Archive for the ‘secular’ Category

Religion in sickness and in health

One of the goods emerging from the debate over health care in the United States is all the healthy information emerging amid the often polarizing political rhetoric.Research on religion and well-being can play a key role in the conversation on public and private health issues. Some new research sheds light on mortality rates and religion, where religious consumers turn to in moments of crisis and the growing number of Americans unaffiliated with religion who say they want their funeral to be a secular affair.

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Evolution of religion balances between peace and chaos

A new book, “The Biology of Religious Behavior: The Evolutionary Origins of Faith and Religion,” brings together research from international scholars on subjects ranging from the genetics of faith to religion’s role in developing altruism. In a world struggling with tribal warfare and unfettered globalization that shuns the common good, the contributions of the biobehavioral sciences on religion can point the way toward a more peaceful, compassionate global culture, the authors say.

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Secular dreams confront religious realities

These are heady days for secularists. Increases in the number of Americans claiming no religious affiliation along with the success of books promoting a militant anti-religious agenda such as Richard Dawkins’ “The God Delusion” give some hope of a secular great awakening. But getting rid of religion will not be as easy as it seems. It has been tried before.

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