Church Research

One of the churches that we visited recently

Church Research attempts to get people out of their Sunday bubbles to see firsthand how members of other religious communities actually practice their faith. This helps us build coalitions among the ones that share common progressive and humanist values, build bridges to the more conservative denominations, and dispel some of the preconceptions we have about what is actually said by the clergy and believed by the members.

New reviews will be added to the top of this page so they go from newest to oldest.

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Rating System

Worship services will be rated on a 1-10 scale according to 7 metrics, which is the right number of metrics for this sort of activity.

The goal is to give an independent rating of the quality of the service, from the perspective of a lifelong secular universalist with no prior affiliations or firsthand experience with any religion whatsoever.

Holy Spirit - how lively is the service? How enthusiastic are the worshippers? How well attended is the service?
Authenticity - is the spirituality authentic or performative? Are they true believers or social climbers?
Music - was the music good? Do people sing along enthusiastically or just mumble the words? How good is the band or choir? Do they sing contemporary music or traditional hymns? Or is it banned?
Woo - how much is the supernatural invoked? Are the beliefs taken literally or interpreted as allegory? Is science respected as a source for truth or is it superseded by superstition?
Diversity - was there a diversity of ethnicities, genders, generations, and viewpoints represented? Or was it a bunch of retired white people? Are diverse viewpoints, cultures, and lifestyles accepted, if not always represented?
Prosperity Gospel - how much emphasis was placed on donations and tithing? Were disingenuous promises of future riches made to encourage donations? To rate, 1 is craven and money-grubbing,10 means there was no overt pressure to donate.
Hell or Heaven - how much fire and brimstone is being preached? How much othering and focus on spiritual and/or political enemies are being done? A sole focus on hell, Satan, enemies, demons, and damnation gets you a 1, where a 10 represents purely positive, inspirational, apolitical, and optimistic spirituality.

Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church

The largest universalist congregation in the Knoxville area and a hub for activism. The service was taking place close to the upcoming Pride parade, and the topic was a celebration of banned books. Hence, LGBTQ+ issues were very much at the forefront. While their embracement of sexual diversity is laudable, especially in comparison to other churches in the region, it did flirt with crossing the line into pandering.

The celebration of banned books was fun, and children's stories hit a little different when you're microdosing. After hearing the actual stories these books contain, it seems absurd that anyone would consider them inappropriate for a school library. Not that it didn't seem absurd before, but if you haven't read them then you need to rely on biased second-hand descriptions.

Combined: 57/70

Holy Spirit - 7/10 fairly well attended for a random Sunday and the audience was very enthusiastic about the subject matter, if not so much the music. There is definitely something inherently spiritual about the innocence and earnestness of children's books.
Authenticity - 9/10 the people were friendly, genuine, and welcoming. They obviously believed strongly in the values of the organization.
Music - 6/10 no honest assessment of the band would describe them as "tight." It was nice that they had updated hymns that reflected the universalist values, rather than more traditional ones. Reading Rainbow is a banger.
Woo - 9/10 there were no references to the supernatural in the service, other than some "hallelujahs" in the music. Even the small group discussions attended before and after stayed perfectly grounded.
Diversity - 8/10 diversity is fully embraced, if not fully achieved. Lots of LGBTQIA+ members but not as many ethnicities. Congregation skewed older, but there were several families with kids as well, and several young people who weren't with parents or kids, which is rare.
Prosperity Gospel - 8/10 the request for donations was very low-key, and the money was being donated to a local charity rather than going to the church itself.
Hell or Heaven - 10/10 the spiritual message was 100% positive, accepting, loving, and universalist.

Weezer at Bridgestone Arena

To not include the Weezer concert in this review series would be to leave out what was by far the greatest spiritual experience that this reviewer had during this period of time.

The collective effervescence of having 15,000 people all on their feet, dancing and singing along to every word of the songs that defined their childhoods, whether that took place 20 years ago or 2, was hundreds of times stronger than any church singalong. Combine that with the multi-million dollar lighting rig, choreographed 50-foot-tall video journey through space being projected behind them, the color coordination of the music with moods, and the altered states of consciousness, and you have a recipe for a true peak experience.

