Religion

hurl

(973 posts)

38. "Theism is the default condition among humans for a reason."

Thu Jul 18, 2019, 06:45 PM

Jul 2019

That reason is evolution. Daniel Dennett explains it much more eloquently, but when ancestors were more subject to predation, those who survived often were the ones who anthropomorphized (assigned agency to) phenomena they did not understand. If they heard a sound in the distance, they were quicker to assume it was something with malicious intent that required caution.

This tendency to assign agency became the default because the cautious survived, and not necessarily because everything unexplained actually has agency. Our brains have evolved to look for patterns and assign meaning, even when there is no evidence for them. "Pareidolia" is the name for the tendency to read something known into an observation of the unknown.

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If God is Everywhere. Why Didn't His Word Spread Without Missionaries? [View all] NeoGreen Jul 2019 OP

It's all made up and it's illogical in the extreme PJMcK Jul 2019 #1

Genesis 1 and 2 describe different gods. They have different names, occupy different Karadeniz Jul 2019 #11

Those two chapters tell very different stories PJMcK Jul 2019 #13

a "most determined materialist" is.... sanatanadharma Jul 2019 #27

That is utter nonsense edhopper Jul 2019 #41

Nor is there evidence that the brain is the source of consciousness. gtar100 Jul 2019 #68

When you find a conciousness existed edhopper Jul 2019 #71

May be your definition of consciousness is too narrow. gtar100 Jul 2019 #72

A confusion of evolutionary driven behavior edhopper Jul 2019 #73

Your choice. But I'm not confused by it at all. gtar100 Jul 2019 #74

That is exactly how it happens edhopper Jul 2019 #75

Your last sentence makes no sense whatsoever Major Nikon Jul 2019 #20

That is one of the points... pangaia Jul 2019 #77

Is that you Deepak? edhopper Jul 2019 #42

I like to think that returning to source, though it may be inevitable, isn't necessarily the purpose gtar100 Jul 2019 #69

When the orthodox got rid of all the heretics, they lost the people who knew the higher teachings. pangaia Jul 2019 #76

Divine hiddenness Buzz cook Jul 2019 #55

The Gnostics have an interesting take on this. To them, the Old Testament God is the "abominable" Midnight Writer Jul 2019 #101

The Gnostic texts are fascinating PJMcK Jul 2019 #102

It did. guillaumeb Jul 2019 #2

Upon what do you base that? /nt tonedevil Jul 2019 #6

The fact that, after language, every group of any size with a written language guillaumeb Jul 2019 #7

Any deity in a storm I guess. /nt tonedevil Jul 2019 #8

The fact that theism seems to be ingrained. guillaumeb Jul 2019 #9

What is this theism you speak of? tonedevil Jul 2019 #12

so you can't keep your argument coherent. Voltaire2 Jul 2019 #21

That you cannot follow the argument does not reflect on me. guillaumeb Jul 2019 #29

So you agree there is no evidence that theistic beliefs are the default condition for humans. Voltaire2 Jul 2019 #33

Please prove that statement with some sort of evidence. MineralMan Jul 2019 #23

Really? PJMcK Jul 2019 #14

By default condition, I was referring to theism. guillaumeb Jul 2019 #15

I understood your point PJMcK Jul 2019 #17

That conflict is inherent in being human. guillaumeb Jul 2019 #18

[Citation needed] Act_of_Reparation Jul 2019 #30

All of human history would make for a very large post. guillaumeb Jul 2019 #31

History isn't evidence of naturalism. Act_of_Reparation Jul 2019 #32

You don't have the ability to cite all of human history. trotsky Jul 2019 #65

You could start writing it now, and come back when you're finished... MineralMan Jul 2019 #70

No, not really. That idea has no basis in fact and is more than just a bit silly. Major Nikon Jul 2019 #19

It is not. You have no evidence that what you said is true. MineralMan Jul 2019 #22

"Theism is the default condition among humans for a reason." hurl Jul 2019 #38

There appears to be an evolutionary component edhopper Jul 2019 #43

Not exactly 'default' but we are predisposed to it. AtheistCrusader Jul 2019 #50

That statement is factually wrong in multiple ways. n/t trotsky Jul 2019 #61

By using us he is spreading the word. marble falls Jul 2019 #3

Whoosh... NeoGreen Jul 2019 #4

We are everywhere. We use our free will and take the Gospel to the world. marble falls Jul 2019 #24

