71 thinkers, books, and ideas connected to this field.
Charles Taylor's 2007 magnum opus asking why it was virtually impossible not to believe in God in 1500 and now virtually impossible for many to believe — arguing that secularity is not simply the absence of religion but a new positive condition of immanent meaning-making within a 'closed world structure.'
Biblical patriarch who received God's covenant — the founding figure of the three Abrahamic religions — who was called from Ur to Canaan, received the promise of land and descendants, nearly sacrificed his son Isaac, and became the model of faith as trust in divine promise.
Athenian tragic playwright who fought at Marathon and wrote the Oresteia — the only surviving complete Greek trilogy — whose work presents justice as the evolution from blood vengeance to civic law, under the guidance of Athena.
Archbishop of Los Angeles (2011–) — President of the USCCB (2019–2022) — Mexican-born — the most prominent Hispanic Catholic bishop in the United States — who has been the Catholic institutional voice on immigration.
A book exploring the relationship between biological organisms and what have been traditionally conceived as divine or supernatural capacities — examining whether certain anomalous human capacities (psi, mystical experience) might be understood as biological rather than supernatural phenomena.
French mathematician, physicist, and Christian philosopher — who created probability theory (with Fermat), invented the first mechanical calculator, discovered the principles of hydraulics, and wrote the Pensées — the most wide-ranging genius of 17th century France.
Second president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — who led the Mormon exodus from Illinois to Utah (1846–47), founded Salt Lake City, governed Utah Territory, established over 350 towns, and oversaw the construction of the transcontinental telegraph line through Utah.
King of the Franks and first Holy Roman Emperor (800 AD) — who unified most of Western Europe through conquest and Christian conversion, standardized weights and measures and coinage, promoted literacy and learning (Carolingian Renaissance), and whose kingdom became the predecessor to both France and Germany.
British Catholic historian who wrote The Making of Europe, Religion and the Rise of Western Culture, and The Dynamics of World History — arguing that religion is the soul of culture and that Western civilization cannot be understood apart from its Christian foundations.
Roman Emperor (306–337 AD) — who reunited the Roman Empire after civil wars, issued the Edict of Milan (313 AD) legalizing Christianity, moved the capital to Constantinople, and presided over the Council of Nicaea (325 AD) — the most consequential patron of Christianity in history.
American historian at Brigham Young University who specializes in early modern European religious culture — and whose World Gone by: A Family History focuses on Catholic religious life in 17th century Flanders — bringing popular religious culture to life with scholarly rigor.
Hebrew king who united the tribes of Israel, made Jerusalem his capital, and is traditionally credited with writing the Psalms — and whose relationship with God embodies the covenant's full complexity: chosen, beloved, deeply fallible (Bathsheba, Uriah), repentant, and restored.
Eastern Orthodox theologian and philosopher who writes with extraordinary literary brilliance — The Beauty of the Infinite, The Experience of God, That All Shall Be Saved, and a highly controversial New Testament translation — arguing for Christian universalism (all will be saved) and classical theism.
American scholar of religion at UNCW who wrote American Cosmic — examining UAP/UFO phenomena through the lens of religious studies, arguing that the UFO phenomenon functions as a contemporary religion, and exploring the relationship between technology, belief, and the sacred.
L. Ron Hubbard's 1950 self-help text — claiming that mental health issues derive from 'engrams' (traumatic memory traces) that can be cleared through 'auditing' — which launched Scientology and remains the foundational text of the movement.
Frank Herbert's 1965 science fiction epic — set on the desert planet Arrakis — following Paul Atreides through a story of ecology, religion, politics, and the dangers of the messiah — the best-selling science fiction novel and the foundational ecological SF text.
American scholar of religion at Princeton who wrote The Gnostic Gospels — the most widely read popular account of the Nag Hammadi texts — and Beyond Belief, examining the Gospel of Thomas — making Gnostic Christianity available to general audiences.
