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The Spiritual Task of Religion in Culture: An Evolutionary Perspective
Research Articles
The Spiritual Task of Religion in Culture: An Evolutionary Perspective
Research Articles
The Spiritual Task of Religion in Culture: An Evolutionary Perspective

Abstract

It is quite impossible to consider human nature within an evolutionary perspective if we leapfrog over culture and establish some direct relation between cosmic and human evolution without taking culture into consideration. Culture holds a significant place within the structures of nature, as the “epic” of evolution portrays nature—cosmic, physical, and biological. Religion emerges within culture, and it plays a role in organizing the human consciousness and in generating the stories, rituals, and morality that constitute the organization of consciousness. Since organization of consciousness determines how culture is conducted, and since we face a global crisis today because of the ways we are conducting our culture, religion's role is critical for the future of culture. Wherever it is attempted, whether in terms of traditional or posttraditional modes, the fashioning of adequate worldviews, rituals, and morality is an essentially religious activity. For both traditional and posttraditional modes, the task is to weave structures of meaning with the sciences of evolution so as to effect the most suitable organization of consciousness.

Keywords

religion, culture, stories, organization of consciousness, epic of evolution

How to Cite

Hefner, P., (1998) “The Spiritual Task of Religion in Culture: An Evolutionary Perspective”, Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science 33(4), 535–544. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/0591-2385.00172

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© 2024 The Author(s).

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Authors

Philip Hefner (Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science)

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Issue

  • Volume 33 • Issue 4 • December 1998

Publication details

Pages 535–544
Published on 1998-12-01

Licence

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0

Identifiers

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/0591-2385.00172

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  • PDF: 79403bb7a59e9cf04fdaa544a11c0d7b
  • XML: 10d66cc267bd54417b85f90a016005f2

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