The Big Bang, Darwin and the God of the Gaps

How did 41% of American miss out on the scientific Enlightenment? Is there something wrong with their schools?

According to the Pew Research Center, 41 percent of Americans think that Jesus will definitely (23 percent) or probably (18 percent) return to Earth by the year 2050. A full 58 percent of white evangelicals hold this view.

www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/donald-trump-christians-fundamentalists-end-times-rapture-1083131/

These fundamentalist Christians overwhelmingly voted for Donald Trump - a compulsive liar and serial adulterer. How do they reconcile that with the moral teachings of their religion?

Horses for courses, its all only opinion

Alexa and whitewavemark, I don’t think, in general, religions are established by rulers, though they may be used and abused by rulers and political leaders.

Even religions have a range of normative ethical principles. Take, for example, Christianity. People make moral choices based on some of the following:
Rule-base principles, either taken directly from the Bible or from some system that is theologically based, such as Aquinas’ precepts of Natural Moral Law.
Ends-based principles, for example, doing things in order to achieve religious credit (be seen as good) or to get to heaven and avoid hell.
Virtue-based principles, for example ‘What would Jesus do’?
Utilitarian principles, for example ‘greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends’.

The same is true when it comes to secular approaches to ethics. It’s extremely rare for anyone, religious or not, to have a single basis for their morality.

To reduce the ethical influence of religion to a single rule or set of rules is to misunderstand both religion and ethics.

"Religion was/is used as a form of control" (Whitewavemark)

Yes. Societies are controlled by moral codes. Religions include moral codes such as The Ten Commandments or The Golden Rule. Moral codes are enshrined in myths such as those of Moses, and Christ.

It is easier for rulers to rule when they establish religions, as this saves the trouble of punishing and rewarding people at every turn of events, as religions let people discipline themselves.

Belief came first in the absence of scientific explanation. The beliefs/stories were needed to fill the gaps in our understanding.

Religion was/is used as a form of control

Which came first the chicken or the egg ?.
Science or belief, i don`t think we truly know the answer 100%.

Early religion must have had a great deal to do with political control of the population by a priestly caste.

In 21st century America the abuse and distortion of religion seems to be about control of a large section of the population by right wing politicians.

Religions matter for helping people to live in societies. Religions include both moral codes and myths.

The religious myth about how God created the cosmos is beautifully related, in Genesis.

The problem is that some people do not differentiate between myth and history.

According to a 2019 Gallup Poll, 40% of U.S. adults ascribe to a strictly creationist view of human origins, believing that God created them in their present form within roughly the past 10,000 years. However, more Americans continue to think that humans evolved over millions of years -- either with God's guidance (33%) or, increasingly, without God's involvement at all (22%).

news.gallup.com/poll/261680/americans-believe-creationism.aspx

Ricky Martin
That song didn't make much sense either

I can't think about this any more, my head's hurting.

Callistemon

Ah, but who made the stuff that banged?

Ricky Martin

Ah, but who made the stuff that banged?

Dd just told me that a friend’s child of 5, on an outing with them in the car, suddenly announced, apropos of nothing, ‘God made the world!’

Upon which Gds (4 and 3/4 apparently replied, ‘That’s RUBBISH! It was the Big Bang!’ ?

When thinking about it all becomes too difficult:

youtu.be/XfcC6FYyL4U

Do we sort of float around for eternity?

If space is vast and endless do we just keep floating further away? It could get very lonely.

Goodness Whitewave, what if there is more than one beloved - or they were yours but you weren't theirs and they are looking for someone else (or vice versa)?
The words:
I will not cease from Mental Fight,
Nor shall my Sword sleep in my hand:
Till we have built Jerusalem,
In England's green and pleasant Land.
remind us that there are a large number of ideas of 'heaven'; many believing that we are aiming for heaven on earth.

*Beautifully performed by Billy Brag I always feel and sung at Tony Benns funeral.

I do wonder what someone like Henry VIII would do if confronted by all his late wives.

Indeed Whitewave ?

Of course I don’t believe in any form of afterlife. But I can’t see the point of it in any case.

One might like to hope that we will met our beloveds again, but if course we won’t. And if we did what then? Do we sort of float around for eternity? The more thought given the sillier the idea becomes.

Give your beloveds all the love and care now! You’ll never ge5 another chance.

I think of course there is a place for serious discussion about religion, but a little levity doesn’t hurt. It’s tricky challenging religion by evidencing scientifically based contradictions to belief, because religious beliefs are often emotionally deeply rooted, and challenging this can be upsetting.

I am liking your thinking & logic Elegran .

I'm not surprised, Greeneyedgirl, in the face of all this serious discussion.

BTW, the fiery biblical hell seems now to have been relegated to - er - Hades. Those who don't qualify for eternal bliss are now just sort of switched off and go into oblivion. That is what a JW relative says, anyway.

Sorry, was being rather frivolous Elegran