Science has no idea where consciousness resides, just theories. Some think it stems from complex brain activity. Yet, near-death experiences (NDEs) would seem to refute that. In some accounts, NDEs were able to recount what was happening around them when they should have been unconscious or dead. Certainly, from the Christian perspective, we believe our consciousness continues on after death. That must mean that consciousness can't be purely a physical function of the brain. I have my own theory, of sorts. What if our brains merely act as an interface for our consciousness, and our consciousness resides elsewhere, outside our three spatial dimensions? Once our physical brain dies and the interface is severed, that's when we become aware of the spiritual world around us. Just a thought.
Where does consciousness reside?
- Thread starter Jericho
- Start date
-
Welcome to Christian Forums, a Christian Forum that recognizes that all Christians are a work in progress.
You will need to register to be able to join in fellowship with Christians all over the world.
We hope to see you as a part of our community soon and God Bless!
Like you said, we can only have our ideas about this, no one truly knows.
I think that our consciousness resides in our brain, but becomes severed from our brain at death. I think of our soul as sum total of our intellect and emotions and values and everything that makes me "me". That this is embedded in our neurosystem to produce the internal seeming emanation of our mind/heart.
So that the person with a physical mental disease, such as Schizophrenia, once the soul is severed from the brain, no more disease.
Our minds are written into our brains, and when we change our minds, our brains follow suit, changing to match the new mind. For the Christian, we have continuity of life in that we have a new spirit, who's life transcends the life of our bodies, and provides us with the vehicle in which we live (in reality this is Christ Who gives us life) and in which we survive the transition from earthly to heavenly.
I can only really wonder at what the sort of existence will be for the unregenerate. It won't be anything like life though, God calls the "the dead".
Much love!
The body is just the VR mechanism to experience this simulation.
I think of the movie Avatar. These physical bodies of ours are basically biological machines that is controlled by our consciousness (our soul). When the consciousness departs, only an empty shell remains.
Yes that’s exactly the way it is. The problem we have now is that evil people have figured out how to hack that system.
quietthinker
Well-Known Member
I clipped my toe nails the other day, spat some saliva, trimmed my beard and blew my nose, now I'm only part of the man I used to be!
Gen 3:6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
Gen 3:7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.
It can be reasoned the conscience (the part that decides what's good or bad) became active after A&E did sin.
Gen 3:7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.
It can be reasoned the conscience (the part that decides what's good or bad) became active after A&E did sin.
[the power of] Consciousness is a vibration in the soul.
Just as we are told God created with His Word, so He creates consciousness - which is essentially a vibration caused by that Word.
Just as we are told God created with His Word, so He creates consciousness - which is essentially a vibration caused by that Word.
Rockerduck
Well-Known Member
Actually, the brain and unconscious mind are ways the way God communicates through us, Christians one-way, non-Christians another. Closer to computer hard drives are what our brains are. We can pray to God and God hears it, but not the way we say it, it is Holy Spirt who prays for us to God. Romans 8:26 - Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
JOB 33:14-17 -
For God may speak in one way, or in another,
Yet man does not perceive it.
15 In a dream, in a vision of the night,
When deep sleep falls upon men,
While slumbering on their beds,
16 Then He opens the ears of men,
And seals their instruction.
17 In order to turn man from his deed,
And conceal pride from man,
JOB 33:14-17 -
For God may speak in one way, or in another,
Yet man does not perceive it.
15 In a dream, in a vision of the night,
When deep sleep falls upon men,
While slumbering on their beds,
16 Then He opens the ears of men,
And seals their instruction.
17 In order to turn man from his deed,
And conceal pride from man,
And what is a vibration but a frequency?
Open source; totally hackable.
Meanwhile, The life of the flesh is in the blood. (Lev 17:11)
Last edited:
The Barbarian
Active Member
I believe you are right. Clearly, it is involved with the brain, but it cannot be a mere epiphenomenon of the brain. Maybe a mystery that we won't know until He tells us about it.
The Barbarian
Active Member
Wrangler
Well-Known Member
- Feb 14, 2021
- 20,748
- 8,993
- 113
- 57
- Faith
- Christian
- Country
- United States
- Gender
- Male
Good thread topic.
