Addenda 1.Purposes of Religion 2.Forms of Cognitive Bias 3.Additional Terms

Purposes of Religion 1 Offers a sense of one’s identity: “Who Am I in this world?” Offers individuals a place within a community of like-minded people Offers a sense of security amidst chaos; structure in the absence of organization; predictability in the midst of the unknown

Purposes of Religion 2 Provides meaning in what may seem to be the meaninglessness of existence Provides narratives that explain phenomena that may otherwise be frightening, mysterious or senseless Provides moral, ethical and cultural guidelines that can be called upon in everyday life

Purposes of Religion 3 Different religions have linguistic, ritualistic and behavioral codes which unite its members, while signaling their uniqueness to outsiders Religions transmit these codes and behaviors across generations thus ensuring stability and continuity over time

Purposes of Religions 4 Religions encourage altruism and behaviors that foster communal well being Religions recognize the potential for human growth and improvement and generally encourage paths of self improvement Religions encourage both individual and collective accountability

2. Cognitive Biases

The Bandwagon Effect (aka herd mentality) describes the tendency to think or act in ways because other people do. Examples include the popularity of Apple products, use of "in-group" slang and clothing style and watching the "The Real Housewives of... " reality-TV franchise.

The Confirmation Bias Seeking out information that supports our own preconceived notions. Surrounding ourselves with people and information that confirm our beliefs. (Example: following news outlets that reinforce our political beliefs.)

Illusion of Control Believing we have more control over a situation than we actually do. If we don't actually have control, we fool ourselves into thinking we do. Examples: rally caps in sports, "lucky" items.

The Semmelweis Reflex Denying new information that challenges our established views. The yang to the yin of the confirmation bias, it exemplifies the adage "if the facts don't fit the theory, throw out the facts.”

The Causation Bias The tendency to assume a cause-effect relationship in situations in which none exists (or there is a correlation or association). An example is believing someone is angry with you because they haven't responded to your when, more likely, they are busy and just haven't gotten to it yet.

The Overconfidence Effect Unwarranted and/or unsupported confidence in one's own knowledge over a particular topic. Examples include judgments made about political, religious, scientific or cultural topics about which one knows very little.

The False Consensus Effect Believing that others agree with you more than they actually do. Examples: men who assume that all guys like sexist humor; people who say grace before a meal assuming that everyone present is Christian.

The Fundamental Attribution Error The tendency to attribute other people's behavior to their personalities and to attribute our own behavior to the situation. Example: is when someone treats you badly you probably assume they are a jerk, but when you're not nice to someone, it's because you are having a bad day.

3.Additional Terms Syncretism: Blending or fusion of different religions; e.g. Jews who practice Buddhism who call themselves JewBu’s Universalism: The belief that religion cannot be separated from other aspects of life or culture; e.g. cultures where deities are involved closely with everyday activities and events.

3.Additional Terms 2 Systemization: Religions that have systematized methods for attaining wisdom, salvation or enlightenment; e.g. Buddhists follow a systematized “practice” based on the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path Exclusivism and Inclusivism: Exclusivism involves the idea that religions other than one’s own are wrong or irrelevant; Inclusivism highlights agreements and minimize differences, however, inclusivists ultimately see their own faith as the only acceptable religion