On the flip side, the "brainstorm" represents the creative, mystical side of faith. It is the human attempt to touch the "Numinous"—the terrifying and fascinating mystery of existence. These brainstorms lead to the great leaps in human ethics and art. When the conception of God shifts from a vengeful judge to a source of universal "Logos" or unconditional love, it represents a cognitive evolution. We aren't just thinking about God; we are expanding the boundaries of what it means to be human. The Paradox of Conception
The term "perversion" in this context doesn't necessarily mean something illicit; rather, it refers to the perverting or twisting of a concept away from its original or ideal state. Throughout history, the conception of God has been frequently hijacked to serve human ego or political power: Conceiving God: Perversions and Brainstorms; A ...
Ultimately, "Conceiving God" is a cycle of building a mental model (the brainstorm) and then realizing its limitations (the perversion). It is a process of "un-knowing"—breaking the old images to find something deeper beneath the brainstorm. On the flip side, the "brainstorm" represents the
The phrase "Conceiving God: Perversions and Brainstorms" suggests a provocative look at how the human mind constructs, distorts, and reimagines the divine. To explore this, we have to look at the intersection of psychology, neurobiology, and theology. The Architect in the Gray Matter When the conception of God shifts from a
This views the divine as a celestial vending machine. Through "Prosperity Gospel" or rigid legalism, the brainstorm becomes a contract: "If I do X, God must provide Y."