The University of Edinburgh
Professor Daniel C. Dennett, Professor of Philosophy at Tufts University, presented his lecture in the Nature of Knowledge series, Breaking The Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon, on March 14, 2006.
Source
Daniel Dennett: Breaking the Spell – Religion as a Natural Phenomenon
The history of theology is full of absolute certainty in their particularly biased interpretation. Many have been left behind. Rejected as just old stories that have no validity. Not at
all like old stories we venerate as true. Ours is definitely true. We are special because we have accepted this one theology as fact. It having any validity isn't even a consideration.🤔
Religions rise, thrive and then die at the hands of a more popular theology. Or when religion can't change fast enough to stay relevant with the changing social norms.
I’ve always thought Dennet looked Santa clause.
Religions. A refined and archaic tool for a great many greedy and selfish genes
Well, whether he knows it or not, animals do communicate with each other on ideas, and will either, independently, bravely, like Mighty Mouse, risk life for another or for food; or as a group, like Crows do, will gather for funerals of deceased…
Meanwhile, the Bible is the story (guide) of humankind's salvation. It was not domesticated. It domesticates, in a sense, believers and nonbelievers, alike. America was built on Christianity to a large extent, whether American's believe(d) in Christ or not. Our laws are Biblically based. As Apostle Paul wrote years before America's founding: those who are true believers, are above the law… because of God's grace, and also because they are followers of Jeshua by faith (belief) taught to be righteous in all manner of living their lives. Meanwhile, those who don't believe are sinners under the law. They don't accept God's gift of grace, which is for a time, until He cuts off the gentiles, and returns back to Israel as King. First, he will reveal Himself to Israel, spiritually, then afterwards, bodily. He will sit as the King of kings, putting all governments under Him.
So, believe this or not, Christ is in Bible from the beginning. Originally, God wanted righteousness but people were (are) afraid of God's face, as it was in the wilderness with Moses; afraid because of sin (non belief in God and His righteous ways). They didn't want to see God's Face (His true ways).
Because of God's patience, he allowed them to continue in their doubting ways, thus putting them under laws. He had made a promise to Abraham, and didn't break it, that He would make him a great Nation by giving the sacrifice; which turned out to be, not just the ram caught in the bramble bushes.
God would have given them the Promised Land on a silver platter without conflict, but because of their doubting, he allowed them to fight for it, just like every other society. Yet, He offered them the way to win through Joshua (Jeshua)!
Even as it was in the time of their kings; something God didn't want, but allowed. He was (is) their King, after all. But they wanted a king likened unto all the other nations. They, eventually, realized that God is their King, and thus began to wait, eagerly, for their Messiah who would lead them.
God waited as was spoken by the Prophets, patiently, as a Shepherd does for His sheep, leading them towards righteousness.
Finally, Christ came as God incarnate to teach what God wanted for humanity from the beginning; to love (care for) one another, and to Love God above all else! He offered Himself up as the ultimate sacrifice, thus allowing Himself to die for our sins, once and for all, because of our doubt in Him. This is why people have to be reborn as Christ-like Christians.
For now, Christ is an Elder Brother teaching and waiting for Christians to become truly immortal; until those immortals will then rise to become equals with Jeshua. When that happens, it is written, "God will be all in all."
This is why they were deceived in the garden, because they believed that they were equals to God, but because God knows all things, and is also omnipresent and omnipotent; they were not equal. That is why they picked from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Because of their sin (doubt in what God taught), they had to learn the long way around to righteousness! Oh, and what a long way Home it has been and still is.
Before all of this though, humanity is set to go through much tribulation, because of continued doubt in God's righteousness. True Christians, on the other hand, will be saved from it, whether by rapture or otherwise. God will save those who are His. This is the entire story of humankind and God and His Way to righteousness which is Heaven. Meanwhile, history which is the story of humanity, is filled with wars and much tribulation. Evidently, we need to be domesticated. Christ does not teach war, which is the worst stain of all! No matter what others say about Christianity, Christ never commissions war, but because of His patience, for now, the time of the gentiles, allows it, and will unto the worst battle of all, Armageddon.
Religion is ancient propaganda from the ruling elite. Ralph Ellis and Joseph Atwill have done great work to demonstrate that view.
it seems to never occur to atheists to use their own logic on their own beliefs, of course, atheists have no idea where their beliefs originated at so that makes sense.
Dennett , King of Subversion, Morosoph-Maximus .
Fascinating and brilliant speaker.
Don't blow the smoke in my direction💨😈
Where will science be in the future? No one knows, thus it needs to be studied with scientific intensity so we can predict where science will be in the future
From a behaviourism perspective when pigeons were given rewards at random intervals they would invent behaviours to rationalize the reason for the rewards . I saw this with humans who were given dollar bills from a slot at random time intervals and they would come up with actions to get these rewards.
The logic that explains the peoples behaviour is covered by the joke about the man who wandered around town balling up newspaper and throwing the balls over his shoulder . when asked what he was doing he explained it was to keep tigers away . When he was told that there are no tigers around here he says "See it works
This is weak…..
We don't even know the etiology of consciousness. That tells me his "Evolution and Consciousness" must be LOADED with delicious, exhorbitant knee-jerk pretensions.
