Religious Epistemology and the Cognitive Genesis of Religious Belief

Religious epistemology examines whether a belief in God can ever be rationally justified. This question has significant implications, as belief in God shapes moral frameworks and social structures. However, the rationality of such belief need not be treated as binary as it typically is: rational doesn’t entail existence nor does irrational entail lack thereof. I posit that while belief in God is a natural result of human cognitive processes, it is not therefore rational. Although humans are predisposed to form religious beliefs, these beliefs arise from psychological and evolutionary mechanisms rather than from evidence or reliable methods of justification. I will explore the cognitive processes that lead to the belief in God, assert that these do not justify rationality, and address counterarguments to my claim.