[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:10.57,0:00:13.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What I want to talk about this morning \Nis remarkable phenomenon
Dialogue: 0,0:00:14.03,0:00:16.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that people not only talk to God
Dialogue: 0,0:00:16.85,0:00:20.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but they learn to experience\NGod is talking back
Dialogue: 0,0:00:22.01,0:00:25.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Many many Americans are involved,\Nand many other people
Dialogue: 0,0:00:25.88,0:00:29.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,are involved, as you may call, \Nin a renewalist spirituality -
Dialogue: 0,0:00:29.87,0:00:33.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a kind of spirituality in which\Nthey want to experience God
Dialogue: 0,0:00:33.19,0:00:36.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,intimately, personally and interactively;
Dialogue: 0,0:00:36.78,0:00:40.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they want to reach out and\Ntouch the Divine here on earth
Dialogue: 0,0:00:40.57,0:00:43.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I wanted to find out how they did that.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:44.37,0:00:45.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I am anthropologist,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:46.37,0:00:49.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,my job is to immerse myself in\Nthe world that I've come to study,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:50.17,0:00:51.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and to keep observing
Dialogue: 0,0:00:52.10,0:00:55.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so that to some degree,\NI get a sense of what it would take to
Dialogue: 0,0:00:55.56,0:00:57.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,become a Native in that world.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:57.94,0:01:00.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Unlike Margret Mead &\NGregory Bateson
Dialogue: 0,0:01:00.13,0:01:02.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who are pictured here \Nin New Guinea.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:02.37,0:01:03.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I did this work in America.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:04.38,0:01:07.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I spent two years \Nin the renewalist church in Chicago,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:07.98,0:01:11.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,another two years\Nin one of the Bay Area.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:11.39,0:01:13.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I went to Sunday morning services.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:13.12,0:01:16.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I was a member of House Group.\NI was in the prayer circle.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:16.29,0:01:17.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I hung out with people.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:17.62,0:01:18.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I prayed with people.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:18.81,0:01:22.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I really wanted to know how\Ntheir God became real to them.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:23.47,0:01:25.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So let me begin by asking:
Dialogue: 0,0:01:25.50,0:01:27.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Who is God in a church like this?
Dialogue: 0,0:01:27.83,0:01:31.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,God is God, God is big, \NGod is mighty, and holy and beyond,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:32.53,0:01:34.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but God is also a person among people.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:35.25,0:01:39.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The Pastor in this kind of church \Nwant you to experience God
Dialogue: 0,0:01:39.22,0:01:42.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the way the early disciples\Nexperienced Jesus,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:42.15,0:01:43.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They walked with Jesus.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:43.45,0:01:44.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They ate with Jesus.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:44.64,0:01:46.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They talked with Jesus,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:46.02,0:01:47.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He was their friend,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:47.77,0:01:50.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And these pastors will tell you that
Dialogue: 0,0:01:51.46,0:01:53.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You should put out \Na cup of coffee for God,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:53.97,0:01:55.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You should have a beer with God
Dialogue: 0,0:01:55.79,0:01:57.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Go for a walk with God, hang out.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:57.70,0:01:59.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Do the kind of thing with God
Dialogue: 0,0:01:59.40,0:02:03.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that you'd get to do with anyone who \Nyou wanted to know as a person.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:03.23,0:02:05.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He cares about all the stuff \Nin your life -
Dialogue: 0,0:02:06.11,0:02:08.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the little stuff, where you want to go \Nin your summer vacation;
Dialogue: 0,0:02:08.95,0:02:11.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,what shirt you want to wear \Ntomorrow morning;
Dialogue: 0,0:02:11.07,0:02:12.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you can talk to him about that.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:14.57,0:02:18.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I wanted to know how people\Nlearnt to interact with God
Dialogue: 0,0:02:18.40,0:02:20.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and how they felt God \Nspeaking back.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:20.22,0:02:23.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I knew they have learnt because\Nthe newcomers would come to these churches,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:23.80,0:02:25.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and they would say things like:
Dialogue: 0,0:02:25.65,0:02:27.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"God doesn't talk to me."
