At any rate, I don't think our evolution specifically oriented us to a belief in God; rather, we're optimized to think in narratives, operate in groups, and seek purposes higher than ourselves. The God meme(s) are an independent development that happen to conveniently satisfy all three.
When a psychologist uses the term "religiosity", they don't mean "belief in God". When a neuroscientist makes a "God helmet", his tongue is firmly in his cheek. And, when an anthropologist is quoted making psychological arguments, the journalist couldn't find a developmental psychologist to support their thesis.
I'll agree that a sort of naturalistic spiritualism is innate in some people, especially children (one's grasp of reality develops much later than one's imagination), and the human brain does tend to think rather superstitiously. But, it's a big leap to say "we are born to believe in God".
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[ 3.3 ms ] story [ 117 ms ] threadPS: There are a wider range of religions than just those that have a God.
At any rate, I don't think our evolution specifically oriented us to a belief in God; rather, we're optimized to think in narratives, operate in groups, and seek purposes higher than ourselves. The God meme(s) are an independent development that happen to conveniently satisfy all three.
I'll agree that a sort of naturalistic spiritualism is innate in some people, especially children (one's grasp of reality develops much later than one's imagination), and the human brain does tend to think rather superstitiously. But, it's a big leap to say "we are born to believe in God".