So Lionel Tiger says (basically) that God is a creation of our brain. Religion is essentially beneficial to humanity because of the effect that it produces on the neurochemistry of the brain. He contends that people like Dawkins are silly to argue against religion since about 90% of human population finds religion to be beneficial. What Tiger is forced to admit that this in no way can definitively prove or disprove the existence of God. He contends that whether God exists or not the brain is uniquely structured to produce and interact with religion.
This is good news on several accounts:
1. Atheist claims that the belief in God is a less evolved and therefore evidence of a less developed intellect is greatly unsubstantiated. In other words, just because you believe in something doesn’t make you a less intelligent being.
2. Any rigidity (dogmatism) about the nature and content of faith must be challenged against the knowledge of central role that the brain plays in producing religious content.
3. Vital importance can be placed in how religious discourse can inform the common values that will enable greater harmony and peace in humanity.
Of course many will be concerned that this claim only serves to limit God to the manufacturing process of our cerebral cortex. This is a narrow view of this important work. Instead it can hopefully provide an impetus to explore the mysteries of the brain in order to better understand the interaction between the divine and humanity…
Here is an interview on the Current if you are interested…
God's Brain: Amazon.ca: Lionel Tiger: Books
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