"Dow is by no means the first scientist to take a stab at explaining how religion emerged. Theories on the evolution of religion tend toward two camps. One argues that religion is a mental artefact, co-opted from brain functions that evolved for other tasks. Another contends that religion benefited our ancestors. Rather than being a by-product of other brain functions, it is an adaptation in its own right. In this explanation, natural selection slowly purged human populations of the non-religious. “Sometime between 100,000 years ago to the point where writing was invented, maybe about 7000 BC, we begin to have records of people’s supernatural beliefs,” Dow says (https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn13983-religion-is-a-product-of-evolution-software-suggests/#ixzz5zdTln4g7)
To preface, the idea of religion evolving over an enormously long timespan is incompatible with the Judeo-Christian worldview. According to Genesis 1-3, religion started with the worship of the true God. However, man rejected God and worship degenerated into the worship of creation. God is Creator, not a product of evolution.
Secondly, there were no psychologists alive to even observe the behaviors of any alleged hominins.
If religion developed gradually to meet various emotional or adaptive requirements for continued survival, then what brought about that need?
If our senses and intuition bring us into contact with reality, then would not religious belief connect us with God who actually exists?
Even if it could be proven that a few religions were the product of evolution, that would still not prove all religions had the same origin. How did atheism and naturalism evolve?
Well said.
ReplyDeleteAt any rate, there is absolutely ZERO evidence for evolution to begin with, so for people to be thinking how religion became part of evolution is absurd.