Does a true understanding of Darwinian evolution corrode religious morality?

[Shrapnel12]

Originally posted by Impaler[WrG]
The theory of Evolution is just one of many things which can lead a rational person to discard the god theory (others include the existence of numerous conflicting gods and, the existence of evil in the world).

This leads to Nietzsche's "death of god" in which one rejects god for the higher truth of atheism out of intellectual honesty as you call it or the "Will to Truth" as Nietzsche called it. In reality that will to truth is the real morality you follow and is the core of the Christian morality which we affirm when when sacrificing god himself. Thus atheism far from being the rejection of Christianity is in fact its ultimate fulfillment!

[Japher]

"rational person"

[Elok]

No. At least, it doesn't for me, and I'm pretty sure I understand at least the basics of evolutionary theory. Evolution describes an amoral process (amoral, not immoral--it is indifferent to morality, not opposed). So there is nothing in it more faith-troubling than the age-old Problem of Evil, which itself is not too challenging to me as Orthodox theology explains it just dandy. It would trouble a biblical literalist, but biblical literalists are in my experience well-trained to stomp on doubt like a cockroach from the moment it surfaces.

[Agathon]

My own view is that evolution pretty much destroys any religion that most people would want to believe in.

I guess you could still be some sort of deist.

[Aeson]

d) The uniqueness and exaltedness of Man as something above an animal

You could look at this as a lesson in humility. Pride is not a virtue...

[Pekka]

What the evolution does in fact is that it destroys the Bible story about the creation of the world.

Now, that doesn't trash the religion away, except for those who believe it's the literal word of God, a notion I find extremely stupid to begin with.

[Japher]

You could look at this as a lesson in humility. Pride is not a virtue...

That idea is not suppose to invoke pride but responsibility

Pride has never been viewed as virtue, it is a deadly sin afterall

[Pekka]

deadly sin in your infidel catholic mindset.

[Japher]

I'm not a catholic, thus my omission

[Aeson]

Originally posted by Japher
That idea is not suppose to invoke pride but responsibility

Even if you are hoping to invoke responsibility, you are doing so by appealing to their sense of pride. "You are better than this, so you should behave better than this." Pride.

[Pekka]

But someone could say that the idea is not to invoke responsiblity, but to rather take control

Anyways, it's not really a big issue... I mean it's a big debate but there's no clear line what's what in the social circles of people. Lots of top scientists have been religious and that didn't affect negatively on their work. But then again they had a clear mindset, where they would believe in God, however, kept science as the mission to find the truth. Not the truth about God, but about the world around us. And no, this doesn't resemble ID at all, which at some points is horrible science wise.

So these people woudln't go for bad science or try to come up with certain results. That was simply not the point and it was out of the mind. I don't have to think that ohh this is the proof oh his existance etc. Any scientist would tell you it's not exactly something that can be done and furthermore if you would ever claim something like that, you would be an extremely bad scientist and should resign or you simply went insane....

[Adam Smith]

Didn't St. Thomas Aquinas pretty much cover this 800 years ago? God gave us an intellect to use. Reason is not inconsistent with faith. Fundies please take note.

[Jon Miller]

Completely depends on the person of faith.. for some, yes. For others.. no.

JM

[Odin]

Religious morality is stupid anyway, so it's corrosion is a good thing, it's nothing but a socially constructed "pseudo-morality" or "folk morality" legitimized by a belief that it is sanctioned by the supernatural. Morality should come from reason and compassion, not faith and dogma.

[Berzerker]

Morality is not a product of "survival" and is separate from evolution...until an intellect that can define morality evolves. This was the knowledge of good and evil that distinguishes us from life forms lacking the intellect required to define morality. Genesis supports the notion of evolution and even acknowledges evolution happened - Adam and Eve represent our departure from the world of animals just as Cain and Abel represent our departure from a hunter gatherer culture to farming.