ABSTRACT
Religion represents one example of how humans are symbolic creatures, capable of imagining alternative universes. Saroglou’s ‘big four Bs’ (believing, bonding, behaving and belonging) help to distinguish religion from other transcendence-related experiences. Argyle regards religion as an attitude. ‘New Atheists’ believe that the existence of God is a legitimate scientific hypothesis. The cognitive science of religion (CSR) combines methods and theory from Cognitive, Developmental, and Evolutionary Psychology to explore causal explanations of religious phenomena. Piaget’s concept of artificialism is related to the teleological bias, making young children ‘intuitive theists’; this bias often persists into adulthood. Gods are typically perceived as omniscient, omnipresent, immortal, and invisible. Religious belief in some form of after – life provides literal immortality, while society provides many ways of achieving symbolic immortality. Batson and Stocks draw on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to help identify religion’s psychological functions. Studies of helping and altruism show quite strong effects of religion. While Freud saw religion as a collective neurosis, there’s a clear association between religion and reduced depression and anxiety; prayer is a major predictor of well-being. Prejudice and cognitive bondage are among the negative effects. The chapter concludes by discussing religion-as-attachment (RAA) theorizing and research, meaning, and spirituality.