While a few inevitably viewed the concert through their phone screens, most of the audience actually stayed in the moment and enjoyed the show firsthand. This could have been due to the age of the audience, but it also spoke to how thoroughly engaging and captivating the show was. Each song flowed seamlessly into the next, applause breaks being unnecessary to gauge the enthusiasm of the audience response.

Combined: 60/70

Holy Spirit - 10/10 Peak. Spiritual. Experience.
Authenticity - 10/10 everyone was there to worship Weezer and that they did.
Music - 10/10 this rating needs no explanation.
Woo - 10/10 there were no references to supernatural during the concert.
Diversity - 6/10 this was some serious white people shit. While the concert was welcoming of all types, there was only one type that showed up. Age diversity was better than most church services, with boomers, zoomers, and everyone in-between, none of which were only there due to supervisory obligations.
Prosperity Gospel - 4/10 the high price of modern concert tickets, and absurd price gouging at the concession stand, precludes high marks in this category. However, you do tend to get what you pay for, and there was no promise that paying $15 for a beer would somehow lead to greater riches in the future.
Hell or Heaven - 10/10 this was literally heaven.

Bearden United Methodist Church

The pastor at Bearden UMC hosts a Pub Theology meetup that has provided many thought-provoking and open minded discussions, and he brought that same energy to the Sunday service we attended.

The service felt very relaxed and informal, despite the choir and hymns that one associates with more traditional services. This was more a reflection of the friendly atmosphere, which was palpable and genuine. More people introduced themselves to us at this service than at any others we've attended. Granted there was a specific directive given to do so during the service, but they say that at other churches too and they don't always follow through.

Combined: 53/70

Holy Spirit - 7/10 the traditional hymns didn't inspire the joyous collective effervescence that a peak Sunday experience can give, but the very friendly and relaxed atmosphere gave a sense of comfort and easy, natural spirituality.
Authenticity - 9/10 the sermon translated the "fruit of the holy spirit" from Galatians into a very easy-to-understand and inspirational lesson on kindness. It made the underlying "this is why we do this" part of the message very clear.
Music - 6/10 the choir was good, but the traditional hymns really didn't match the progressive vibe or get the crowd really going.
Woo - 8/10 while scripture was the jumping-off point, the lesson was explained in a way that makes sense regardless of your beliefs. It's certainly not a bad thing to get a passionate reminder of why we should be kind and love one another once a week. It was also made clear that we should prioritize acts over beliefs, which offsets the reliance on scripture.
Diversity - 6/10 if you include the black church that meets in the adjacent building at the same time, then this would probably be the most diverse so far. While it is a separate church that is using the space and not some kind of segregated service, it is an unfortunate reminder of how we don't tend to worship together despite the whole point being to reinforce our sense of unity.
Prosperity Gospel - 8/10 standard church plate passing without pressure or promises of prosperity.
Hell or Heaven - 9/10 the spiritual message was 100% positive, accepting, loving, and universalist in spirit. However, since there was no acknowledgement of non-Christian paths to god, a point must be deducted.

Unity Church Chattanooga

A universalist, new thought church rooted in Christian tradition, though the service made very little reference to Christianity. The lecture centered on a book called Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsch. Very mainstream, new age, spiritual language and self-help advice, without too much overt woo. A lot of it focused on the fact that we are all god, which can't help but resonate with any pantheist.

Unity of Chattanooga was an intimate gathering in a home-based church. This was really nice because it felt more casual, and the place was full instead of a 3/4 empty, full-size chapel. This also possibly contributed to the more welcoming atmosphere, especially if compared to Unity of Nashville that had a larger facility where newcomers could more easily be ignored.