So Christianity is the true relgion edhopper Jul 2019 #44

It is for me. You get to decide for yourself ... marble falls Jul 2019 #45

Sounds more like you want to convince everyone else edhopper Jul 2019 #51

It would be a fools errand to try to convince anyone, self included to believe. marble falls Jul 2019 #53

Yet it sounds like you support missionary work edhopper Jul 2019 #54

I support missionary work. Anything that disrupts indiginous people ... marble falls Jul 2019 #57

Well said. eom guillaumeb Jul 2019 #10

Who? PJMcK Jul 2019 #16

G*d doesn't screw up. We all have free will to accept or not. marble falls Jul 2019 #25

is your god all powerful? Voltaire2 Jul 2019 #34

Yes, but he doesn't do parlor tricks and we aren't robots. We all have free will ... marble falls Jul 2019 #35

So when my son was nearly killed, and permanently injured by a drug resistant infection Voltaire2 Jul 2019 #36

First of all, I am so sorry to hear of your son's terrible injury, if something ... marble falls Jul 2019 #37

Your ineffable f'ing god is indistinguishable Voltaire2 Jul 2019 #64

I am sorry, again. marble falls Jul 2019 #66

I call full and absolute BS on the idea that "he doesn't do parlor tricks"... NeoGreen Jul 2019 #46

Water into wine was not a parlor trick. It was a simple miracle from a working man ... marble falls Jul 2019 #47

Sure...you go with that...'miracles'... NeoGreen Jul 2019 #48

And you go with whatever it is you need take from it all with you ... marble falls Jul 2019 #49

He? How do you know? pangaia Jul 2019 #78

You have a good point. He, she, it ... it doesn't matter and it doesn't detract from ... marble falls Jul 2019 #79

What about Zen Buddhists? pangaia Jul 2019 #80

Zen Buddhists believe you can be Buddhist and Christian, or Islam etc ... marble falls Jul 2019 #81

How can you sell something without salespeople? MineralMan Jul 2019 #5

Omnipresent? peasant one Jul 2019 #26

Every good business models 3c273a Jul 2019 #28

Star Trek: Why does God need a starship? keithbvadu2 Jul 2019 #39

If God cares about us, He is a terrible communicator. MarvinGardens Jul 2019 #40

Why is it... ADX Jul 2019 #52

Agreed. guillaumeb Jul 2019 #56

Yeah, I know... ADX Jul 2019 #58

If you are personally offended by the apparent ridicule of an IDEA... NeoGreen Jul 2019 #59

Hi NeoGreen - As a Christian, I greatly appreciate the opportunity that this forum provides to Pendrench Jul 2019 #60

LMMFAO... ADX Jul 2019 #63

Yes, we're obviously stupid. Act_of_Reparation Jul 2019 #83

LOL... ADX Jul 2019 #84

Like I said, we are clearly stupid. Act_of_Reparation Jul 2019 #86

I've got time right now, ready for your answer? Here it is... ADX Jul 2019 #87

Yeah, but not quite as simple as this being a public fucking forum. Act_of_Reparation Jul 2019 #88

You seem to take offense at many things here. Voltaire2 Jul 2019 #90

Nah, I'm good... ADX Jul 2019 #94

If you weren't offended, then obviously, the post wasn't for you... NeoGreen Jul 2019 #89

If the post wasn't for me... ADX Jul 2019 #91

Yes, you are absolutely correct... NeoGreen Jul 2019 #92

I don't remember asking a question... ADX Jul 2019 #93

I wasn't answering a question... NeoGreen Jul 2019 #95

Blah, blah, fucking blah... ADX Jul 2019 #96

Now it's my turn to LMFAO... NeoGreen Jul 2019 #97

Oh and, for the record #2... NeoGreen Jul 2019 #98

Sounds just like the Trump tweets about the "vile and disgusting things" that he claims Omar said. trotsky Jul 2019 #62

Hey, look. A case study in religious privilege. Act_of_Reparation Jul 2019 #82

Hey look! A case study in atheistic privilege... ADX Jul 2019 #85

Interesting. Act_of_Reparation Jul 2019 #99

Again, parallels to Trump. trotsky Jul 2019 #100

Because missionaries are tools of a corrupt system designed by humans. gtar100 Jul 2019 #67