Religion word button on keyboard with soft focus

Science on Religion

A Public Forum for Exploring the Biocultural Dimensions of Religion

Religious beliefs and practices do not emerge in isolation—they are shaped by the human brain, social structures, and historical contexts. Advances in neuroscience, psychology, anthropology, and evolutionary studies have revealed that religious experiences are deeply influenced by cognitive processes, emotional responses, and cultural traditions. At the same time, religion itself shapes human behavior, social cohesion, and ethical frameworks.

Science on Religion is dedicated to exploring this complex relationship.

Methodology

Approach: The platform curates and presents research findings from various disciplines, including neuroscience, psychology, anthropology, and sociology, to explore the multifaceted nature of religion. By integrating perspectives from these fields, it provides a holistic view of religious phenomena.

Tools & Techniques: Utilizing articles, book reviews, and video content, ‘Science on Religion’ disseminates information through multiple formats. This multimedia approach ensures that complex scientific concepts are conveyed in an engaging and comprehensible manner.

Cross-Disciplinary: Rather than restricting our exploration to traditional academic channels, we invite experts to contribute essays, research overviews, and reflections on core questions in the science of religion. These contributions are published on ScienceOnReligion.org, offering a space for scholars to engage with one another and the broader public in an accessible, thought-provoking way.

Central Questions We Explore

To date, we have invited scholars to reflect on and contribute to discussions surrounding key themes such as:

What is the biocultural study of religion?
How do cognitive and neurological mechanisms shape religious experiences?
In what ways does religious belief influence human cooperation and social structures?
What evolutionary and cultural functions does religion serve?

Through these discussions, we aim to foster a broad and inclusive conversation that spans disciplines and perspectives.

Focus Areas

Videos: Visual content that complements written articles, offering interviews, lectures, and discussions with experts in the field.
Research News: Updates on the latest studies and findings in the biocultural study of religion.
Research in Focus: In-depth analyses of specific research topics, providing detailed insights into particular aspects of religion and its biocultural dimensions.
Book Reviews: Critical evaluations of recent publications in the field, guiding readers toward significant literature.

We invite you to explore the diverse content available on ‘Science on Religion’ to gain a comprehensive understanding of the biocultural study of religion.

Visit our website at scienceonreligion.org for the latest research news, in-depth analyses, and multimedia content.

Sign up for the CMAC newsletter and be the first to know about new publications, project activity, and upcoming events.

By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: Business Name. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact

Wildman

CMAC’s approach is innovative, it’s risky and ultimately it might not work. But this approach does promise breakthrough change, allowing us to test before we invest in new interventions. We use these techniques routinely when we design cars, bridges and factories. And speaking for myself, a change skeptic, I finally feel I’m telling myself the truth about real-world change. I’ll keep up the rhythm of small-change activities. And I’ll make a very precise, limited and deliberate move on the big-change stage through CMAC.

Wesley Wildman
Executive Director

Teehan

After two (intense) days with the people at CMAC, going through the process of translating my hypothesis about religion and empathy into the language of computer modeling, it all began to make sense … Because of this method, we will actually be able to bring some data into a debate that would otherwise remain largely in speculation … It forced me to formulate my ideas in such precise and concrete terms (so they could be coded for) that I came away with a better understanding of my own theory.

John Teehan, Ph.D.
Hofstra University

Bacon

CMAC is a great environment when you are in a transitional stage of your early career and deciding what type of career path to pursue. There is such a wide variety of projects going on at one time, and even if you are assigned to primarily work on just one, there is frequently the opportunity to contribute to multiple projects. And in doing so, you get to use your skillset in areas outside your area of expertise, and also expand your skillset within your main area with an interdisciplinary team.

Rachel Bacon
Postdoctoral Fellow

Gore

Each member of the team was capable of synthesizing that multi-disciplinary knowledge into a single response to a complex problem statement. The realization was humbling and reshaped my view of what interdisciplinary work can be and how I pursue it.

Ross Gore, Ph.D.
Virginia Modeling, Analysis and Simulation Center