Monday, July 18, 2011

"God Didn't Make Man; Man Made Gods"

Just now, in the cognitive monsoon of Washington Tea Party irrationality, comes this exploration of science and religion written by a University of Virginia psychiatrist:
We can be better as a species if we recognize religion as a man-made construct. We owe it to ourselves to at least consider the real roots of religious belief, so we can deal with life as it is, taking advantage of perhaps our mind's greatest adaptation: our ability to use reason.

Not bloody likely, you say, and you would be right. But the research is compelling that we are not -- by dint of unredeemed, naturally sinful human nature -- the selfish toads we imagine most "others" to be:
Morality, which some see as imposed by gods or religion on savage humans, science sees as yet another adaptive strategy handed down to us by natural selection.

But we're 21st Century Americans. We don't believe in evolutionary science. We believe in hellfire and eternal damnation.

6 comments:

shyster said...

I think Freud discussed this in his book "Future of an Illusion" back in the 20s. I will be curious to read what this doctor has to add.

shyster said...

Read it and didn't find anything new.

Anonymous said...

Interesting...From the article, "the psychological mechanisms behind faith evolved over the eons through natural selection. They helped our ancestors work effectively in small groups and survive and reproduce, traits developed long before recorded history, from foundations deep in our mammalian, primate and African hunter-gatherer past." Exactly.....the wonderful unfolding of God's grace throughout human history. Which dovetails nicely with this, God doesn't love you because you're good, you're good because God loves you! - Martin Corts, Boone

shyster said...

This also from the article: "We can be better as a species if we recognize religion as a man-made construct. We owe it to ourselves to at least consider the real roots of religious belief, so we can deal with life as it is, taking advantage of perhaps our mind's greatest adaptation: our ability to use reason."

Anonymous said...

This reason has always concluded that there is a Supreme Being in the minds of ALL cultures. Therefore, it is evident that those that disagree are out of touch with their cultures and are usually judged to be not of sound mind.

Anonymous said...

Absolutely Shyster...so reason, to me, begs the question, from whence comes this innate goodness "deep in our mammalian, primate and African hunter-gatherer past."?

The developmental history of Judeo-Christianity is striking in comparison to every other religion prior. Martin