Register | Sign In


Understanding through Discussion


EvC Forum active members: 63 (9161 total)
1 online now:
Newest Member: popoi
Post Volume: Total: 915,585 Year: 2,842/9,624 Month: 687/1,588 Week: 93/229 Day: 4/61 Hour: 0/4


Thread  Details

Email This Thread
Newer Topic | Older Topic
  
Author Topic:   Which religion's creation story should be taught?
bluegenes
Member (Idle past 2467 days)
Posts: 3119
From: U.K.
Joined: 01-24-2007


Message 202 of 331 (584365)
10-01-2010 1:33 PM
Reply to: Message 198 by JRTjr
10-01-2010 12:38 PM


Re: Atheism!?!? + Jainism
JRTjr writes:
{emphasis mine}
And {Atheists} also yours.
I know that quote, and I know who Lewontin is. The "We" really refers to "scientists".
I'm an atheist, and I disagree with Lewontin. The "divine foot" is not kept out of the door a priori. It is not included in science because no such thing has ever been observed directly or indirectly. In other words, science does not at present include the divine foot for the same reason it does not include the unicorn's horn and the mermaid's tail.
As for the topic, I recommend that the Jain religion's account of the universe should be described in western schools (although not in the science class). This is because of the popular misconception that all religions have creation stories.
The Jain description is an ancient non-creation description of an eternal universe with no creators creating anything. Learning about such traditions would illustrate to kids that the "God created everything" type of religion that they're familiar with is just one of many traditions in the world, and that different religions don't just mean different gods and scriptures.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 198 by JRTjr, posted 10-01-2010 12:38 PM JRTjr has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 204 by Dr Adequate, posted 10-01-2010 1:46 PM bluegenes has replied
 Message 251 by JRTjr, posted 11-03-2010 9:51 PM bluegenes has not replied

  
bluegenes
Member (Idle past 2467 days)
Posts: 3119
From: U.K.
Joined: 01-24-2007


Message 210 of 331 (584383)
10-01-2010 2:49 PM
Reply to: Message 204 by Dr Adequate
10-01-2010 1:46 PM


Re: Atheism!?!? + Jainism
It's a review of a Carl Sagan book, and the general theme is public understanding of science and popularizing science.
RICHARD LEWONTIN: Billions and Billions of Demons
Dr. Adequate writes:
I also disagree with methodological naturalism as it is usually understood, though for reasons which would be beyond the scope of this thread.
It's a 1980s term, and comes from a Christian American academic at one of the Christian colleges. Its use, IMO, has a lot to do with the need of "pro-science" religious people to separate reality into "twin non-overlapping magisteria".
Science, for me, is the study of all reality, and has no need of definitions like "methodological naturalism", which imply restrictions. But, as you say, this isn't directly on topic.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 204 by Dr Adequate, posted 10-01-2010 1:46 PM Dr Adequate has not replied

  
Newer Topic | Older Topic
Jump to:


Copyright 2001-2023 by EvC Forum, All Rights Reserved

™ Version 4.2
Innovative software from Qwixotic © 2024