do you feel like religious fanatacism is slowing down progress?

Question

are there any solutions to this problem?

Answer 1

I can't imagine you'll hear me out on this, but if you are truly open-minded, and willing to consider some historical evidence that doesn't fit your view, perhaps you'll give it some consideration.

Your question and the Sam Harris clip could not be more mistaken about the actual HISTORY of faith, certainly of the Christian faith.

Since the late 18th century various atheists and skeptics (e.g., Voltaire, Huxley) who had a personal animus against the Church have told us that faith (or religion) is AGAINST science & reason, and have suggested that modern day progress, the development of the scientific method, etc, were accomplished by those who opposed and overcame the ignorant, anti-reason, anti-scientific views of the Christian faith.

They have told us stories about how Columbus, believing the world to be round, had to overcome the opposition of benighted churchmen who thought it was flat.

But there's a little problem with the Columbus tales --and, it seems, with many others. It didn't happen like that!

To take the case of Columbus -- ALL his opponents believed (as had the church for centuries before him) that the world was round. Their issue with Columubs was that they believed he had seriously underestimated the SIZE of the earth, and so the distance of a voyage to Asia. Guess what ! They were right!

more basic than all this -- the view that the modern day system of study we know as "science" was NOT the invention or discovery of a group of skeptics and secularists OPPOSED to the Church. Quite the contrary, MOST of the leading scientists of the "scientific revolution" were believers, and a LARGE percentage of that group appear (from their own actions and writings) to have been MORE devout than the average person (think Descartes, Galileo, Newton, Kepler, Boyle).

Why was this? It was BECAUSE they believed in a RATIONAL God (not capricious), and Creator of this world, who made it to be KNOWABLE. They believed that they COULD know about the world, that it was WORTH knowing, indeed that God INTENDED us to seek to understand it. In short, their FAITH was the FOUNDATION for their efforts to study the world, including the 'scientific method.'

Also consider a KEY institution that formed the breeding ground for the sharing of ideas, MANY advances in knowledge and the birth of science as we know it (something the ancient world never developed) -- the UNIVERSITY system, started in the early 12th century by RELIGIOUS people (mainly monks)

Rodney Stark writes of all this:
"there was no "scientific revolution" that finally burst through the superstitious barriers of faith, but that the flowering of science that took place in the sixteenth century was the normal, gradual, and direct outgrowth of Scholasticism and the medieval universities. Indeed, theological assumptions unique to Christianity explain why science was born only in Christian Europe. Contrary to the received wisdom, religion and science not only were compatible; they were inseparable. Hence the last portion of the chapter demonstrates that the battle over evolution is not a conflict between religion and science but between True Believers on both sides."
http://www.pupress.princeton.edu/chapters/i7501.html


Historians of the "Middle Ages", by the way, no longer prefer the term "Dark Ages", because they have come to recognize that a LOT of progress was made during the period (including a number of important inventions in agricultural, navigation and economics) that moved far beyond anything the ancient Greeks and Romans had accomplished. So it seems, their religious devotion ("fanatacism"?) did NOT prevent progress. It actually was the FOUNDATION for much they discovred or accomplished.
http://www.ku.edu/kansas/medieval/108/lectures/medieval_achievements.html

This scarcely touches on great areas of human reform (e.g., the end of slavery -- a UNIVERSAL practice-- was brought about largely by the hard work of very devout Christians).


Now I would not deny that SOME sorts of fanaticism have been and are destructive, counter to progress, etc. But you cannot lump all devout belief in the same category or assume the same results. The only fair way to assess the results is to look at the actual record.

Answer 2

Religious fanaticism is just plain bad. ANY fanatacism is by definition, over the top, without logical grounds. It runs on pure
blind beliefs in things that are either misunderstood or are taking at face value and then treaty as dogma. These televangelists are as damaging to our society as any dictator or religious exttremist. And they are in it for the money, not your souls. And they only survive on the support of those weak minded people they can brain-wash into their way of thinking. Best to ignore what they say but push back what they try to do.

Answer 3

YES. For example: christains want creationism taught in science classes and firing teachers who choose to show integrity and support fact based knowledge. There are TWO accounts of creation in genesis and so far their not clear about which is the right one they want taught. If Bush succeeds in making fear over gay marriage a republican weapon where is it going to lead to?? What we need are people without agendas in office who will use their brains.

Vin

Answer 4

there isn't progress if we don't involved God, in our life, in fact everything becomes just imaginary, not real it doesn't exist. perhaps the reverse of what you may think to be real will collapse in time, as everything else just as has happen before, Rome, Spain, Greece, even the old South and central American Indian civilizations.

Answer 5

Good point. It probably is. Just like everything else people are involved in religion carries the same problem. The human flaw.

Answer 6

I think the Bush admin is helping us greatly in the fanatasism dept. It seems that Christians are starting to notice that he is not acting as a Christian. Go figure.

Answer 7

a super duper thumbs up 4 ur question!
even if i,m new ur questions seem bright!
Yep..its slowing down.
The solution is that Jesus comes back!
The solution that God sends down the savior!
Just wait and preach!

Answer 8

No, the sun still goes around the earth afterall

Answer 9

No I dont.....what progress can be made apart from God that would be lasting and effective......without God in the midst of life it is meaningless..

Answer 10

it creats more hatrid than it solves so yes