How Psychology has Changed our Faith (#315)

Laird Edman, Myron Penner, and Kristen Tideman join me to talk about how psychological science has transformed our faith. We discuss how the cognitive science of religion has allowed us to hold theological claims with an open hand while deepening our appreciation for religious practice. Myron discovers that seeing religion as human-made deepens his compassion for believers of all kinds while Kristen's academic journey transforms her from would-be apologist to humble truth-seeker. Laird explains how efforts to 'debunk' religion actually strengthened his faith, and I reveal the counterintuitive way my research on spiritual abuse reinforced my appreciation for religious community.  Our conversation weaves through topics including post-hoc justifications for behavior, religious anxiety, church community, and the natural human propensity for spiritual experience—ultimately showing how psychological understanding can enrich rather than diminish religious life.

In the second Patron-only half of the conversation, we discussed church community, intergenerational relationships, embodied cognition, and the evolution of agency detection mechanisms.



Highlights:

02:52 Cognitive Science of Religion: Understanding Belief

12:07 Psychological Insights and Spiritual Growth

21:08 Religion as a Human Construct

41:19 The Role of Humility in Belief Systems

YHP Episodes Mentioned:

Episode 288 | Dan Made His Own Enneagram

Episode 253 | Still Christian & Way Humble About It!

Episode 191 | All About Ritual (with Laird Edmund)

Episode 80 | Myron is a Demon Skeptic (with Myron Penner)

Episode 41 | Cognitive Science & Religious Belief (For Beginners) (with Myron Penner)

Episode 39 | Psychedelics & Other "Spiritual Technologies" (with Sarah Lane Ritchie)

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Faith deconstruction resources: www.soyouredeconstructing.com/

Edited by Josh Gilbert (joshgilbertmedia.com -- he is accepting more work!)

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