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Religious Teachings

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science

Synonyms

Religion; Religion and religious beliefs; Religion and sexuality; Reproduction

Definition

Different religions have provided their followers with advices regarding reproduction, advertising both quality and quantity strategies in producing offspring.

Introduction

“The only purpose, the real purpose of every communion in love is the procreation, the birth of a child, although people who are in love are unable to conceive the nature’s treacherous way, casting over the actual act a shining veil”

Arthur Schopenhauer

Why do religions tend to “teach”? Irrespective of religions’ ecological origin or their philosophical foundations, almost all religions have specific teachings. Evolutionary psychology of religion may provide an insightful analysis of religious teachings and their social function in different settings. The universal tendency toward religious beliefs has remained a genuine puzzle for evolutionary scientists. The current consensus among many evolutionary psychologists is...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

    Mohammad Atari

Authors
  1. Mohammad Atari
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Correspondence to Mohammad Atari .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

  2. Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Viviana A. Weekes-Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA

    Lisa L. M. Welling

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Atari, M. (2017). Religious Teachings. In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_470-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_470-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

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