Good news from the frontlines of the war on science: yesterday, hundreds of churches across the nation celebrated Darwin's 197th birthday! Mainstream Christian churches are finally starting to unite to dispel false creationist myths.
"Evolution Sunday" is an outgrowth of the Clergy Letter Project--a document signed by over 10,000 clergy saying that evolution is a "foundational scientific truth" and to reject evolution is, "to deliberately embrace scientific ignorance and transmit such ignorance to our children... Among God's good gifts are human minds capable of critical thought and that the failure to fully employ this gift is a rejection of the will of our Creator."
The NY Times quotes participant Rev. Patricia Templeton (St. Dunstan's Episcopal Church, Atlanta, Georgia) as telling her worshippers, "A faith that requires you to close your mind in order to believe is not much of a faith at all."
Monday, February 13, 2006
The War on Science: The Battle is Joined
Posted by Dr. Strangelove at 5:51 PM
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3 comments:
That is a great quote. And faith without questioning is nothing more than being brainwashed.
I still believe in God, and I find that with every new wonder that science uncovers, the more impressed I am with the possibility of God.
// posted by USwest
To reference an earlier conversation: I think the distinction US West makes about her belief in God - WITH QUESTIONS is a great example of what I see as the difference between religion and spirituality.
I see religion as all the institutional stuff: the doctrines, dietary restrictions, orthodoxies, Spanish inquisitions, etc (didn't expect the Spanish inquisition did you. That's OK, NOOO one expects the Spanish inquisition).
I see spirituality as an approach to understanding one's place in the universe centered on belief in the supernatural to a greater or lesser extent.
I see morality as a personal and internal discipline that guides one's actions regardless of legalistic constraints.
It is possible to follow all together but it is also possible to have one without the other two. The most common situation of this type is RELIGION without either MORALITY or SPIRITUALITY. Pat Robertson et al are perfect examples of this.
// posted by Raised By Republicans
Somehow, right wing fundamentalists of all stripes have decided that "faith" means "an absolute commitment to believing that certain things are true, even in the face of proof that they are false." That's not faith. That's insanity. FAITH, as I believe it, is not just abstractly believing that there is a God, but actually trusting God -- trusting that if you do what is right and stand up for the truth, then whatever happens to you, your life will have been meaningful, and you need not fear death.
// posted by LTG
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