1. Why is Religion Like an Elephant's DNA?

    Abraham's God

    The Replicating Chicken Meme

    Xeroxing Information

    The Expensive Carpool Lane

    A Meme by Any Other Name

    Three Sources of Knowledge

    Our Path

    A Bit About Evolution

Interlude: Grandpa and the Sunset

2. Religion's Infancy

    The General-Purpose God Meme

    The Monotheism Meme

    The Intolerance Meme

    The Globalization Meme

    The Abstract-God Meme

    The Godly-Origin-of-Morals Meme

    The Kindness Meme

    The Asexual Meme

    The Synergy of the Eight Memes

Interlude: The Big V

3. Evolution and Memes

    When Does Information Become a Meme?

    Reproduction

    Survival of the Fittest

    Mutation

    Wrestling with God

    Overpopulation

    The Ideosphere and Niches

    Memeplexes

    Religion as Memes

    The Danger of the Metaphor

    An Example: Was Joseph Jesus' Father or Not?

    Summary: Evolution and Memes

Interlude: The Southern Baptists

4. Religion Grows Up

    Reprise: Abraham to Jesus

    The Intolerance Meme Grows Up

    St. Paul expands the Globalization Meme

    The Guilt Meme

    The Heaven and Hell Memes

    The Proselytism Meme

    The Armageddon Meme

    Synergy: Guilt, Heaven, Hell, and Monotheism

Interlude: Billy the Racist

5. Why Do Humans Talk?

    Is Language Adaptive or Accidental?

    Evolution is Slow

    The Speedy Alternative

    Intentional Memes

    Bad Memes Aren't Fatal

    High-Bandwidth Evolution

    Meme Stability

    Memes: One of Evolution's "Good Tricks"

Interlude: A Prayer

6. Religion's Immunity System

    The Anti-Rationalism Meme

    The Ignorance-Is-Bliss Meme

    The Inerrancy Meme

    The Martyrdom Meme

    The Underdog Meme

    The One-Nation-Under-God Meme

    The Synergy of the Immunity Memes

Interlude: This Book

7. Why is Religion So Appealing?

    Dogs and Cuckoo Birds

    What is a Parasite?

    What is Natural Selection?

    Why Is Religion So Appealing?

    Why Start so Young?

Interlude: A Cough that can Kill

8. The Atheist's Paradox

    The Paradox

    The Tragedy of the Commons

    Parasites, Hitchhikers, and Symbiotes

    Alien Invaders

    Sickle-Cell Anemia – Taking the Good with the Bad

    The Solution to The Atheist's Paradox

Interlude: Shakespeare, Genesis and the Big Bang

9. Religion, Technology and Government

    Cargo Cults

    Religion and Military Technology

    Guns, Germs and Steel

    The Synergy of Religion, Technology and Government

Interlude: Aunt Carolyn's Un-Baptism

10. Closing Sermon

    Reprise: Where We've Been

    Where are we Going?

Acknowledgements

Bibliography