Publisher's Synopsis
For many years, ethnologists, social scientists, and archaeologists have tried to understand why so many myths have common elements. Is there a reason why similar myths appeared at similar times in various places around the world? How is religion supported by myth? In Religion, Myth, and the Brain, author George F. Bain takes a closer look at these intriguing concepts and seeks to answer a compelling question: why are humans drawn to religion at all times and in all ages?
In the form of DNA studies, modern science has tracked the movements of ancient peoples worldwide and has also developed brain imaging techniques that reveal the origins of religious experiences. Using his mythology teaching experience and drawing on his mythology lectures, Bain offers a unified view of the human need for religious experience. By utilizing studies of modern brain imaging, Bain believes that all religions are a normal human phenomenon that naturally evolves from myth.
Religion, Myth, and the Brain compiles extensive studies of these three areas to create a new understanding of why religion is ubiquitous and firmly engaged with humanity.
