Religion and Faith: A Decision Theory Perspective
We examine the implications of decision theory for religious choice and evangelism under the assumption that people choose their religion. The application of decision theory leads us to a broad definition of religion and a particular definition of faith, each related to the uncertainty associated wi...
| Authors: | ; |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
[publisher not identified]
[2009]
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| In: |
Interdisciplinary journal of research on religion
Year: 2009, Volume: 5, Pages: 1-19 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei registrierungspflichtig) |
| Summary: | We examine the implications of decision theory for religious choice and evangelism under the assumption that people choose their religion. The application of decision theory leads us to a broad definition of religion and a particular definition of faith, each related to the uncertainty associated with what happens to a person after death. We examine two extremes: total ambiguity and no ambiguity. For the extreme of total ambiguity, we show that there is "designer religion", which is a religion that will capture all decision makers when any one of the standard decision criteria is applied. For the extreme of no ambiguity, we characterize the conditions under which a decision maker will find new religious information more valuable, and we characterize a "miracle" in a specific way. |
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| ISSN: | 1556-3723 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Interdisciplinary journal of research on religion
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