(December 9, 2011 at 4:35 pm)Statler Waldorf Wrote:(December 8, 2011 at 11:11 pm)Chuck Wrote: The problem of scientific nature is what neurological malfunction could it be for there to still be "theology" after the bronze age.
That’s actually kind of funny, if you’re an Evolutionist you’d have to believe that Humans developed a belief in God because it provided some sort of survival advantage. So being an atheist would actually make you a bit of an evolutionary throw back.
Nope. Common but fundamental misunderstanding of how evolution works.
Evolution is a process without set goals (apart from survival for species as a whole - or more precisely the gene). As such, not every hereditary trait needs a clear reason to exist. Some traits may have provided an advantage in the past, some might be remnants of reduced traits and still others might simply be side-effects of other useful traits developed.
The idea that every trait _must_ have some sort of survival advantage is patently false. As long as the trait does not pose (too great) a disadvantage to the survival rate of the species it can arise and persist.
My personal belief is that religion is a side-effect of several useful psychological traits developed; including the tendency of humans to believe what father figures tell us and our capacity to find causality and intent in everything that happens in the world around us. Children who do not listen to their father when he says "don't play near that tiger" are clearly at a disadvantage when it comes to survival; as are those who cannot connect the rustling of grass with the approach of said tiger.
Some of the time daddy and rustling grass might be wrong, and there is no tiger (or God, for that matter). But better to err on the side of caution and believe His every word.
In this view, theists are simply suffering from the some of the side-effects of the evolution of our species. How ironic.