Dialogue: 0,0:02:27.19,0:02:29.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and then six or eight months later\Nthey would say :
Dialogue: 0,0:02:29.79,0:02:34.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"I recognize God's voice the way I \Nrecognize my mum's voice on the phone . "
Dialogue: 0,0:02:36.08,0:02:37.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But I saw the church teach was
Dialogue: 0,0:02:38.37,0:02:40.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that you should think about your mind
Dialogue: 0,0:02:40.52,0:02:42.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,not as a fortress full of your own \Nself-generated
Dialogue: 0,0:02:42.93,0:02:45.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,thoughts and feelings and images;
Dialogue: 0,0:02:45.36,0:02:49.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but you should think of your mind as a place \Nwhere you were going to meet the God;
Dialogue: 0,0:02:49.00,0:02:52.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and that some of those thoughts that\Nyou might have though of as yours,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:52.69,0:02:56.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they were really God's thoughts \Nbeing given to you
Dialogue: 0,0:02:56.28,0:02:59.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and your job was to figure out\Nwho was God.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:59.78,0:03:04.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And in fact, people did talk in ways\Nsuggested that they would have
Dialogue: 0,0:03:06.28,0:03:09.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as if they had experiences \Nthat weren't their own.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:09.77,0:03:12.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,A woman said to me as \NI started to pray in this church:
Dialogue: 0,0:03:12.79,0:03:17.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"I feels like my mind is a screen \Nthat images are projected on.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:18.08,0:03:20.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Somebody else is controlling\Nthat clicker."
Dialogue: 0,0:03:20.97,0:03:25.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And of course, not all the thoughts\Nwould be good candidate
Dialogue: 0,0:03:25.66,0:03:27.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for the kinds of things God would say.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:28.38,0:03:30.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,People would look for thoughts \Nthat stood out,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:30.97,0:03:33.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that was more spontaneous \Nthan other thoughts,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:33.37,0:03:36.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,thoughts were louder and\Ncaptured your attention.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:37.47,0:03:42.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,One women was explaining to me how\Nshe has learnt to discern God's speaking:
Dialogue: 0,0:03:42.82,0:03:45.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so that people were praying\Nover her one day,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:45.48,0:03:49.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the phrase "Go To Kansas" \Nflashed into her mind.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:50.57,0:03:52.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So her parents live in Kansas,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:52.30,0:03:54.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,she was kind of idly thinking \Nabout visiting them.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:54.91,0:03:57.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but when this thought just\Ncaptured her attention,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:57.68,0:04:01.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it made her say, you know,\Nmakes me want to say,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:01.10,0:04:02.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where did that come from.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:03.56,0:04:08.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So you could imagine there would be risks\Nfrom this style of discerning God's voice.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:09.74,0:04:13.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I didn't really think people were\Nreasonably thoughtful about the process.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:13.94,0:04:17.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I also thought that the church took\Ncare to minimize those risks.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:18.62,0:04:20.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,One morning, \Nthe pastor said in the church:
Dialogue: 0,0:04:20.98,0:04:24.100,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"you know, if you think God are telling\Nyou to relax, calm down,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:25.05,0:04:27.100,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it's totally fine.\NTake it as God.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:27.100,0:04:29.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If you think that God is telling you to
Dialogue: 0,0:04:29.94,0:04:32.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,quit your job, pack your bag \Nand move to Los Angeles,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:33.70,0:04:36.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I want you to be praying with\Nevery member of the house group;
Dialogue: 0,0:04:36.64,0:04:39.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I want you to be praying with\Nyour prayer circle;
Dialogue: 0,0:04:39.23,0:04:41.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I want you to be praying with me.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:41.21,0:04:44.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So that together, this community\Ncan help you to discern
Dialogue: 0,0:04:44.68,0:04:46.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,whether that's actually God,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:46.79,0:04:50.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or just some of own stuff that's\Ngetting in the way of your relationship.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:53.86,0:04:56.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So what are people doing when\Nthey're praying like this?
