facts or information that supports an idea

a device that stimulates the temporal lobes with electromagnetic fields to induce religious experiences

a neuroscientist known for developing the God helmet to study the brain's role in religious experiences

a philosophical tool that encourages questioning and doubting things to ensure we have good evidence before believing them

Persinger's God helmet

Religious education

In this unit pupils investigate the idea of religious experience. They start with the ideas of William James before  examining case studies from history and Christian, Islamic and Hindu worldviews. 

Knowing God: does religious experience prove God exists?

to accept things without questioning them

to doubt things and ask for evidence before accepting them as true

by conducting interviews with people who claimed to have had them

by stimulating the brain to study its effects on religious feelings

by interpreting religious texts to understand the nature of divine encounters

by dismissing religious experiences as purely imaginary and unworthy of study

How did Michael Persinger approach the study of religious experiences?

The God Helmet experiment used {{}} lobe stimulation to create religious-like experiences.

that they are universally experienced by all people

that they can be artificially induced by brain stimulation

that they are only linked to religious individuals

Which of the following does Persinger’s experiment suggest about religious experiences?

it doesn’t explain why humans have the capacity for spiritual experiences

it shows that brain activity is unrelated to religious experiences

it proves that religious experiences are just a trick of the mind

it only shows how God might use the brain to communicate with humans

Why might some argue that Persinger's experiment does not disprove the existence of God?

the experiment was only conducted on religious people

the findings are unreliable due to the difficulty of replicating the results

the experiment did not take the participants’ expectations into account

the experiment did not include a diverse range of participants.

Which of the following is a key criticism of Persinger's God helmet experiment?

A {{}} experience is a personal feeling or moment when someone believes they connect with a higher power or God.

Logic is a tool used in {{}} to evaluate arguments and assess conclusions about religious experience.

He conducted experiments to replicate religious experiences.

He studied religious experiences through case studies.

He analysed brain scans of those who claimed to have had religious experiences.

What methods did William James use to investigate religious experiences?

the study of how the brain and nervous system work

the study of human behaviour in social groups

the study of the universe and its origins

they provide evidence of the divine through personal encounters

they can be explained by psychological or neurological factors

they always occur during religious rituals or ceremonies

they are always shared by large groups of people

How could religious experiences be used to support the existence of God?

This lesson will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Persinger's God helmet

Lesson outcome

This lesson will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.