On Netflix, there is a full length documentary called “Is Genesis History?” released as recently as 2017. This ludicrous film follows Del Tackett as he travels the world searching very exclusively for the very few delusional ‘scientists’ who are faithful enough talk about his false speculations.
I am completely astounded that in our modern age of advanced science and technology there are people who still stubbornly stand by the myths of the Bible. However, I understand how this happens. True science will start with a question, perform tests and studies, and then form a conclusion based on the evidence. Religion starts with preconceived conclusion based on faith, and then speculates about how the evidence from science might be wrong. With a firm confirmation bias of the desired result in mind any experimentation will be mistaken. Scientific facts that stands throughout time is that which is void of personal feelings and subjective opinions.
To extend my argument I think it is harmful to teach innocent children Biblical myths as though they are scientific facts. By all means share a faith in things that lack any evidence for or against. For example, teach children about a belief in an unobservable god, but please! for the love of scientific truth, teach children the age of the earth is approximately 4.54 billion years old. This has been tested and verified numerous times using a variety of different methods by many scientist all around the world. If the age of the earth was represented by a timeline the length of a football field, the Biblical estimate of 6,000 years would equate to the width of a human hair.
By all means, tell children the story of Noah’s Ark, but don’t teach it as fact. This myth is nearly as inaccurate as the Biblical age of the earth estimate. There is zero evidence to support the claim of a global flood while there is substantial evidence to disprove the myth. To teach this to children is to set them at a disadvantage for understanding true science.
In my opinion the most harmful and yet still widely held belief is that of creation. I’m embarrassed to admit that even in my years of university studies, I still denied evolution. To some extent I attribute my ignorance to my dedication to religion at the time. There are some scientifically minded people who understand evolution, but also maintain a belief in a deity of creation. Typically in these cases they will believe that a god created life, but did so by means of evolution. It is a tragic disadvantage to teach gullible trusting children that a god poofed life into existence 6,000 years ago and all the animals were saved from a global flood because Noah built a boat. Children will believe it as truth! However, unlike Santa Claus, it’s difficult to grow out of Bible myths because the evidence is in the past and less obvious as reindeer flying around the world to every house in one night.
So how do the intelligent faithful balance cognitive dissonance holding contradicting ideas as both true? It is because of the indoctrination at childhood. The attached video does a great job of explaining this phenomenon.
If you’re scientifically skeptical of extraordinary truth claims with no supporting evidence, like Santa Clause, you should also be skeptical of the scriptures and the religions that adhere to them faithfully.
Comments