Neil Van Leeuwen, "Religion As Make-Believe: A Theory of Belief, Imagination, and Group Identity" (Harvard UP, 2023)

Sep 17, 2024

Neil Van Leeuwen, a researcher in psychology, linguistics, and anthropology, discusses the compelling idea that religious beliefs operate like imaginative play. He explains how faith creates a dual cognitive map, blending factual reality with sacred imagination. This layered understanding influences group identity and the interpretation of everyday experiences. The conversation also probes the complexities of doubt in belief, the dynamics of prayer, and how these aspects shape personal and communal identity, illustrating the intricate psychology behind religion.

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Intro

00:00 • 2min

Navigating Reality: Belief and Imagination

02:12 • 16min

Exploring Layers of Belief and the Challenge of Gaslighting

18:12 • 4min

The Nature of Belief vs. Faith

22:08 • 16min

The Dynamics of Petitionary Prayer

38:00 • 5min

Navigating Doubt: The Intersection of Faith and Anxiety in Christianity

43:05 • 4min

Faith and Doubt: A Complex Interplay

47:32 • 14min

Belief Systems and Imagination

01:01:36 • 12min

It is an intuitive truth that religious beliefs are different from ordinary factual beliefs. We understand that a belief in God or the sacredness of scripture is not the same as believing that the sun will rise again tomorrow or that flipping the switch will turn on the light.

In Religion as Make Believe: A Theory of Belief, Imagination, and Group Identity (Harvard UP, 2023), Neil Van Leeuwen draws on psychological, linguistic, and anthropological evidence to show that psychological mechanisms underlying religious beliefs function like those that enable imaginative play.

When someone pretends, they navigate the world on two levels simultaneously, or as Van Leeuwen describes it, by consulting two maps. The first map is that of factual, mundane reality. The second is a map of the imagined world. This second map is then superimposed on top of the first to create a multi-layered cognitive experience that is consistent with both factual and imaginary understandings.

With this model in mind, we can understand religious belief, which Van Leeuwen terms religious "credence", as a form of make-believe that people use to define their group identity and express values they hold as sacred. Religious communities create a religious-credence map which sits on top of their factual-belief map, creating an experience where ordinary objects and events are rich with sacred and supernatural significance.

Recognizing that our minds process factual and religious beliefs in fundamentally different ways allows us to gain deeper understanding of the complex individual and group psychology of religious faith.

Author recommended reading:

The WEIRDEST People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous by Joseph Henrich.

Mentioned resources:

Lecture 'But... But... But... Extremists!' by Neil van Leeuwen
Talking to the Enemy: Faith, Brotherhood, and the (Un)Making of Terrorists by Scott Atran

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