Reference:

Ilkka Pyysiäinen, Marjaana Lindeman, and Timo Honkela. Counterintuitiveness as the hallmark of religiosity. Religion, 33(4):341–355, October 2003.

Abstract:

This article presents empirical evidence for the hypothesis that persons consider counterintuitive representations more likely to be religious than other kinds of beliefs. In three studies the subjects were asked to rate the probable religiousness of various kinds of imaginary beliefs. The results show that counterintuitive representations in general, and counterintuitive representations involving a conscious agent in particular, are considered much more likely to be religious. Counterintuitiveness thus seems to be an important element in a folk-understanding of religion.

Suggested BibTeX entry:

@article{Pyysiainen03,
    author = {Ilkka Pyysi{\"a}inen and Marjaana Lindeman and Timo Honkela},
    journal = {Religion},
    month = {October},
    number = {4},
    pages = {341--355},
    publisher = {Elsevier Science},
    title = {Counterintuitiveness as the hallmark of religiosity},
    volume = {33},
    year = {2003},
}

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