Origins of Religion

There really is such a thing as spirit, but it is not as people have imagined it in the past. Spirit is information of a special kind. It is quirky and individual to each of us, and is precious because it is not eternal.

We are beings that do not see the world literally or dispassionately. We see the world filtered through our most developed talent, our social intelligence, and spirituality is a direct consequence.

Our brains actively paint consciousness onto ourselves and onto the objects around us -- and the implications for spiritual belief are rather startling.

Eradicating religion is not possible. It is a fallacy that ignores the specs of the human machine. We are not rational entities. Religion grows on the social machinery in our brains.

By including the supernatural, community rituals that had incidental health and healing effects became shamanistic rituals of individual and community healing. The effects of these healing rituals were quite real.

The battle against terrorism requires that we understand its ideational roots, not all of which are intrinsically evil or irrational.