Guests Discuss Connections between Science and Religion, the Brain in Relation to the Mind and Near-Death Experiences
DALLAS, July 10, 2023 – Premier Insight, the Christian media group behind the popular “Unbelievable?” podcast, continues to stimulate important dialogue among leading thinkers across the belief spectrum, with the latest episode of “The Big Conversation.”
Now in its 5th season, The Big Conversation, freshly hosted by pastor and comedian Andy Kind, features some of the top minds in the Christian, atheist and religious world debating some of the biggest questions of science, faith, philosophy and what it means to be human. Airing July 28 (July 21 for subscribers), the fourth episode of this season features an intriguing discussion between Oxford academics Dr. Sharon Dirckx and Dr. Emily Qureshi-Hurst on the brain, consciousness, advancing science and near-death experiences.
“Many philosophers, atheists and agnostics—as well as theists—argue that actual conscious experiences and brain processes are two very different things, and one does not capture the other, nor is one synonymous with the other,” Dirckx argues. “This is why alternative ways of looking at the mind-brain relationship are needed, because this doesn't capture the ultimate qualia—of what it's like to be you as a person.”
Interestingly, Dirckx was not raised in a religious home; in fact, for most of her upbringing, she knew she wanted to be a scientist. Gleaning academic insight from authors like atheist and British evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, Dirckx entered her university studies with a firm view that God did not exist and that being a credible scientist was certainly incompatible with a belief in God. It was only through a series of events that unfolded in her time at university that she began to question her stance. With a new critical perspective, Dirckx began to unravel everything she had once believed to be true. Ultimately, she came to believe that Jesus was the way to salvation—in her early 20s, studying biochemistry.
Alternatively, Hurst was raised in a home where both religion and science held places of importance. Hurst, having attended church for many of her early years, was fascinated with Christianity as a religion and worldview—she just didn’t believe it to be true. Also influenced in academia by Richard Dawkins, Hurst completely agreed with his atheist worldview, even as she began her university studies in theology—that is until she had the opportunity to question him regarding why he believed theology was not a ‘real discipline,’ to which he couldn’t respond. It was then that Hurst’s black and white worldview in atheism began to dissipate. While she still considers herself to be an atheist, she no longer believes science and religion to be incompatible; in fact, she has devoted her ongoing research to the intersectionality of philosophy, theology and physics.
“There are fundamental limitations to science, and we have to recognize that,” points out Hurst in a midway debate retort. “But just because science can't tell us the nature of the connection between mind and brain, or at least it can't demonstrate that physical processes and mental processes are the same thing—that in and of itself doesn't give you any evidence that that's not the case, either. So, I think...we have to look to philosophy.”
This verbal ‘spar’ about the human condition of consciousness will certainly leave listeners with deepened critical perspectives on the concept of the soul, life after death and the convergences of science and religion.
In partnership with John Templeton Foundation, the fifth season of The Big Conversation has returned to its beloved studio setting, freed from the constraints of COVID-19 lockdowns, kicked off with a riveting start and continuing to spark thoughtfulness in gripping discussions on science, faith, philosophy and culture.
The Big Conversation is a unique video series from Unbelievable?, the flagship apologetics and theology discussion show on Premier Christian Radio in the UK. Advance media preview links are available, upon request.
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Media Contact:
Melany Ethridge
melany@alarryross.com
972-267-1111