Magnets and belief in God

[Tortuga]

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/10/14/this-magnet-could-change-everything-you-think-you-believe.html

 

This is scary, experiments with magnets can change a person's beliefs. It looks like it's only temporary but I wonder if this could develop into something serious.

[Stavro]

 

Testing the effect of shutting down the part of the brain that forms judgments based on threats required first presenting threats. After receiving their respective doses of TMS, participants were asked to respond to questions about their own death. Previous studies have shown the threat of death is capable of directly affecting a person’s belief in religion. Therefore, shutting down the part of the brain that registers this threat—they theorized—would reduce the need to believe in God.

 

Given the tendency of so many to treat religion as 'hell insurance' rather than serving out of any sincere love for God, it's not really surprising that they would abandon their belief as soon as the threat appears to be gone.

 

Personally, I feel that this news is encouraging. It shows that despite the fervor some people have toward their chosen religion, they really don't love the religion itself, they only fear it less than the alternative that most religions teach to be reality.

[Toy Poodles]

This is the beginning paragraph. They make it sound like if you don't believe in God then you have more tolerance for immigrants which is a twisting of the facts and implying what is not true. 

 

"When researchers used magnetic energy to shut down the brain’s threat perception, nearly a third of patients were more tolerant to immigrants. More said they didn’t believe in God."

 

These researchers sought to temporarily disable one part of the brain (the part that responds to threats) and measure its effect on beliefs and prejudices connected to them.

 

Testing the effect of shutting down the part of the brain that forms judgments based on threats required first presenting threats. After receiving their respective doses of TMS, participants were asked to respond to questions about their own death. Previous studies have shown the threat of death is capable of directly affecting a person’s belief in religion. Therefore, shutting down the part of the brain that registers this threat—they theorized—would reduce the need to believe in God.

 

Well if people knew the Truth they wouldn't feel threatened by Hellfire and death.  

 

While the therapeutic benefit of TMS is fairly well known, its ability to alter prejudice and belief remains more of a mystery. Izuma’s new study provides an interesting look at this as a possibility, but it is far from conclusive. With an extremely small sample size, it’s impossible to tell whether or not it was the only influencer.

[Friends just call me Ross]

My fleshly brother uses magnets for therapy for arthritis.  He sent me a pillow

with magnets in it.  I don't use it anymore, but I did sleep on it for quite a

few years.  They were little flat, disk magnets.   He sent me a foam

mattress pad filled with magnets, too. 

 

I now have a memory-foam mattress and pillow.

 

Wonder how much power the magnets have to have, and how long

you have to be exposed to them, for them to be 'persuasive'?  

[Hartley]

Thankfully our relationship with Jehovah is based on love, not morbid fear.

[palmhat]

I'm glad our midweek meeting will no longer be called TMS.

So, we use TMS to remove a morbid fear of God. We also use TMS to help people become conscious of their spiritual need.

Such a curious coinkadink.

[Tortuga]

Personally, I feel that this news is encouraging. It shows that despite the fervor some people have toward their chosen religion, they really don't love the religion itself, they only fear it less than the alternative that most religions teach to be reality.

 

I didn't see it that way, it looks to me that it is another way to temporarily alter someones thinking pattern. Currently (no pun intended) it probably isn't any different than many drugs that have been around for years but if they continue to experiment with mind-altering magnetic waves, I wonder if they could alter someones thinking pattern without leaving any traces such as drugs do..

 

I'm not into conspiracy theories but can you imagine finding out that you signed a paper renouncing your religion and there is no evidence that you were drugged?

[Stavro]

I didn't see it that way, it looks to me that it is another way to temporarily alter someones thinking pattern.

 

Yes, they admit to that much, but the thinking that is altered is specifically fear itself, not love or an inherent belief in God.

 

Since most Witnesses serve out of love, I expect that we would not be affected by this particular experiment. But for the few who serve "just in case Armageddon is real", they indeed would be willing to renounce their faith, as they are serving out of fear rather than love.

[Tortuga]

Yes, they admit to that much, but the thinking that is altered is specifically fear itself, not love or an inherent belief in God.