French sociologist who co-founded sociology as an academic discipline — writing Suicide (demonstrating that even the most individual act is shaped by social forces) and The Elementary Forms of Religious Life (arguing that religion is society worshipping itself) — and who established the concept of anomie.
Bruce Greyson's 2023 follow-up to After — exploring the religious and spiritual dimensions of near-death experiences — examining how NDEs challenge conventional religious frameworks while providing experiential evidence for spiritual realities.
German-American political philosopher who wrote The New Science of Politics and Order and History — arguing that modern totalitarian ideologies (Nazism, Communism, progressivism) are forms of Gnosticism — immanentizing the eschaton (bringing the Kingdom of Heaven down to earth) — whose thought provides the philosophical analysis of political religion.
French historian who wrote The Ancient City — arguing that Greek and Roman civilization was fundamentally shaped by ancestral religion and the cult of the dead — one of the founding figures of modern historical sociology.
Dutch scholar of religion and Gnosticism at Utrecht who was involved in the discovery and initial publication of the Nag Hammadi texts — and who had a long personal correspondence with Jung about Gnosticism and its psychological significance.
Siberian mystic and self-proclaimed holy man who gained extraordinary influence over Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra through his apparent ability to alleviate their son Alexei's hemophilia — contributing to the Romanov dynasty's collapse and assassination in 1918.
Swedish filmmaker who directed The Seventh Seal, Wild Strawberries, Persona, Cries and Whispers, and Fanny and Alexander — the director most associated with cinema as a medium for philosophical and theological inquiry — and whose films explore God's silence, death, and the agonies of intimate relationships.
American professor of Religion at Rice University who has written extensively on the relationship between mysticism, the paranormal, and human sexuality — including Kali's Child (on Ramakrishna), Authors of the Impossible (on paranormal researchers), Mutants and Mystics (on comic books and the paranormal), and The Superhumanities.
American scholar of religion at Rice University who writes on paranormal phenomena, consciousness, and the history of alternative spirituality in America — The Superhumanities, Authors of the Impossible, Mutants and Mystics, Esalen: America and the Religion of No Religion — advocating for the academic study of anomalous experiences.
First-century Jewish preacher and central figure of Christianity — whose teachings on love, forgiveness, and the Kingdom of God were recorded in the Gospels — and whose movement grew from a small group of followers to the world's largest religion over two millennia.
First-century Jewish preacher from Galilee — the central figure of Christianity — whose teachings, crucifixion, and claimed resurrection became the foundation of the world's largest religion, and who for René Girard represents the unique moment in history when the scapegoat victim's innocence is proclaimed by the text that recounts his death.
First-century Jewish preacher from Galilee — whose teachings (the Sermon on the Mount, the parables, radical love of enemy, forgiveness, service) became the foundation of Christianity — crucified by Roman authorities under Pontius Pilate.
French peasant girl who claimed divine visions, convinced the Dauphin to give her command of French forces, led the relief of Orléans (turning the Hundred Years' War), saw the Dauphin crowned Charles VII, was captured by the English, tried for heresy, and burned at the stake at age 19.
Northern Irish mathematician and Christian apologist — Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at Oxford — famous for his public debates with Richard Dawkins — who argues that Christianity and science are not in conflict.
Medieval Catholic religious figure — referenced in the context of mystical religious experience within Jonathan Bi's discussions of religion and parapsychology.
American author and founder of Scientology — who created Dianetics as a self-help system (1950), then transformed it into the Church of Scientology — one of the most controversial religious movements in American history.
American physician, minister, and Jungian scholar who has written extensively on Jung and Gnosticism — and who produced the documentary 'The Gnostic Jung' — connecting Jung's private mysticism (revealed in the Red Book) to the Gnostic tradition.
American demographer and policy researcher whose work on fertility rates, religious demography, and family policy has made him a key voice in the discourse on declining birth rates and the conditions that support family formation.
Jordan Peterson's 1999 academic synthesis — arguing that mythological stories and religious narratives encode psychological wisdom about navigating chaos and establishing order — the scholarly foundation for his later popular work.
