An Alternative Approach to Dreams and Visions

[thomas_t]

In the Bible, every mentioned dream comes directly from God (or other higher forces).

Psychologist Andy Thomson provides another explanation: the brain makes them itself.
I'm sure this explanation makes great sense. Bible makes great sense also.
In my opinion, you are left with two perfect explanations! Have your pick!

Both could even be true at the same time in a sense that God could cause the human brain to elaborate a dream.

Later, he talks about cognitive mechanisms that cause people to believe in God/ in gods.
I think his mechanisms are all true... so is the Bible, also.
I believe there are cognitive mechanisms that make us believe certain things... AND a real God who draws us towards himself.

Here's the video I was referring to:

Regards,
Thomas

 

[Ophiolite]

It is always a delight to see a skilled brain apply rationalisation to support its beliefs.

[Posted with a wry and friendly smile.]

 

[Hawkins]

I bet you missed something you don't know. You assume that a dream from God cannot be confirmed through a viable process to the one who delivered the dream.

A prophet dream can actually be confirmed if it's from God and to someone who can be referred to as a witness or a prophet. Such a dream is divided into two parts, one inside the dream with the other in reality. To illustrate, you had a dream where you read a series of number 1, 3, 5.... After waking up the Holy Spirit will inform you that the dream is about something prophetically given to you. Then in reality you read a serious a number closely related to the numbers you dreamed, it's 2, 4, 6...etc. When you combine the two it becomes 123456 out of which you can have a meaning message closely related to what is given through a half dreaming and half reality combination.

This can be referred as a kind to "time trick" through which God can confirm to a witness that it is a dream from God. It is different from a vision through a dream without a later confirmation from God. Today, everyone may be gifted to have a vision as "your sons and daughters can dream", but not everyone can deliver a confirmation from God.

God usually actively gives confirmation of this kind during the period of the crafting of OT and NT, perhaps also when the very end is drawing nearby.

Acts 14:3 (NIV2011)
So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders.