Questions and Answers
- 1. Given that the world contains 9,000 religions, which "God" do you refer to, and is it male, female or hermaphrodite? Or do you mean "God" as a concept, not a physical entity?
2. If a person experiences traumatic events in childhood, is his future behavior determined because of their intensity, or does free will overcome them? Or is behavior a combination of free will and previously determined cues, thus opening opportunity to choose which to apply to behavior? Is advertising an example of determinism, and isn't their purpose to determine or channel choices? Could that be true of all TV and movie
productions of highly intense nature?
3. Please produce a program on people who claim to hear voices, see objects "pop" out of thin air, see "movies" of past events in hologram form, see precognitive imagery that appears to slow time, then sees the physical objects seconds later. Psychiatrists say that people who claim to hear a male God speak to them -- Abraham, Mohammed, Joseph Smith -- are delusional/schizophrenic, and the religions they invent are forms of psychosis.
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1. God as a supernatural being, the creator of physical existence - not sectarian in any sense.
2. Free Will, which you rightly characterize, is a major issue -- Closer To Truth will be focusing on Free Will with multiple episodes over the next 2-3 years.
3. Abnormal psychology is a Closer To Truth topic in that it reflects on the nature of consciousness, not because it reveals the existence of hidden things. The controversies over ESP is a legitimate probe of the nature of the world. - Are there plans for future seasons of Closer to Truth? (click here for answer)
Yes, definitely. The new season begins in April (depending on which station you watch) - and we are planning >100 new episodes over the next several years. There's much to do on "cosmos, consciousness, God"! - Just a quick "HI" to Robert. I was a fellow laborer in Pasadena from 1967 -1974. I enjoy CtT very much & would like to pass along best wishes. I truly hope it continues a long, long time. It's the type of programming that helps an older brain stay healthy....in other words, "very deep thinking". Thanks,
Jack Bruce (click here for answer)
Hi Jack: Appreciate the kind words. Producing CTT is intense and consumptive, and it is gratifying to know that you enjoy our efforts. We intend producing CTT as long as we can.....
Best regards, Robert - Are transcripts available for any of the videos? (click here for answer)
Not yet; perhaps in the future. We will have DVDs later this year. - Do you have Just audio versions of each show as I would like to just listen to them like a podcast ? If not please make audio podcasts as they would be great !
Thanks (click here for answer)
We're working on it!
Thanks. - This is probably a question as Christians we hear all the time. If something bad or good is to happen to a person anyway then why pray? Either God is in control or he is not. And if he is in control than one about our free will. If everything is set in stone already there why worry about if you make the wrong choices or not?
This is not my personal question but a question I sooner or later get asked out in the ministry field.
Thank you (click here for answer)
Although some Christian theologians do teach that God's providence is absolute, the majority believe that God created human beings with Free Will - although explanations of how God (supposedly) knows and controls the future and Free Will can be complex, even tortuous. Fatalism is not a common Christian belief. And some theologians believe that the future is "open" and one of "becoming" so that even God cannot know of tomorrow what cannot be known today. - I have noticed that you don't have any videos that include either Sam Harris ( author of The End Of Faith) or Richard Dawkins (author of The God Delusion) who are perhaps the two most outspoken atheists currently alive and who are part of the New Atheism movement, which I guess began when Sam Harris published the End Of Faith. when I looked at the list of participants I was very surprised to not see them listed. I also noticed that Oxford Mathematician John Lennox (author of God and Stephen Hawking) was not listed either. I was very surprised by this as well, since he seems to be currently one of the most prominent defenders of christian theism. I know that out of all of the people who are so important in the current understanding of God, Consciousness, and the Cosmos that you could not possibly not talk to all of them, but nevertheless I was rather surprised to not see them included. You talked to over 100 people about God, Cosmos, and Consciousness, but nevertheless I was surprised not to see them included. I guess my question is when choosing who the participants would be did you expect that some viewers might be surprised that some certain people were not included kind of like how some readers of a book are surprised when they see the movie based on the book to see that certain parts of the book that they thought were rather important were not included in the final cut of the movie? (click here for answer)
We appreciate your comments. Closer To Truth has invited Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris to appear extensively, but without response -- the invitation remains open. We will be filming in the UK next summer and will contact John Lennox. Thanks again. - Consciousness is subjective, but could it ever be objective? Has any philosopher or scientist done any thought experiment aiming to answer this question? I ask this question because the more I think about it, the more I side with the impossibility of an "objective awareness." Please, I need some input. Thanks (click here for answer)
Yes, the subjectivity of consciousness is the crux of the problem - called the "Hard Problem." Some philosophers and neuroscientists, howeve,r do not think this is a real problem because every conscious state seems directly associated with certain brain states. Whether correlation is cause, of course, is the question. - Hi, I'm trying to find out how to watch Into God, the documentary. Is this available to watch online? All I keep finding is the trailer for it on youtube. I'd really love to watch this as I'm going through these very questions right now and am struggling to find answers. If it's not available yet, when and where will it be available? Will it be available to view online? Thank you so sincerely! (click here for answer)
We are still planning the Into God documentary - while we are producing a series of new Closer To Truth TV episodes on many of these topics. Keeping checking the CTT website for updates. Thanks! - I recognize the places in Cambridge, MA and Iceland, but I have to know: where is that statue of the giant pinkish-purple head, the cubic theater that projects fascinating images on its walls, and the woods where Dr. Kuhn likes to walk on a boardwalk and think? (click here for answer)
The statue is in San Francisco. The cubic theater was at Expo 2010 Shanghai. The woods were Redwooods in California Big Sur Area. Thanks for your interest!
Blog
Can Religion Be Explained Without God?
Most people believe that God exists and religion is God’™s revelation. But some claim that religion needs nothing supernatural; that religion, without God, can flourish because personal psychology and group sociology drive religion.
Current TV Episodes - Summaries.
The 39 episodes in the current TV season: 13 episodes each for Cosmos, Consciousness, God.
Future TV Episodes - Cosmos, Consciousness, God
Closer To Truth overview. Go behind the scenes and meet the CTT team. View photos from around the globe and more.
Additional material and resources on Closer To Truth topics.
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