Not sure how semantical this is. Resides? Emanates from? No question, the mind is a product of the brain. However, we can’t say beyond its origins where it’s terminal radius ends.
Beyond NDE, there is an interesting experiment of how our mind can detect a presence it cannot see. I’m sure we’ve all had that feeling that someone is looking at us and turn around and see someone.
Since writing my original post, I've had time to research the subject and refine my ideas. The question of where consciousness resides is both intriguing and thought-provoking as it poses a particular challenge to the materialist. If all we are are our brains, then consciousness should be found in the brain. The problem is, science can't explain how an organ that is made up of mostly water (73-80%) and a little fat (10-12%) produces consciousness at all, and it may never. Science deals with the material, tangible world. But consciousness is immaterial and intangible. Therefore, it is unquantifiable. We may understand in part how the brain works. We can detect brain waves, for instance, but it's still a big leap to go from understanding how neurons fire to understanding how the brain produces thoughts.
Before we begin, it should be established what we mean by consciousness so we can rule out what it is not. "Consciousness" can refer to the state of being awake or being aware, but it can also refer to the mind (will, intellect, thoughts). The two states should not be conflated. A person can be asleep or under anesthesia and unconscious, but their mind is still very much active, which is why we have dreams. Likewise, a person can be in a deep coma, yet they can still have awareness. That's why nurses are told to watch what they say around patients in a coma. Therefore, consciousness is not equivalent to arousal or being awake. Conversely, unconsciousness is not equivalent to death. When we refer to consciousness here, we are referring to the mind.
As it turns out, consciousness is quite elusive. Neurosurgeons can stimulate the brain with electrodes to produce emotions, memories, and movements, but they can't stimulate consciousness itself. Parts of the brain can be removed or be missing from birth, yet the person can still retain consciousness and a sense of self. If you remove a single gear in a mechanical watch, it will cease to function. But if parts of the brain are missing or taken out, consciousness remains unified. Such things might result in physical impairments, but consciousness itself can remain unaffected.
There is clearly a relationship between the brain and the mind, but they are also two distinct substances. The human mind is unique in its ability for abstract thought. It’s one of the things that separate us from animals. That means that the mind has both material and immaterial parts. Something that is abstract is not physical, like numbers. We know numbers exist, but they don't have physical properties. They exist only as abstract concepts. The mind is very much intangible/abstract with no discernible parts. And if the mind is not tangible, how can it be destroyed? And if it can't be destroyed, then it can exist apart from the body. Physical things die; intangible things do not. It would like to try to kill numbers, an impossibility. According to the first law of thermodynamics, energy cannot be destroyed; it only transforms. Death, then, is merely the transformation from one form to another form.
In short, there is no proof that consciousness is a product of the biological brain. Nor can it be proven that once the biological brain is gone, consciousness, that is, the mind, ceases to exist. There are theories that could explain how this is possible, such as the theory that consciousness is non-local, possibly existing in a higher spatial dimension undetectable to us. That would explain why locating the mind is so elusive. If that's the case, then the brain is merely an antenna or receiver for the consciousness. The mind transmits instructions to the brain, which would then relay those instructions to the body, acting as an intermediary.
To use an analogy, the mind is like a computer programmer, and the brain is like a computer. Something might go wrong with the computer, and it might even stop working, preventing it from receiving instructions. However, the computer programmer will remain unaffected. There are certain physical and biological processes that can interfere with that connection, such as brain damage, but the connection isn't lost until death. Once the body dies, the connection is severed, and our consciousness unplugs, as it were, and becomes fully aware of the multidimensional (spiritual) world around us.
The brain/body is merely a receptacle for our spirit/soul/consciousness (whatever you wish to call it). If you've seen the movie Avatar, you'll get the idea. Near-death experiences, while anecdotal, would also support this conclusion. In many accounts, individuals were accurately able to describe what was happening to them when they should have been dead or unconscious at the very least. Two great books on this subject are "Am I Just My Brain?" by Sharon Dirckx and "The Immortal Mind: A Neurosurgeon's Case for the Existence of the Soul" by Michael Egnor and Denyse O'Leary.