Dialogue: 0,0:04:57.20,0:05:00.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They're using their imagination\Nto do something
Dialogue: 0,0:05:00.12,0:05:02.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that they do not regard as imaginary.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:03.13,0:05:06.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If you're going to represent God,\Nyou're going to think about God,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:06.12,0:05:07.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you've got to use imagination.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:07.87,0:05:09.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Because God is invisible.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:10.44,0:05:14.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It is very twenty-first-century thing\Nto draw the inference
Dialogue: 0,0:05:14.44,0:05:16.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that if you're using your imagination,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:16.45,0:05:18.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you are doing something false.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:18.78,0:05:22.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It turns out that using\Nthe inter-senses - using the imagination
Dialogue: 0,0:05:22.37,0:05:25.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,has been part of tradition of\NChristian Spirituality
Dialogue: 0,0:05:25.95,0:05:27.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for many many years.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:27.98,0:05:31.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The Medieval Monastics cultivated \Ntheir inter-senses to make God
Dialogue: 0,0:05:31.51,0:05:34.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,more a live and present to them.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:34.51,0:05:36.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That's what these Christians're doing.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:36.60,0:05:39.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They are not only talking to God\Nin their mind,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:39.08,0:05:44.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,using their minds' ear to talk and then\Nlisten to something that God might say,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:44.76,0:05:49.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they are imagining that they are sitting \Non God's lap while they're doing that;
Dialogue: 0,0:05:49.51,0:05:51.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or they're on a park bench and\Nthey're trying to feel
Dialogue: 0,0:05:51.64,0:05:53.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,God's arms around their shoulders;
Dialogue: 0,0:05:53.67,0:05:57.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or they're in a throne room, \Ntheir cheek feel warm
Dialogue: 0,0:05:57.04,0:06:01.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because of the heat of blazing light\Nfrom the throne;
Dialogue: 0,0:06:01.46,0:06:05.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or they're lighting a candle to God in\Ntheir mind and they're trying to smell
Dialogue: 0,0:06:05.46,0:06:07.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the scent of smoke \Nas it wafts up to Heaven.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:09.31,0:06:12.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,My work demonstrates that
Dialogue: 0,0:06:12.80,0:06:15.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,this cultivation of the inter-senses\Nis a skill,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:15.80,0:06:19.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you get better at it over time\Nand it changes you.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:19.56,0:06:23.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The people who do this - they say :\Ntheir mental imagery gets sharper.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:24.23,0:06:28.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They say that things they had to\Nimagine become more real to them.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:28.44,0:06:31.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and there are more like reports that
Dialogue: 0,0:06:31.06,0:06:36.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,God's voice is sort of pop out to \Nthe world and they hear with their ears.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:38.76,0:06:42.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So just give you a sense of the way \Npeople talk about their own change.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:42.59,0:06:45.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is a women who said to me after\Nshe began to pray,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:46.16,0:06:48.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,her image gets so vivid,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:48.24,0:06:51.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,sometimes she said it's almost like\Na PowerPoint presentation.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:52.73,0:06:55.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And then she spontaneously \Ngave us an example of
Dialogue: 0,0:06:55.66,0:06:59.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,God's voice popping out into the world, \Nso she could hear with her ears.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:00.09,0:07:02.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So one morning, \Nshe had wonderful devotions
Dialogue: 0,0:07:02.75,0:07:05.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,she felt great about\Nher prior time with God.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:05.17,0:07:08.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,She came out to the street,\NIt was Chicago, it was freezing,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:08.61,0:07:12.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,she was very grateful that God \Nbrought this bus along really quickly.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:12.67,0:07:16.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,She gets on the bus, she's reading a book, \Nshe got all caught up on the book.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:16.31,0:07:20.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,She was near missing her stop\Nto get off the bus
Dialogue: 0,0:07:20.55,0:07:23.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and God senses to her in the way\Nshe hears with her ears
Dialogue: 0,0:07:23.65,0:07:25.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"GET OFF THE BUS".
Dialogue: 0,0:07:25.94,0:07:27.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So she stops the bus driver\Nand she get off the bus.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:27.94,0:07:32.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,She felt wonderful all day that \NGod's been so intimately involved with her
Dialogue: 0,0:07:32.53,0:07:34.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to enable her to make her stop. \N
Dialogue: 0,0:07:36.33,0:07:38.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What do we make from \Nthose kinds of experiences?
Dialogue: 0,0:07:39.58,0:07:42.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It turns out that \Nthese funny voices and visions
Dialogue: 0,0:07:42.73,0:07:45.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,are less unusual than you'd imagine.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:45.25,0:07:47.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So depending on the way \Nyou ask the questions somewhere
Dialogue: 0,0:07:47.72,0:07:53.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,between 10% of general population and\N70% of general population
Dialogue: 0,0:07:53.48,0:07:56.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,would say that they had one of \Nthese audio experiences,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:56.58,0:08:00.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like maybe even drifting off to a sleep,\Nyou hear your mum calling your name;
Dialogue: 0,0:08:00.77,0:08:02.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or maybe walk to the living room,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:02.97,0:08:05.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you look at the cat, \Nthe cat is on the couch,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:05.47,0:08:08.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but you look at it again, \Nyou realize the cat was never there.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:09.06,0:08:13.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,These are not crazy, \Nthey have different structure and pattern
Dialogue: 0,0:08:13.78,0:08:15.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the kind of experiences \Npeople have had,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:16.06,0:08:18.100,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when, for example, \Nthey meet the category for schizophrenia.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:18.100,0:08:22.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They tend to be rare, \Nthey're common and
Dialogue: 0,0:08:22.06,0:08:24.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,A lot and many people have them.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:24.83,0:08:27.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But you ask people whether\Nthey had such experiences?
