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Friday, November 29, 2013

What Encourages Belief in God? Amazing Sights of 'Planet Earth,' Says New Study


Researchers at the Association for Psychological Science have released a new study that suggests that awe - specifically brought on by nature - increases one's tendency to believe in God.

Psychological scientist Piercarlo Valdesolo of Claremont McKenna College and colleague Jesse Graham of the University of Southern California showed study participants either footage of BBC's "Planet Earth" nature documentary series or "neutral" news interviews.

After watching the clips, Valdesolo and Graham asked participants "how much awe they felt while watching the video, and whether they believed that worldly events unfold according to some god's or other non-human entity's plan."

The researchers said that the those who had watched "Planet Earth," a show which includes imagery of earth's waterfalls, canyons, jungles and mountain peaks, were more likely to believe in God and in more supernatural control than participants who had only watched the news. Keep reading
At Hope Church, one of the new church plants in which I have been involved, we found scenes from nature very effective as the background in the slides and video clips of the lyrics of songs used in worship. 

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