And Mankind Created the Gods: A Graphic Novel Adaptation of Pascal Boyer’s ‘Religion Explained’

Béhé, a comics professor at the Haute École des Arts du Rhin, adapts anthropologist Pascal Boyer’s theory of religion in this detailed and convincing work of graphic scholarship. Pascal arrives at a dinner party and dives into a debate with the other guests about the origins, purposes, and features of religion. His interlocutors represent types—including a genuine believer and a cynical skeptic—who share common presumptions that religion is designed to comfort, explain the natural world, and cope with death. Knocking these theories down, Pascal explains how human minds create templates and make leaps without conscious awareness, which leads people to arrive at similar beliefs across different religions. Also covered is how faith spreads, the utility of rituals, and the rise of fundamentalism. Drawing on his fieldwork among the Fang people in Western Africa, Pascal builds a complicated yet satisfying argument that there is a scientific and sociocultural rather than mystical explanation for humanity’s tendency toward belief. Béhé’s black-and-white artwork is naturalistic, with ample imagery drawn from history, pop culture, and religion (a single splash page mashes up everything from Arthurian legends to classic sci-fi). As an explainer of Pascal’s philosophy, it’s both comprehensive and precise. This will appeal to fans of the graphic adaptation of Yuval Novah Harari’s Sapiens. (June)