165:reading material…
Linda July 1st, 2010
In between making dolly corsets and a 2 headed rabbit, I have been reading:
I heard this author on NPR (National Public Radio) one day while in the the car and found it intriguing. Lo and behold the library had it. It took me about 2 days to read it cover to cover. Now the first thing I must say about this book is that I did not agree with her final conclusion but found the information that she presented very compelling and touching. Barbara Bradly Hagardly is a religion correspondent for NPR. As she accounts in her book, she was raised christian science (my grandmothers sister was too which has caused not end of disapproval in my family). But has found that that “brand” faith was not working for her so she is now a “born-again” christian. As a reporter she wanted to delve into the question of spirituality and science–to see what science has to say about this very important part of our life and if science could approve or dis-prove our beliefs. What sticks with me the most is that when a person is “touched” by a divine incident that there is an actual change in the brain (she calls it God’s fingerprint). It is a documented fact–while people have been meditating or praying while in a MRI there is a noticeable/recordable change. This book piggyback on to another book that was mentioned in this one and again I head a brief interview on NPR.
John Geiger recounts stories of people in awful circumstances that while in the midst of these (mainly mountain climbers–all of the men as you will note and sailors–again men?! Whats with that I ask???) who feel or see a presence that aids and comforts them. The most famous being Sir Ernest Shackleton…while tracking across frozen ice and over mountains mentions the presence of a 4th man when there were only three of them. As Geiger points out, explorers are not surprised by hearing stories such as that because it is a know occurrence among them. These presences have steered ships, talked people down off of mountains, given hope and comfort, and alerted people to danger. He documents story after story of people experiencing this..and one of the things that they all have in common is that the “other” is very there, very real, and it is a very moving experience (almost to the point that most don’t talk about it, because to talk about it would “cheapen” the incident). Never do they experience fear but only overwhelming care and companionship. I read this book in a day.
