Biblical Descriptions 

     Dr. Dirckx says "Biblical descriptions of humans support the complexity we see in neuroscience. That the immaterial and immortal essence of a person will escape material confines to float off to some higher existence. 

     "Hebrew understanding - 'Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life...' Human beings are of dust, physical matter, breath, life force or spirit - and the combination is a living soul or person.   

     "Both in neuroscience and the Bible, people are complex and multifaceted. They are an amalgamation of the material and the immaterial, the natural and the supernatural, temporal and eternal.

     "This is why there are some observations in the clinic that make no sense if humans are just brains on sticks. It is also why we see brain activity of the elderly during religious practices such as prayer and meditation. Far from being a threat to spirituality or the reality of God, brain activity is exactly what we should expect from complex but integrated beings. 

     "We see that people are mysterious. The soul is mysterious."

Tomorrow: People who walk in darkness