Fr.Andrew

We all need mythology as it is essential to our sense of identity. Theist mythology is a combination of fantasy, wishful thinking, a biased view of history...and a bit of slander thrown into the mix. From my experience, I present ten popular theist myths.


1) That God exists
2) That atheism says that there is no god
3) That the universe was designed
4) That there is life after death
5) That religious devotion makes people good and moral
6) That science and religion are compatible
7) That religion has been a plus for mankind
8) That Secular Humanism is a religion
9) That Adolf Hitler was not a religious man
10) That the religious persection involved in the Crusades and the Inquisition was "not that bad".

keyser_soze

:notworthy

Steven Carr

11) God fine-tuned every detail of the laws of physics, but has no responsibility for , or control over, earthquakes, floods, and hurricanes.

12) New forms of matter should not be looked for in laboratories, but in reading second-hand reports of bodies which can walk through walls and locked doors.

13) Early Church Fathers non-literal readings of Genesis are the same readings which modern Christians like to give them, and are not fantastic nonsense.

14) That Eusebius can be relied upon for historical accuracy

GakuseiDon

What about Taoism and Zen Buddhism? How are they incompatible to science?

Bede

1) That God exists
2) That atheism says that there is no god
3) That the universe was designed
4) That there is life after death
5) That religious devotion makes people good and moral
6) That science and religion are compatible
7) That religion has been a plus for mankind
8) That Secular Humanism is a religion
9) That Adolf Hitler was not a religious man
10) That the religious persection involved in the Crusades and the Inquisition was "not that bad".

No complaints about 1, 2, 3, 4, and 7. All are widely believed by Christians and form part of our identity. All are also true. 6 is true but actually disbelieved by many fundies who view science as threat.

5 and 9 are widely believed and untrue. 10 tends to be heard from Catholics rather than Protestants - its truth depends on how you define 'not that bad'. 8 - I'm not sure. I've seen science called a religion (falsely) and metaphysical naturalism likewise (debatably true). But not Secular Humanism. I suppose someone must be saying this or you wouldn't have included it.

Yours

Bede

Bede's Library - faith and reason

Mediancat

15. The United States is a Christian Nation.

16. The Bible is free of contradictions.

17. "She Said Yes."

Rob aka Mediancat

CX

Since there's little or no B,C&H content in this thread I'm going to move it over to GRD.

andy_d

Actually, i'd say that religion can be an incredibly powerful motivator for people to do good stuff. Look at all the charities, etc. If directed properly, the intensity of faith can be very positive.

I think the real myth they perpetuate is:

5) That only religious devotion makes people good and moral

Rusting Car Bumper

I'm just curious how these can be "theist myths" when not all theists believe these things. Wouldn't they be better termed fundamentalist Christian myths?

DC

Sci_Fidelity

Posted by Bede:



Arrogant statement of opinion as fact.