|
We should know better than to allow religions to dictate natural reality.
|
|
By Mike Cuenca | October 6, 2005
|
|
|
|
|
A while back (in the 17th century) a fellow named Galileo Galilei
publicized a crazy theory that the Earth revolved around the Sun. Up to
then, even the learned and educated people actually believed that the
Sun revolved around the Earth.
Why did all these people believe something so crazy and wrong? Because
they were ignorant and because their religious leaders told them to.
At the time, the Roman Catholic Church decreed that the "geocentric"
view of our universe was the "truth." They based this decree primarily
on a literal, fundamentalist interpretation of their Bible. Sound
familiar? Other early scholars had already been burned at the
stake (murdered by the church) for expressing belief in a truthful,
natural view of the heavens. Luckily, Galileo came out of it with just
house arrest. Now, we know without a doubt that he was right.
How could the church and all those people have been so wrong? Their
attitudes were/are based on unreasoned, emotional beliefs (faith) and
not on reason and evidence (science), that's how. Let's keep
the religious belief in creationism, packaged as "intelligent design,"
in perspective. It's a belief system, not science. It derives from the
myths and legends of ancient peoples and is not supported by or
supportable by any scientific methods. Creationism does not belong in science classes. It belongs in churches.
And let's forget neither the long-proven folly of allowing religions to
dictate natural reality, nor the evil perpetrated by those who would
force their beliefs on others.
|
Originally published by the Lawrence Journal-World.
|
|
|