How God Becomes Real - Kindling the Presence of Invisible Others

"How do gods and spirits come to feel vividly real to people-as if they were standing right next to them? Humans tend to see supernatural agents everywhere, as the cognitive science of religion has shown. But it isn't easy to maintain a sense that there are invisible spirits who care about you. In How God Becomes Real, acclaimed anthropologist and scholar of religion T. M. Luhrmann argues that people must work incredibly hard to make gods real and that this effort-by changing the people who do it and giving them the benefits they seek from invisible others-helps to explain the enduring power of faith"--

About the author

Tanya Marie Luhrmann is the Albert Ray Lang Professor at Stanford University, where she teaches anthropology and psychology. Her books include When God Talks Back: Understanding the American Evangelical Relationship with God. She has written for the New York Times, and her work has been featured in the New Yorker and other magazines. She lives in Stanford, California.

Summary

The hard work required to make god real, how it changes the people who do it, and why it helps explain the enduring power of faithHow do gods and spirits come to feel vividly real to people-as if they were standing right next to them? Humans tend to see supernatural agents everywhere, as the cognitive science of religion has shown. But it isn't

Additional text

"A cause for celebration."---Brian Collins, Religious Studies Review

Product details

• Authors: T M Luhrmann, T. M. Luhrmann, T.M. Luhrmann
• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 31.10.2020
• EAN: 9780691164465
• ISBN: 978-0-691-16446-5
• No. of pages: 256
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Religion/theology > General, dictionaries; Non-fiction book > Philosophy, religion > Religion: general, reference works; RELIGION / Spirituality, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Anthropology / Cultural & Social, RELIGION / Faith, Social & cultural anthropology, ethnography, Religion & beliefs, Spirituality & religious experience, Nature & existence of God, Social and cultural anthropology, Spirituality and religious experience, Religion and beliefs, Nature and existence of God and of the Divine