Minds and Gods The Cognitive Foundations of Religion

"Around the world and throughout history, in cultures as diverse as ancient Mesopotamia and modern America, human beings have been compelled by belief in gods and developed complex religions around them. But why? What makes belief in supernatural begins so widespread? And why are the gods of so many different people so similar in nature? This book explains the origins and persistence of religious ideas by looking through the lens of science at the common structures and functions of human thought."--BOOK JACKET.

Todd Tremlin is Assistant Professor of Religion at Central Michigan University. His work has appeared in volumes like Mind and Religion: Psychological and Cognitive Foundations of Religion and several periodicals, including the Journal of Cognition and Culture.