Combined: 58/70

Holy Spirit - 8/10 the intimate home environment really helped set a very positive spiritual vibe, in the music, messaging, and fellowship.
Authenticity - 8/10 definitely a room full of spiritual seekers who care more about whether the message resonates with them than does the messenger.
Music - 10/10 hands-down the best church singalong attended so far. The music leader was a keyboard player who started out with a wonderful rendition of Lovely Day, followed by another more spiritual song with a great chorus that got everyone on their feet clapping and singing with their full voices. Once again the intimate, home environment amplified the effect.
Woo - 7/10 high marks for open-mindedness and lack of reliance on doctrine and scripture, but definitely seemed a little too open to accepting ideas from various spiritual and self-help gurus whose ideas are less profound than they sound.
Diversity - 8/10 one of the more diverse congregations.
Prosperity Gospel - 7/10 very low-pressure passing of the plate, though it was hinted that the donation may result in some karmic return. The donations were blessed in a very tongue-in-cheek way that got a laugh.
Hell or Heaven - 10/10 the spiritual message was 100% positive, accepting, loving, and universalist.

Apostle's Anglican Church

Apostle's Anglican Church is a Communion/Eucharist-based service that was surprisingly similar to a Catholic mass. As such, there is a heavy reliance on ritual and the repetition of specific passages from scripture like the Nicaean Creed.

The review date was an anniversary combined service, where the traditional choir and the modern band both played and the service went for a full two hours as a result.

The pageantry of the service was striking. When the clergy members marched down the aisle dressed in their vestments, holding their staffs, and with the biggest, fanciest-looking Bible you ever saw held aloft, it was admittedly pretty cool. The Communion ritual is also pretty nice, with everyone receiving their own personal Jesus snack and blessing. It allows the clergy to have a brief one-on-one moment with each person there, which doesn't tend to happen in the churches that don't have such a ritual.

Combined: 46/70

Holy Spirit - 7/10 the traditional service had pros and cons. The rituals both strongly reinforce the core values of the Christian faith but it also makes it seem like everyone is doing it from rote. The service was very well attended, probably due to the fact that it was combined, but that's the way it was on the day of the review.
Authenticity - 6/10 the connection to tradition and the fact that the service has been performed the same way for hundreds of years gives it a theological authenticity. However, the fact that the congregation has been doing the same thing over and over for hundreds of years can detract from spiritual authenticity.
Music - 8/10 full disclosure, the reviewer's father was in the choir, so take this rating with whatever grains of salt that necessitates. The dual service had both a choir and a contemporary band, and as you might expect there was a mix of traditional hymns and some contemporary Christian music. The congregation was into it, but none of the songs inspired full-throated collective effervescence.
Woo - 5/10 the traditional liturgy draws heavily from scripture, and as such it often becomes pretty hard to follow for a newcomer. The spiritual language requires significant interpretation to frame it in modern terms.
Diversity - 5/10 a fairly good ratio of families to elderly, but no racial diversity to speak of. Unlike many churches that focus on diversity, there did not seem to be any efforts to advertise their inclusivity or reach out to diverse communities.
Prosperity Gospel - 7/10 once again this was done very traditionally, as it has been done for generations. Thankfully this also means no promises of greater riches to be blessed upon you in exchange for your donation.
Hell or Heaven - 8/10 the spiritual message was very positive, and the passages from scripture that were quoted and interpreted during the sermon all had very positive messages. It was very narrowly Christian, and often repeated the mantra that redemption can only come through Christ. So that leaves out a few billion people, resulting in a 2-point deduction in this category.

Redemption Church

Redemption Church is the first conservative church visited by Church Research team. It was selected because it is a televangelist church, where services are broadcast on a Christian TV network founded by the pastor. There was also some personal history with one of the members of our group, though not the reviewer.

The sermon was about "The Authority of the Believer" and centered around the reinforcement of the concept that belief in Jesus gives one the authority to compel the angels to help you out and make demons frig off. While the language was literal and sometimes rather dense with Biblical references that were hard for an outsider to follow, the psychological intent was clearly to reinforce strong faith in the god concept in a way that helps enhance things like the placebo effect and manifestation through self-fulfilling prophecy.

Overall, the vibe was very Righteous Gemstones. Having never attended a made-for-TV evangelical worship service, it was impossible to fully comprehend just how spot-on that parody is. The band's singer could be swapped out with Judy Gemstone and the pastor with Eli and nobody would bat an eye. The podium was on an elevator that came up out of the stage. Three huge screens with color-changing neon crosses were hung behind the stage. It was a spectacle!

