Why did evolution wire us to believe in God if such belief is against progress?

Question

Is there any evidence that any other species on earth believes in God? If such belief is against progress, will evolution phase out this ability?

Did evolution give us this ability to believe in God, or is it because we are created in the image of God (Genesis), and therefore have a spiritual nature?

Answer 1

Belief in God is advantageous, at a primitive level. It binds together societies and creates a rationale for tribal conflict and expansion. Religion also helps foster a strict social heirarchy, which is imprtant for social cohesion.

Because of these factors, primitive tribes with a deity would be more likely to survive.

Answer 2

Is it not obvious that mankind was created with a spiritual need? It will never be 'phased out'. The following 3 articles are full of excellent reasoning on this ...

Humans---Just Higher Animals? :
1. Who Are We?
- - - What Is the Purpose of Life?
- - - What We Believe Makes a Difference
2. In the Image of God or Beast?
- - - Where We Differ From Animals
- - - A Gulf Too Wide to Bridge?
- - - A Shaky Theory
- - - Woeful Consequences
- - - Worship the Creation or the Creator?
3. Looking Up, Not Down for Answers
- - - Animal Genes or Flawed Genes?
- - - Why We Don't Want to Die
- - - Made to Live Forever
- - - A New World Based on Love http://www.watchtower.org/library/g/1998/6/22/article_01.htm

Answer 3

The belief in god is, I think, a natural psychological effect. There are two main factors for it: first, humans always are inclined to search for patterns in everything. This is actually a very successful survival technique in some circumstances (for example finding water, following animal tracks, living according to seasons and so on) but it can be very misleading in other circumstances when there in fact are no patterns to follow.
The second factor is the inclination to lean on stronger partners. This is what we learn as a child: there are always adults to rely on for protection, sustenance and so on. As an adult we still have a yearning for a strong, protective friend. That's why we create such a friend in our wishes and call it god.

Answer 4

Dawkins makes quite an interesting case for this sort of thing in The God Delusion. Humans aren't wired for belief, it's rather the case that belief is a byproduct of some other characteristic that confers an evolutionary advantage - he proposes obedience towards authority among children. Obedient children are more likely to survive than rebellious children (says Dawkins), but a byproduct is their susceptibility to want guidance, which takes the form of belief. It's more complex, you may take it with a pinch of salt, but that's a coarse summary. Read it if you're really interested.

Answer 5

People who believe in God are not against progress. On the contrary...some very devout Christians were and are some of the most successful and progressive scientists and scholars. What we are against is accepting something as truth when we KNOW that it is not. i.e. evolutionary theory and some scientists viewpoint on how the universe came about. These are simply theories based on present interpretation of date. In due time, science will learn more later and change their mind about things just as they have done for thousands of years.

Answer 6

Evolution didn't wire us to believe in god, environment did. For instance, I grew up in an environment where I never had any religion or belief system pushed in my face, and therefore, I am not hardwired to believe in god, and in fact, don't believe in god. I believe in evolution and science. I believe what can be shown to me, not a book written long ago by kings and men.

Answer 7

there is no evidence evolution 'wired' us for belief.

What I think happened is with the dawn of self-awareness we became aware of all these things we could not explain. And from there we starting calling things 'sun-god', 'rain-god' etc. etc.

Over time this nature worship evolved, mutated, got codified, written down and here we are with todays religion.

Why it persists? Well, how about this idea: children, by that same evolution, are wired to accept ideas coming from their parents at an early age. This allows them to survive all kinds of dangerous situations (i.e. don't go near that cliff, bobby). It also makes them vulnerable to well-meaning parents filling their heads with sky daddy crap.

Answer 8

Because before there were all big citizens and permament settle. People use to live in small group. As it grow bigger, they start to see the needs to keep everyone in order and they doesn't have the power to single handed control everybody. So they come up with "magic" and "spirit" to scare everyone into behave when no body is looking. Over time, this slowly change into god/goddess. Now it's still around.

Answer 9

It's likely to be a by-product of other factors such as the need to have a particularly keen sense of other intelligent agents in our environment (predators, other humans etc.). Education will help to eradicate religion in the same way that it has eradicated all kinds of other superstitious beliefs.

Answer 10

Most major religions believe that we have are born with knowledge that something bigger than ourselves exist and then the religion labels it god.

The problem with most organized religions is that they do not allow our understanding of god to evolve. Science is currently working on several issues in quantum physics that, if true, will prove we are all connected to a common source, or God force.