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Quote by Robert Neelly Bellah

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Robert Neelly Bellah
Robert Neelly Bellah

Robert Neelly Bellah was an American sociologist known for his research on modern religion and social structures. His work, 'The American Civil Religion,' had a profound impact on understanding American society and culture. more

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“Yet Buddhism is four hundred years older than Christianity, and if it's not a universal religion I don't know what a universal religion is. There's also a strong focus on selectionism and the notion that religion plays a functional role in the evolutionary process. But religion is dysfunctional all the time, as well as functional. It's not so simple.”

“One of the important things about religion is that it is a sphere which is partially protected from selection. Religious creativity occurs when people pull out of the whole selectivity issue. Becoming celibate - obviously you couldn't be less selective that that. Yes, selection is always in the background. But it's not always there in the foreground. If you don't understand that, you're missing a lot.”