New Post: Philosophy of Religion
David Baggett, Professor of Philosophy at Liberty University, answers the question: ‘What is the Philosophy of Religion?’ at PhilosophyofReligion.Org Read it Here
Research
New Post: Philosophy of Religion
John Schellenberg, Professor of Philosophy at Mount Saint Vincent University, answers the question: ‘What is the Philosophy of Religion?’ at PhilosophyofReligion.Org Read it Here
New Post: Philosophy of Religion
Robert C. Neville, Professor of Philosophy, Religion and Theology at Boston University, answers the question: ‘What is the Philosophy of Religion?’ at PhilosophyofReligion.Org Read it Here
New Post: Philosophy of Religion
Michael Zank, Professor of Religion at Boston University and Acting Director of the Elie Wiesel Center of Judaic Studies, answers the question: ‘What is the Philosophy of Religion?’ at PhilosophyofReligion.Org Read it Here
New Publication: Understanding Atheism/Non-Belief
Research Associate Catherine Caldwell-Harris Religion, Brain and Behavior April 27, 2012 Abstract: A compelling body of scholarship exists which proposes that religious and spiritual beliefs exist in every human society because they reflect fundamental aspects of evolved human nature. This raises…
Review: Blind Faith
Richard P. Sloan’s book Blind Faith: The Unholy Alliance of Religion and Medicine begins with a description of patients who are asked to pray with their doctor as he prepares to perform surgery on them. With this and other examples…
Review: Ritual and Religion in the Making of Humanity
As one might expect given the title, Roy Rappaport in Ritual and Religion in the Making of Humanity (Cambridge University Press, 1999) spends a great deal of time exploring the notion of ritual in this book. A majority of the…
Book review: Science and the Spiritual Quest
Nearly a decade and a half ago, an elite group of scientists gathered in Berkeley, California, to participate in a groundbreaking project called Science and the Spiritual Quest. Their object was to share insights from science’s front lines about the…
Liberal Buddhism: exploring the boundaries
In Europe and North America, most religious people are Christian. This means that debates between theological liberals and conservatives in these countries are often about things like the divinity of Christ, the validity of other world religions, and the existence…
The fear of the Lord
In general, the stereotypical religious conservative understands God as ready to punish those who sin. By contrast, the stereotypical religious liberal views God as ready to forgive anyone and everyone. These views need not be completely incompatible, but each view…
How we pray
Most have long recognized that political liberals and conservatives have different outlooks on life. More precisely, research indicates that liberals tend to emphasize provision and conservatives tend to emphasize protection. Naturally, psychologists Kathrin Hanek (University of Michigan), Bradley Olson (National…
Guilt hurts – in more than one way
Guilt: it’s no fun. Knowing that we’ve harmed or let down someone we care about leads us to feel blue, self-conscious, and eager to make amends. However, many psychologists have suggested that the emotion of guilt is actually a highly…
Religion influences political opinions unconsciously
Should politics and religion mix? Actually, for Americans that might not be the right question to ask. The fact is, religion and politics already do mix in the U.S., making the right question more like “How do they mix, and…
Does being religious make you fat?
Most people go to church to get spiritually fed. The church provides a safe environment where its members can experience the wonders of religious life. Of course, while spiritual nourishment and religious experience are certainly important, they are not necessarily…
Does spirituality help well-being, or do we just need to be good to each other?
For some, religion is a way to achieve salvation – ensuring that, for example, one’s soul will be taken care of in the afterlife. But for many others, religion and spirituality are also about life in the here and now.…
Mind-body therapies gaining recognition for cancer patients
Why do we humans have things like rites, rituals, prayers, and beliefs? Many might answer that they help us to find meaning and purpose in life, feel connected with something greater, or ward off fear of death. But spirituality also…
Review: Andrew Newberg’s Principles of Neurotheology
Until recently, the standard position in the perennial religion vs. science wars was one of truce. Stephen J. Gould, the late evolutionary biologist, coined the phrase “non-overlapping magisteria” to formalize the terms of the truce: religion would confine itself to…
Tales of the cuddle chemical
It’s a “love drug.” It’s a “cuddle chemical.” The hormone and neurotransmitter oxytocin has gotten a lot of good press in the recent past, as research has shown that it seems to increase people’s level of affection, trust, and warmth…
Mind over matter
People have speculated over the value of meditating for thousands of years. Meditating seems to improve people’s mood, increase their self-awareness, and help them relax. Of course, mere hearsay will not convince neurologists—only empirical investigation will. To that end, a…
Meditation may affect more of the brain than supposed
In recent years, much ado has been made about mindfulness meditation. Researchers and psychologists have found strong, persistent connections between meditation and enhanced executive cognitive functions – that is, high-level brain processes, like attention switching, planning, and impulse control, that…