What is a religion?

[Dorothyne]

 

 

[WinAce]

At first I wanted to vote "Yes", since free copies of The Origin of Species, The Blind Watchmaker, and tax-exemption to boot wouldn't hurt... but then decided against it because it's not.

 

[David Gould]

I think evolution is a component of a world view and that world view may be religious or it may not be. 

Christianity is a religious world view.

Metaphysical naturalism is a non religious world view.

Both incorporate evolution in some of their incarnations.

 

[Pete Harcoff]

No, evolution is not a religion. If it was, then quantum theory, gravity, and France would also be religions.

 

[Patty]

To me, a religion is a man's own path to awareness.

That's my personal definition of religion, and has been for many years.

So, you can figure who answered 'yes' to the poll.


Patty

 

[WinAce]

Who says France isn't a religion? So instead of cathedrals and transubstantiated bread and wine, they have the Eiffel Tower, dozens of different types of cheese and even more wine... big deal.

 

[David Gould]

Originally posted by Patty
To me, a religion is a man's own path to awareness.

That's my personal definition of religion, and has been for many years.

So, you can figure who answered 'yes' to the poll.


Patty

But evolution isn't my path to awareness. Thinking about things is my path to awareness.

 

[Praxiteles]

I simply had to vote no on this one.

In any case, football is my religion. Go you Bluebaggers!! Premiers next year!!

Well, maybe not next year. Perhaps the year after. Or, sometime in the next 20 years...

Evolution, however? How can a scientific theory be a religion? Maybe for some unbalanced biologists, who need to get a life.

Cheers,

Prax.

 

PS  Thanks for the poll!  Prax loves polls!

 

[MSBS]

Prax...Do you really think there are biologists anywhere, unbalanced or not, that get up and pray to Darwin or something? Please. Evolution says absolutly, and I mean absolutly, nothing about God or anything supernatural. If someone says it does they are misinformed. It neither proves nor falsifies God, nor does it support or falsify satan, baal, buhda, vishnu, the great spirit, or the great pink unicorn. It is, in fact, entirely SILENT on all religious matters. Some very foolish people seem to want to base their religion on whether or not evolution is true or false, but that, I would argue, is based more on their fears and ignorance than anything else.

EOM

 

[Douglaangu]

Is bald a hair colour?

 

[fragmentsofdreams]

Since people of completely different religions can and do believe that evolution is true, it can't be a religion.

 

[Humanista]

A religion is a belief system which attempts to define and establish a relationship between man and the ultimate power of the universe, whatever the belief system defines that to be. It typically relies on tradition, authority and revelation to justify itself. Major features of any religion include a proscribed set of behaviour which is deemed desirable, and rules which one can follow to assure the attainment of happiness after death. A set of mythical stories about past heroes and events is also usually a feature.

Evolution is not a faith-based belief system. It is a scientific theory which explains the data , or facts, found in the natural world. It does not tell anyone how to live, what to do to insure entrance into nirvana or heaven, nor how to please a supernatural entity.

Those who call evolution a religion distort the definition to such a degree as to render the word "religion" almost meaningless.

 

[Jerry Smith]

Is Islam thermodynamics?

 

[Praxiteles]

Originally posted by MSBS
Prax...Do you really think there are biologists anywhere, unbalanced or not, that get up and pray to Darwin or something?

Nope.

Please. Evolution says absolutly, and I mean absolutly, nothing about God or anything supernatural.

{facetious} No!  Really? {/facetious}

 If someone says it does they are misinformed. It neither proves nor falsifies God, nor does it support or falsify satan, baal, buhda, vishnu, the great spirit, or the great pink unicorn. It is, in fact, entirely SILENT on all religious matters. Some very foolish people seem to want to base their religion on whether or not evolution is true or false, but that, I would argue, is based more on their fears and ignorance than anything else.

EOM

MSBS, you've said nothing that I disagree with.  However, judging from what you've written I would suggest that you've misread my post. 

I have been wrong before (gasp) but I would have thought it was clear from my reference to footy that I was using the non-supernatural definition of religion in that instance.  That is, something which is followed and handled fanatically.

Cheers,

Prax

 

[Inspired]

I think evolution can be considered a part of a religion, but I don't think it can stand on it's own as a religion. JMO

 

[Stormy]

I do not think evolution has enough to offer to consider it a religion.

But since it is not a proven fact and never will be... to completely buy all that evolution claims does require Faith.

 

[Stormy]

Jerry: HI!!!

Where have you been???

 

[Blackhawk]

Evolution is not a religion. It is a scientific theory. Some have taken the ideas of evolution and have applied them in religous kind of ways and thus made a worldview out of it. But that is different than evolution as a scientific theory. I do think that evolution can be a belief associated with a religion or worldview. for instance most atheists I know also believe in evolution. That is a generalisation but it mostly true. However many Christians also believe in evolution. Really one's religious views and ones worldview affect whether they believe in evolution or not and then that has become a significant debate because of the difference in worldviews but evolution is not the religion or worldview. That is if we are speaking of the scientific theory and not offshoots of it that are not based on science.

 

[MSBS]

Originally posted by Stormy
[BBut since it is not a proven fact and never will be... to completely buy all that evolution claims does require Faith. [/B]

 

That is not correct Stormy.  Some people do believe in evolution without knowing anything about it, and their belief could be classified as faith I suppose.  However, many of us have studied evolution and are convinced by the evidence-- this required no faith.  None.

And no matter how much you might wish that evolution has not been proven and never will be, you are wrong, it has been proven over and over again, to such a degree that almost no one that has studied it disagrees with it.  I really don't understand why evangelicals are so threatened by science.  Why does even the possibility of evolution scare you so much?  It shouldn't.

Something evolution is entirely silent on is metaphysics.  It says nothing about God, Jesus, vishnu, budha, krishna, fairies, athieism, or the great invisible pink unicorn.  Evolution has nothing, and I mean nothing, to do with the supernatural or the metaphysical. 

 

[KingzKid]

I also said Yes, because any belief system of man that requires faith on any level, is a religion. Even atheism is a religion. It is a worldview that requires faith in something that man cannot prove. Not only is it a false religion, it is one of the most dangerous and still being taught to our youth as truth.