Social Capital (and Religion?) Helped the Spread of Nazism

2014-03-21T13:17:07-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Why IS liberal Protestantism dying, anyway?

Last updated on: March 21, 2014 at 1:17 pm By Connor Wood

Liberal Protestant churches are losing members left and right, while conservative churches are doing just fine. But why? Connor Wood thinks it's because liberal churches refuse to be strict, and refuse to demand real, costly investment from their members. Read more

Costly investment theory

Liberal Protestantism

2013-08-06T19:04:44-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Science and humility

Last updated on: August 6, 2013 at 7:04 pm By Connor Wood

Connor Wood thinks we should always be humble about what we believe – even if we're experts. The history of science shows why. Read more

Most Popular

2013-07-17T12:13:23-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Religion: is it always tribal?

Last updated on: July 17, 2013 at 12:13 pm By Connor Wood

New research shows that intense rituals can forge strong tribal identities – but also help people overcome tribal barriers. How does this affect our modern attitude toward religion? Read more

Costly investment theory

Religion and prejudice

2024-03-12T11:29:16-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Religion and creativity: A follow-up

Last updated on: March 12, 2024 at 11:29 am By Connor Wood

Last week, Connor Wood claimed that religion and creativity were often incompatible. In response to dozens of critiques and comments, this post picks apart the argument further and, data in hand, supports the original claim – with some qualifications. Read more

2013-08-06T19:05:24-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Why aren’t religious people as creative as unbelievers?

Last updated on: August 6, 2013 at 7:05 pm By Connor Wood

Let's be honest: religion and creativity don't always mix. The world's fashion designers, rock musicians, and star artists aren't exactly a churchgoing lot. But why is this? And how can we receive the benefits of stable, traditional life without leaving behind the burning creativity we need? Read more

2013-06-25T11:03:35-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Ritual bypasses conscious cognition

Last updated on: June 25, 2013 at 11:03 am By Connor Wood

Researchers from Denmark and New Zealand claim that ritual allows cultures to transmit knowledge by overloading participants' executive cognitive networks, leaving participants open to suggestions and influence by cultural authorities. Read more

Religion and perception

Science and religion

cognitive resource depletion

charismatic

cognition

cognitive

collective effervescence

2019-07-04T17:07:42-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

5 Ways Religion Can Influence Political Beliefs

Last updated on: July 4, 2019 at 5:07 pm By Nicholas Didonato

Sometimes religion leads to more political involvement, sometimes none at all; other times political involvement affects religion. Here are 5 ways religion can affect political beliefs. Read more

Religious ways of thinking

Most Popular

2013-06-14T13:46:19-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The neurology of spirit writing

Last updated on: June 14, 2013 at 1:46 pm By Connor Wood

Are spirit mediums for real? Who knows? But researchers in the US and Brazil have found that, real or not, certain mediums' brains act in some very interesting ways. Read more

Religion and perception

brain

brain activity

Brazil

computerized tomography

2014-09-15T19:09:59-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Over generations, religion shapes genetics

Last updated on: September 15, 2014 at 7:09 pm By Connor Wood

Research from a multinational team shows that religion has affected the ways that genes are transmitted in the Near East – for more than 2,000 years. Read more

Evolution

Science and religion