Is religious belief a direct product of ignorance?

Question

Even a short course in biology, physics, and astronomy will show the existance of a personal god as described in the bible or the koran is highly improbable (to the point it is a practical certainty that god is imaginary). Do you think a better education system would help improve people's knowledge of science and critical thinking, and hasten the demise of organized religion (as well as belief in non-existent beings)?

Answer 1

Maybe not direct, but more like byproduct. Not all people of course, but some.

Answer 2

"Government schooling does not teach people how to think. If it did they would realize that evolutionism is a religion, and has an extremely High level of improbability"
This makes no sense. How is it a religion? It has facts backing it up, and it's a scientific theory. And noone goes to church to learn about evolution.

Anyway, I think a better education system would hasten the demise of religion. If people actually knew the facts they might realize religion is all make believe .

All hail the spaghetti monster!

Answer 3

Science alone cannot harmoniously cultivate the mind and spirit of a human being. God has neither been proved nor disproved and rest assure that science will never manage to do that. People are aware of God's existence from personal spiritual experience. I agree that there might be some that believe in God because their holy book says so, but true religion is not about memorising the do's and dont's of a book and remain spiritually inactive. You will have to search inside to find Him and reason will not help you. Personally, I was never part of any organized religion. I have my own personal belief of God and the universe and I feel happy with that. Am I ignorant? We'll all find that out...

Answer 4

According to most scholars, the main reason is the forcing of beliefs of the parents onto their children. Children are very impressionable and will believe 100% of what the parents believe.
A better education system is a very good start but you will have to remove religion from the education system. There is a separation presently in place but it doesn't go far enough.

Answer 5

At first I get hurt with this improper statement against myself and my religious friends up here (other people may not see it). Then I try to seek the most polite words for this brief answer according to the great principle of mutual love and respect.
Yes, all of us should seek for a better education system to train our children in their moderation, modesty and mental maturity. The great principle of mutual love and respect is taught by all religions from the One True God, based on the fact that all human beings have been endowed with the rational sense to attain high level of knowledge and morality. This is one of thousands of religious lessons.

Answer 6

Government schooling does not teach people how to think. If it did they would realize that evolutionism is a religion, and has an extremely High level of improbability. The Existence of the Almighty, while not subject to "scientific" scrutiny seems to be the reasonable alternative. Scriptures explain many of the observed phenomena in a very persuasive way.

Answer 7

First of all, I'm a sixth generation Universalist (Unitarian Universalist). That puts me on the liberal side of the religious spectrum.

Secondly, I believe that religious and spiritual beliefs are the direct results of humankind's best attempts to make sense of their world and the universe.

That said, I think the the prolonged clinging to ideas that don't meet our standards of knowledge today is sad testimony to the stubbornness of human beings once they have adopted a belief. What's that old cliche? "My minds made up, don't confuse me with the facts."

Answer 8

Although Einstein did not believe in a personal god, he did believe in a higher power - was he ignorant?

Abraham Lincoln professed Christianity, a self-educated man, but considered by some to be the best president we've ever had. Was he ignorant?

Gus Grissom, original Mercury astronaut - a Christian, held a BA, was he ignorant?

Just because we don't believe as you, does not mean we have not studied or are ignorant or uneducated. I know it's a lot of fun to ridicule people who don't conform to your ideas, but using these types of attacks just show your own trend toward intolerance.

Answer 9

Movement which is devoid of logic and reason is called "dogma," and a collection of dogma is called an "ism."

When the advocates of dogma and the followers of isms lacked sufficient charisma to convince people through the power of their personalities, they tried to persuade them
by taking the name of God. They openly exploited others in the name of the Supreme. Sometimes they said, "I have received certain instructions in a dream.

Dogma is the result of faith and spiritual values reduced to religious procedures that in time become God in the mind of the believer.

Answer 10

Ignorance is secluded in happiness, and belief suceeds into the idea of happiness. I think it is not, but a product of karma, and trust alone. There are no rules to karma, yet it seems like it with so many religions and forms to endure life. Don´t you think?
Bye.

Answer 11

You and your atheist buddies can gamble with your own souls, but you should NOT logically conclude that the rest of us should simply follow along with your thinking, and if we don't we are STUPID.

Some of us are smart enough not to make final determinations about things we cannot prove or disprove.

How strategic and logical is that?

Basic science gives explanations of how things work, it does not answer the primary question of how it all came to be.

Until it does some people [if intelligent] should reserve making final determinations on the subject.