I'm jumping off a thread in Natural Science that linked this article:
http://www.science20.com/writer_on_t..._a_joke-139982
So spiritual beliefs seem to both offer hope and help humans cope. And that these beliefs are deeply ingrained. So one wonders why militate atheists seek to destroy this natural coping mechanism, why do they want so to kill hope?
http://www.science20.com/writer_on_t..._a_joke-139982
EVOLUTIONARY PURPOSES
If a tendency to believe in the reality of an intangible network is so deeply wired into humanity, the implication is that it must have an evolutionary purpose. Social scientists have long believed that the emotional depth and complexity of the human mind means that mindful, self-aware people necessarily suffer from deep existential dread. Spiritual beliefs evolved over thousands of years as nature’s way to help us balance this out and go on functioning.
If a tendency to believe in the reality of an intangible network is so deeply wired into humanity, the implication is that it must have an evolutionary purpose. Social scientists have long believed that the emotional depth and complexity of the human mind means that mindful, self-aware people necessarily suffer from deep existential dread. Spiritual beliefs evolved over thousands of years as nature’s way to help us balance this out and go on functioning.
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