The Theory of Evolution a Religion?

How is it a religion? First off, I had the impression that religions were built on the belief of a God(s), so what is the God of evolution? It seems that on the whole only religious followers claim that the theory of evolution is a religion (I could be wrong). I think this subject deserves a thread of it's own to either show that it is or show that it isn't (a religion). To be honest I have no idea how many people here actually believe it is a religion but I've seen the concept being thrown up enough here and there. (mods, with respect, if this subject's been covered before please link and lock)

[edit on 26-7-2007 by Corum]

Every human has a religion. Whether they worship themselves, thier sex-partner, thier money, etc...
I think the goddess of evolution should be "Lucy."

I'll cross-post this from t'other thread:

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ToE is a scientific theory, nothing more, nothing less. It explains one thing - the diversity of life on earth.

Religions claim to explain almost everything about the origin of existence and other related stuff, requiring adherence to a set of morals; a value system; strict, generally, static dogma; rituals, traditions, mystical experiences and private revelations; a dichotomy between sacred and profane. And, finally, faith - belief without evidence.

ToE simply states life evolved from a common ancestor by a process of descent with modification over geological timescales, via natural selection acting on genetic variations - supported by a wealth of evidence. That is all.

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But I guess we need a workable definition, The encyclopedia of Philosophy suggests religions can be determined by these characteristics, the more a phenomenon possesses, the more religion-like it can be considered:-

Belief in supernatural beings (gods).

A distinction between sacred and profane objects.

Ritual acts focused on sacred objects.

A moral code believed to be sanctioned by the gods.

Characteristically religious feelings (awe, sense of mystery, sense of guilt, adoration), which tend to be aroused in the presence of sacred objects and during the practice of ritual, and which are connected in idea with the gods.

Prayer and other forms of communication with gods.

A world view, or a general picture of the world as a whole and the place of the individual therein. This picture contains some specification of an over-all purpose or point of the world and an indication of how the individual fits into it.

A more or less total organization of one’s life based on the world view.

A social group bound together by the above.

[edit on 26-7-2007 by melatonin]

Originally posted by Clearskies
Every human has a religion. Whether they worship themselves, thier sex-partner, thier money, etc...
I think the goddess of evolution should be "Lucy."

wrong....every human does not have a religion...i don't worship anyone or anything.

as for ToE, nope. not a religion. not to be worshiped and sang about and donated money to and spoken in tounges in it's house....none of that.

just piles of evidence that points to that theory....pretty simple really

edit*

1. a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs


^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^nope

[edit on 26-7-2007 by Boondock78]

What I am saying is "yourself" or "someone" is that deity.
Apply your list to that.

Originally posted by Clearskies
What I am saying is "yourself" or "someone" is that deity.
Apply your list to that.

and i'm still saying your wrong...i don't worship myself or someone else.
how is that not clear?

Not really, as if I worshiped myself, I would not have poured, smoked, inhaled, etc. etc., all those things that I have, that are/were definitely bad for me....

With the exception of maybe a few "religions" you could also add that their definition should also include the slaughter of non-believers. We should also add subservience and control as major religious goals and evolution does not play into that game very often....

The Theory of Evolution is as much a religion as Intelligent Design is a science. I don't think all religions have a supernatural being they worship. I'm still waiting for a ID theory in which the designer(s) aren't supernatural. That way it could be taught alongside ToE in a science class.

I think evolution is more of a belief system... not a religion but religion is also a belief system. I don't see why evolution and religion can't co-exist. For example, we may have evolved from a single-celled organism and we will continue to evolve until the point where we become a supernatural beings and we create a new universe with a new single-celled organism to seed an empty earth-like planet with... then the cycle starts again.

And then there's the question of what came first... evolution or a supernatural being? Well maybe neither came first if existence is infinite. Maybe it's just a concept the human mind can't comprehend. Obviously this is just an unproven theory of mine.

The problem with that idea is if we Evolve into a Super-Advanced being, the fact that we evolve into it would still leave us natural. We can be super advanced while not being supernatural.