Lesson Thirteen: Recap

We have been through a marathon of different beliefs and religions. What are your thoughts now? Please respond to your overall class experience and knowledge.


It's been fun!!!

Lesson 12: Pagan Religions

For this lesson there will be several links that will lead you to the information. Read the different websites and come back and Comment:

Wicca

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicca

Satanism (Modern)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Church_of_Satan


Discussion

What are your thoughts on either of the "religions" above?

Lesson 11: Atheism, Darwinism and naturalism

Atheism

Agnostics are teamed up with Atheists in most discussions but they are different. Agnostics believe that there is insufficient evidence for the existence or nonexistence of God. They really don't take a position on God one way or the other. Atheists deny the existence of any supernatural beings. They do not believe in any meaning of the universe and they disregard any life commitment to a supernatural being. For the most part, a person believes one of the following three statements:

1. There is a God.
2. Maybe there is a God.
3. There is not a God.

Darwinism

Until 1859, American Atheists had to maintain a low-profile because what they believed was not popular at all. until that time, the existence of the world, humanity, and all of nature was a compelling argument in favor of creation by God. (Can you imagine?) However, Charles Darwin's book, On the Origin of Species, was released hinting at some claims. It was not until his next book, The Descent of Man, came out that the real shocker was announced. His claim was that all living creatures are descended from a single ancestor. Here is his theory:

• Life started on its own as a tiny cell that developed over time into all forms of life, including humans.
• Nature acted like a breeding machine and produced biological changes. Harmful traits were eliminated and useful ones were passed on to the next generation.
• While these changes were small, over time they developed.

Darwin was right when it came to microevolution, change within a species; however, he was wrong when it came to macroevolution, change of one species into a different species. This new theory gave Atheists the ammo it needed in attacking the foundational truth that the world and everything in it was created by God. It has survived all these years without any disclaimer and without any proof of macroevolution.

Naturalism

Darwin's legacy is a new riligion. It is not called Darwinism but it is called Naturalism. Most people do not consider this a religion but as a worldview. Naturalists view the world as follows:

• Everything that exists is the result of natural causes.
• Humans are at the top of the evolutionary chain.
• With our intelligence, we can use science to harness nature for our best purposes.
• The solution to society's problems can be found within the scope of intelligence and ingenuity.

There is no need for God. God is irrelevant in naturalism. Naturalism disregards and denigrates anyone who adheres to a theistic belief. These are then the implications of naturalism:

1. Nature is the only reality.
2. Nature is a closed system.
3. Theists are out of touch with reality.

Discussion

1. How do we prove to an Atheist that God exists?
2. How can you use the Theory of Intelligent Design to combat these three movements?