Re: Religion and evidence

From: Kenneth Van Oost (kennethvanoost@belgacom.net)
Date: Sun 22 Jan 2006 - 14:39:13 GMT

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    ----- Original Message ----- From: Keith Henson <hkhenson@rogers.com>
    > >This is because science explains how the natural world works, but
    religion
    > >interprets the meaning of those events. So you and I can be in complete
    > >agreement about the events that have happened, but argue over their
    meaning.
    >
    > It used to be that was the true. Now when even things like human esthetic
    > sense has been found to have an underlying (and sensible) genetic
    > component. Looking at things from an evolutionary biology perspective
    > might even provide a reason we have such a tendency to believe in gods. I
    > know a whole mob of atheists, but you can tell from their intense efforts
    > that they regret there being no god or gods. (They are doing their best
    to
    > *create* something with most of the aspects of a god.

    << Very true ! People, in- or outside the scientific community are trying to make ' god- like figures', or 'god- like figuratons' out of freedom, democracy, eqaulity, human rights, and etc. It is not that one think democracy has an universal potential somewhere buried within that it can be applied throughout the world. The sense, the tendencies and notions we attach to it, may differ from those who we are planning to convert.

    Where we try to stop religion with its dogmatic point of views we ought to do the same with the kind of Western forms of democracy, freedom and etc. They too become dogmatic if we set aside and submit other forms of socialisation. There are bounderies to what we can subject to other people, nations and folks, clearly there bounderies to tolerance for what other ways of thinking involve, but democracy for instance is fundamental and ultimately inconsistent with and religion and science. Because the latter(s) are monotheistic and democracy is essential polytheistic.

    Regards,

    Kenneth

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