Religion teaches us that it is a virtue to be satisfied with NOT understanding?

[tonychanyt]

Prof Richard Dawkins:

One of the truly bad effects of religion is that it teaches us that it is a virtue to be satisfied with not understanding.

That's an overgeneralization. My religion does not teach me that. In Judaism, the Talmudic tradition emphasizes debate and interpretation of sacred texts. Similarly, medieval Islamic scholars made significant contributions to philosophy, mathematics, and science, often inspired by their faith's emphasis on the pursuit of knowledge. Many Christian thinkers, such as Thomas Aquinas, have sought to reconcile faith with reason, arguing that the two are complementary rather than opposed.

I agree that some leaders of cultic religious groups do not encourage their followers to think for themselves, but that's not the dominant mainstream religious invocation.

Science uses evidence to discover the truth about the universe.

Right.

The professor continued:

Religion really is in a sense about science.

Emphases added.

1. Is religion really about science?
2. Is religion, in a sense, about science?

He was mixing the two emphases.

I think that religious claims about the universe are scientific claims.

I don't think so unless you think Creation Science and Christian Science are scientific. He was not using the term science consistently in the more rigorous (mathematical) sense.

Wiki:

Dawkins writes that The God Delusion contains four "consciousness-raising" messages:

1. Atheists can be happy, balanced, moral, and intellectually fulfilled.

I think so.

2. Natural selection and similar scientific theories are superior to a "God hypothesis"—the illusion of intelligent design—in explaining the living world and the cosmos.

That's an overgeneralization. It depends on the specific issues.

3. Children should not be labelled by their parents' religion. Terms like "Catholic child" or "Muslim child" should make people cringe.

That's another overgeneralization. I would leave that decision to the parents/guardians.

4. Atheists should be proud, not apologetic, because atheism is evidence of a healthy, independent mind.[1]

Sure, if you wish.

Dawkins appears to tend to overgeneralize. In contemporary society, many religious individuals and communities embrace science and reason alongside their spiritual beliefs. They see no inherent conflict between faith and the pursuit of knowledge, viewing them as different but complementary ways of engaging with reality.

 

[Maori Aussie]

The Bible Study group of 10 that I used to attend had three Ph.D holders. One in biochemistry, one in public health and one in history. You had to know them well before you found out that they had Ph.Ds. All were humble servants of God.

 

[NBB]

God is science and reason, he created it, also there is false science, evolution says the process doesn't need intervention from God, it could do its thing and work, well, that a lie, first we have a soul inside, that alone destroys that thought, our soul works with our bodies. God designed our bodies just as he wanted.