Combined: 29/70

Holy Spirit - 7/10 it was a fairly well-attended and lively service with a lot of hand raising. A LOT.
Authenticity - 3/10 it definitely seemed like a good deal of performing for the camera.
Music - 7/10 the band was quite good. The song that was all about "the blood" was a little creepy, though.
Woo - 3/10 this was about as literalist as you can get. However, since there was no snake handling or speaking in tongues it doesn't deserve the lowest score.
Diversity - 4/10 it was weird because many of the volunteers you see coming in were minorities, but once inside it was clear that those were the only diverse members, which gave it heavy RNC vibes. However, the age range was more diverse than average. Strong Karen vibes.
Prosperity Gospel - 2/10 they straight up preached prosperity gospel, and there was a very long, well-organized, and high-pressure pitch for donations. The only way to score lower would be if prosperity were the main focus of the sermon.
Hell or Heaven - 3/10 there wasn't that many overt references to hell and damnation or the condemnation of sin in this particular sermon, but there were enough references to demons to make it clear that we just didn't show up on the right day for that. There were also many references to the previous week's sermon, which was the weekend of Trump's assassination attempt. They apparently decided not to broadcast it due to being too controversial. While the sermon we saw was fairly apolitical other than a few conservative dog whistles, it was clearly not the case the previous week. It made us intensely curious to see what we missed there.

Sunday Assembly Nashville

This review is admittedly less unbiased than the others due to the personal history the reviewer has with the Sunday Assembly organization and the fact that they were the guest speaker at this particular service. However, an attempt will still be made to make an unbiased review using the same metrics.

Combined: 58/70

Holy Spirit - 5/10 small service, and the secular congregation is admittedly not as full of the "holy spirit" as they could be, for obvious reasons. But they did get up and clap their hands and dance to the music a bit. It was hardly Beatlemania, though.
Authenticity - 10/10 nobody would be there if they didn't fully believe in what they were doing.
Music - 9/10 great band and great song selections from contemporary rock music as well as a fantastic original song, The 99. Only way to score higher would be to do more to encourage the congregation to contribute more by singing, dancing, or otherwise not just stand there and watch.
Woo - 10/10 there was absolutely no woo, all science.
Diversity - 7/10 diversity is fully embraced, and the members are multi-generational and far less geriatric on average than your typical Sunday service. Still a bit too small and predominantly white and male to get a 10.
Prosperity Gospel - 9/10 made it a point not to do any crass money-grubbing, but they weren't silent on the issue. No plate passing.
Hell or Heaven - 8/10 there was no mention of hellfire or damnation, fighting, enemies, etc. Some mention of political issues were made in reference to existential issues like nuclear war and climate change. A case could be made that literalists were being demonized, as they often are in secular spaces, but it was done to make the point that we should embrace universalism. Given the reviewer's experience with this movement and the knowledge that many members are anti-religious rather than universalist, perfect marks cannot be awarded in this category even though their message is very positive and accepting overall.

Center for Spiritual Living Nashville

This was a non-Christian, new thought, universalist church, with its roots in early studies of psychology merged with ancient religious practices.

The Unity Church shared their space with the Center for Spiritual Living, and their services took place back-to-back. As such, they had very similar vibes and ratings.

Combined: 56/70

Holy Spirit - 6/10 not the biggest or most enthusiastic service, not the least, but slightly above average.
Authenticity - 8/10 seemed like everyone was pretty authentically seeking spiritual truth, though the lack of focus and a bit of native American spiritual appropriation keeps them from a perfect score.
Music - 8/10 a good band, which is not unusual for Nashville. Led by two female country singers with great voices. Music aspired to be inspirational but didn't always achieve its goal.
Woo - 8/10 there was a bit of woo, but overall it was pretty grounded.
Diversity - 7/10 diversity is fully embraced, if not fully achieved. Lots of LGBTQIA+ members but not as many ethnicities. Congregation skewed older, but not too old.
Prosperity Gospel - 9/10 very little mention was made and no pressure given to donate.
Hell or Heaven - 10/10 the spiritual message was 100% positive, accepting, loving, and universalist.

