Andrey Newberg, MD, is an associate professor in the Departments of Radiology and Psychiatry at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and he is an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Religious studies. He is Board-certified in internal medicine, nuclear medicine, and nuclear cardiology.

Mark Robert Waldman is an associate fellow at the Center for Spirituality and the Mind at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of nine books, and anthologies on personal relationships, dreamwork, creativity, literature, and writing.

Prayer, meditation, speaking in tongues, whirling dervishes, flying yogis: all human beings, from time immemorial have had a need to believe in something in order to survive.  The question is: WHY?  The main reason is that we must be able to tell ourselves and believe that tomorrow will be a better day.  We need hope, which springs from faith.

This book gets at the truth of hope and faith. Near the beginning, the authors write: “In the neurosciences, we strive to define our terms as accurately as possible so that, at the very least, other scientists will understand us. Unfortunately, subjective experiences such as feelings, values, and meaningfulness are difficult to define because they mean different things to different people.”

This book presents traditional approaches to belief, such as perception versus cognition and social consensus versus emotional value. The chapter that I found very interesting, “Transcendence and the Human Brain,” is about nuns, Buddhists, and the reality of spiritual beliefs. One of the authors writes in exciting detail about brain studies on transcendence: “For many years, I have been investigating transcendent experiences like those reported by Bucke. Many religious traditions describe them, as do thousands of intelligent individuals. Over the past five years, I have had a chance to examine some of these experiences in our university there and measure neurobiologically what is happening to the brain as they occur.”

If someone has a deep conviction, whether it be legitimized by reasoning or based on an illusion from the brain, it doesn’t matter as long as the person believes it is real. The example of a person with a strong belief is contagious and attractive. But belief can go too far, leading to fanaticism. A person can become a fanatic and try to persuade those around him to embrace his belief. Someone in power, or the process of grabbing power, whether in the religious or the political domain (or both at once), can use unusual persuasion to force people to submit to repression and tyranny through a fanatic belief.  We’ve seen this in history. We see it now in countries and religions all around the world.

Popular beliefs that take hold remind me of this old saying: “Tell me who your associates are, and I’ll tell you who YOU are” (like “birds of a feather flock together”).  Not only do our thoughts and the way we live, all contribute to our moral constitution, but we are also described by the company we keep, the environments we choose, the clubs we join, the churches of our devotion, and the people we admire who share our convictions. It is a given that our thoughts, impressions, and way of believing form an aura around us as an individual, a kind of energetic center. So it follows that an even bigger energy center will form and emanate from a group of individuals with a similar belief. This group energy is the basis for many spiritually transcendent experiences. It can be very powerful!

From the chapter, “Creating New Spiritual Realities,” the authors write: “For most religious practitioners, meditation and prayer are designed to reinforce basic tenets and beliefs of the group; and the ongoing activity in the frontal lobes plays an essential role in maintaining and strengthening these beliefs.”

What seems certain is that we humans are hard-wired to believe something.  It is human nature to strive for the spiritual enlightenment experience, however one defines that.  The need to believe in something greater than ourselves is natural, universal, and often passionate. Belief comes from a group experience or the transcendent experience.

Readers will find techniques in this book to develop their own personal power. This study demonstrates having a strong faith is one of the best and surest allies to success.  Faith can change us from a leaf in the wind of fate to the captain of our boat, using the winds of fate to our advantage and to chart our own destiny. Faith can bring us satisfaction, enlightenment, and happiness, evolving us intellectually and morally.

“Born to Believe” traces the path to understanding in such a fascinating process, that it is guaranteed to make the reader think about the subject in a new way. I highly recommend this book to believers and non-believers alike.  There is something for everyone here.

Marie-Claire Wilson, author of Spiritual Tarot: The keys to the Divine Temple, is a bilingual writer and poet. She has been a practicing medium for 28 years using direct clairvoyance, the Tarot, numerology and palmistry. For an appointment or phone readings call: 877-847-7330. Her office is in Washington, D.C.
www.marie-claire.tv