When did Theology Last add something to Human Knowledge?

by cofty 92 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  cofty

  To illustrate my question...

  I am watching an episode of the Australian TV program "Q & A" on Youtube. The panel includes the brilliant Laurence Krauss, gay bishop Gene Robinson, the woefully ignorant and bigoted Rev Fred Nile and a few others.

  The early questions put Gene Robinson under the spotlight and to be fair he comes across as a loving, compassionate, intelligent and - in his own words - "fabulous" person. By contrast the Reverend Nile is a caricature of everything that is dispicable and hateful about theism.

  A self-righteous young man in the audience asks Gene how he deals with the bible's condemnation of homosexuality. Gene responds in two ways; firstly that the the bible doesn't condemn homosexuality when it is interpreted more carefully - I disagree but that's another thread - and secondly that god's will is constantly being revealed. He explains that it is only in the last 140 years that we have began to understand that homosexuality is not a choice and so we need to understand god's will for our day in that light.

  THIS THREAD IS NOT ABOUT HOMOSEXUALITY that was just to illustrate my question.

  I applaud Gene Robinson's attitude but, why is theology always having to play catch-up with secular society?

  Theism has to constantly adapt to advances in science and in social mores. When did it last say something original and useful?

  Maybe it can be argued that there was a time in history that theism was at least a useful myth.

  Is it possible to defend thesim from the accusation that it is now, at best, obsolete?
• 

  Julia Orwell

  Depends imo on the focus of the particular theism. For instance, before I found theism I was a liar and a thief with some anger management issues, and theism in the form of nt teachings has made me honest and calm. Theism can also encourage people to help others like various charities run by religious groups. I know non religious groups also have charities, but in that aspect, non-theists have only recently caught up with theists.

  So really it's not a clear cut question with any clear cut answers. There are answers, but no "the" answer. Inarguably, theism has lagged far behind in scientific matters like your example of homosexuality being shown to be hardwired rather than a choice. But in other areas, religious stories may still serve a purpose, such as the stories of Jesus helping people. Even as just stories, they can convey good values.
• 

  latinthunder

  Is it possible to defend thesim from the accusation that it is now, at best, obsolete?

  "Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand." - Albert Einstein
• 

  cofty

  OK thanks Julia.

  But was it theism that discovered that lying and theft was bad for society? Are these not necessary rules for any social group? The myth of eternal punishment and reward might provide some people with a motivation to keep to the rules but there are other better reasons based in reality.

  My question is really about what theism has added to our knowledge in recent times.

  If there is any reality behind the myths, why did it have to wait for science to take the lead in human progress?

  Sab - If your point is that theism is nothing but human imagination I can only agree.
• 

  latinthunder

  If there is any reality behind the myths, why did it have to wait for science to take the lead in human progress?

  Science isn't taking the lead in human progress, humanity is through things like science and theism.
• 

  latinthunder

  Sab - If your point is that theism is nothing but human imagination I can only agree.

  My point is that theism and the human imagination are inseparably linked. This is because God is beyond the natural.
• 

  Julia Orwell

  I see theism through a different lense. I see the nt as a collection of religious writings that do have some benefits such as even though I don't believe in it as god inspired, I still live by its lessons like forgiveness, charity and thinking of others. It is, whether you believe in it or not, a part of western literary canon like Hamlet, and like Hamlet or Macbeth, carries moral lessons.

  To answer your question therefore about contributing to knowledge, well no, theism does not contribute to scientific knowledge. But it does, in the form of religious texts irrespective of whether you believe or not, carry literary, social, cultural and historical value. Science, no. The bible has been inimical to the increase in scientific knowledge, but still has value in other ways.

  So yes, as an atheist I was a jerk. That's not because of atheism itself, it was because I was young and selfish and thought myself accountable to no one. Then believing the bible taught me some good lessons in being a better person. Now I don't believe in the bible anymore, but still live by values such as kindness and honesty. It gave me some direction at the time, and now I'm a more mature agnostic evolution belief type. that is my personal journey and how some sort of theism can have some value some of the time, in a non-knowledge body way.
• 

  Phizzy

  I cannot think of one thing that Theism has contributed to Human Knowledge.
• 

  transhuman68

  Christianity has been used as a control mechanism from the time it started until now. That is why it lags behind society's changing values- it was always meant to- to protect the social order imposed by the Establishment. Once people started finding 'Jesus' for themselves it was the beginning of the end...
• 

  designs

  Several of the major religions that have survived to the present had a renaissance were they developed their own version of the Golden Rule, about being kind to others, after that bit of enlightenment things trailed off. The newer New Age type religions made an effort to include environmental themes as well.