Dialogue: 0,0:08:27.96,0:08:31.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They remember one or may be two,\Nmaybe a handful of these experiences,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:31.67,0:08:32.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They're really brief.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:32.86,0:08:35.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You see the wingtip of the Angle \Nand then it's gone,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:35.67,0:08:38.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You hear the voice or its words\Nand then it stops.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:38.79,0:08:40.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And they are positive.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:40.36,0:08:43.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I remember a woman \Nwho was in distress,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:43.57,0:08:45.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,she was driving down a street;
Dialogue: 0,0:08:45.61,0:08:52.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,She felt she really heard God speak out \Nof the seat behind her in the car and say:
Dialogue: 0,0:08:52.55,0:08:54.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"I will always be with you."
Dialogue: 0,0:08:55.47,0:08:58.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It was a little freaky. \NShe pulled over to the side of the road.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:58.52,0:09:02.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And then she was wept with joy, \Nbecause why would you not?
Dialogue: 0,0:09:04.03,0:09:06.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So these experiences can be powerful.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:07.66,0:09:10.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,My work demonstrates \Nthey respond to training.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:11.07,0:09:14.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The more people practice\Ninter-sense cultivation,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:14.25,0:09:16.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the more likely they will say it,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:16.93,0:09:20.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the more likely they say that\Nthey had one or more these experiences.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:20.92,0:09:24.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and more likely they're to say \Nthese experiences were powerful .
Dialogue: 0,0:09:26.25,0:09:28.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,while doing this work,\NI ran an experiment.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:29.44,0:09:31.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I got hundred people into my office,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:31.45,0:09:34.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we randomize them into \Nlectures on the Gospels, or
Dialogue: 0,0:09:34.16,0:09:36.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,this inter-sense rich prayer.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:36.24,0:09:40.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The rule was 30 minutes a day, \Nsix days a week for four weeks.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:40.53,0:09:43.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We brought them back and gave them\Na bunch of computers experiments and
Dialogue: 0,0:09:43.82,0:09:45.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,standardized questionnaires.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:45.32,0:09:48.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It turns out that these folks\Nin the prayer condition
Dialogue: 0,0:09:48.63,0:09:51.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who on average,\Nreported sharper mental images,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:51.43,0:09:54.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they reported more senses of \NGod's presence
Dialogue: 0,0:09:54.59,0:09:57.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and they said God was more present \Nas a person to them
Dialogue: 0,0:09:57.66,0:10:02.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and they were more likely to say that\Nthey had unusual spiritual experiences of,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:02.31,0:10:04.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,among them, these voices and visions.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:05.90,0:10:08.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We are also able to demonstrate that
Dialogue: 0,0:10:08.03,0:10:11.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,some people are better \Nat this kind of stuff,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:11.11,0:10:14.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,independent of the amount of time \Nthey spent praying.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:14.05,0:10:18.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We gave people standardized\Nquestionnaire that asks them:
Dialogue: 0,0:10:18.24,0:10:22.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in fact, will they feel comfortable\Nbeing adsorbed in their imagination?
Dialogue: 0,0:10:22.76,0:10:26.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It turns out there're more items \Nyou say true to on that scale,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:26.02,0:10:30.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the more likely you're to say \Nyou are experiencing God as a person;
Dialogue: 0,0:10:30.35,0:10:34.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the more likely you're to say \Nyou have a back-and-forth relationship to God;
Dialogue: 0,0:10:34.64,0:10:38.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the more likely you're to say \Nyou had one or more
Dialogue: 0,0:10:38.27,0:10:40.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,these odd voices and visions.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:42.21,0:10:43.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So what do we learn from this?
Dialogue: 0,0:10:44.44,0:10:46.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well, the skeptics could say \Nthat we learnt that
Dialogue: 0,0:10:46.85,0:10:49.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you know that Christians're just making about\Ntheir imagination,\N
Dialogue: 0,0:10:49.60,0:10:52.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and that's what I have always thought. \NEnd of story.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:53.20,0:10:55.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I actually don't think\Nwe learnt anything about
Dialogue: 0,0:10:55.49,0:10:58.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the real nature of God\Nfrom these observations.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:58.87,0:11:01.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I don't think that social science\Ncan answer that question.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:01.96,0:11:05.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There's also a Christian way to \Nask this question which is
Dialogue: 0,0:11:05.78,0:11:08.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,God is always speaking,\Nhow can not anybody hear his?
