The Belief Instinct: The Psychology of Souls, Destiny, and the Meaning of Life
The Belief Instinct is a compelling look at the biological origins of such things as belief in God, the afterlife, and divine punishment. Many of these things, the author argues, are due to our evolution of a "theory of mind," which allows us to assume that others think and feel as we do and put ourselves into their heads. Although Bering himself is a non-believer, this book should be interesting to those of every religious stripe or none, since, as he points out, the believe can always argue that these instincts, which appear to be unique to human beings, have been provided to us by God to allow us to intuit His existence and nature.