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Christianity built on temporal lobe epilepsy?
#1

Christianity built on temporal lobe epilepsy?
Epilepsy has sometimes been called "St. Paul's Desease".   There are epilepsy groups that still give it that name. Paul wrote about an ailment "there was given to me a thorn in the flesh" and somewhere he wrote about his inability to "stand proud" which means he couldn't stand up.  It appears that those who suffer from a particular type of epilepsy called "temporal lobe epilepsy"  have strong religious experiences.  Julius Caesar had epilepsy but it was a more common type.  They used to call it "the falling down disease".

  

https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/was-st-pauls-r...nt-1562925

Quote:  Religious experiences and beliefs of "having met God" have long been documented in patients with epilepsy. Some researchers have even suggested that famous saints such as Joan of Arc or St Paul may have been victim of seizures. According to these theories, this is what would have triggered their visions of God

Quote:Seven hours after suffering from a seizure of temporal origin, the 46-year-old patient underwent a messianic revelation experience. While the man had not been particularly religious before this incident, he suddenly told doctors he felt as if God was approaching him and started chanting prayers with great intensity, The Times newspaper reports.

The patient then tried to convince the hospital's medical staff to become his followers, stating he had had a "conversation with God and He had sent him to them".[/quote]

Another report on Temporal Lobe Epilepsy which sites several subjects who had a religious experience and a lack of a sex drive afterwards


[quote]Paul’s experience en route to Damascus, but hearing voices would be a very unlikely symptom of migraine. Most migraineurs, though, would find the characterization “a thorn in the flesh” quite descriptive. Other causes postulated for Paul’s symptoms include various psychiatric disorders, eye ailments such as retinal detachment, and even being hit by lightening. These all, however, fail to take into consideration another characteristic of St. Paul, his hypo-sexuality or lack of sex drive.



Quote:In I Corinthians 7:1-9 Paul makes it clear that he has only an academic appreciation of the human sexuality. He asserts that while abstinence such as he practices is best, “…it is better to marry than to burn with passion.”

There is one ailment, however, which neatly explains all of Paul’s symptoms: temporal lobe epilepsy. Seizures in this area can be associated with a feeling of religious ecstasy, accompanied by visual and auditory hallucinations. An initial seizure would be a profound experience in one as devout as Paul and could certainly result in an about-face in religious beliefs. In addition, in the February 25, 1984 edition of Lancet, Spark, Wills and Royal describe hypo-sexuality in all of 16 men with temporal lobe epilepsy, tying Paul’s symptoms together nicely.


https://lifeasahuman.com/2010/mind-spiri...istianity/

It's probably pointless to use this as an argument for Paul's hallucination because religious believers want to believe the supernatural explanation no matter what the reality is, but it's an interesting angle and explains his strong religious conversion.   Then again, Paul's whole conversion story could be made up bullshit from the get-go.  Funny how he didn't write about it until 18 years later.
                                                         T4618
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#2

Christianity built on temporal lobe epilepsy?
I heard that he had the Clap, too.
Robert G. Ingersoll : “No man with a sense of humor ever founded a religion.”
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#3

Christianity built on temporal lobe epilepsy?
(05-06-2021, 04:12 PM)Dancefortwo Wrote: Epilepsy has sometimes been called "St. Paul's Desease".   There are epilepsy groups that still give it that name. Paul wrote about an ailment "there was given to me a thorn in the flesh" and somewhere he wrote about his inability to "stand proud" which means he couldn't stand up.[...]

Or perhaps it meant that certain part of him no longer stood at attention when, hm... horns called?  Angel
There is only one good, knowledge, and one evil, ignorance.


Socrates.
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#4

Christianity built on temporal lobe epilepsy?
(05-06-2021, 04:12 PM)Dancefortwo Wrote: Epilepsy has sometimes been called "St. Paul's Desease".   There are epilepsy groups that still give it that name. Paul wrote about an ailment "there was given to me a thorn in the flesh" and somewhere he wrote about his inability to "stand proud" which means he couldn't stand up.  It appears that those who suffer from a particular type of epilepsy called "temporal lobe epilepsy"  have strong religious experiences.  Julius Caesar had epilepsy but it was a more common type.  They used to call it "the falling down disease".

  

https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/was-st-pauls-r...nt-1562925

Quote:  Religious experiences and beliefs of "having met God" have long been documented in patients with epilepsy. Some researchers have even suggested that famous saints such as Joan of Arc or St Paul may have been victim of seizures. According to these theories, this is what would have triggered their visions of God

Quote:Seven hours after suffering from a seizure of temporal origin, the 46-year-old patient underwent a messianic revelation experience. While the man had not been particularly religious before this incident, he suddenly told doctors he felt as if God was approaching him and started chanting prayers with great intensity, The Times newspaper reports.

