Abstract
Abstract Religions are complex systems that can adapt to diverse environments because of the dynamic relationship of their internal parts. The most fundamental of these parts includes supernatural beliefs, rituals, and myths. The social scientific study of religion focuses on these parts and builds on previous generations of research to provide distal explanations for religion as a dynamic phenomenon. In recent years, interest in the social science of religion has turned to the cognitive and behavioral studies of religion. The cognitive science of religion documents the mental organization and structure of religious thought, while the behavioral science of religion focuses on ritual behavior as the building block of sociality. Key issues for future research include the ontogeny of religion, the cognitive and cross‐cultural representation of religious concepts, the relationship between religion and reproduction, and the evolution of religion. With these new frontiers have come a variety of novel methodologies but also an emphasis on the need for comparative ethnography.
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