A religion is an organized approach to human spirituality which usually encompasses a set of narratives, symbols, beliefs and practices, often with a supernatural or transcendent quality, that give meaning to the practitioner's experiences of life through reference to a higher power or truth.[1] It may be expressed through prayer, ritual, meditation, music and art, among other things. It may focus on specific supernatural, metaphysical, and moral claims about reality (the cosmos and human nature) which may yield a set of religious laws, ethics, and a particular lifestyle. Religion also encompasses ancestral or cultural traditions, writings, history, and mythology, as well as personal faith and religious experience.

And again.

Religion has been defined in a wide variety of ways. Most definitions attempt to find a balance somewhere between overly sharp definition and meaningless generalities. Some sources have tried to use formalistic, doctrinal definitions while others have emphasized experiential, emotive, intuitive, valuational and ethical factors. Definitions mostly include:

* a notion of the transcendent or numinous, often, but not always, in the form of theism
* a cultural or behavioural aspect of ritual, liturgy and organized worship, often involving a priesthood, and societal norms of morality (ethos) and virtue (arete)
* a set of myths or sacred truths held in reverence or believed by adherents

Sociologists and anthropologists tend to see religion as an abstract set of ideas, values, or experiences developed as part of a cultural matrix. For example, in Lindbeck's Nature of Doctrine, religion does not refer to belief in "God" or a transcendent Absolute. Instead, Lindbeck defines religion as, "a kind of cultural and/or linguistic framework or medium that shapes the entirety of life and thought… it is similar to an idiom that makes possible the description of realities, the formulation of beliefs, and the experiencing of inner attitudes, feelings, and sentiments.”[8] According to this definition, religion refers to one's primary worldview and how this dictates one's thoughts and actions.

From good old Wikipedia

We could have the 16%

I Believe!!!!

okay, I'm going to try and articulate my initial problem about the 'god helmet' project - this may go into a theological ramble, try to stay with me, it maybe useless - but today i turned a corner on the project.

I don't believe in God, I'm not a spiritual person, I don't seek approval or direction from a higher source... however, I find the cultural position of organized religion fascinating. It's here that my problem began - for me the helmet started as a deeply personal artifact, it was for solemn personal reflection. Today, by suggesting that we ask others to make the helmets, we released the project into the social domain. That's not to say that it was introspective, but it was about the psychological ramifications of EM - not the social implications of a technologically negotiated belief. I'm sure it was my own short-sightedness, but i think involving 'the masses' in a project about religion/faith/feeling is important.

I guess people approach their faith in different ways, some are quiet believers - holding their thoughts to themselves for their own benefits - this type of faith can range from hardcore catholicism to buddism or just pain new age meditation. I'm more interested (as always) in the politics of the situations - the new social structures, the new negotiations of power, the new cultures of use and re-use. Once the 'church of assisted belief' has gone into the wild, it'll start to pull up really interesting questions.

Balaclava test

Bokononism

Bokononism is the fictional religion from Cat's Cradle [Kurt Vonnegut].

It is based on living by the untruths that make one happy, called foma. Many of the sacred texts of Bokononism were written in the form of calypsos. The foundation of Bokononism is that all religion, including Bokononism and all its texts, is formed entirely of lies; however, if you believe and adhere to these lies, you will live a happy life.

boko-maru: The mingling of awareness. A Bokononist ritual during which two people press the soles of their bare feet together. Bokononists believe it is impossible to be sole-to-sole with another person without loving that person, provided the feet of both persons are clean and nicely tended.

Might be another potential God Machine here. Is there any science to back it up I wonder? Something in Reflexology? Erm, well science-ish...

God Machine

What is the context for the 'God Machine'? My first thought/assumption was that is was a domestic device - a sort of technologised home shrine, like this:

but what is the collective experiance, the church of assissted belief, does it become like a hairdressers from the 50's:

What are they reading? What are the activities before and after your brain session?

This is an early experiment in DIY

Transcranial Electro Magnetic Stimulation.
Using two televisions i was attempting to stimulate the temporal lobe areas of my brain in search of an experience of otherness or a sense of connectedness believed to be felt by during a religious episode.
The televisions were tuned out to avoid distraction and the volume was turned down but not completely as the gentle hiss from the tv sounded like waves or the wind in trees and felt appropriate and soothing.
The experiment was adhoc and although I did feel strange afterwards the concentration of EMF was not focused on a particular part of the brain responsible for religious experience. And i could not rule out the fact that placebo was playing a part in making me feel bizarre.

Alternative face closure

There are two ways I can see to close the face of this pattern. The first one is the one I went for in the 1.2 prototype.


This second one could be used if I re-jig the stitches and do a vertical cross. Or is this too religious in a conventional sense?

So it begins...

Prototype temporal lobe balaclava 1.2


I realise this isn't strictly within the material remit [tape + cardboard] but I am working my way up to a tape version. This is just a practice.

Sleeping balaclava

This one is nice because it already has no facial holes. Not a pattern though.

Temporal lobe epilepsy

There's an article here on the Horizon episode that featured temporal lobe epilepsy and religious experiences:

Rudi Affolter and Gwen Tighe have both experienced strong religious visions. He is an atheist; she a Christian. He thought he had died; she thought she had given birth to Jesus. Both have temporal lobe epilepsy.

There's also a full transcript of the show.

Temporal lobe location

It's the green bits, yes?

Balaclavarama

A series of potential balaclavas (free patterns online) for temporal lobe bastardising. As soon as I get the right needles I will begin. Colour unsure.