The relationship between religion and morality has long been hotly debated. Does religion
make us more moral? Is it necessary for morality? Do moral inclinations emerge …

For centuries, humans have contemplated the minds of gods. Research on religious
cognition is spread across sub‐disciplines, making it difficult to gain a complete …

The battle between religion and science, competing methods of knowing ourselves and our
world, has been raging for many centuries. Now scientists themselves are looking at …

Religious rituals often entail significant investments of time, energy, and money, and can risk
bodily harm. Instead of being evolutionarily inexplicable, such costly religious acts have …

In recent years, scientists based in a variety of disciplines have attempted to explain the
evolutionary origins of religious belief and practice–. Although they have focused on …

Agency detection is a central concept in the cognitive science of religion (CSR).
Experimental studies, however, have so far failed to lend support to some of the most …

Reviewing anthropological analyses of possession forms cross-culturally and drawing from
recent advances in cognitive psychology, this paper attempts to explain recurrent features of …

The rise of early Christianity has been examined from a myriad of perspectives, but until
recently ritual has been a neglected topic. Ritual and Christian Beginnings: A Socio …

The cognitive science of religion (CSR) arose out of attempts to “science up” religious
studies and the anthropology of religion without eliminating interpretive approaches. While …

Humans across the globe use supernatural beliefs to explain the world around them. This
article explores whether cultural groups invoke the supernatural more to explain natural …