Are People Born to be Believers, or are Gods Born to be Believed?
Proposals that god-belief is an innate capacity of all humanity have not been confirmed by empirical studies. Scientific disciplines presently lean against god-belief’s innateness. Perhaps religion should be relieved that belief in gods is not innate. Intuitive cognitive functions supporting god-bel...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | |
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2017
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| In: |
Method & theory in the study of religion
Year: 2017, Volume: 29, Issue: 4/5, Pages: 353-373 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
God
/ Faith
/ Innate ideas
/ Kognitive Religionswissenschaft
/ Anthropology
/ Theology
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| RelBib Classification: | AA Study of religion AB Philosophy of religion; criticism of religion; atheism AE Psychology of religion FA Theology NBE Anthropology |
| Further subjects: | B
Religion
science of religion
anthropology
cognitive science
theology
popular religion
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| Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) |
| Summary: | Proposals that god-belief is an innate capacity of all humanity have not been confirmed by empirical studies. Scientific disciplines presently lean against god-belief’s innateness. Perhaps religion should be relieved that belief in gods is not innate. Intuitive cognitive functions supporting god-belief offer little convergence upon any god. Religious pluralism back to the Stone Age displays no consensus either. Any cognition for god-belief can only be deemed as mostly or entirely misleading. Theology has tried to forestall that skeptical judgment, by dictating what counts as authentic religiosity and who enjoys a valid idea of god. Justin Barrett exemplifies this theological interference with scientific inquiry. Contorting the anthropology and cognitive science of religion too far, his quest for a primal natural religion won’t match up with his search for intuitive conceptions of god. His quest for god-belief’s innateness devolves into theological dogmatism, deepening doubts that scientific theories of religion will validate god-belief. |
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| Physical Description: | Online-Ressource |
| ISSN: | 1570-0682 |
| Reference: | Kommentar in "On Naturalness, Innateness, and God-beliefs: A Reply to Shook (2017)"
Kommentar in "God Belief as an Innate Aspect of Human Nature: A Response to John Shook and Questions for Justin Barrett (2017)" Kommentar in "Studying Religion and Trying Theological Applications (2017)" Kommentar in "Some Comments on the Alleged Innateness of Religion (2017)" |
| Contains: | In: Method & theory in the study of religion
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1163/15700682-12341389 |