This is a fantastic book that in the world I wish and even pray for everyone would be intensely interested in. The author, Todd Tremlin, demonstrates through cognitive science that various neural structures and programs that came about as a result of evolution function together to actually predispose us to believe in divine agents as long as these agents have a limited number of "unbelievable" attributes and that these "unbelievable" attributes are somehow acceptable. The book is a fascinating tour of the mind. One might expect that a book such as this would have as one of its messages that our cognitive predisposition to attribute phenomena to divine agents argues against the existance of such agents. However, Mr. Tremlin makes it very clear that this is not a conclusion with which he would agree. He does, though, make it very clear that an understanding of these predispositions is essential as they can create unconscious and subconscious assumptions about our God or gods with which our conscious mind would not agree. All-in-all, whether you are agnostic, athiestic, or very religious, this is a book that you should definitely read.
Almost ten years ago, I was an executive of the international division of a major pharmaceutical company but the pain caused by a disease of the spine I had never heard of left me a virtual invalid. A pump that injects a constant flow of powerful narcotics directly into my cerebral-spinal fluid has made it possible to be somewhat more active and I can now interact with the world again - even if it is only through blogs, visits, and short trips. I am, however, thankful for the pain as I never would have made the discoveries I have made without it. The pain also gave me a chance to observe and participate in the growth and development of my wife and of my children in a way that would have been impossible had I not contracted the disease and this has been a gift that more than compensates for all of the pain and all of the other debilitating effects of the disease.
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