In addressing the subject of the origins of religion one is always in danger of offending the devout who believe that true religion originates only through [[divine]]ly given [[revelation]], or the [[skeptic]]s who maintain that religion is a human cultural product and thus heavily contrived if not outright [[fiction]]al. 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 [[Sui Generis|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 believe that true religion originates only through [[divine]]ly given [[revelation]], or the [[skeptic]]s who maintain that religion is a human cultural product and thus heavily contrived if not outright [[fiction]]al. 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 [[Sui Generis|exceptions]], sought and/or recognized by those hearts and minds that are religiously prepared for them, a priori. |