What a fantasy. - Edit 1
Before modification by Vivien at 12/04/2011 08:28:32 PM
Since when do scientific finding force people to change religions if they can't find a way to reconcile the new finding with the current religion.
What actually happens:
1. Accept the new findings while keeping the old religion. Keep everything separate in your brain and don't try to reconcile anything. Assume it all works out somehow. Compartmentaliza different aspects of your life. There's scientific rational thought and there is religion/spirituality and never the twain shall meet. Most people do this. Or they just don't care enough about religion and/or science to think about it that much and it's not an issue.
2. Just don't think about either religion or science. People who call themselves christian but don't let it affect their lives or think about it that much. Christians that don't read the bible literally and most likely just don't read the bible much at all so whatever is in the bible is not an issue. If you do go to church, it's for reasons of belonging, community, and tradition.
3. Reject the scientific findings that produce cognitive dissonance. You see this in the creationism people. Rejection of any scientific progress having to do with evolution.
4. Alter the religion to make it fit with the scientific findings just enough that you take care of the cognitive dissonance. Pretend it hasn't been altered, that's how it has been all along.
5. A small percentage will turn away from religion, at least deep inside. Some of these people will "come out" as agnostics/atheists, some will not.
No, I do not think that scientific findings/reason will make people convert from one religion to another. It is not reason but emotion that makes people embrace religion. Even if they don't personally feel it, perhaps they want to be accepted in a community.
The rebirth issue would be bigger than the biological one. Purely natural ex nihilo creation has always been the theist argument most compelling to me; otherwise I tend to endorse the view that natural laws were devised so that the universe doesn't need constant micromanaging. Setting aside how I feel about <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=hebrews%209:27&version=NKJV">this statement itself</a>, I find the notion of endless transmigration implausible, if only because of sustainable issues.
A biological origin for souls would be unexpected in the sense of giving a physical analog to something generally understood as spiritual, but Christians obviously believe the spiritual can produce the physical, and a biological origin for souls is just as obviously not an origin for existence. Thus I'd still be left with a choice between ex nihilo creation or a supernatural First Cause of the natural universe; no change there. If you treat transmigration to mean brain death isn't actual death (since the souls life could continue) it's not hard to reconcile with core Christian doctrine (obviously the more beliefs you add to that core the more controversy is likely) so that wouldn't change much in itself either. The end game, if any, is what's relevant. Spirituality aside, the First and Second Law of Thermodynamics don't lend themselves to things like Big Bounces or ex nihilo creation. Even if souls were found to be tangential to or entirely irrelevant to those issues the issues themselves would remain. It might, however, convince some people to change religions if they couldn't see a way to reconcile the new findings with their current religion.
Welcome.
What actually happens:
1. Accept the new findings while keeping the old religion. Keep everything separate in your brain and don't try to reconcile anything. Assume it all works out somehow. Compartmentaliza different aspects of your life. There's scientific rational thought and there is religion/spirituality and never the twain shall meet. Most people do this. Or they just don't care enough about religion and/or science to think about it that much and it's not an issue.
2. Just don't think about either religion or science. People who call themselves christian but don't let it affect their lives or think about it that much. Christians that don't read the bible literally and most likely just don't read the bible much at all so whatever is in the bible is not an issue. If you do go to church, it's for reasons of belonging, community, and tradition.
3. Reject the scientific findings that produce cognitive dissonance. You see this in the creationism people. Rejection of any scientific progress having to do with evolution.
4. Alter the religion to make it fit with the scientific findings just enough that you take care of the cognitive dissonance. Pretend it hasn't been altered, that's how it has been all along.
5. A small percentage will turn away from religion, at least deep inside. Some of these people will "come out" as agnostics/atheists, some will not.
No, I do not think that scientific findings/reason will make people convert from one religion to another. It is not reason but emotion that makes people embrace religion. Even if they don't personally feel it, perhaps they want to be accepted in a community.
I'm writing a story and have been asking people to answer some questions. If you don't mind, it would help me greatly!
In my story, souls have been proven to exist by science. However, souls have a biological origin. Also, science has proven that souls can be and do get reborn.
How would your religious beliefs be changed by this, if at all?
In my story, souls have been proven to exist by science. However, souls have a biological origin. Also, science has proven that souls can be and do get reborn.
How would your religious beliefs be changed by this, if at all?
The rebirth issue would be bigger than the biological one. Purely natural ex nihilo creation has always been the theist argument most compelling to me; otherwise I tend to endorse the view that natural laws were devised so that the universe doesn't need constant micromanaging. Setting aside how I feel about <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=hebrews%209:27&version=NKJV">this statement itself</a>, I find the notion of endless transmigration implausible, if only because of sustainable issues.
For Christians, would the news possibly make you change your beliefs? Lose faith? Or would it be met with continued faith and belief that it's all part of God's plan? Or outright disbelief? Something else?
A biological origin for souls would be unexpected in the sense of giving a physical analog to something generally understood as spiritual, but Christians obviously believe the spiritual can produce the physical, and a biological origin for souls is just as obviously not an origin for existence. Thus I'd still be left with a choice between ex nihilo creation or a supernatural First Cause of the natural universe; no change there. If you treat transmigration to mean brain death isn't actual death (since the souls life could continue) it's not hard to reconcile with core Christian doctrine (obviously the more beliefs you add to that core the more controversy is likely) so that wouldn't change much in itself either. The end game, if any, is what's relevant. Spirituality aside, the First and Second Law of Thermodynamics don't lend themselves to things like Big Bounces or ex nihilo creation. Even if souls were found to be tangential to or entirely irrelevant to those issues the issues themselves would remain. It might, however, convince some people to change religions if they couldn't see a way to reconcile the new findings with their current religion.
Responses from all religions (or lack there of) are welcome.
Thanks!
Thanks!
Welcome.