Blog Articles
Join the conversation on these topics inspired by the book: Religion, Power, & Illusion
The Beginning of Christmas
Two prominent features of the Christmas season are gift-giving and holiday feelings of comfort and joy. These features of Christmas go back to the time of Jesus, but it was not until the fourth century that Christian bishops created festivals celebrating them.
Masks as Instruments of Illusion
Masks were an important accouterment of most, if not all, ancient religious rituals, and the sheer fact that priests chose masks for these rituals should tell us that these rituals were intended to create or reinforce illusions.
Human Dominance
The Dominance Behavioral System mechanism is grounded in biology, and it explains why some people are motivated to dominate others, while other people are motivated to be subservient.
Collective Memory
Readers have voiced the opinion that the most important idea developed in this book on religion is the one that relates to collective memory. Collective memory consists of memories shared by members of groups.