Our Religious Brains

The first accessible examination of the implications of cognitive studies for theology¿intended especially for lay people. In the last several decades, scientific research on the way the brain functions has revolutionized more than clinical psychology and medicine. Our brains do not simply process information. They create what each of us knows as reality and how we construe its meaning. This has dramatic implications not only for psychology, but for virtually every field, including religion. This groundbreaking, accessible book examines the implications of cognitive study for theology. It reviews current theory on how our brains construct our world in order to guide us safely through life, creating and appreciating meaning as we go. It explores what religious experience is as it plays out in our brains and how modern science challenges historic ideas about free will and undermines the religious concept of the soul as a metaphysical entity separable from the body. Finally, it examines what cognitive science reveals about community and asks why we should be loyal to one faith if, in fact, all major religious traditions deal effectively with universal human needs. Avoiding neurological jargon and respectful to all faiths, this is the first comprehensive look at the insights and challenges of cognitive studies for religion.