Is it fair to say that intellectually, religion is dead, and has been for a long time?

Question

It seems to me that with the advent of modern science, and in particular the Theory of Evolution, it is no longer possible to intellectually justify religious belief. Religions only survive by ignorance of, or outright rejection of, rational thought - i.e. by 'faith'.

Agreed?

Answer 1

I can agree to the fairness of your statement. The questions of god-belief have been asked and answered sufficiently. There is nothing new that the subject can offer.

The golden age of religion has passed and its final hours are upon it. There is little left for religions and god-belief to give its followers that cannot be obtained outside them in greater quality, quantity or both.

Religion has reached the stage where its weekly services and rituals have grown to be greater in entertainment value than in spiritual value. God-belief has been reduced to merely a feel-good activity, a hobby and a pass-time; it is no longer the central focus of daily life nor is it a requirement of our daily lives. Dependence upon god for explanations of the unknown, protection and sustenance are no longer - mankind has grown to the age where it is beyoud the need of praise and honor to its fantasy god in order to insure against any failure of the sun to rise each morning.

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb62/Randall_Fleck/folly_Mark_Twain.gif

It's time to thank our gods for the good jobs they've done up to now.... since now, we have arrived at the dawn of a new age, the age of mankinds' maturity, independence and self-reliance. We, all of us believers and non, have found ourselves quite able to replace our gods by means of our own invention and ability. We are the new miracle givers and we are the providers and protectors of ourselves and our world.

Mankind longer needs to depend on fantasy gods to support him through tougher times only by offerings of false hope. Forgiving god and lending him excuses when he fails us are activities of passé behavior - those times are now all but gone. God and his 'usefulness' to mankind are becoming more and more obsolete by the hour.... and we won't even notice the day our notion of him is gone altogether.

[][][] r u randy? [][][]
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To grendel, who stated above, "I have never met an atheist with anything beyond a high school diploma,if that."

Hi kid... nice to meet you ... My name is Randy and I have several degrees, , (AA, BS, DPM.,) from large and well respected educational institutions. Now... you no longer need to make your silly little, underprivileged and foolishly myopic statement again. If you really are hard headed about this... Ask for education credentials in an open question. You'll be quite surprised by the company you're in.
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Answer 2

Scientific thought cannot reject the untestable. While evolution is fairly certain, there is no way to disprove that a disinterested man behind the curtain exists. So, intellectually and rationally, we can say "Maybe, but it doesn't particularly matter". We instead fall into the murky realm of philosophy.

Science does not necessarily preempt religion, though it does change the playing field. To say that it does demonstrates both human conceit (because we think we know it all) and human ignorance (because we don't know it all). Moderation in all things.

Religion tells the masses how to act, and often gives good advice. Science tells us how masses (and energy n' stuff) act, and often gives good insight. The two, if you don't take a literal perspective, don't really collide much.

Answer 3

In the Bible the earth is flat, held up by pillars (like a giant oceanic oil-rig) and the sun revolves around the earth. The sky is a mirrored dome with the sun, moon and stars affixed to the underside. The moon produces it’s own light. Above the dome, God sits on a throne in heaven with beasts chanting "Holy, Holy, Holy". God, who’s as strong as a unicorn, rides cherubs (2Sam.22:11) and came to earth to show his “back parts” to one man and wrestle with another. The Bible tells of unicorns, cockatrices, and satyrs. Snakes, trees and donkeys talk.

Oh, yes, very intellectual. And then there's the obvious fact that God made Noah save animals while letting innocent human babies drown. So loving. Not to mention all the other murder and mayhem in the Bible.

The problem seems to be that so many Christians haven't ever read the Bible.

As for some other religions, such as Hindu, or even Jewdaism, their people study religion and it's history more than Christians. They separate mythology from reality. That may be why they are more scientifically educated. And why the U.S. is falling farther & farther behind in science and engineering.

Answer 4

Quite fair. People are just terrifyed of the change, so they're resisting it.

Strix, are you litterally so uneducated that you don't know evolution has nothing to do with the origin of life? Is your education that badly lacking that you can't get that very small thing right?

Edit: Grendel, you have now. I'm an Atheist with a College degree and two years in University. The Atheists I've met generally have a degree in one thing or another.

Might like to open the world a bit more to yourself.

Answer 5

no, not really. there are all sorts of religious beliefs that don't depend on the earth being a certain age, or divine intervention in the formation and/or diversification of life. i don't particularly find them persuasive, but some people do, they are still viable. probably it will always be possible to imagine things that can't be easily disproved by science, just because the space of imaginable things is so much larger than the space of things that actually exist (well i think so, anyway).

Answer 6

These are stale arguments. You're the one who hasn't kept up. Science doesn't even endorse atheism any more; the existence of a Supreme Being is not provable but nor is it disprovable. I regularly meet well-educated agnostics. I have never met an atheist with anything beyond a high school diploma,if that. Darwin's theory of transmutation of one species into another is rapidly losing credibility since despite years of searching no evidence has been found to support it. We all know species evolve,but there does not appear to be any evidence that one species can evolve into another. It's like a satire of the Hindu concept of transmigration of the soul. Most scientists - and most highly educated people - are deeply religious: Catholic,Jewish,Muslim - all are well-represented in every branch of science. You sound ill-informed and sadly out of date. Just last week I attended the funeral of one of the world's finest neurosurgeons. He was a devout Hindu. My friend,the world has changed a lot since 1948 and you need to do some catching up.

Answer 7

Religion maybe,,,,but being a Christian has to do with the spirit,,,and with faith..even a child can understand the love of God. Boy, you athesist are sure hung up on how smart you think you are........It is only an "educated fool" who denies what his own eyes and common sense tell him.

Design; intricate, interdependent, as in the case of symbiosis, demands a Designer.

The operation of all the forces and powers which regulate our earth, such as gravity and inertia, and all the physical laws of science, such as the formation of crystals, the cleavage properties of minerals, etc., demand a great Sustaining Force; a Sustainer

"The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God." ........Like the Bible says.

Answer 8

Yes, Of course as you can see there are still ignorant people who have no idea what a scientific theory even is. Apparently some people in Texas are not required to learn basic science.

A theory is "a coherent group of general propositions used as principles of explanation for a class of phenomena" [Random House American College Dictionary]. The term does not imply tentativeness or lack of certainty. For instance Human Sexual Reproduction is the theory that explains where babies come from.

Answer 9

Check out the Nobel prize winners. You'll be astounded at the percentage of Jews on the list. Jews make up less than 2% of the general population, yet they contribute to all areas of science, medicine, etc.
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Answer 10

Not at all. If you mean religion as systems of man-made rules and regulations, yes, if it isn't dead, then it's pretty sick. But if your talking about Christianity, then consider this: There are many scientists who see the intrinsic flaws in the theory of evolution and have abandoned it in favor of Creation and the God who created the universe.