NERVES IN PATTERNS

It’s common to hear Catholics describe prayer as a “conversation with Jesus.” We hardly bat an eyelash when someone says that "Jesus spoke to" him or her.

But what of the Buddhist who “has conversations with Buddha”?

Or the Scientologist who daily communes on a higher plane with the spirit of L. Ron Hubbard?

How about a Moslem whose prayer consists of “a conversation with Mohammad”?

Or a Mormon who claims to take instruction from the angel Moroni?

Are all these people telling the truth? Are some not?

How about the devout Protestant who hears Jesus tell him “resist the Pope!”

With advances in neuro-imaging we’ll soon be able to locate and quantify the brain activity of a lesbian praying to Gaia, versus, say, a Jesuit praying to Jesus.

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