Unity Church Nashville

A universalist, new thought church rooted in Christian tradition, though the service made very little reference to Christianity and mostly quoted the works of its founders, Charles and Myrtle Fillmore.

The Unity Church shared their space with the Center for Spiritual Living, and their services took place back-to-back. As such, they had very similar vibes and ratings.

Combined: 51/70

Holy Spirit - 5/10 not the biggest or most enthusiastic service, not the least.
Authenticity - 8/10 seemed like everyone was pretty authentically seeking spiritual truth, though the focus on the teachings of the founders rather than spiritual wisdom generally keeps it from getting higher marks.
Music - 7/10 a small jazz band and talented keyboardist played the music, but it didn't really get the crowd jumping.
Woo - 7/10 there was a bit of woo, but overall it was pretty grounded. The more singular focus on the teachings of the founders makes it lose a woo point.
Diversity - 7/10 diversity is fully embraced, if not fully achieved. Lots of LGBTQIA+ members but not as many ethnicities. Congregation skewed older, but not too old.
Prosperity Gospel - 7/10 it wasn't a high-pressure situation but a traditional "pass-the-plate" collection was made. In the service we attended there was a review of the church finances, which gets points for transparency but did focus a larger part of the service on money issues. This would not likely be the case most weeks.
Hell or Heaven - 10/10 the spiritual message was 100% positive, accepting, loving, and universalist.

Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) Knoxville

The Quakers have a long and storied history of antiwar and civil rights activism in the 1900s, and abolitionism in the 1800s.

Despite earning low marks in terms of Music and Holy Spirit, this is mostly due to the fact that their services consist of silent, contemplative meditation where you try to hear the "still, small voice in the depths of my being that began to speak with an inexpressible tenderness, power and comfort." according to John Edward Southall. This means the overall score doesn't fully reflect the depth, conviction, and high ideals of this spiritual community.

Of the universalist denominations visited recently, the Quakers were an overall favorite.

Combined: 61/70*

Holy Spirit - 3/10 if this benchmark is a measure of outward enthusiasm, then it is not possible to give high marks since the service consists of silent contemplative meditation only. It was also a very small group, so enthusiasm could not be boosted through willingness to show up.
Authenticity - 10/10 you could tell that the spiritual practice was taken very seriously and with deep convictions that are well thought out.
Music - 3/10 of course there is no music in a silent meditation. However, since this is not because they think that music is "of the devil" or any such nonsense it does not deserve the lowest mark.
Woo - 9/10 the only woo is that which you bring yourself, since there is no preaching and only silent contemplation. The actual people all expressed their spirituality in very grounded, universalist, and pantheist terms with very few references to the supernatural. It is still a Christian spiritual tradition so not 100% woo-free, but it's about as good as you are going to get.
Diversity - 6/10 they are open and accepting, but very small, white, and elderly.
Prosperity Gospel - 10/10 there was no mention of money by anyone, and the members very clearly eschew materialism.
Hell or Heaven - 10/10 the spiritual message was 100% positive, accepting, loving, and universalist. Granted, you could show up and contemplate hellfire and brimstone if that's your thing, but the fact that it's a core principle that no "spiritual authority" should tell you what to think, and their long and consistent history of being on the right side of social movements, nets them a perfect score.

*The actual combined score is lower due to the fact that the service does not include music or celebration, which is a large part of the scoring system. However, since the silent meditation was very profound and moving, the combined score includes a +10 bonus to reflect this.

United Church of Christ Knoxville

Another universalist congregation. Apparently the United Church of Christ is a very different denomination from the regular old Church of Christ, so don't get them confused! Of the universalist congregations it had the most ties to traditional Christianity and made the most reference to Christian theology during the sermon, though it was used more as a reference point than an absolute doctrine. They were also very LGBTQIA+ friendly, with rainbows adorning most of the tapestries.

