DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY

GEDC 221 | RELIGION & SPIRITUALITY

WRITTEN OUTLINE PRESENTATION
Instructor: MR. KENDRILLE P. CACACTIN

BIOLOGICAL, COGNITIVE AND PSYCHOLOGICAL BASIS/ THEORIES OF RELIGION

Prepared by: Meryl Joyce E. Encienzo

Overview

Throughout history, there have been many attempts to understand the reasons why cultures
develop various kinds of spiritual beliefs. Generally, theories of religion attempt to explain the
origin and function of religion.

There are several different theories of religion. Some of these theories include the Biological,
Cognitive, and Psychological Basis of religion. These theories exist to somehow explain the
theories of religion in a non-theological basis.

This outline will serve as a guide to assess the different backgrounds of religious theories,
namely, the Biological, Cognitive, and Psychological Basis in the Theories of Religion.

Outline:

BIOLOGICAL
 Morality has been a central part of all of the major doctrinal religions since the Axial Age
(800-200 BCE) and that the origins of these religions are closely tied to the evolution of
morality.
 There are many biological mechanisms that have evolved as a part of a system with
many components for promoting morality and increasing the likelihood that individuals
will be religious.
 The preferences of individuals for certain stimuli, and several other mechanisms in the
brain, tend to increase the chances of having experiences perceived to be religious.
Many of these mechanisms promote moral and religious behavior and feelings.
 The link between moral actions and many religious practices has been key.
 Genetics affects the structure for morality and religion, but no mechanism is genetically
determined. It has long been emphasized by behavioral biologists that all characteristics
of animals, behavioral or otherwise, are affected by both the genome and the
environment
 The biological mechanisms that promote morality and religion include some simpler
perceptual and some complex cognitive and emotional components.
 Modern doctrinal religions are a development of having a sophisticated moral code and
are a structure to support it.
 All modern doctrinal religions have a moral code with a list of things to do or not do as a
central aspect.
 Widespread empathy can be the basis for the concept of a spirit linking all sentient
beings.
 The group found differences in brain interactions that involved the theory of mind, or
ToM, brain network, which underlies the ability to relate between one's personal beliefs,
intents and desires with those of others. Individuals with stronger ToM activity were
found to be more religious. Deshpande says this supports the hypothesis that
development of ToM abilities in humans during evolution may have given rise to religion
in human societies.

COGNITIVE
 The cognitive science of religion is the most recent attempt to decipher its role in the
world because it puts aside theistic and atheistic biases and tries to understand the
psychology underpinning religious thought, belief, and behavior.
 DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY
GEDC 221 | RELIGION & SPIRITUALITY
WRITTEN OUTLINE PRESENTATION
Instructor: MR. KENDRILLE P. CACACTIN

 The Cognitive and neural foundation of religious belief analysis reveals 3 psychological
dimensions of religious belief (God's perceived level of involvement, God's perceived
emotion, and doctrinal/experiential religious knowledge), which functional MRI localizes
within networks processing Theory of Mind regarding intent and emotion, abstract
semantics, and imagery.
 The results in the cognitive study are unique in demonstrating that specific components
of religious belief are mediated by well-known brain networks, and support
contemporary psychological theories that ground religious belief within evolutionary
adaptive cognitive functions.
 Like all other behavior psychologists have studied, religious behavior is influenced by an
interaction between nature and nurture.

PSYCHOLOGICAL
 It seems people can use religion as a safety net to help cope with problems like personal
loss and economic inequality, but a third social source for religion is seen in the
correlation between religion and certain values, suggesting the possibility that religion is
a way for people to cement their values as correct and explicitly express them as their
way of life.
 Religion can calm anxiety, provide patterns when faced with uncertainty, help us cope
with loss or inequality, and present a structured framework for our values.
 Religion appears as an almost logical next step for people at many points in their lives,
providing comfort and answers to what our minds are naturally searching for.

Insights

Theories in religion offer us insights into the nature of religion and its impact on society. These
theories help us understand how religion affects our lives and how it can improve our
understanding of the world around us. Religion is a complex and often misunderstood topic. It
can be challenging to study religion objectively because it has many explanations, backgrounds,
and origins in the biological, cognitive, and psychological aspects. However, using theories from
religion, we can better understand how religion is constructed and how we will base our
perspectives around it.

References:

Broom, D. (2019). The Biological Basis for Religion and Religion’s Evolutionary Origins.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/335762176_The_Biological_Basis_for_Religi
on_and_Religion%27s_Evolutionary_Origins

Kapogiannis D., Deshpande, G., Krueger, F., Thornburg, M., Grafman, J. H. (2013). Brain
Networks Shaping Religious Belief: Brain Connectivity.
https://www.scienceworldreport.com/articles/12256/20140119/evidence-of-biological-
basis-for-religion-in-human-evolution.htm

Swan, T. (2022). The Cognitive Science of Religion. https://owlcation.com/social-sciences/The-

Cognitive-Science-of-Religion

Kapogiannis, D., Barbey, A. K., Su, M., Zamboni, G., Krueger, F., & Grafman, J. (2009). Cognitive
and neural foundations of religious belief. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0811717106

Vargas, L. (2019). The Psychological Basis for Religion. https://scholarship.rice.edu/bitstream/

handle/1911/106099/examiner-2019-art12.pdf
 DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY
GEDC 221 | RELIGION & SPIRITUALITY
WRITTEN OUTLINE PRESENTATION
Instructor: MR. KENDRILLE P. CACACTIN