Researchers get $4 million to study origins of faith

OXFORD, England — Researchers at the University of Oxford (UO) have been given nearly $4 million to investigate the origins of belief in God. The three-year project titled Empirical Expansion in Cognitive Science of Religion and Theology is designed to determine if belief in a deity is instinctive or learned. It will be funded by the Pennsylvania-based John Templeton Foundation.

Justin Barrett of UO’s Center for Anthropology and Mind, and Roger Trigg of UO’s Ian Ramsey Center for Science and Religion, will lead the investigation. "We don’t presume (that) this scientific research of what the causes of belief are necessarily undermines the beliefs," Barrett said. "On the flip side, just because something is natural doesn’t mean it’s true."

Barrett said developmental psychology has determined that faith in God is a universal human impulse, found in all cultures and grasped from a young age. Researchers will use a variety of methods to try to determine if faith in a deity is inherent to cultures worldwide and throughout human history. Both religious "believers" and "non-believers" will make up the research team, said Barrett.