Brain-religion link subject of CLU lectures

A doctor will discuss the relationship between the brain and religion at California Lutheran University in two lectures on Mon., Nov. 17 at Samuelson Chapel on campus, 60 E. Olsen Road, Thousand Oaks.

Dr. Andrew Newberg, director of the University of Pennsylvania Center for Spirituality and the Mind, will present "Why God Won't Go Away" at 10 a.m.

The intellectual elite at the end of the 18th century assumed that religion would vanish soon. The concept of God and the primal stories of religion remain strong 200 years later. Why would the rational human brain also trust in myths?

Newberg will discuss "Why We Believe What We Believe" at 4 p.m. The researcher will examine where beliefs come from and why people hold on to some of them even if there is evidence to the contrary. The talk will also describe the results of brainimaging studies that show how experiences such as prayer or speaking in tongues can result in profound beliefs.

Newberg, a physician at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, has extensively studied the mind/body connection. He has written awardwinning books on the topic of God and brain science.

The free lectures are part of the 23rd annual Harold Stoner Clark Lecture Series.

For more information, call (805) 4933235 or (818) 7061447.