English philosopher — author of A Serious Proposal to the Ladies (1694) — who argued for women's education and called marriage a form of tyranny — one of the earliest systematic feminist arguments in English philosophy.
German sociologist and political economist — author of The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, Economy and Society, and Science as a Vocation — who created the concepts of ideal types, bureaucracy, legitimacy, and disenchantment — one of the three founders of sociology (with Marx and Durkheim).
Hebrew prophet and lawgiver — the central figure of the Hebrew Bible — who led the Israelites out of Egypt, received the Torah at Sinai, and is considered by Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions to be the greatest prophet who ever lived.
Jeff Kripal's 2011 study of American superhero comics as secular expressions of religious and paranormal experience — arguing that comics authors like Jack Kirby, Alan Moore, and Stan Lee drew on their own anomalous experiences to create characters (X-Men mutants, Dr. Manhattan, Silver Surfer) that encode genuine mystical insight.
Pope (2013–) — Jorge Mario Bergoglio — first Jesuit Pope, first Pope from the Americas, first Pope from the Southern Hemisphere — who has emphasized mercy, care for the poor and migrants, and environmental stewardship while making few substantive doctrinal changes.
Pope (1978–2005) — Karol Józef Wojtyła — Polish cardinal from Kraków — the first non-Italian pope in 455 years — who survived an assassination attempt, galvanized Polish Solidarity, contributed to the Soviet collapse, and produced the most extensive papal theological writing in history.
Canadian Jungian scholar who wrote C.G. Jung's Psychology of Religion and Synchronicity — one of the most detailed academic analyses of Jung's synchronicity concept — and who has written on the relationship between Jungian psychology, religion, and consciousness.
British scholar at the University of Essex who has written extensively on Jung's relationship to religion, synchronicity, and the history of Jungian thought — The Rupture of Time, Revelations of Divine Love, and editing Jung on Synchronicity — one of the leading academic scholars of Jungian psychology.
Galilean fisherman and the chief apostle of Jesus — renamed Peter ('rock') by Jesus — first Bishop of Rome (according to Catholic tradition) — martyred under Nero — whose leadership in the early church shaped the institutional structure of Christianity.
Fustel de Coulanges's 1864 analysis of Greek and Roman city-state civilization — arguing that the ancient city was founded on and organized around ancestral religion, not rational politics — a foundational work of historical sociology.
Dostoevsky's 1880 final novel — presenting four brothers (the sensualist, the intellectual, the saint, the illegitimate) and their father's murder — which contains the Grand Inquisitor parable, the most profound fictional treatment of the tension between freedom and security, and Christ's encounter with the church.
Amaury de Riencourt's study of the Eastern vision — examining Indian philosophy, religion, and civilization through his characteristic civilizational morphology approach.
Jordan Peterson's interview and lecture podcast — covering psychology, religious mythology, politics, and philosophy — which extended his reach from his YouTube lectures and books to the podcast format.
The book companion to Joseph Campbell's 1988 PBS interview series with Bill Moyers — exploring universal mythological themes (the hero's journey, the goddess, the sacred, sacrifice) and their relevance to modern life — one of the most accessible introductions to Campbell's comparative mythology.
John Allegro's 1970 argument — that Christianity originated as a mushroom fertility cult, and that biblical names are encoded references to Amanita muscaria — the most linguistically elaborate psychedelic-origins theory in religious history.
A book examining UFO phenomena through the lens of religious studies and consciousness research — arguing that UFO experiences share structural features with mystical and near-death experiences and may be evidence for a non-physical dimension of reality rather than extraterrestrial visitors.
Jeff Kripal's 2022 manifesto arguing that the humanities need to take seriously the anomalous experiences that have always been their primary subject — and that doing so requires expanding the humanities into what Kripal calls the 'superhumanities' where consciousness, paranormal experience, and academic rigor converge.