 

Since most Witnesses serve out of love, I expect that we would not be affected by this particular experiment. But for the few who serve "just in case Armageddon is real", they indeed would be willing to renounce their faith, as they are serving out of fear rather than love.

 

I understand what you mean. Thanks.

[palmhat]

I'm glad that is the extent of their experiments. 

[Tortuga]

I'm glad that is the extent of their experiments. 

 

So far...

 

[kejedo]

I never liked magnets as therapy. Okay, this experimentation postulates that magnet intervention relives people of the need to believe in God. Personally,I have never been drawn to magnets as treatment, because we have iron in our blood and if the magnets are powerful enough to affect our bodies, it is possible to attract iron that is evenly distributed through our bloodstream into clumps that could interfere with natural processes.

 

"Others get in trouble by going to one who heals by spiritistic means. Consulting witch doctors, psychic healers, psychic diagnosticians, Spiritualists or one who uses any kind of therapy involving extrasensory perception can bring one into contact with the demons. The book Evidence of Satan in the Modern World tells of a woman who went to a magnetic healer for treatment, but when she resisted his advances, he cast a spell on her, causing many kinds of attacks by the demons." Watchtower 1966

 

just a thought, YS

[Tortuga]

 Personally,I have never been drawn to magnets as treatment, 

 

This could become a polarizing topic..

[palmhat]

This could become a polarizing topic..

Ya just cunna resist, could ja?

[Tortuga]

Ya just cunna resist, could ja?

I have a fatal attraction to bad jokes..they just draw me in...

[Tortuga]

This is scary, experiments with magnets can change a person's beliefs. 

 

Someone needs to tell Trump they used magnets, not magnates...

 

[Precision]

I never liked magnets as therapy. Okay, this experimentation postulates that magnet intervention relives people of the need to believe in God. Personally,I have never been drawn to magnets as treatment, because we have iron in our blood and if the magnets are powerful enough to affect our bodies, it is possible to attract iron that is evenly distributed through our bloodstream into clumps that could interfere with natural processes.

 

"Others get in trouble by going to one who heals by spiritistic means. Consulting witch doctors, psychic healers, psychic diagnosticians, Spiritualists or one who uses any kind of therapy involving extrasensory perception can bring one into contact with the demons. The book Evidence of Satan in the Modern World tells of a woman who went to a magnetic healer for treatment, but when she resisted his advances, he cast a spell on her, causing many kinds of attacks by the demons." Watchtower 1966

 

just a thought, YS

 

Thank you Pauline for sharing your comments on the WT article 12/15 1966 page 739. A close sister has been using magnetic therapy for a few years, I will share this article with her. Neither have I ever felt comfortable with any types of "energy" therapies. 

[angi]

I am always a little leary of small studies. This was one study made of up 39 college undegraduate. Everyone is publishing today. Especially in universities across the country more and more graduate students are impelled to publish. There are a lot of very poor redundant studies out there. There is a great need for caution.

To have any credible weight we need to ask ourselves a few questions:

1. Who is sponsoring the study?

and

2. What type of study was it?

 

[Hartley]

I never liked magnets as therapy. Okay, this experimentation postulates that magnet intervention relives people of the need to believe in God. Personally,I have never been drawn to magnets as treatment, because we have iron in our blood and if the magnets are powerful enough to affect our bodies, it is possible to attract iron that is evenly distributed through our bloodstream into clumps that could interfere with natural processes.

 

"Others get in trouble by going to one who heals by spiritistic means. Consulting witch doctors, psychic healers, psychic diagnosticians, Spiritualists or one who uses any kind of therapy involving extrasensory perception can bring one into contact with the demons. The book Evidence of Satan in the Modern World tells of a woman who went to a magnetic healer for treatment, but when she resisted his advances, he cast a spell on her, causing many kinds of attacks by the demons." Watchtower 1966

 

just a thought, Y

Things to consider :-

The iron in blood is part of a molecule and is NOT attracted to magnets.

If ever you have a MRI in a hospital, you will be subject to magnetic forces far stonger than those produced by physical magnets.

The magnetic pulse spoken of in the experiment is not the same as the effect of a static field produced by physical magnets.

The spiritist was the link to the demons, not necesseraly the treatment he tried.1 Samuel 28:8-25.