I have written before about humans being programmed genetically to need religion and therefore to create it or invent it when one does not exist.
I have speculated that religion as the answer to unanswerable questions makes for a happier, healthier and more contented people. Of course the bloody history of religion past, present and no doubt, future probably indicates that our genes were probably not programmed for many religions just our own and there lies the rub.
Anyway, the Associated Press reports that in London “STUDY PUTS FAITH IN GOD TO TEST”. University of Oxford researchers will blow $4,000,000 to find out why mankind “embraces” God.
All these very smart people will come together to determine if “belief in a divine being is a basic part of mankind’s makeup”.
They are saying that “faith in God is a universal human impulse found in most cultures around the world” they quickly add that that impulse is on the wane in Britain and Western Europe – which fascinates the hell out of me – must know why!
The study will be funded by an American philanthropic group called the John Templeton Foundation. This Foundation is somewhat controversial in that it tends to support “right wing” research such as Intelligent Design but the foundation strongly denies this – oh, well.
I hope that this study does shed light on our predisposition to religion and the results well publicized to the masses. This is the only way to explain why totally reasonable and intelligent people believe in and practice a totally made-up fairy tale called religion.
Why are Brits and Western Europeans fell differently about religion – have they evolved to the next level of humanity and all the rest just “slow”?
I have speculated that religion as the answer to unanswerable questions makes for a happier, healthier and more contented people. Of course the bloody history of religion past, present and no doubt, future probably indicates that our genes were probably not programmed for many religions just our own and there lies the rub.
Anyway, the Associated Press reports that in London “STUDY PUTS FAITH IN GOD TO TEST”. University of Oxford researchers will blow $4,000,000 to find out why mankind “embraces” God.
All these very smart people will come together to determine if “belief in a divine being is a basic part of mankind’s makeup”.
They are saying that “faith in God is a universal human impulse found in most cultures around the world” they quickly add that that impulse is on the wane in Britain and Western Europe – which fascinates the hell out of me – must know why!
The study will be funded by an American philanthropic group called the John Templeton Foundation. This Foundation is somewhat controversial in that it tends to support “right wing” research such as Intelligent Design but the foundation strongly denies this – oh, well.
I hope that this study does shed light on our predisposition to religion and the results well publicized to the masses. This is the only way to explain why totally reasonable and intelligent people believe in and practice a totally made-up fairy tale called religion.
Why are Brits and Western Europeans fell differently about religion – have they evolved to the next level of humanity and all the rest just “slow”?
Hi Jan! I live in Scotland UK in old, non-god-fearing Europe! It's not true to say that god or religion is dead here completely. The Church opposite (Church of Scotland) still seems to pull a good crowd in their Sunday best each week. However it really is less intense than the manifestation of religion in the US which I find quite scarey. A friend was musing recently about the possibility of it being down to the gene pool - all those Puritans that were driven across from Europe. I wonder?
ReplyDeleteThe fact that our government is very sectarian in its language, makes no pretense to prayer meetings nor references to the divine in its declarations is helpful. On the other hand the reason for this reticence is possibly the distaste with which it would be greeted. Maybe the American nation is more romantic than cynical Europeans? Maybe it hasn't been so badly damaged by war? I certainly don't have any answers but it is a subject that fascinates me too.
Have you read Karen Armstrong's book 'A History of God.' It's very good. I run a secondhand bookshop and it came in recently which was a marvellous antidote to those EXTREMELY insidious and dangerous 'Left behind' books. Reading just one of those and skimming another (they really are only fit to be skimmed; very badly written!) left me feeling quite nauseated.
What do you think?
Carol
Hi Carol,
ReplyDeleteSorry to reply so late. You had some great ideas that I did not think about before. Yes, you threw the Puritans out and they came right over here and DID, I feel,influence our society to the extent that we are who we are, in part, because of their influence at that early stage.
Our Founding Fathers, in all their wisdom, created a separation between Church and State and embedded it into our laws but you obviously see how we fight against that wisdom on a daily basis.
I have all the books by Karen Armstrong. I respect her views very much because I respect how she came by them; a journey of enlightenment from Catholic nun to the present.
As a side note, my daughter married a Scotsman who works and lives here but WE also married a Scottish family which we enjoy tremendously.
We visited them in Pitlochary and also in Perth where they reside currently. Love to compare the cultures (we are really quite alike you know).
Regards,
Janusz