Science on Religion  Exploring the nexus of culture, mind &
religion   Religion is a celebration of excellence: Review of
‘Born Rich’  One of the major theories of religion advanced in
the 19th century, most particularly by Nietzsche, is that it is
fueled by envy, fear,BornRich and resentment of the heroic
virtues. People used religion to reinforce their own mediocrity
and to justify their hatred of excellence. Religion was a
manifestation of resentment. The theory is certainly consistent
with the fact that if you possess any virtue or excellence at
all you will eventually become the object of a murderous,
venomous envy. Resentment is out there and is ubiquitous. It and
envy are certainly major social forces. Religion scholars ignore
them at their peril. Resentment in particular has been harnessed
by unscrupulous politicians for millennia and used by these
‘leaders’ to perpetrate murder and dispossession and all kinds
of other less bloodthirsty but no less nefarious social
projects.  But it can also be argued