Sightings 8/5/04 Neuroscience and Religious Architecture -- Arthur E. Farnsley II In late April, the Acade y o! Neuroscience !

or Architecture "ANFA# held a $or%shop entitled &E'periencing (acred (paces.& )he $or%shop $as held in *olu +us, Indiana and sho$cased the city,s !ine odern architecture including churches +y Eliel (aarinen, Eero (aarinen, and -unnar .ir%erts, an I./. 0ei li+rary, and a 1enry /oore arch$ay. I %no$ nothing a+out either neuroscience or architecture, +ut I $as in2ited to the $or%shop +ecause I li2e in *olu +us and %no$ so ething a+out religion. I a also a sporadic attender at North *hristian *hurch, the younger (aarinen,s !inal e!!ort and argua+ly the $orld,s !inest e'a ple o! odern church architecture on a odest scale. )he scientists and architects gathered not to o!!er ans$ers, +ut to !or ulate 3uestions. )he group,s president, 4ohn E+erhard, +elie2es that &+eing trans!or ed +y space is a po$er!ul e'perience, especially $hen it is sacred space.& /ost o! the participants, e2en those $ho $ere not spiritually inclined, see ed to agree. )heir goal $as to de2elop research 3uestions that ight lend the sel2es to e2entual e pirical in3uiry. ANFA $as !ounded on the pre ise that neuroscience has reached a point $here it can easure hu an,s cogniti2e and e otional e'periences. -i2en this, it is no$ possi+le to as% e pirical 3uestions a+out $hat %inds o! spaces inspire a$e, surprise, ystery, an'iety, or co !ort. At least in principle, as the neuroscientists tell it, a congregation could decide $hat sense o! the sacred it $ants its $orship space to in2o%e and then test potential designs on real people to see i! cause produces e!!ect. )his raises a ultitude o! 3uestions. *an sacred e'periences truly +e easured5 E2en i! they could, $hat happens i! su+se3uent generations $ish their $orship space to e2o%e di!!erent reactions5 6ill a single design elicit the sa e response !ro young and old, en and $o en, rich and poor, eastern and $estern5 /ight there +e so e insidious ele ent in using neurological e'peri ents to shape hu an e'perience5 Is this a little too high-tech and Brave New World !or ost churchgoers5 Finally, is this e erging !ield 7ust a playground !or intellectuals $ith nothing +etter to do5 I cannot ans$er all o! those 3uestions "and I dou+t the !ol%s at ANFA can ans$er the yet either#, +ut Ro+ert (chuller, o! *rystal *athedral !a e, attended the con!erence and his acti2e participation suggests that these ideas are +eing ta%en seriously. 8r. (chuller spo%e to a pu+lic gathering at .ir%ert,s (t. 0eter,s 9utheran *hurch, attended so e o! the $or%shops, and re!erred to the su+7ect in his ne't (unday,s tele2ised ser on. (acred spaces are not the only ite on ANFAs agenda. )hey are also loo%ing into $ays that neuroscience can in!or the spatial design o! healthcare !acilities, ele entary schools, and hu an ha+itats. .ut religious spaces !igure pro inently in this research and are a topic o! continuing interest else$here. )he 4une :5, ;004, edition o! Christian

Century carried a re2ie$ o! !our ne$ +oo%s on the su+7ect. )he recent 2ideo series Faith and Community: the Public Role of Religion includes (acred (paces a ong its :: odules. I ha2e 2isited (t. 0aul,s in 9ondon at least a do<en ti es and ha2e +een o2erco e +y a$e and $onder in e2ery instance. I ha2e no dou+t that (ir *hristopher 6ren used the understanding o! hu an psyche a2aila+le to hi to create certain 2isual, and ulti ately e otional, e!!ects, and that Eero (aarinen did the sa e centuries later $hen he created North *hristian. )he conte porary !aith co unity !re3uently interprets that &psyche& -- !ro rationality to e otions -- in psychological ter s. It is i portant to recogni<e that neuroscience is +eco ing an increasingly i portant tool !or e'plaining not only ho$ $e e'perience e'ternal sti uli, +ut e2en !or ho$ $e e'perience -od. Arthur Farnsley is co-author o! the !orthco ing Sacred Circles, Public S uares: !he "ulticentering of #merican Religion "Indiana =ni2ersity 0ress, !all ;004#. ---------Sightings co es !ro (chool. the /artin /arty *enter at the =ni2ersity o! *hicago 8i2inity

(u+ issions policy Sightings $elco es su+ issions o! 500 to >50 $ords in length that see% to illu inate and interpret the !orces o! !aith in a pluralist society. 0re2ious colu ns gi2e a good indication o! the topical range and tone !or accepta+le essays. )he editor also encourages ne$ approaches to issues related to religion and pu+lic li!e. Attri+ution *olu ns ay +e 3uoted or repu+lished in !ull, $ith attri+ution to the author o! the colu n, Sightings, and the /artin /arty *enter at the =ni2ersity o! *hicago 8i2inity (chool. *ontact in!or ation 0lease send all in3uiries, co ents, and su+ issions to Eli<a+eth 1ayes Al2are<, anaging editor o! Sightings, at sightings-ad in?listhost.uchicago.edu. (u+scri+e, unsu+scri+e, or anage your su+scription at the Sightings su+scription page.