Citation

Barash DP. Evol. Psychol. 2007; 5(2): 383-386.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, The Author(s), Publisher Ian Pitchford and Robert M. Young)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Reviews the book, "The power of faith: Mother Nature's gift" by Jay D. Glass (2007). In this book, Glass argues that "In the original state of nature, for both animals and humans, loyalty to a Supreme Being (aka dominant male, king, warlord, etc.) offered protection from enemies and provided the necessities to sustain life. Those that did not put their faith and trust in a god-like figure did not survive to produce the next generation." However, Glass is not suggesting that religious devotion is a peculiar anachronism that we ought to outgrow. Far from it! Instead, Glass proposes that on the one hand, "God is a fiction, a creation of our rationalizing human brain. On the other hand, the message within the answer is that if the origin of our religious faith is in our genes, we have no choice but to put our faith and trust in God, even though in the realm of logic he does not exist." The power of faith offers much to critique. Yet, it has its redeeming virtues. There is something compelling in Glass's basic hypothesis, not least the widespread human tendency toward abasement before a Supreme Being, as well as the stubborn tenacity of belief itself. It is accordingly my guess that despite its flaws, The power of faith captures at least part of a genuine and provocative truth, warranting the attention of those evolutionary psychologists interested in the biological underpinnings of religious faith. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)