February 10, 2000: Is Religion a Biological Impulse - Matthew Alper

Matthew Alper returns to discuss his controversial book The God Part of the Brain, which argues religious belief is hardwired into human neurology as an evolutionary defense against mortality anxiety. Alper contends that stimulating specific brain regions reliably produces religious experiences, near-death episodes, and out-of-body sensations, suggesting spirituality originates in biology rather than divine revelation. The program also features updates from Colm Kelleher of the National Institute for Discovery Science on the Illinois UFO sightings, where multiple police officers witnessed a massive triangular craft traveling at impossibly slow speeds before accelerating to thousands of miles per hour in seconds. NIDS investigators constructed a detailed flight path spanning hundreds of miles over nine hours. The craft displayed blazing lights inconsistent with secret military operations, and eyewitness quality was exceptional since officers were in observation mode rather than surprised. Debates arise over whether consciousness transcends physical brain function or emerges solely from neural activity.