ABSTRACT
This book takes a multi-dimensional and multi-disciplinary approach to religion, religiosity and theology from their earliest beginnings to the present day. It uniquely brings together the natural sciences and theology to explore how religious practice emerged and developed through the four sections into which the book is organized: Evolutionary biology; Philosophical linguistics, psychology and neuroscience; Theology and Anthropology.
The volume features an international panel of contributors who develop an innovative picture of religion as a culturally-created social institution; religiosity as a more personal and subjective anthropological element of people expressed through religion; and theology as the study of god. To survive in changing times, living systems — a good characterization of religion, religiosity and theology — all must adaptively evolve.
This is a vital study of a rapidly burgeoning field. As such, it will be of great interest to scholars in religious studies and theology as well as in the psychological, sociological, and anthropological study of religion.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
chapter |17 pages
Introduction
part 1|66 pages
Evolutionary Biology
part 2|85 pages
Philosophy of Language, Psychology and Neuroscience
chapter 5|17 pages
A History of the Evolution of Religion
chapter 6|16 pages
The Processes of Believing in Religion’s Evolution
chapter 7|18 pages
Near-Death and Out-of-Body Experiences in Sensing the Divine
chapter 8|16 pages
Awe as a Meaning-Making Emotion
chapter 9|16 pages
Whence This Need for Salvation?
part 3|65 pages
Theology
chapter 12|16 pages
Neoteny and Homo Religiosus
part 4|53 pages
Anthropology