(May 20, 2015 at 9:56 pm)AFTT47 Wrote:(May 20, 2015 at 8:19 pm)francismjenkins Wrote: Keep in mind, any thought experiment in this regard invariably has to deal with the fact that in the initial phases of transition to a less theistic culture, many who abruptly move to a less theistic belief system, will feel a sense of nihilism. So for at least the first generation, the consequences of abandoning theism will be unpredictable and most likely volatile.
Absolutely. It's not a good idea to take something like religion away from people who feel lost without it unless you can offer them something to replace it with. Obviously, a science-based worldview works for all of us but I think it's wrong to assume it will work for everybody. We just need to move away from dogmatism because of the negative effects it has on society. We don't need to get rid of religion entirely.
I sort of feel like until science can say we have a cure for human aging and death, religion will continue to exist. I'm in a minority among my fellow biologists in that I believe aging should be approached as a disease to be treated (not an inevitable outcome that we accept as a foregone conclusion).
