The Afterlife- A Hallucination?

[Jonah]

@Jonah

The pineal gland is also known as 'the third eye' and 'the seat of the soul' has been known of in several religions for many centuries..

The full Wiki article is worth a glance

René Descartes, who dedicated much time to the study of the pineal gland,[24] called it the "seat of the soul".[25] He believed that it was the point of connection between the intellect and the body.[26] The relevant quotation as to Descartes' reason for believing this is,

“My view is that this gland is the principal seat of the soul, and the place in which all our thoughts are formed. The reason I believe this is that I cannot find any part of the brain, except this, which is not double. Since we see only one thing with two eyes, and hear only one voice with two ears, and in short have never more than one thought at a time, it must necessarily be the case that the impressions which enter by the two eyes or by the two ears, and so on, unite with each other in some part of the body before being considered by the soul. Now it is impossible to find any such place in the whole head except this gland; moreover it is situated in the most suitable possible place for this purpose, in the middle of all the concavities; and it is supported and surrounded by the little branches of the carotid arteries which bring the spirits into the brain.”[24] (29 January 1640, AT III:19-20, CSMK 143)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pineal_gland

I'm surprised that Judeo-Christian religions don't try to utilize this gland. I heard that in eastern philosophies that chakra meditation is supposed to create a "consciousness of divinity" that is supposed to permanently influence how a person perceives the world. Knowing how Christians are obsessed with becoming closer to God, I'm surprised I don't see more Christians meditation.