Rickccccc

belief - that word again

Posted on 08/17/08, 03:34 pm

Richard Dawkins did a a short series of programmes on Darwin recently. I saw one of them. At the end of it, he asked a bunch of school kids whether what they had been told about Darwin etc. had changed their views about religion (I guess they were all religious to start with, but I didn't see the very beginning of the programme). There was some shift in views, but perhaps a majority clung onto their religious beliefs, if only 'just in case'. I thought it was a shame, because it seemed to have come across to them that they were being offered an alternative: either believe in your religion or believe in Darwin etc. Evolution is not a belief, of course, it's a scientific theory!

I think many people are in that position, thinking that you either have to believe in God or you have to believe there is no God. However, accepting that there is no supernatural force governing us because of lack of evidence does not add up to a belief. But religious faith is like a drug: a natural reaction to the thought of not having that faith is to want to put something in its place.

Rick

• Reply #1 09/06/08  1:20pm
  
  hlks
  it's as much a scientific theory as gravity is. So many people don't realize that most of the "facts" that they know about science are really just theories accepted as facts. Evolution is one of these. It's theory in the sense that it can't be 100% proven (as of right now) but fact in that it is the most likely explanation with the most evidence.
  
  I am rather appalled that his intent seemed to be to change their religious views or, at the least, proved that he could because it gives the religious right a lot more ammo against teaching evolution in that it would interfere with their religious beliefs or that it will make their children non-christian.
  
  my mom is one of those "just in case" christians and she holds fast to the belief that God put evolution in motion. Aren't Christians always saying god works in mysterious ways? I really don't think evolution and christianity are at odds at all.

Non religious, logical rational thought as a way to solve or cope with problems.