Hello, Anyone interested in a debate?

[Anima]

That priests advanced our knowledge in scientific fields is actually irrelevant. A person engaging in the scientific method is, or should be, approaching it with a view to following the evidence where it leads, regardless of their background. Georges Lemaître was a Catholic priest who originated the Big Bang theory, but that was a result of his scientific work and not from reading his bible. Isaac Newton was a practicing alchemist as well as a physicist, yet all his work in the field of alchemy combined is nothing compared to his discoveries in physics. Will Hay, one of the greatest comic actors this nation ever produced, was also a highly respected amateur astronomer who contributed many discoveries (astronomy being perhaps the sole scientific discipline in which the amateur still plays a major part). His observation of what became known as Hay's Spot on Saturn, for example, had nothing to do with comedy.

So please stow the red herring.

A result of his scientific work no doubt and we will claim his religious views had no impact. On the guy who came up with the theory that states in the beginning there was one thing for an immeasurable amount of time. And then one day that one thing became everything for no reason whatsoever. Yeah... That does not sound religious at all...

How would you propose I answer the claim that religion keeps people ignorant?

I can show that there are 1.3 billion Catholics, 1.7 Billion Muslims and a total of about 7 Billion people on earth. Thus, about 43% of the worlds population is accounted for by these two religions.

I can show that these two religions were effectively the only advocates, facilitators, financiers, and source of education, scientific, cultural, and political discovery for much of the common era (that is to say until about the 20th century) in monastaries, madrassas, and religious universities.

I can show that most of the scientific discoveries of the common era were done or based off of the work performed by religious clerics who were educated by their faiths in numerous subjects. As the views has been for centuries that God is truth, truth supports truth, and one might come to know god better by understanding his creation.

But, because various people on this forum have anecdotal evidence of ignorant religious people (most of whom I suspect would be evangelical, CHRISTIANS ARE NOT A MONOLITH!! ) they would like to say that religion as a whole keeps people ignorant.

So be it, but by that same argument the great majority of anecdotal evidence I have of atheistic people (who are not a monolith) is that atheism deprives them of a full set of consideration and understanding that science, culture, art, politics, and yes even reality demand from them. I see atheist contorting themselves to hold their views far more than I see theists. I see the view of atheists ignore more evidence with the "prove it" requirement than I see theist with the "I do not believe it" statement (I also have it on good authority from Robovalue that they had no choice in believing it or not). So might I say atheism keeps people ignorant?