Many challenges confront evolutionary scholars of religion. The origins and adaptive value of religion and the conditions that selected for its evolution are difficult to discern. Patterns of religious behavior, like other areas of human social behavior, have undergone significant change over our evolutionary history. Evans-Pritchard1 argued that dramatic historical changes in religious behavio...

This chapter pertains to exploring the political resurgence of religion, seeking to answer the pressing question of first, what accounts for religious revival in the age of globalization and second, what accounts for the political success or failure of religious movements, mostly in terms of exerting political influence on their domestic spheres and arenas. In order to answer these questions, t...

This research examines dynamics and change in the Iranian family during the recent half- century especially subsequent to the Islamic revolution in 1979. Developmental positions and changes are discussed and consideration is given to the extent to which family dynamics and change have been influenced by structural changes or ideational forces. We will focus on ideational forces based on a new a...

the study of the function of religion in creating meaning in man’s individual life and its social effects is one of the significant subjects in sociology of religion. the significance of meaning in life stems from the fact that with the advent of the modern world, the traditional value systems encounter a challenge and the volatility of the modern world life, its multiple of meanings and its va...

Defining religion has never been simple; it is not a one-dimensional, monolithic condition but rather a complex enterprise with multi-dimensional consequences (Saroglou, 2013). Clifford Geertz (1973) characterized religion as a cultural form which “denotes an historically transmitted pattern of meanings embodied in symbols, a system of inherited conceptions expressed in symbolic forms by means ...

There is a long-standing adage in Britain which, albeit brief, nonetheless illuminates aspects of the nation's culture. It states that there are two subjects that should not be raised in polite company and are likely to alienate strangers and even estrange friends: the topics of politics and religion. For those unfamiliar with British culture, this may suggest a disinterest in both politics and...

Many may be surprised by the juxtaposition of religion and sustainability in the title of this book. However, since the late 1980s, basic and applied research has increasingly attended to the relationship between religion and ecology, including the relevance of religion for sustainability as well as for the related arenas of environmentalism and conservation (e.g., Dudley, et al., eds., 2005, a...

As our nation has grown and continued to accept immigrants from around the world, multiculturalism has become the norm, and the growth of different religions or different subunits of certain religions (e.g., Islam and Hispanic Pentecostalism) is part of this trend. The mass media describe the general public’s rising interest in matters spiritual and religious, and point to the incredible range ...

The main goal of the workshop is to introduce CSS members to topics that are cutting edge in the cognitive science of religion. The papers draw on a variety of methodologies and disciplines, which is one of the main characteristics of the cognitive science of religion. Even though the focus is on religion, the researchers are involved in broader issues relevant to cognitive science. So the expe...