Religion vs Atheism! Bwahahahahahahahah

[slartibartfast]

If they understood it, they wouldn’t be consistently resorting to strawman arguments. They wouldn’t keep blathering on about ‘blind chance’. They wouldn’t keep asking things like, ‘Why are there still monkeys?’ They wouldn’t keep dragging in issues like cosmology and abiogenesis.

And - most of all - if they understood evolution, they would understand that it’s NOT a threat to their other beliefs.

Boru

Sure they would, all of these things are ad hoc rationalizations as to why what is manifestly apparent in reality is not true.  I think you misunderstand the belief I'm referring to.  They have..for decades now (if not centuries)..pegged the truth of their religion on reality being, somehow, false.  

You might think that evolutionary biology leaves room for a god - but it doesn't leave room for the god they believe in, which is a god defined by it's directly contradictory claims to the facts of biology, and their claims would be materially false were biology.. : snickers : ..A Fact.  There's a reason that some religions (or sub-cults, if you prefer) expend so much effort and cash trying to memory whole this stuff..and it isn't because it poses no threat to their specific beliefs, not even in their own minds.

Consider them as normal people, meaningfully the same as you and I or steve, using the same coping methods for the same ends as the rest of us.  Just as I have to find a way to continue trudging along in the face of evidence to the contrary with respect to my belief in american greatness and exceptionalism, they have to find a way to trudge along with the plain and apparent facts of biology - which jw's do value as contemporary westerners..in the main, that stand in contradiction to what they wish to assert is true.

It would be easier, ofc, to assert a continued belief in an intervening god and concede that biology is not an area that god intervenes in..but that's not their claim, that's not consistent with their religious beliefs...and therein lies the trouble, for them.  A special creator that doesn't specially create is about as cogent (theologically) as a christ who doesn't redeem.

I had a girlfriend when I was at University who was studying the phylogenetic evolution of a species of sea birds. Her masters degree had her gather samples from all around the world (sent to her by researchers), and she had access to equipment which allowed her to sequence these samples and show a very clear relationship and evolutionary path demonstrating that this species of bird has evolved a) differently in different parts of the world from a common ancestor, and b) clearly migrated around the globe in a particular pattern. It was a fascinating thesis.

At the time I also worked with a very religious man in my holiday job, who did not believe in evolution and we had many conversations on this topic. The upshot was that he simply did not believe that her research was real, or demonstrated the clearly very evident results. They were at times ridiculous circular conversations and it was hard for me not to get angry at the sheer ignorance, arrogance and stubbornness of the man. When presented with evidence his mind completely went into full blown denial mode - simply discounting the facts since they disagreed with his beliefs.