The patient then tried to convince the hospital's medical staff to become his followers, stating he had had a "conversation with God and He had sent him to them".[/quote]

Another report on Temporal Lobe Epilepsy which sites several subjects who had a religious experience and a lack of a sex drive afterwards


[quote]Paul’s experience en route to Damascus, but hearing voices would be a very unlikely symptom of migraine. Most migraineurs, though, would find the characterization “a thorn in the flesh” quite descriptive. Other causes postulated for Paul’s symptoms include various psychiatric disorders, eye ailments such as retinal detachment, and even being hit by lightening. These all, however, fail to take into consideration another characteristic of St. Paul, his hypo-sexuality or lack of sex drive.



Quote:In I Corinthians 7:1-9 Paul makes it clear that he has only an academic appreciation of the human sexuality. He asserts that while abstinence such as he practices is best, “…it is better to marry than to burn with passion.”

There is one ailment, however, which neatly explains all of Paul’s symptoms: temporal lobe epilepsy. Seizures in this area can be associated with a feeling of religious ecstasy, accompanied by visual and auditory hallucinations. An initial seizure would be a profound experience in one as devout as Paul and could certainly result in an about-face in religious beliefs. In addition, in the February 25, 1984 edition of Lancet, Spark, Wills and Royal describe hypo-sexuality in all of 16 men with temporal lobe epilepsy, tying Paul’s symptoms together nicely.


https://lifeasahuman.com/2010/mind-spiri...istianity/

It's probably pointless to use this as an argument for Paul's hallucination because religious believers want to believe the supernatural explanation no matter what the reality is, but it's an interesting angle and explains his strong religious conversion.   Then again, Paul's whole conversion story could be made up bullshit from the get-go.  Funny how he didn't write about it until 18 years later.

I think there are scholars who think he had seizures.
Somewhere I read there is a "pun" involving either "Paul" or "Saul" the meaning of which was he was quite short.
Some modern Christian writers think his "thorn" was that he was gay.

Anyhow, looking for the "pun" I found this ... which is better than all that ribbish.
http://home.snu.edu/~hculbert/trivia.htm
Enjoy.
Test
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#5

Christianity built on temporal lobe epilepsy?
I've read about this possibility as well, yeah. It makes more sense than a son who is his father came down to take up our sins, which his father defined, and got strung up on a cross in order to expiate us from the punishment that his father (or him -- I'm getting confused now!) defined.

I'd imagine dehydration would suck the electrolytes out of you, and make your brain not work right. Moral of the story: if you're going for a walk down a desert road, bring water.

(05-06-2021, 04:23 PM)Minimalist Wrote: I heard that he had the Clap, too.

To twist a marching song we had in the Air Force, "Ole St Paul was a sonofabitch / he had blue-balls, crabs, and the seven-year itch / Sound off!" (It was "Ho Chi Minh" in the original).
On hiatus.
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#6

Christianity built on temporal lobe epilepsy?
Quote:Somewhere I read there is a "pun" involving either "Paul" or "Saul" the meaning of which was he was quite short.

No pun.  Paulus was a Roman cognomen which meant "short."  Hence, the consul Lucius Aemilius Pauius meant that he was Lucius of the Aemilian clan, known as "Shorty." Oddly, Paulus was used as a cognomen virtually exclusively by the Aemilian clan which means that whatever asswipe jesus freak invented him in the Book of Acts not only made him a Roman citizen but gave him the cognomen of one of the most ancient of Roman patrician families.  The first Aemilius Paullus appears in the consul list in 302 BC.
I guess they figured they would impress someone but they probably insulted the hell out of any actual Aemiliians!
Robert G. Ingersoll : “No man with a sense of humor ever founded a religion.”
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#7

Christianity built on temporal lobe epilepsy?
Quote:Seizures in this area can be associated with a feeling of religious ecstasy, accompanied by visual and auditory hallucinations...

I'd be guessing the alleged "feelings of religious ecstasy" were only felt by sufferers who
were previously/currently theists.  It'd be impossible for atheist sufferers to have that sort
of feeling, particularly if they'd never believed in the existence of the supernatural.
I'm a creationist;   I believe that man created God.
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#8

Christianity built on temporal lobe epilepsy?
Mental issues might explain some believers, but the majority of religious people fit into another category, "Liars".
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#9

Christianity built on temporal lobe epilepsy?
I dislike these historical diagnoses. It's tricky enough when a trained neurologist has the patient in a clinical setting.

When the first step in your diagnosis is finding out if the patient even existed the rest becomes pretty tenuous.
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#10

Christianity built on temporal lobe epilepsy?
If you ask me, Christianity was built on stupidity and gullibility.
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