Belief in God: Why People Believe, and Why They Don’t

Bibliographic Collection:

APE

Keywords:

Belief

God

Religion

Publication Type: Journal Article

Authors: Mercier, Brett; Kramer, Stephanie R.; Shariff, Azim F.

Year of Publication: 2018

Journal: Current Directions in Psychological Science

Volume: 27

Issue: 4

Pagination: 263 - 268

Date Published: 2018/08/01

Publication Language: eng

ISBN Number: 0963-7214

Abstract:

Belief in a god or gods is a central feature in the lives of billions of people and a topic of perennial interest within psychology. However, research over the past half decade has achieved a new level of understanding regarding both the ultimate and proximate causes of belief in God. Ultimate causes?the evolutionary influences on a trait?shed light on the adaptive value of belief in God and the reasons why a tendency toward this belief exists in humans. Proximate causes?the immediate influences on the expression of a trait?explain variation and changes in belief. We review this research and discuss remaining barriers to a fuller understanding of belief in God.

Notes:

doi: 10.1177/0963721418754491

URL: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0963721418754491

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721418754491

Short Title: Curr Dir Psychol Sci

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