Why are we still religious?

Saturday 18. September: “Why are we still religious?”

Why is it that humans have seemingly always had some form of religion? Which functions in society and which needs or yearnings in man are fulfilled by religion alone? Is religion encoded into our genetic buildup or is it a natural result of our cognitive premises? Is religiousness then a natural trait of our species, or is it religion that allows us to transcend our beastly nature and strive for higher moral standards? Is religious longing perhaps an intuitive understanding of a reality beyond our own, and a means of breaking the bonds that chain us to this world? Religious science, evolutionary biology, cognitive science and theology all have their many differing views on these questions, and we will be exploring some of them today.