Tag Archives: psychology of religion

Can Bacteria Help Us Understand Religion? Part 3: The Human Mind as a Host for Contagious Ideas

Posted on April 27, 2017 by Valerie Tarico

This gallery contains 1 photo.

Missed Part 1 or Part 2? I like to think that I am the master of my thoughts—that I generate and control them and that they serve my own purposes. But that is only one way to look at things. It … Continue reading →

More Galleries | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Can Bacteria Help Us Understand Religion? Part 2: Why We Pass on False Ideas

Posted on April 27, 2017 by Valerie Tarico

This gallery contains 1 photo.

Missed Part 1?  Click here. When my brother David was three, he learned how to pee standing up. He was so excited, that the next time he saw sister Kathy, age twenty, heading for the bathroom, he ran after her … Continue reading →

More Galleries | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Does Christianity Make An Idol Out of the Human Brain?

Posted on April 9, 2017 by Valerie Tarico

This gallery contains 1 photo.

Do some Christians worship belief itself? Bible-believing Christianity requires an extraordinary degree of faith in the human mind or rather the whole chain of minds that have brought us the Bible and Christian teachings in their current forms. Evidence suggests … Continue reading →

More Galleries | Tagged , , , | 30 Comments

If “Nothing Fails Like Prayer,” Why Do People Keep at It?

Posted on December 5, 2016 by Valerie Tarico

This gallery contains 1 photo.

“If prayer actually worked, everyone would be a millionaire, nobody would ever get sick and die, and both football teams would always win.” –Ethan Winer The phrase “nothing fails like prayer” was coined in 1976 by secular activist, Ann Nicol … Continue reading →

More Galleries | Tagged , , , | 19 Comments

Dear Christian, No, I Don’t Hate You. Here is What I do Hate.

Posted on November 4, 2016 by Valerie Tarico

This gallery contains 1 photo.

On the important difference between hating bad ideas and hating people. As a former Evangelical Christian, I write critically—even harshly—about biblical Christianity, the kind that treats the Bible as if it were the literally-perfect word of God. I also write … Continue reading →

More Galleries | Tagged , , , , | 82 Comments