Evolved to belief in God?

Churchillin

Churchillin

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This question is oriented somewhat toward atheist/agnostics, but anyone can share thoughts on this.

According to Pew, 3.1% of Americans identify as atheist. A broader category is religiously unaffiliated, (“nones”). Nones are rising in America but falling worldwide.

Both atheists and people with no religion are falling as a percentage worldwide.

In light of this, my question: if there is no God, why have we evolved from a species that does not believe in God to a species that does?

We have evolved from ape-like ancestors with no belief or even awareness of God to humans, a substantial and growing majority of whom do believe in God.

if there is no God, it seems evolution has been working backward for a hundred thousand years by implanting a false idea into the most highly evolved species.
 
Churchillin said:
This question is oriented somewhat toward atheist/agnostics, but anyone can share thoughts on this.

According to Pew, 3.1% of Americans identify as atheist. A broader category is religiously unaffiliated, (“nones”). Nones are rising in America but falling worldwide.

Both atheists and people with no religion are falling as a percentage worldwide.

In light of this, my question: if there is no God, why have we evolved from a species that does not believe in God to a species that does?

We have evolved from ape-like ancestors with no belief or even awareness of God to humans, a substantial and growing majority of whom do believe in God.

if there is no God, it seems evolution has been working backward for a hundred thousand years by implanting a false idea into the most highly evolved species.
Click to expand...

Seeing the belief in God as a survival mechanism. I forget the original author, but if there isn't a God then we need to invent one.
 
Kburjr said:
Seeing the belief in God as a survival mechanism. I forget the original author, but if there isn't a God then we need to invent one.
Click to expand...


Invention of, followed by belief in, an unseen entity helps with survival. Is that a fair way of putting it? I may have to chew on that idea, see if I can make it click.

For now seems to me that evolving from a non believing population to a believing one counts as evidence of God. Else believing in a lie is an improvement over believing truth, which doesn’t seem like an advance forward.
 
Churchillin said:
This question is oriented somewhat toward atheist/agnostics, but anyone can share thoughts on this.

According to Pew, 3.1% of Americans identify as atheist. A broader category is religiously unaffiliated, (“nones”). Nones are rising in America but falling worldwide.

Both atheists and people with no religion are falling as a percentage worldwide.

In light of this, my question: if there is no God, why have we evolved from a species that does not believe in God to a species that does?

We have evolved from ape-like ancestors with no belief or even awareness of God to humans, a substantial and growing majority of whom do believe in God.

if there is no God, it seems evolution has been working backward for a hundred thousand years by implanting a false idea into the most highly evolved species.
Click to expand...
meh, im sort of deist anyway
 
Churchillin said:
Invention of, followed by belief in, an unseen entity helps with survival. Is that a fair way of putting it? I may have to chew on that idea, see if I can make it click.

For now seems to me that evolving from a non believing population to a believing one counts as evidence of God. Else believing in a lie is an improvement over believing truth, which doesn’t seem like an advance forward.
Click to expand...
I don't see it as a proof of God, so to speak, but having a core belief is the uniter of community. A strong core belief in a community strengthens the bonds of that community. That is the true survival mechanism.
 
Churchillin said:
Invention of, followed by belief in, an unseen entity helps with survival. Is that a fair way of putting it? I may have to chew on that idea, see if I can make it click.

For now seems to me that evolving from a non believing population to a believing one counts as evidence of God. Else believing in a lie is an improvement over believing truth, which doesn’t seem like an advance forward.
Click to expand...
One could argue that no religion/God is the true religion/God, then, I suppose.
 
Perhaps it's just as simple as wanting something to thank for the world we live on.
 
Where did these numbers come from?
 
Churchillin said:
This question is oriented somewhat toward atheist/agnostics, but anyone can share thoughts on this.

According to Pew, 3.1% of Americans identify as atheist. A broader category is religiously unaffiliated, (“nones”). Nones are rising in America but falling worldwide.

Both atheists and people with no religion are falling as a percentage worldwide.

In light of this, my question: if there is no God, why have we evolved from a species that does not believe in God to a species that does?

We have evolved from ape-like ancestors with no belief or even awareness of God to humans, a substantial and growing majority of whom do believe in God.

if there is no God, it seems evolution has been working backward for a hundred thousand years by implanting a false idea into the most highly evolved species.
Click to expand...
1601398881717.png
 
The only problem with religion is that by definition, it doesn't evolve with the times, and with the current knowledge...

Problem with atheists, is that they search for reasons not to believe in god...
 
I've not seen one single church near me increasing in size.

Most are merging to save $$.

I think it's fading away with the generation of my parents. It was just about only them (80 plus year olds) attending their church before it merged with a United Church.

I certainly don't see it as a growth industry.
 
Religion is used to provide answers for things science has not solved yet. People fear unknown things.
 
Kburjr said:
Seeing the belief in God as a survival mechanism. I forget the original author, but if there isn't a God then we need to invent one.
Click to expand...
Richard Dawkins. The God Delusion.

Anyway, I doubt the premise the OP presented. Not only are atheist / agnostic / unaffiliated populations on the rise as a percentage, the number of people who identify as religious are more likely to believe today in scientific principles that just decades ago, religion described as "God did it."
 
TheDayMan said:
That wouldn’t be so bad if they didn’t use it to deny things science has solved too.
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Are you saying the earth is not 6k years old?
 
7 LEGGED OCTOPUS said:
The only problem with religion is that by definition, it doesn't evolve with the times, and with the current knowledge...

Problem with atheists, is that they search for reasons not to believe in god...
Click to expand...
Why is that a bad thing?
 
Churchillin said:
This question is oriented somewhat toward atheist/agnostics, but anyone can share thoughts on this.

According to Pew, 3.1% of Americans identify as atheist. A broader category is religiously unaffiliated, (“nones”). Nones are rising in America but falling worldwide.

Both atheists and people with no religion are falling as a percentage worldwide.

In light of this, my question: if there is no God, why have we evolved from a species that does not believe in God to a species that does?

We have evolved from ape-like ancestors with no belief or even awareness of God to humans, a substantial and growing majority of whom do believe in God.

if there is no God, it seems evolution has been working backward for a hundred thousand years by implanting a false idea into the most highly evolved species.
Click to expand...
From an strict evolution standpoint, a belief in God has probably benefited us as a species. It brought us together and built community which helps us survive as a social species whose livelihood is depedent on others. It helped us establish moral codes that also have helped us advance. Also, for many, it gives them purpose and something to live for.

That said, its also divided us just as well but the overall benefit in most communities probably outweighs the bad.

Overall, more developed countries might see more resistance to organized regions as their people become more independent of their communities.

I'm pressuming here we are talking more about a social evolution of sorts here rather than a biological one. I actually believe animals probably have a much deeper connection to the universe than we do. Many of us are really to preoccupied with all the stuff we've made up and our own individual identities. God himself is often a more personal one in western society.
 
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