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Permalink Reply by Nelson on November 9, 2011 at 4:01pm

Best evidence from cognitive science and anthropology right now says it's the by-product of several (but primarily 3) of our evolved cognitive mechanisms. I can expand this into an explanation or provide a suggested reading list. Let me know if you'd like either or both.

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Permalink Reply by Sharon M on November 14, 2011 at 11:07pm

Hmm this is a very interesting question. I'm also very curious to know if there is an evolutionary purpose to religion. 

Personally, I always thought it was just something older civilizations used to explain all the things they could not discover on their own at the time. 

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Permalink Reply by Nelson on November 14, 2011 at 11:26pm

There's several good books on this subject. Especially Pascal Boyer's Religion Explained. He explains that anthropology shows that this explanation doesn't work.

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Permalink Reply by Sharon M on November 14, 2011 at 11:31pm

Thank you, I will definitely try to get my hands on that

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Permalink Reply by Nelson on November 14, 2011 at 11:59pm

No problem whatsoever.

 

It's a fascinating subject. By the way, a much shorter introduction to the topic, though without the demonstration of why the traditional explanations for religious thought don't work, is Justin Barrett's Why Would Anyone Believe in God?

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