What is Awe?

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The science of awe took off with the Apollo 8 mission of 1968. This episode explores the intersection of scientific research and biblical narrative as we consider the amazing benefits of the experience of AWE!
You’ve likely seen the iconic photo “Earthrise” taken by the crew of Apollo 8. For the first time humans saw their blue home planet rising above the forbidding lunar horizon. Awe enveloped them as this view of Earth changed their lives. Some say the beginning of the study of awe at the academic level began because of that Apollo 8 mission. Join us as we discuss “What is awe?” gleaning from scientific research and biblical teaching. Passages discussed include Luke 5:20-26 and 7:9-17.

We discuss 8 pathways to awe, from the work of Dr. Dacher Keltner, a professor of psychology at UC Berkeley. He and his colleagues identify eight different pathways to experience awe: 1) The moral beauty of people, 2) nature, 3) collective effervescence,4) dance movement, 5) the cultural stuff of visual design, 6) music, 7) spirituality, and 8) big ideas in life and death. 

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