Evolution versus religion (II)

One might say, well, Creationism might be based on evidence. And the popular Creationist debaters and propagandists do attempt to use science to make their point. Unfortunately, their attempts to validate a Biblical Flood, a young earth, irreducible complexity, genetic divides of "kinds", and other concrete concepts, have been shown again and again to have failed. To be taken seriously, one must refute the mountain of evidence that supports an anti-creation view, as well as present new evidence to support one's point, and the opponents to the notion of evolution cannot do either with any success.

But, as for many delusions, one might say that the rejection of evolution is harmless, much like people who believe in UFOs or in the paranormal. Is not the conflict between evolution and religion a simple mind game ? The sad answer is that it isn't.

As I have mentioned at the beginning, the first problem is the lack of awareness of oneself that is implied in a rejection of evolution and evolutionary psychology. If people refuse to understand the spiritual part of human nature, then any attempt to extirpate spirituality from religion is bound to fail. And this is true of all other human impulses. To instincts, what does religion substitute ? Man as an evil, corrupt ghostly spirit, destined to sin. That is the extent of religious thought on the subject. That religion came about thru evolution is the supreme irony, I suppose, but I don't think religion will express gratefulness any time soon.

The second, more concrete problems is that to deny evolution makes it impossible to understand its instances in today's high-technology world. The evolution we cause in other species by spraying herbicide, or using antibiotics, costs more than a hundred billion dollars in the United States every year. "In the US more than half the people don't believe in evolution. We have to train people about it - we can't afford not to", concludes Harvard biologist Stephen Palumbi (New Scientist, "Cost of evolution runs into billions", 09/2001).

The costs of ignorance always come back to you eventually. As the Christian Bible says, "[e]very prudent man dealeth with knowledge, but a fool layeth open his folly" (Proverbs 13:16).

Is the notion of divine creation comforting ? Like any religious spirituality, I find it trite. It is a non-explanation ("god did it"), which leads to more non-explanations. Divine creation is not glorious, it is a

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