Now, DON'T FREAK OUT by this question which I have asked.... although some of my fellow atheists could flip at the sight of seeing religion and evolution in the same sentence
So instantly you think that I am mad, but do not fear, pro-atheist debate is here.
I agree, as a concept, both are completely opposite ideologies, although one has overwhelming scientific proof of its existence. That being the beautiful and magnificent natural process of evolution in species.
Despite this I propose that the two are more relatable than what you might imagine and in fact that religion for some is a product of evolution, or an error in evolution if you prefer.
In fact I feel that a fundamental reason for having faith demonstrates an innate psychological trait that is attributable evolution. This is the fear of dying.
A key concept of any faith is that of the afterlife, heaven, eternity in paradise and thus showing a drive for immortality. Who doesn't want that right? .....the answer is everyone does.
This is part of our raw psychology and is relatable to the work of Richard Dawkins himself when referring to the Selfish Gene.
The fact that we are driven by our genes to survive, replicate and protect the transition of them means that the desire for immortality is all but natural and so is explainable by evolution. Infinite survival is survival of the fittest if I can put it that way.
The only difference is that religion is a mechanism, ultimately created by man, by which some people use to satisfy this need to survive.
Thus despite it being false, its in a way for some people a genetically driven placebo to give the fake impression of survival which is innate to evolution.
Therefore in some respects, theism is a product of evolution and for us atheist's out there, this relationship can be invaluable in arguing our cause of demonstrating evolution in there fundamental belief.
Please share your thought on this topic.
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I like this idea but it would only hold in a debate against a logical Christian which so few of them ever debate so even though it makes sense to me and I'm assuming most other Atheists, to Christians who refuse to accept evolution on any scale wouldn't even consider that idea. As soon as you say religion is created by man they would argue that god created religion which as far as I know we cant not prove that so you would fall in the circle at that point.
I have seen this same premise on several post that the fear of dying is the basis for belief. For some, it may be true. I had no fear of death when I first “believed”. I think that a better basis is that religion answers the great questions of life. It also represent an early attempt to explain the world.
I would agree to some extent religion is evidence of evolution. In my journey, it answered questions. The difference is, I didn’t stop asking questions. As the mind expands, or evolves if you will, you gain a better understand of the world as it really is. In my case, I could not deny facts science and I could not be a part of an oppressive system. I now see that the religious right is an oppressive threat to freedom.
I see that, in your original post, you have asserted that religion is false. May I see some justifiable evidence of this?
Thank you Shock of God for asking this. Could you please prove that it isn't false so we can finally begin to prove otherwise. It really would be very helpful of religious people could do that for us.
The real question should be does evolution have room for religion? Does religion have a valid place in today's society as we know it or does its antiquated values hold no merit for us any more?
In some ways I don't think evolution has room for religion any more. It was nice for some while it lasted, but it has gotten in the way of progress, governments and evolution all over the world.
I still hold my belief that to some degree religion is a necessary part of society and serves its functions.
hold my belief that society is changing and that place for religion is shrinking.
I think religion evolves to keep up with science and other things that become commonly accepted and in this way religion demonstrates evolution. Some religions refuse or fail to adapt or evolve their faiths and ultimately die the death of theistic obscurity. Victims of dogma.
As far as religion being used as a tool, it is undeniable that religion has in some cases led to the survival of groups and even demise of others but I would not consider it an evolved trait. I would consider more societal tool that has become less necessary as humanity has grown to a point where governments now in most cases perform better than religions would. I would however argue that conformity or adaptability to be an evolved trait and could easily be mistaken for religion depending on the circumstance.
Touché
I can see that the idea of the afterlife can equate to survival in some sense, and satisfy that need. Unfortunately though, it does not fully satisfy the need, as most religious people are still afraid of dying...
But that's a very interesting theory about where the idea of an afterlife might have evolved from.