The Psychological Origin and the Nature of Religion

"The Psychological Origin and the Nature of Religion" by James H. Leuba is a scientific exploration into the roots of religious belief and practice from a psychological perspective. It dives into the varied aspects of religion and how it arises from the mental processes of humans. It's the final piece to a collection that considers different traditions to find the psychological components that influence these practices. The book starts by tackling the nature of religion and looks at ideas from different scholars across time. Leuba says that religion is more than just intellect or emotions and should be seen as a complete human experience that mixes thought, feeling, and conscious will. He goes against definitions that lean too hard on one of these areas and instead, pushes for a view that takes them all into account when studying religious actions, which leads to a study of the psychological foundations of religion.