{"product_id":"religion-as-make-believe-neil-van-leeuwen-9780674305021","title":"Religion as Make-Believe: A Theory of Belief, Imagination, and Group Identity","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"A masterly new book.\" --\u003ci\u003eNew Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"A major achievement in the study of religious attitudes.\" --\u003ci\u003eNotre Dame Philosophical Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eTo understand the nature of religious belief, we must look at how our minds process the world of imagination and make-believe.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWe often assume that religious beliefs are similar in kind to ordinary factual beliefs--that believing in the existence of supernatural entities that hear our prayers is akin to believing that May comes before June. Neil Van Leeuwen reveals that, in fact, these two forms of belief are strikingly different. Empirical findings show that religious beliefs function not like beliefs concerning mundane reality but like the imaginings that guide make-believe play. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhen a person pretends, they navigate the world by consulting two maps: the first represents mundane reality, and the second superimposes features of the imagined world atop the first. Drawing on psychological, linguistic, and anthropological evidence, Van Leeuwen posits that religious communities operate in just this way, consulting a factual belief map that represents ordinary objects and events, as well as a religious credence map. The latter accords everyday objects and events an imagined supernatural significance that defines a community's identity and expresses its sacred values. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIt is hardly controversial to suggest that religion has a social function, but \u003ci\u003eReligion as Make-Believe\u003c\/i\u003e breaks new ground by theorizing the underlying cognitive mechanisms and deepening our understanding of the individual and group psychology of faith.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Neil Van Leeuwen\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0674305027\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780674305021\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Harvard University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 08\/18\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 312\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback","brand":"Neil Van Leeuwen","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":47425695187199,"sku":"9780674305021","price":27.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_10f121ca-6494-43be-910c-fc706877ec7e.jpg?v=1761540990","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/religion-as-make-believe-neil-van-leeuwen-9780674305021","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}