The following review was provided by Curt van den Heuvel
This book is basically a discussion of the psychological makeup that characterises many religious leaders. Although Storr does not
cover Joseph Smith, I have found that some aspects that he illuminates
could be applied to Smith. I have often wondered whether Smith actually
believed himself to be a prophet, or whether he was consciously aware of
his deception. Storr points out that most gurus generally maintain both
states of mind, to some degree. It is, paradoxically, the only thing which
prevents them from descending into wholesale psychosis (although this particular
brand of double-think did not appear to prevent Jim Jones or David Koresh
from going over the edge).
He not only covers the psychology of gurus, but also touches on the psychology
of belief, a subject that I am keenly interested in. Storr shows that belief in
the irrational is not aberrant, but is in fact part of the normal human
psychology. It takes great effort of will to break away from the seductive lure
of belief, and such beliefs are no more susceptible to reason than psychotic
delusions, or even the emotion of love. Why this should be so remains a
mystery, and one that will probably only be solved once we learn substantially
more about cognitive neuroscience.
I recommend this book highly.
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