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February 2014

February 04, 2014

Holden Caulfield and the Super Bowl

Is the Super Bowl stupid? Sure. But let's stop the Holden Caulfield Syndrome of mocking...

January 2014

January 23, 2014

Spirit possession: everyone’s doing it

Anti-religion writers and cognitive scientists of religion alike tend to consider religion as if it...

January 13, 2014

My employer: The Institute for the Bio-Cultural Study of Religion

The Institute for the Bio-Cultural Study of Religion, also known as IBCSR, is an independent...

December 2013

December 31, 2013

Farewell to Ian Barbour

Ian Barbour, the physicist and religious studies scholar who passed away at the end of...

December 13, 2013

Inclusive fitness, models, and religious evolution

New research in evolutionary theory sheds light on a long-simmering debate in the scientific study...

November 2013

November 29, 2013

We are all teachers. Or at least we should be.

Internet comments and opinion pieces show that we're all pretty impatient with those who disagree...

November 11, 2013

What’s the Point of the Humanities? A Response to Pinker and Wieseltier

Science is sexy, confident, and universally adored—the star quarterback of our intellectual culture. But the...

November 05, 2013

Russell Brand is wrong about Western religions

What Brand forgets – or, more likely, has never learned, because no one teaches this...

October 2013

October 18, 2013

A friendly reminder: Science isn’t reality. Reality is reality.

The complementary opposite of science isn't religion, but embodiment. Despite their incredible effectiveness, scientific models...

October 07, 2013

Civil Religion: It’s What America Needs

As political battles reach new heights, and the fabric of the nation seems stretched to...

September 2013

September 26, 2013

Why conservatives hate Obamacare

Conservatives worry that offloading social responsibilities to an impersonal, systemic platform will corrode the collective...

August 2013

August 27, 2013

Calling an End to the Culture Wars

Connor Wood argues that conservative and liberal thought are both invaluable: conservatives are experts on...

August 20, 2013

Steven Pinker: Stop bashing religion. You’re hurting science.

If you force people to choose between traditional meaning and objective knowledge, they will choose...

August 13, 2013

The “Religion vs. Creativity” Debate Rages On

Even in the most integrated, holistic community, where everyone shares the same basic cosmological assumptions,...

July 2013

July 26, 2013

Why IS liberal Protestantism dying, anyway?

Liberal Protestant churches are losing members left and right, while conservative churches are doing just...

July 20, 2013

Science and humility

Connor Wood thinks we should always be humble about what we believe – even if...

July 16, 2013

Religion: is it always tribal?

New research shows that intense rituals can forge strong tribal identities – but also help...

July 09, 2013

Religion and creativity: A follow-up

Last week, Connor Wood claimed that religion and creativity were often incompatible. In response to...

July 03, 2013

Why aren’t religious people as creative as unbelievers?

Let's be honest: religion and creativity don't always mix. The world's fashion designers, rock musicians,...

May 2013

May 26, 2013

Response to Connor Wood: “Evolved” and “Rational” Aren’t the Same Thing

Nicholas C. DiDonato On this blog, my esteemed colleague and friend Connor Wood recently wrote...

May 17, 2013

Why the Templeton Foundation Is a Darn Good Thing

Physicist Sean Carroll recently made a splash across the Internet by proclaiming that he'll never...

April 2013

April 11, 2013

Religion, Ideology, and Environmentalism: A Tale of Morals

I believe the study of religion and ritual in human cultures argues compellingly for the...

February 2013

February 22, 2013

Rise in elder Korean suicides: A reminder that religion matters

The New York Times reports that South Korea's rise in suicides among the elderly may...

February 20, 2013

Journal articles on scientific study of religion available online this month

Taylor & Francis, the publisher of the journal Religion, Brain & Behavior, is making all...

October 2012

October 08, 2012

Creation and science: An interview with Karl Giberson

I'll start with my complaint about Seven Glorious Days: while it's a fun read and...

October 02, 2012

Patheos Book Discussion: Seven Glorious Days

Can scientific and religious accounts of cosmic creation be reconciled? Karl W. Giberson thinks they...

May 2012

May 24, 2012

Analytical thinking vs. religion

New studies show that analytical thinking is negatively correlated with religiosity. Connor Wood shows why...

March 2012

March 23, 2012

Darwinism: It’s true. But it ain’t pretty

Connor Wood For the scientifically literate, few things are as confusing as the persistent, even...

February 2012

February 16, 2012

Not-so-intelligent design

Evolution can sometimes produce characteristics that are, well, no good, from seed beetle genitalia that...