Faculty of Arts and Sciences, School of Psychology, Australian Catholic University (ACU), Melbourne, Australia.
Asian J Psychiatr. 2012 Dec;5(4):347-50. doi: 10.1016/j.ajp.2012.09.010. Epub 2012 Oct 31.
Neuro-biological studies have established the perennial teaching of all the world's religious traditions that human persons are primarily religious/spiritual beings. They confirm that religion and spirituality are hardwired into the human brain and into human nature. The transcendental dimension of human nature demands that progress in man's ethical formation and inner growth is the most essential aspect of holistic health. Their experience of the divine led the Hindu sages to commit themselves to establish peace, happiness and well-being for all the human family and the universe. Judeo-Christian theology advocates that human beings created in the image of God have potential for theocentric-transcendence. Catholic theologians like St. Augustine propose that God has made humans for himself and that their hearts are restless until they rest in him. With the revolutionary shift in recent years from attacking faith and religion to the exploration of the benefits of spirituality and religion for human flourishing, the outstanding themes of Christian theology and other religious traditions became topics of research in health sciences. Interdisciplinary interaction will result in attaining a profound understanding of the human person and help him/her to achieve lasting fulfilment by adequately paying attention to the transcendental, religious and spiritual needs.
神经生物学研究已经证实，世界上所有宗教传统的教义都一贯认为，人首先是宗教/精神存在。这些研究证实，宗教和精神被深深地植入人类大脑和人类本性之中。人类本性的超越维度要求，在人的伦理形成和内在成长方面取得进步，是整体健康的最本质方面。印度教圣人的超凡体验使他们致力于为全人类和整个宇宙实现和平、幸福和安康。犹太教-基督教神学主张，按照上帝形象创造的人具有以神为中心的超越的潜能。像圣奥古斯丁这样的天主教神学家则提出，上帝创造人类是为了他自己，人类的心灵在没有安息在他里面之前是不会平静的。近年来，人们对信仰和宗教的态度发生了革命性的转变，从攻击转变为探索灵性和宗教对人类繁荣的益处，基督教神学和其他宗教传统的杰出主题成为健康科学研究的课题。跨学科的互动将有助于深刻理解人类，并通过充分关注超越、宗教和精神需求来帮助他/她实现持久的满足。
