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Author Topic:   Best approaches to deal w/ fundamentalism
Stagamancer
Member (Idle past 4944 days)
Posts: 174
From: Oregon
Joined: 12-28-2008


Message 14 of 142 (500691)
03-01-2009 3:42 PM
Reply to: Message 1 by shalamabobbi
02-28-2009 6:07 PM


I would like to hear from theists who accept ToE and whether accepting ToE presented a challenge to their faith and how they overcame/resolved this conflict in their minds, or whether it presented no conflict from the get go. What was it that facilitated this change in viewpoint allowing you to accept the ToE?
So instead of arguing with ICANT about what it would take to change his mind, I'm just going to give a personal anecdote ask requested by shalamabobbi.
While currently an atheist, my switch from theism to atheism has nothing to do with the ToE. However, when I first started learning about the ToE, I was an active member in the Episcopal church where I grew up.
I'd always been interested in science, and once I started learning about the ToE, it totally grabbed my attention, and I knew starting in the 8th grade that I wanted to study evolutionary biology for the rest of my life (I currently have a BS in Ecology and Evolution, and will be starting as a doctoral student this coming fall). During the time I was learning about the theory, it never really brought up serious doubts in my faith. I mean, I had them, of course, but while talking to people about them, I often was able to resolve them easily. I attribute this completely to the religious environment in which I was raised: while I went to an Episcopal church, I also attended a Catholic school from K through 8th grade. Now, both churches have many many faults, the Catholic church more only because it's been around longer, but in one thing they get it right. They encourage a critical thinking about the Bible. I was never taught that the Earth was created in six days, or to take anything really at face value. I was taught to consider the symbolism and allegory present throughout the book. During high school, as I got closer to going to college, and I was talking to people about what I was going to study, I actually felt much more comfortable talking to my priests at my Episcopal church about it than many other people in my somewhat conservative town.
My point here is that I believe my faith and my acceptance of science were never an issue because from the beginning, with my parents, and my school teachers, and my priests, i was taught to think critically. I was taught to delve below the surface, to consider context, and human nature. If we're going to convince "fundies" to accept evolution by natural selection, it's not going to happen over night. We have to start by making sure that our schools, when kids are at an early age, do not get taught just memorize facts, and accept them because the teacher says so. We need to make sure that all kids attending public schools are taught how to think critically. Now, this won't affect kids who are home- or private-schooled, but it will at least increase the numbers of people who can think critically in this country.
I know my plan doesn't sound like much, and that it will take forever, but really, you're not going to convince adults that are already set in their ways. Those changes can only come from within. Sure you can present them with all the evidence in the world, but until they take their own blinders off, they won't see it. It also requires a lot of local action. Federal educational standards will not be sufficient. It's up to the parents of the children in the schools to make sure the schools are hiring teachers that will require their kids to think critically.

"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics."

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by shalamabobbi, posted 02-28-2009 6:07 PM shalamabobbi has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 28 by shalamabobbi, posted 03-02-2009 12:38 PM Stagamancer has replied
 Message 101 by Sky-Writing, posted 03-12-2009 10:27 PM Stagamancer has not replied

  
Stagamancer
Member (Idle past 4944 days)
Posts: 174
From: Oregon
Joined: 12-28-2008


Message 29 of 142 (500778)
03-02-2009 1:11 PM
Reply to: Message 28 by shalamabobbi
03-02-2009 12:38 PM


Re: Adults set in their ways?
A few thoughts about those adults. Not all are set in their ways with regards to the ToE. Some simply have not given it any thought.
I completely agree. To make any blanket statement about any group of people is patently false. But, while there are people who just haven't given it thought, my point was more that the root of the problem stems mostly from an inability on the part of many people to think critically and make their own decision. Surely, there are some adults who could learn to do this, but it is easiest and most important at a young age. And, yes it's also true that if children learn about evolution at school, but hear skepticism at home, it may make it more difficult, but again, if you teach children to question authority, both the teacher and the parents, then I think they have a much better chance of coming to a rational conclusion in the long run. Sure, a 1st grader may still just believe what their parents say no matter what, but if taught to think critically, by the time their adolescents they will probably figure things out for themselves.
Of course, I'm no psychologist, and this could be total crap.

"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics."

This message is a reply to:
 Message 28 by shalamabobbi, posted 03-02-2009 12:38 PM shalamabobbi has not replied

  
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