Theological Incorrectness

Why Religious People Believe What They Shouldn't

D Jason Slone author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Oxford University Press Inc

Published:18th Mar '04

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Theological Incorrectness cover

Why do religious people believe what they shouldn't - not what others think they shouldn't believe, but things that don't accord with their own avowed religious beliefs? Slone terms this phenomenon 'theological incorrectness'. He argues that it exists because the mind is built in such a way that it is natural for us to think divergent thoughts simultaneously. Human minds are great at coming up with innovative ideas that help them make sense of the world, but those ideas do not always accord with official religious beliefs. Slone presents the latest discoveries from the cognitive science of religion and shows how they help us to understand exactly why it is that religious people do and think things that they shouldn't.

An exploration of the reasons why religious people often behave in unorthodox, if predictable, ways, Jason Slone's Theological Incorrectness is the latest in a growing number of cognitive studies of religio? * and the most accessible to date. The chapters presenting this new approac?which argues that religion is a natural by-product of ordinary cognitio?are exceptionally clear, making the book a welcome choice for use in undergraduate education. And Slone's example?Buddhism, Christianity, and the perseverance of luck in religious practice?convincingly demonstrate its value not only to those encountering it for the first time but to established scholars of religious studies as well.Luther H. Martin, Professor of Religion, The University of Vermont *

ISBN: 9780195169263

Dimensions: 145mm x 211mm x 23mm

Weight: 366g

168 pages