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- Wiley
More About This Title Adieu to God - Why Psychology Leads to Atheism
- English
English
- Answers the psychological question of why, in the face of overwhelming scientific evidence to the contrary, do religions continue to prosper?
- Looks at atheism and religion using a fair and balanced approach based on the latest work in psychology, sociology, anthropology, psychiatry and medicine
- Acknowledges the many psychological benefits of religion while still questioning the validity of its supernatural belief systems and providing atheist alternatives to a fulfilling life
- English
English
- English
English
1. A Short History of Religion 1
2. The Psychology of Religion—The Varieties of Normal Experience 33
3. The Psychology of Religion—The Varieties of Abnormal Experience 61
4. Social Structures and Religion 89
5. Religion, Power, and Control 113
6. Religion and Health 141
7. How to Be a Healthy Atheist 167
References 181
Author Index 191
Subject Index 195
- English
English
“His final chapter summarises the argument and proposes how one might be a healthy atheist with a sense of meaning and purpose, a sense of belonging and community and a set of personal goals and values. He does not forecast the disappearance of religions but proposes how they can be explained in terms of psychology and sociology.” (The Scientific & Medical Network, 1 April 2012)
Dawkins and Dennett taught us that there’s no room for God in biology. Stenger and Hawking taught us that there’s no room for God in cosmology either. Now Mick Power pushes God out of his last safe haven: the human mind. Power has written a great little book, showing that psychology is just as much of a threat to religious belief as evolutionary theory and cosmology. Fundamentalists are going to lose a lot of sleep over this one!—Dr. Steve Stewart-Williams, Lecturer in Psychology, Swansea University, UK
“In Adieu to God, Mick Power gives a powerful and humane account of the case for atheism from an under-explored angle.”
—Andrew Copson, Chief Executive, British Humanist Association, UK