Is Religion Biologically Hardwired? episode artwork

EPISODE · Sep 14, 2026 · 14 MIN

Is Religion Biologically Hardwired?

from ReligionForBreakfast · host ReligionForBreakfast

Join our Patreon community!: https://patreon.com/religionforbreakfastOne-time donations here!: https://www.paypal.me/religionforbreakfastReligion is a social thing. It involves beliefs and practices passed on from generation to generation as an integral part of culture. But is there a biological default to religion hardwired in the brain of homo sapiens?For religious studies book recommendations, see: https://amazon.com/shop/religionforbr...Follow me on:Twitter @andrewmarkhenrywww.facebook.com/religionforbreakfastBibliography:Science on Religion: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/scienceonreligion/2013/12/is-religion-anthropomorphism/Patrican and Burris, “Am I the Stone? Overattribution of Agency and Religious Orientation,” Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 2012, Vol 4, No. 4, 312-323.Harris and Fiske: https://sites.duke.edu/flaubertsbrain/files/2012/08/Harris-and-Fiske-The-Brooms-in-Fantasia.pdfSteven Mithen, "Prehistory of the Mind," 2002.Justin Barrett, Cognitive Science Religion and Theology: From Human Minds to Divine Minds, Templeton Press, 2011. Marc Andersen: https://www-tandfonline-com.ezproxy.bu.edu/doi/full/10.1080/2153599X.2017.1378709“Learned Faith: The influence of evolved cultural learning mechanisms on belief in Gods. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 7(4), 327-335.Lanman, J. A., & Buhrmester, M. D. (2017). Religious actions speak louder than words: Exposure to credibility-enhancingdisplays predicts theism. Religion, Brain & Behavior, 7(1), 3–16.Willard, A. K., & Cingl, L. (2017). Testing theories of secularization and religious belief in the Czech Republic andSlovakia. Evolution and Human Behavior, 38(5), 604–615.Jonathan Lanman, “On The Nature and Future of Agency Detection and Religion,” Religion Brain and Behavior, 2018.Pascal Boyer, Religion Explained: The Evolutionary Origins of Religious Thought, 2001 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Is Religion Biologically Hardwired?

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