined scientific discovery to justify their faith in
physicalism. And some aren't even so sure about that. Physicist and
atheist Steven Weinberg said scientists may have to 'bypass the problem of
human consciousness' altogether, because 'it may just be too hard for
us.'" In other words, Strobel says, "it's failing to give them the answers
they want."

Read Strobel's book The Case for a Creator. You'll find more exciting
evidence that our minds are not reducible to mere matter: God created us,
and our consciousness comes from His.

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For further reading and information:
Lee Strobel, The Case for a Creator (Zondervan, 2004). Visit the book's
website.

On September 26, CCN is broadcasting a special event on The Case for a
Creator. Find out how your church can air the broadcast.

BreakPoint Commentary No. 040920, "Putting God Out of a Job: The Case for
a Creator."

BreakPoint Commentary No. 040921, "Overlapping Territory: How Science
Supports Theism."

Jonathan Petre, "Soul-searching doctors find life after death," Telegraph
(London), 22 October 2000.

Sam Parnia, "Near Death Experiences in Cardiac Arrest and the Mystery of
Consciousness," Horizon Research Foundation.

Sarah Tippit, "Study Suggests Life after Death," ABC News, 29 June 2001.

Are Humans 'Computers Made of Meat'?

In their article, physician Sam Parnia and neuropsychiatrist Peter Fenwick
described their study of sixty-three heart-attack victims who were
declared clinically dead

but who were later revived. As Strobel relates,
about 10 percent of these people "reported

having well-structured, lucid
thought processes, with memory formation and reasoning, during the time
that their brains were not functioning.

Are Humans 'Computers Made of Meat'?

In their article, physician Sam Parnia and neuropsychiatrist Peter Fenwick
described their study of sixty-three heart-attack victims who were
declared clinically dead but who were later revived. As Strobel relates,
about 10 percent of these people "reported having well-structured, lucid
thought processes, with memory formation and reasoning, during the time
that their brains were not functioning. The effects of oxygen starvation
or drugs -- [explanations] commonly offered by skeptics -- were ruled out
as factors."