I
IWantGod
Guest
Given the principles of evolution, natural selection, survival of the fittest, etc, do you think belief in the supernatural will die out or become a minority worldview?
Given the principles of evolution, natural selection, survival of the fittest, etc, do you think belief in the supernatural will die out or become a m
- Status
J
John_Lazarus
Guest
Depends on whether belief or non-belief gives an advantage re passing on one’s genes.
T
ThinkingSapien
Guest
I don’t think this will be a major driver in changes for the belief of the supernatural. It was was almost 160 years ago that “The Origin of Species” was published. There are some Christians that view biological evolution as how God does his work. Noticing that an animal being as fit for its environment is also a regular occurrence especially with man influenced changes in an environment. I don’t think people will see this as being a contradiction of their religious beliefs.
T
tonyrey
Guest
Many people are beginning to realise that science is a hopelessly inadequate explanation of the most valuable aspects of life: truth, goodness, freedom, justice, beauty and love. Persons are far more precious and significant than mindless particles which don’t know what they’re doing and cannot control themselves…
V
Vonsalza
Guest
Well, if Pew is to be believed, the world is becoming more religious.
The religious “nones” are growing in number. But as a percentage of world population, they’re actually forecasted to shrink.
So to answer your question more directly - no.
T
tonyrey
Guest
Survival value is a hopelessly inadequate explanation of personal development which now threatens the survival of all life on this planet.
T
tonyrey
Guest
Materialism is obsolete now that logical positivism has been abandoned by its own adherents who realised that the verification principle cannot be verified and amounts to epistemological suicide!
T
tonyrey
Guest
Materialists have always been a small minority because like primitive man most people intuitively realise there is far more in the world than meets the eye. Reasons are far more significant than physical causes…
R
Reepicheep
Guest
No.
T
tonyrey
Guest
Logical reasoning itself is based on the existence of rational minds which transcend physical organisms with their power of self-control, self-awareness and self-determination. Our primary datum and sole certainty is not the external world but our mental activity which enables us to infer that other minds and things exist. Like charity knowledge begins at home for Christians and everyone who believes in human rights!
P
puzzledtoo
Guest
No. In my view we are far too superstitious as a species for that to happen.
E
Eric_Hyom
Guest
And who created these billion year old beings?
T
TheCuriousCat
Guest
No, it won’t. Religious people out breed atheists. People who are born into a religion tend to remain religious more often than not. Also, when people feel of control, they become more superstitious or religious, and prone to belief in the supernatural.
Religion will always have an adaptive advantage, and therefore it will never die out .
O
OneSheep
Guest
What is your opinion on this IWG?
It’s a great question, but to me it depends on the definition of “supernatural”. For example, it is quite natural to hate ones’ enemies. Forgiveness of enemies is supernatural. It is natural to strive for wealth and status, so taking a step back from these in favor of holiness is supernatural.
A particle suddenly appearing in a perfect vacuum can be called “supernatural”, but it seems to be a naturally occurring phenomenon. That “natural”, however, does not take away from the wonder and awe of the world and all its miracles.
Would you agree that the foundation of faith lies not in scientific proofs and explanations, but comes from spiritual gratitude for life, and a hope for the future?
E
Exiled_Child
Guest
Well, if we consider the future demographics of Europe that are being projected, then the answer to your question is, “No, atheism will die out, or at least become a minority point of view.” This is because a person’s strength is drawn from, and directly correlates with, their faith in God. Western society has more and more become Godless, has deliberately abandoned God, and as a result is the weakest it’s been in millennia. So as the Christian population shrinks and the Muslim population grows, the answer to your question is plain to see. And I should add that I certainly don’t believe evolution itself has anything whatsoever to do with it, but the fact remains: it’s the most religious societies that are strongest.
G
grannymh
Guest
S
STT
Guest
S
STT
Guest
They might change their mind when they understand the key point in evolution is random change in genes.
H
HerCrazierHalf
Guest
Belief is unlikely to die out for a few simple reasons.
The only way belief will become a minority view is if there is a sustained multi generational period of global peace, prosperity, and freedom. It seems faiths strengthen during struggles and weakens during good times.
- Belief is some deity, force, etc seems to be a default position for 90+% of ppl throughout time. How it is defined and the rituals/rules is what changes.
- nonbelief means dealing with uncomfortable questions/answers.
The only way belief will become a minority view is if there is a sustained multi generational period of global peace, prosperity, and freedom. It seems faiths strengthen during struggles and weakens during good times.
M
mVitus
Guest
On the other hand, we’re also prone to being less superstitious as more causes become known.
But on the other hand, the faithful can still know God is behind it.
Me, I have a feeling that either society will become non-denominational or atheistic. In this case, non-denominational is referring to not following a general religion at all. So that if you asked someone what religion they are, they’d say they’re not any specific one.
The reasons behind these projections are based on some things.
1: Atheism seems to stem from not believing there is evidence for God. As science advances, there are less unknown causes and less places for, and this phrase is not the best one to use but is the best I can think of at the moment, God to “fill the cracks.” So with more knowledge about how things work, people will have more questions to ask of “What evidence is there for God?” We see that happening already and I expect that trend to continue.
2: There is a lack of emphasis on religion these days. Back in the middle ages, religion was a huge part of society. Just think about how many conflicts in Western civilization were over religion. China had its spirituality. But these days it’s kind of lost and people are more neutral to it. Religious tolerance, while good, morphed into religious, and again not the best word, acceptance where people began to find things in other religions that didn’t necessary align with their own to also follow. And by a bit of breaking in the religious boundaries, emphasis on one’s own religion also waters.
3: And a combination of not being as solid in one’s own religion plus advances in science would suggest the prominence of atheism or non-denominationals in the future. Either a person will learn about the science and not have an idea on how to still defend a belief in God and become atheist. Or they’ll not know how to defend their religion and water down into an “all religions are true” kind of mentality. And of course a non-denominational is also prone to the same questions that leads towards atheism as they would not have a reservoir on tradition to learn a defense from.
- Status