Dialogue: 0,0:11:11.39,0:11:13.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I think what we learnt that\Nchange is real,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:14.62,0:11:17.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,As people entered \Nthe church like this,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:17.29,0:11:20.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they began to pay attention to\Ntheir minds in new ways,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:20.05,0:11:22.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they began to pay attention to \Ntheir their inter-senses;
Dialogue: 0,0:11:22.79,0:11:28.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they really do have different experiences,\Nthat associate with the presence of God.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:29.24,0:11:34.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I came to think churches as offering\Na social invitation to pay attention
Dialogue: 0,0:11:34.52,0:11:35.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in particular ways,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:35.93,0:11:40.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I thought individuals are having\Na psychological response to
Dialogue: 0,0:11:40.18,0:11:42.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the way of they trained that attention.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:45.06,0:11:48.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I also think we learnt that\Nbelief is not a thing.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:48.85,0:11:50.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Sometimes if you are a secular person,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:50.93,0:11:53.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as you looked at somebody\Nwho is a believer,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:53.45,0:11:56.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it is tempting to think they have \Nthis extra thing in their life,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:56.98,0:12:01.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it's like they got a piece of furniture \Nin the house but you don't have.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:02.95,0:12:06.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I think these kinds of observations \Nsuggest that in many ways,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:06.21,0:12:11.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the experience of God was made slowly to\Nthe way you pay attention to you world,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:11.41,0:12:14.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to the way you pay attention to your mind,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:14.28,0:12:17.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to your history of hearing God, \Ntalking with God,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:17.40,0:12:19.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and feeling more confident \Nthat God is there.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:20.19,0:12:24.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I think these practices make\NGod more real to people
Dialogue: 0,0:12:24.51,0:12:26.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and that has probable \Neffect on their life.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:28.41,0:12:31.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I also think this helps to explain\Nwhy these kinds of practices
Dialogue: 0,0:12:31.45,0:12:34.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,are so much more appealing in this kind of society
Dialogue: 0,0:12:35.05,0:12:39.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Since 1960s, there were Christian\Nmainstream liberal churches,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:39.90,0:12:42.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,their membership has been plummeting.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:42.44,0:12:46.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,churches like this, they exploded, \Nthe congregations are huge.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:47.00,0:12:49.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I think it's because of \Nthese kinds of practices.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:49.99,0:12:52.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I think they made God more relevant.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:52.71,0:12:55.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you know, you're trying to hear God speak,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:56.13,0:12:59.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,God shifts from 45minutes engagement on Sunday Morning,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:59.53,0:13:01.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to something you're doing\Nthroughout the week
Dialogue: 0,0:13:01.92,0:13:04.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,These practices made God \Nmore real to people,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:04.78,0:13:06.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they made God more alive,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:06.81,0:13:10.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I think these churches, by putting \Nthe emphasis on these practices,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:11.32,0:13:13.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,emphasize the experiences of God,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:14.21,0:13:16.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and emphasize God's mystery.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:16.18,0:13:20.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And that help somebody to \Nhang on to a sense of God in
Dialogue: 0,0:13:20.63,0:13:24.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,what they perceived to be\Nskeptical secular society.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:26.10,0:13:29.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And finally, I think we learn \Nsomething about our minds.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:29.80,0:13:33.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I think we learn the way \Nwe are to pay attention to our minds
Dialogue: 0,0:13:33.74,0:13:36.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,changes our mental experience.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:36.25,0:13:38.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It is so tempting to think \Nthe inter-mindscaping
Dialogue: 0,0:13:38.64,0:13:42.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you are experiencing, \Nsomehow it is set the way it is.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:42.82,0:13:47.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I think we learnt from this whether or\Nnot you are religious person
Dialogue: 0,0:13:47.70,0:13:50.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,whether or not you're believing the God,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:50.01,0:13:52.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You are making choices in the way
Dialogue: 0,0:13:52.18,0:13:54.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you're using your imagination and \Nyour inter-senses.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:54.99,0:13:57.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And the choices you make\Nwill change you.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:59.14,0:14:00.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thank you very much.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:00.79,0:14:01.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(applauds)