William James's 1902 Gifford Lectures — examining religious experience empirically through case studies of mystical experiences, conversions, prayer, and saintliness — arguing that religious experience is a genuine category of human experience deserving scientific study regardless of theological truth claims.
Jeff Kripal's 2021 book examining accounts of levitation in Christian mystical tradition and other cultures — arguing that the body's participation in mystical states has been documented across multiple independent traditions and cannot be dismissed as mere legend.
American author who wrote the Hinges of History series — How the Irish Saved Civilization, The Gifts of the Jews, Desire of the Everlasting Hills, Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea — arguing that certain cultural traditions (Irish monks, ancient Israelites, Greeks) provided decisive gifts to Western civilization.
William James's 1902 Gifford Lectures — arguing that religious experience is primary and theology secondary, that the 'fruits' of religious experience (how it changes the person) are the best evidence of its validity, and that mystical states are transient, noetic, passive, and ineffable.
Jordan Peterson's 2024 book — reading biblical narrative as psychological and mythological truth — arguing that the stories of Genesis (Cain and Abel, Abraham, Joseph) encode the deepest patterns of human psychological development.
Max Weber's argument that the 'spirit of capitalism' — disciplined, ascetic, rational wealth accumulation as a calling — had its origins in Calvinist Protestant theology.
American historian at the University of Texas — former NSC official under Bush — author of The Peacemaker: Ronald Reagan, the Cold War, and the World on the Brink — who studies the role of religion in US foreign policy.
Ancient Iranian prophet who founded Zoroastrianism — the first monotheistic or dualistic religion — teaching that the world is a battlefield between a supreme good deity (Ahura Mazda) and an evil principle (Angra Mainyu), that humans have free will to choose between them, and that history will culminate in the triumph of good.
Indian religious and philosophical tradition founded by Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha — c. 5th century BCE) — centered on the Four Noble Truths (suffering, its cause in craving, its cessation, the path) and the Eightfold Path — the third-largest world religion and the most psychologically sophisticated of the major traditions.
British parliamentarian and evangelical Christian who led the 46-year campaign to abolish the slave trade and slavery in the British Empire — dying three days after Parliament passed the Slavery Abolition Act (1833).
Ancient Iranian religion founded by the prophet Zoroaster (Zarathustra) — featuring a cosmic dualism between Ahura Mazda (Wise Lord of light and truth) and Angra Mainyu (Destructive Spirit of darkness and evil) — one of the oldest continuously practiced religions and a major influence on the Abrahamic traditions.
A diverse set of ancient religious movements (primarily 1st-3rd century CE) sharing the belief that the material world is corrupt, that spiritual liberation requires secret knowledge (gnosis), and that the God of the Old Testament is a lesser, malevolent creator-deity (demiurge).
The syncretic philosophical-religious tradition based on the Corpus Hermeticum — attributed to Hermes Trismegistus, teaching that God, cosmos, and humanity share divine essence, and that the mind can ascend through the cosmic spheres to divine union.
Paul Johnson's short biography of Jesus written explicitly from a believer's perspective — a devotional account that integrates historical scholarship with personal faith.
Leader and historian of the Plymouth Colony — whose Of Plymouth Plantation is the primary document of early Puritan New England and the founding myth of American providential history.
King of France (1226-1270) who was canonized as Saint Louis — renowned for personal piety, administrative justice, and leadership of two Crusades.
Dualistic religion founded by the prophet Mani in 3rd century CE Persia — synthesizing Zoroastrian cosmic dualism, Christian redemption, and Buddhist liberation — depicting the cosmos as a battleground between light (spirit) and darkness (matter) — once the world's most geographically widespread religion, extending from Rome to China.
Family of Indian religious traditions — the world's oldest living religious complex — encompassing diverse practices, philosophies, and mythologies united by the Vedic scriptural canon, the concepts of dharma, karma, moksha, and samsara, and the authority of the Brahmin tradition — the third-largest world religion with over one billion adherents.