Combined: 55/70

Holy Spirit - 6/10 not the biggest or most enthusiastic service, not the least, but above average in terms of the eagerness to participate in the singing parts.
Authenticity - 9/10 the people were friendly, genuine, and welcoming. They obviously believed strongly in the values of the organization.
Music - 7/10 the choir was great, but it was more traditional hymns than contemporary music, which is harder to identify with when you weren't brought up on them.
Woo - 8/10 fairly limited references to supernatural, and definitely not literalist in their theology. Seemed to take a more intellectual approach to theology than some of the others based on the sermon and the topics of their small group discussions.
Diversity - 7/10 diversity is fully embraced, if not fully achieved. Lots of LGBTQ+ members but not as many ethnicities. Congregation skewed older, but there were several families with kids as well.
Prosperity Gospel - 8/10 the request for donations was very low-key.
Hell or Heaven - 10/10 the spiritual message was 100% positive, accepting, loving, and universalist.

Westside Unitarian Universalist Church

More universalists.

Review to come.

Nashville Bahá'í Community

A beautiful Baha'i temple with a very diverse and open-minded universalist congregation.

Combined: 56/70

Holy Spirit - 3/10 if enthusiasm is measured by a willingness to show up, then high marks cannot be given. The big, beautiful temple was nearly empty.
Authenticity - 10/10 everyone who did show up was undeniably there based on a true and deep spiritual conviction. Everyone was encourage to participate directly by doing a reading.
Music - 6/10 the choir was no longer active and the service had no music, but a couple members of our group brought a guitar and performed some songs, which was great and got them a totally unbiased 6 points in this category.
Woo - 8/10 while the spiritual language used in the writings they quoted invokes god quite a a lot, the teachings also very clearly point out that science and evidence should always be followed, and the members clearly interpret scripture as allegory.
Diversity - 9/10 diversity is fully embraced, and the actual congregations are a very diverse mix of Persians, Africans and "crunchy" white people. As diverse and multi-ethnic as a religion can get. However, the small crowd in attendance that day didn't allow for full marks.
Prosperity Gospel - 10/10 despite the fact that someone provided a lot of money to build their beautiful temple, not single mention of money was made by anyone at any time during our visit.
Hell or Heaven - 10/10 the spiritual message was 100% positive, accepting, loving, and universalist.

Accidentally Eating Too Many Mushrooms By Myself on Sunday AM

Having been on a journey to rate the spiritual experiences of others for several months, it only seems appropriate that when I have an opportunity to create my own that I should subject it to the same scrutiny. This review will necessitate a more first-person perspective than has been the standard for this wiki, for obvious reasons.

The original plan was to get up early and catch up on work, having gone camping in the days leading up to the weekend in order to beat the labor day crowds. I went to light a morning smoke, as is my ritual, and found the remnants of some mushrooms in the grinder. It seemed like the right amount for a microdose and I figured it would make the work a little wavy so I dabbed it up with a spoonful of peanut butter and set about my day as usual.

A short while later, as I'm trying to start coding, I'm noticing it is hitting me a bit harder than I had expected. Definitely not in a headspace for coding right now. I'll switch to the old standby, masturbation. I was alone for the weekend and looking forward to catching up after a week of camping. Timed that one right -- it would've been a lot weirder 30 minutes later. Those endorphins aren't bad for the headspace, either.

I know I'm not able to do any work at this point, but since it's not even 7AM, I haven't yet resolved myself to fully change course for the day, so I decided to lay in bed and listen to a podcast. I've recently been in the habit of taking little pod-naps when working from home, where I get the restfulness of having my eyes closed and laying down but I still get to feed my brain with new information or entertainment. I put on the Armchair Expert interview with Andrew Newberg for a neurotheology discussion of God, Sex, and the Brain. This seemed like an appropriate segue from the previous activity, and I had been saving this episode for a time when I could pay close attention.

Snuggling with my dog in bed, closing my eyes, and listening to an author I had not yet heard of present my exact perspective so eloquently on subjects I care so deeply about was manna from heaven. Each new topic generating its own fractal vision in my mind, and reinforcing the most deeply held notions I have of science, spirituality, the brain, religion, in-groups, rituals, and its ultimate rooting in the sexual impulse that is the beating heart of all life.

