Justin L. Barrett: Born Believers: The Science of Children’s Religious Belief

Excerpt

Born Believers: The Science of Children’s Beliefs, by Justin Barrett, explores the development of religious belief and argues that humans are predisposed to believe in “natural religion.” Barrett’s work could be considered a primer for the study of religion and human development for the academic or interested layman alike. Barrett’s thesis is not that humans are predisposed to believe one particular theology, but rather that holding a general belief in a supernatural, nonhuman deity/deities is part of natural human development. Barrett divides his book into two parts. Part 1, “The Evidence,” lays out the social science research of children’s religious beliefs. Part 2, “The Implications,” builds upon the evidence presented in Part 1 to draw conclusions and identify understudied areas. …