Around the world and throughout history, in cultures as diverse as ancient Mesopotamia and modern America, human beings have been compelled by belief in gods and developed complex religions around them. But why? What makes belief in supernatural beings so widespread? And why are the gods of so many different people so similar in nature? This provocative book explains the origins and persistence of religious ideas by looking through the lens of science at the common structures and functions...

Around the world and throughout history, in cultures as diverse as ancient Mesopotamia and modern America, human beings have been compelled by belief in gods and developed complex religions around them. But why? What makes belief in supernatural beings so widespread? And why are the gods of so many different people so similar in nature? This provocative book explains the origins and persistence of religious ideas by looking through the lens of science at the common structures and functions...

Recent cognitive approaches to the study of religion have yielded much understanding by focusing on common psychological processes that all humans share. One leading theory, Harvey WhitehouseOs modes of religiosity theory, demonstrates how two distinct modes of organizing and transmitting religious traditions emerge from different ways of activating universal memory systems. In Mind and Religion, top scholars from biology to religious studies question, test, evaluate and challenge Whitehou...

At no time in history has the United States had such a high percentage of theocratic members of Congress—those who expressly endorse religious bias in law. Just as ominously, especially for those who share the values and views of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, at no other time have religious fundamentalists effectively had veto power over one of the country's two major political parties. As Sean Faircloth argues in this deeply sobering yet highly engaging book, this has led to the cru...

Jesus Cries When You Touch Yourself is a comic monologue written in tribute to the late George Carlin on the topic of religious bullshit in America. Influenced by Carlin, Friedrich Nietzsche, Bill Maher, Monty Python, and the writers of South Park, the author uses constant mockery and absurdist humor on a tour of ridiculous beliefs in America. With devastating logic, Jesus, the most beloved character in all of history, is revealed to be the world's greatest pedophile. After all, if Jesus i...

A provocative critique of organized religion, perfect for fans of Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins.Oh, Your God! argues that the world would be better off without organized religion. Joshua Kelly draws from philosophy, history, and current events to illustrate the harmful effects of religious dogma on individuals and societies. He examines the hypocrisy of religious institutions, the violence incited by religious beliefs, and the incompatibility of ...

The New York Times–bestselling author of The Believing Brains explores how science makes us better people.From Galileo and Newton to Thomas Hobbes and Martin Luther King, Jr., thinkers throughout history have consciously employed scientific techniques to better understand the non-physical world. The Age of Reason and the Enlightenment led theorists to apply scientific reasoning to the non-scientific disciplines of politics, economics, and moral phi...

In this groundbreaking volume, J. Anderson Thomson, Jr., MD, with Clare Aukofer, offers a succinct yet comprehensive study of how and why the human mind generates religious belief. Dr. Thomson, a highly respected practicing psychiatrist with credentials in forensic psychiatry and evolutionary psychology, methodically investigates the components and causes of religious belief in the same way any scientist would investigate the movement of astronomical bodies or the evolution of life over ti...

Dawkins, Hitchens, Harris and Dennett opened the door to a hard nosed look at religion in our society but no one seemed to be using their concepts to explain the psychology of religion and its practical effects on people. Dr. Darrel Ray, psychologist and lifelong student of religion stepped into this gap to discuss religious infection from the inside out. How does guilt play into religious infection? Why is sexual control so important to so many religions? What causes the anxiety and neuro...

Every statement that a person makes is either true or falsethat is, a lie. In his comprehensive study, Lies Have Ruined the World, author Dennis Proux seeks to expose the dishonesty, myths, and fabrications provided by powerful influences in the most important areas of our lives, including religious institutions, government, and our legal system.Proux feels that all humans yearn to be free to discover their own worlds and realize their full potential. While relying on the ...

This antiquarian book contains a fascinating treatise on atheism, religion, and science. A thought-provoking and informative exploration of the ostensibly opposed ideas and beliefs of science and popular religion, this volume is highly recommended for those with an interest in the development of religious beliefs and the validity of alternative theories. The chapters of this book include: “The Revolution of Religious Beliefs”, “The Koran and the Old and New Testaments”, “The Prophets Moham...

The tides are turning. Organized religion is losing it's credibility to the groundbreaking discoveries made by the scientific community which is continually providing empirical evidence for what was once held sacred. With the advent of the World Wide Web and through the tireless efforts of civil rights organizations and advocates of reason, our species advances further into the post-modern world.This is positive growth, but the growing pains are giving the earth and many of it's in...