This was a new experience for me. I've never mixed psychedelics with podcast listening, despite the deep historical intertwining of the podcast movement with the psychedelics movement. To be honest, for the last several years since podcasts became a thing, I've mostly only microdosed or taken fairly mild doses at concerts or campsites. I tend more to save them for special occasions that I don't make for myself. Given my advanced middle agedness I consider that doing pretty good, but I know I need to start going deep again if I really want to make a go of this metaculture thing.

I've taken pride in the fact that I've experienced a very wide variety of what life has to offer under the influence of psychedelics and have seen firsthand the effects of love, heartbreak, joy, music, nature, capitalism, wonder, dance, expectation, etc., etc., have upon the psyche when the amplifier is turned all the way up and you can see every note. Never done a podcast, though. It was a very enlightening experience, which was surely aided by the fact that this was a deep conversation about a subject very near and dear to my soul, presented from a very rational and positive perspective. Under the influence of psychedelics I could easily see less grounded discussions quickly leading the listener into conspiracies and cults, and these ideas would be injected directly into the cortex, bypassing critical thinking and reinforcing the ideas with the strength of 100 sober listenings.

Listening Andrew Newberg discuss neurotheology on a Sunday morning is as close as someone like me can get to the experience of a Christian listening to a powerful and inspiring sermon. This is the language that connects to my personal sense of spirituality. I want to know what regions of the brain are firing when we think about god. I want to know the psychological effects of ritual. I want to hear how it all ties back to our DNA, evolution, and the self-organizing universe. I don't want to just hear that we are all one, I want to hear the evidence that supports it and the benefits that belief will have to our happiness!

When I hear someone who can seamlessly discuss spiritual topics in scientific terms it is like I have found a new soul mate. I know that there are so many of us out there, and those at the forefront of neuroscience are some of the biggest advocates. It always feels amazing to discover a new voice in this chorus and hear the unique notes they bring to the conversation. But in the end it was preaching to the choir, which means that instead of creating new neural pathways he was simply activating and reinforcing the ones that were already there, creating emotional music with the deep associations I have with these concepts just like a preacher does when quoting scripture. Except with evidence!

At some point during this process I abandoned the idea of getting back to work and embraced the experience fully, which definitely helped me relax. I was also past the initial come up, so that could just be chicken versus egg. In any case I was down to clown at this point and I had recently discovered the fact that one of my all-time favorite British comedies "Garth Marenghi's DARKPLACE" had a spin-off called "Man to Man with Dean Learner" so I figured I'd give that a watch. Holy shit that was a good call! So freaking trippy and hilarious. And so great to see "new" content from some of my favorite comedians, even if it was only new to me through its previous obscurity. It also tied into the whole sexual theme that has carried through the experience, since Richard Ayoade's character Dean Learner is like an 80s British wannabe Hugh Heffner and a lot of the humor comes from satirizing the misogyny of that period.

After having an uproarious good time watching that show, I sat down, put on some Yes and some fractal videos, and started writing this retrospective. Which brings us back to this exact moment. Now I'm living in the moment. No more living in the past this is right now. Stream of consciousness, baby! Damn, I'm really no James Joyce. And I had to think to come up with that name to be honest so the stream was broken anyway. Let's get on to the ratings.

Combined: 54/70

Holy Spirit - 5/10 with an attendance of one, it's impossible to give the highest marks. But you could say that 100% of the congregation was present. In any case I was really feeling the holy spirit even if there was nobody to feel it with me.
Authenticity - 10/10 this was as authentically me as a spiritual experience targeted to me can get.
Music - 10/10 while the band didn't play until the end, it was freakin' YES!!!
Woo - 10/10 the neuroscientist was very careful to avoid supernatural explanations, as one would expect of a scientist.
Diversity - 1/10 the fully CIS/het, white, middle-aged male attendance is the opposite of what anyone would call diverse.
Prosperity Gospel - 8/10 OMFG I absolutely cannot listen to COMMERCIALS on psychedelics!! Fortunately they were skippable, and the content was otherwise free, and free of crass monetary solicitations. 1.5x speed is not as tolerable as it is while sober, either.
Hell or Heaven - 10/10 this was an incredibly positive and uplifting experience that embraced all cultures and religions and the "we are all one" spirit of the universal in-group.