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[[Image:Triquetra_5.jpg]] A hundred years ago the German Protestant theologian Adolf Harnack set about on a quest to discover the "kernel" of religion beneath the "husk."  His theory was that beneath the visible trappings of religion, or the "husk," there must surely lie a single principle; simple, solid and unchanging--the "kernel."  Other theologians of the time followed suit, each presenting his own idea of what must surely constitute this "kernel" of religion.  While these attempts to describe the simple essence of religion took place squarely in the context of "early modern" Christian theology, nevertheless, they were very universal in their thinking insofar as they held in common the idea that all religions in fact share the same kernel, or essence.  It was therefore an ecumenical movement of sorts.  What I now offer here is presented in the spirit of that same quest.  I should also clarify at this point that my thesis is not about religion in the institutional sense, but about the origins of religion in the primal and universal stirrings of the human heart.

A hundred years ago the German Protestant theologian Adolf Harnack set about on a quest to discover the "kernel" of religion beneath the "husk."  His theory was that beneath the visible trappings of religion, or the "husk," there must surely lie a single principle; simple, solid and unchanging--the "kernel."  Other theologians of the time followed suit, each presenting his own idea of what must surely constitute this "kernel" of religion.  While these attempts to describe the simple essence of religion took place squarely in the context of "early modern" Christian theology, nevertheless, they were very universal in their thinking insofar as they held in common the idea that all religions in fact share the same kernel, or essence.  It was therefore an ecumenical movement of sorts.  What I now offer here is presented in the spirit of that same quest.  I should also clarify at this point that my thesis is not about religion in the institutional sense, but about the origins of religion in the primal and universal stirrings of the human heart.

In addressing the subject of the origins of religion one is always in danger of offending the devout who hold only to divinely given revelation or the skeptics who maintain that religion is a human cultural product and thus somewhat contrived not to say fictional.  My hope is that what I present here represents a "third way."  I will state in advance that my while my theory is fully humanistic and phenomenological, it by no means repudiates the possibility or reality of revelation.  I do claim, however, that religion as an attitude arises in the human heart prior to revelation, and insofar as revelations do exist they are, with few exceptions, sought and/or recognized by those hearts and minds that are religiously prepared for them, a priori.  

In addressing the subject of the origins of religion one is always in danger of offending the devout who hold only to divinely given revelation or the skeptics who maintain that religion is a human cultural product and thus somewhat contrived not to say fictional.  My hope is that what I present here represents a "third way."  I will state in advance that my while my theory is fully humanistic and phenomenological, it by no means repudiates the possibility or reality of revelation.  I do claim, however, that religion as an attitude arises in the human heart prior to revelation, and insofar as revelations do exist they are, with few exceptions, sought and/or recognized by those hearts and minds that are religiously prepared for them, a priori.