Before we begin, it should be established what we mean by consciousness so we can rule out what it is not. "Consciousness" can refer to the state of being awake or being aware, but it can also refer to the mind (will, intellect, thoughts). The two states should not be conflated. A person can be asleep or under anesthesia and unconscious, but their mind is still very much active, which is why we have dreams. Likewise, a person can be in a deep coma, yet they can still have awareness. That's why nurses are told to watch what they say around patients in a coma. Therefore, consciousness is not equivalent to arousal or being awake. Conversely, unconsciousness is not equivalent to death. When we refer to consciousness here, we are referring to the mind.
As it turns out, consciousness is quite elusive. Neurosurgeons can stimulate the brain with electrodes to produce emotions, memories, and movements, but they can't stimulate consciousness itself. Parts of the brain can be removed or be missing from birth, yet the person can still retain consciousness and a sense of self. If you remove a single gear in a mechanical watch, it will cease to function. But if parts of the brain are missing or taken out, consciousness remains unified. Such things might result in physical impairments, but consciousness itself can remain unaffected.
There is clearly a relationship between the brain and the mind, but they are also two distinct substances. The human mind is unique in its ability for abstract thought. It’s one of the things that separate us from animals. That means that the mind has both material and immaterial parts. Something that is abstract is not physical, like numbers. We know numbers exist, but they don't have physical properties. They exist only as abstract concepts. The mind is very much intangible/abstract with no discernible parts. And if the mind is not tangible, how can it be destroyed? And if it can't be destroyed, then it can exist apart from the body. Physical things die; intangible things do not. It would like to try to kill numbers, an impossibility. According to the first law of thermodynamics, energy cannot be destroyed; it only transforms. Death, then, is merely the transformation from one form to another form.
In short, there is no proof that consciousness is a product of the biological brain. Nor can it be proven that once the biological brain is gone, consciousness, that is, the mind, ceases to exist. There are theories that could explain how this is possible, such as the theory that consciousness is non-local, possibly existing in a higher spatial dimension undetectable to us. That would explain why locating the mind is so elusive. If that's the case, then the brain is merely an antenna or receiver for the consciousness. The mind transmits instructions to the brain, which would then relay those instructions to the body, acting as an intermediary.
To use an analogy, the mind is like a computer programmer, and the brain is like a computer. Something might go wrong with the computer, and it might even stop working, preventing it from receiving instructions. However, the computer programmer will remain unaffected. There are certain physical and biological processes that can interfere with that connection, such as brain damage, but the connection isn't lost until death. Once the body dies, the connection is severed, and our consciousness unplugs, as it were, and becomes fully aware of the multidimensional (spiritual) world around us.
The brain/body is merely a receptacle for our spirit/soul/consciousness (whatever you wish to call it). If you've seen the movie Avatar, you'll get the idea. Near-death experiences, while anecdotal, would also support this conclusion. In many accounts, individuals were accurately able to describe what was happening to them when they should have been dead or unconscious at the very least. Two great books on this subject are "Am I Just My Brain?" by Sharon Dirckx and "The Immortal Mind: A Neurosurgeon's Case for the Existence of the Soul" by Michael Egnor and Denyse O'Leary.
quietthinker
Well-Known Member
'And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.' Genesis 2:7
There we have it, life, consciousness resides in the whole being. Not the brain, not the heart, not the genitals, not the toe nail (humble and living though it is)
Soul = living being.
Have a look at the 95 appearances of the word "mind" in the Holy Bible and you'll have the definitive answer.
The life of the flesh is in the blood.
quietthinker
Well-Known Member
Get stressed enough and see what happens to your mental state...and physical. For example, 'men's hearts failing them for fear'
'Man become a living soul' ie, not receiving one. We are totally integrated.
Consider a gentle touch. The fact you feel it and can consider it speaks of integration.
Integrated, sure, but not identical. There is a relationship between the mental and the physical, but they are also two distinct substances. The physical is objective. Feelings (fear, touch, etc.) are subjective. How the objective body and the subjective mind are able to interact is not explainable in purely physical terms.
Similar threads
