Who among us hasn't wondered why nearly all cultures worldwide believe in a god or gods? What is it about human nature that, in times of need, makes us want to reach up or reach out to a being more significant than ourselves? There is no one better to ask than Andy Thomson. He wrote the book.
Andy Thomson is a psychiatrist with a private practice that includes work as a forensic psychiatrist. In addition, he is a staff psychiatrist at Counseling and Psychological Services at the University of Virginia Student Health Services and the Institute of Law, Psychiatry and Public Policy at the University of Virginia. He also serves on the clinical faculty at the Institute of Law, Psychiatry, and Public Policy at the University of Virginia. In his spare time, Andy is on the board of the Center for Inquiry in the US and a trustee of the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science.
Andy's son was working in a building next to the World Trade Center when the 9/11 attack occurred. That frightening experience led Andy to study suicide terrorism. He was already doing work in forensic psychiatry and understood the destructive side of humans. As well, he had delved into evolutionary psychology. When he put these concepts together, his study began to revolve around religion and its powerful ideology. His continued studies eventually became the book, Why We Believe in God(s). David Buss, one of the founders of evolutionary psychology, said of Andy's book, "Simply put, this book provides the most compelling scientific explanation for religion ever advanced." We were very fortunate to have Andy speak at our WeCanReason Webinar on September 27th, on that very topic, Why We Believe in God(s), and now you can watch it whenever you want.