Have Switched To My 'New Age' Perception

[Confused Ape]

I will however, suggest the following video, as well as investigating the subject of the psychology of split-brain subjects, pioneered by Sperry and Gazzaniga.

Thanks for posting that video. I found it very interesting.

[And I suppose Julian Jaynes' hypothesis of the emergence of consciousness in the breakdown of the bicameral mind,

I read that book years ago and think it could be relevant to Jungian psychology - which is a good time to quote Jung on God.

A young female student accused Jung of being an atheist. Jung was confused and asked the student where she had gotten that idea. The student paraphrased a quote she had read in which Jung said he didn’t believe God existed. Jung smiled and said:

Dear girl, rest easy. When we have a relationship to a particular thing or experience with it - belief/faith ceases to be a factor.

The truth is this, I have had the experience of being gripped by something that is stronger than myself, something that people call God. So, I will never say that I believe that God exists. I must say I know God exists.

—Carl Jung, The Undiscovered Self

He was talking about having a subjective experience of something which people label God. This is why he didn't have to believe that God exists as a subjective experience - he knew because he had such an experience himself.

(ETA: If the "by-product" theory of religion is correct, there are emotional [and perhaps health] rewards associated with religious ritual.

I think it's very possible that religious ritual developed as a way to switch over to what I call 'New Age' perception. I don't use any form of ritual because I'm able to tune in - I think it's because of the way my brain naturally works.

As such, there may be substantial reasons why a religious life may be "more addictive" than a secular one, as a result of the cognitive rewards from its practice; the question has been asked as to how one should attempt to compete with a lifestyle that is inherently more cognitively rewarding?

All one has to do is convince religious people that they don't need religious dogma in order to switch over to this form of perception. Easier said than done.