Many creationists and individuals who do not accept evolution often claim it to be a religion. Evolution is a religious belief or religious dogma. I personally love when creationists say this. It's one of those frequent but exceptionally fun traps that they walk willingly full force into.
Normally this will be either their last line of defense or their first move in a debate about creationism and evolution. Regardless, they will still often walk right into this trap and I will explain why.
Here's a quote from the Institute for Creation Research website,
"The fact is that evolutionists believe in evolution because they WANT to. It is their desire at all costs to explain the origin of everything without a Creator. Evolutionism is thus intrinsically an atheistic religion."
So, believing something because they want to makes it a religion. Additionally, having a desire to explain the origin of everything without a creator makes it a religion. Believing something without evidence because you want to is a religion, and since evolution has no evidence supporting it, people only believe it because they WANT to, which of course makes it a religion.
So what does that say about their side? Are they not saying they are religious themselves? They're Christians, right? Last I checked, Christianity is a religion. So since they are Christians, and are religious, doesn't that by their own explanation mean that they are believing something without evidence just because they WANT to?
And that, is the easy trap that they will willingly walk right into.
Hello chattiestspike ! It's Lapkine, I thought I'd drop off and say hi :)
ReplyDeleteIn regards to this issue, the thing is rather simple : considering that religions are social agents, one has to consider what is a religion sociologically speaking. Most of sociologists make a "mix" between the definitions given by Emile Durkheim (the father of Sociology - and french :P) or Max Webber. Both have their limits and interesting applications, but Evolution can't be considered a religion by either definitions. So there :)
Cheers,
Lapkine :D