😆
Julian Jaynes has the best evolutionary explanation for religion. Dennett is speculating by anthropological analogy. ("Search for causal agents" etc. Really?)
I believe in eternity and I’ve never found the right one.
Unfortunately religion will always be with us. The uneducated in the billions are a fact of life. They all promised eternity, I say.
Logical thinking is high jacked by believers. Just sit back and enjoy this crazy ride while you are still alive.
Notice his argument is with religion which is basically different people's culture.. He is missing the point that both science and faith are about truth not religion. There can be only one truth about any subject. Faith in this context is what you have left over when you believe you have the truth because no one has the absolute truth there is always a bit left over! ARE YOU GETTIGN THIS?
Read it carefully again because everyone exercises faith because no one actually can say they have the truth! It is however possible that the God who introduces himself in the bible ie infinite in power, presence and knowledge who tells us how he created the universe, none of which can be falsified therefore may actually be true so could by definition tells us the truth we seek.
I used to be such a self righteous white protestant ruling class religious douchebag. Now I've truly seen the light. Thank you my soul people of Atheism. You're my people. You're truly my people despite being vastly outnumbered. Damn
Swami Dayananda Saraswati was right, religious conversion and indoctrination is violence. When a religion plants the seed of self superiority and hatred or condescension towards the others, they plant a seed of cultural genocide. Abrahamic religions seem to have this attitude built-in in their scriptures. Genocides of native Americans, Indians or Bharathiyas, native Australians, Armenians, Rwandan etc are proof of this. Dharmic religions do not have this disease of disrespting others in their scriptures. The focus is on leading a Dharmic (that which sustains all) life and if there is inclination, then pursue spiritual knowledge to achieve mental freedom. This knowledge says that the essential nature of all life and God is the same. So there's no distinction between all lives, including God, hence no discrimination.
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Human beings are bovine by nature. Moo. I am a bull.
Find True Peace In Jesus Christ
What does it take to be Saved?
Faith in Christ’s Finished Work on the Cross
The Cost of Sin
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
HELL IS A REAL LOCATION
Luke 12:4-5
And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.
But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.
Matthew 25:51
And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Are we all Sinners in NEED of a Saviour?
Romans 3:10-12
As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
Romans 3:23-26
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
What specifically to Believe in!!
1 Timothy 2:4-6
Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
1 Corinthians 15:1-4
Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
Christ died for our sins, he was buried, and he rose again according to the scriptures so you can be free from Hell and Death. This is the greatest gift God gave us. By having faith in the Gospel you are sealed with the Holy Spirit forever and SAVED from that moment to eternity.
Galatians 1:11-12
11 But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.
12 For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Heaven or Hell?
It’s Your Choice
A PRAYER FOR SALVATION THROUGH FAITH
“I know that I am a sinner and need your forgiveness. I believe that Christ died for my sins and rose three days later from the grave. Thank you for forgiving my sin on the cross. You alone Jesus is now why I have forgiveness and eternal life. Thank you in Jesus name. Amen.”
If you have prayed this with faith (Wholeheartedly) you are Forgiven and now in the Body of Christ.
Welcome brother or sister. Remember saying a prayer does not save you, having Faith does in Jesus and what He did for you.
What if I continue to Sin?
What if I stop having Faith?
What if 5 years after being saved I have an affair?
What if I aborted my child 1 year after I was saved?
What about suicide?
When you first had faith in Christ you were sealed and secured from that day forward, no matter what you do or don’t do our saviour has saved your soul and made you a new creation. Remember it Gods Work that saved you not Yours.
Eternal Security ( 100% Going to Heaven)
Ephesians 2:8-9
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Titus 3:5
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
God Bless You
Aghia Sofia meanwhile has become a mosque again..
Martian Biologist??!!??🧐🧐Interesting….
Such a brilliant presentation.
The ant-parasite connection is not symbiosis but parasitosis. In symbiosis, both parties mutually benefit, but the parallel with religion is hilarious…
I believe in an intelligent God who created the universe. There is no way to create a cell/gene out of nothing. There has to be one to copy. If evolution was true, there would be apes in transition between ape and human. Cows are still cows. Redesigned by humans, yes, but not from God. All we have today are gender transitions.
Our creed, the bible, has survived thousands of years. It has not faded away and will dwindle as Revelation states it will, but it will never be obsolete.
I believe in God and Jesus Christ! If I'm wrong, I have nothing to lose. If you are wrong you either go to hell or become dust. Neither is very appealing or a great argument for evolution or the hereafter.
It's true that religion has changed… Religion is man-made. Christianity, which has never changed since the creation of the world, and it still is alive and well. The bible is not benign, however, it might've be to a scientist who has no faith or belief.
No other species can record their history with language! All others can communicate with sound in the now… But they cannot record and pass on ideas to future generations.
And humans are not viruses. You can't compare apples to beans! I am not a mushroom or a corn stalk or kernel or a beaver… Nor have any of my ancestors as far back as 200 years. I have not mutated… LOL
MAY GOD BLESS YOU ALL!
👽👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👽the Greatest Prof in my Life 👽
The process itself is purposeless.. aimless, it just happened that the product of this process is sophisticated and so intelligent? What a stupid proposition!! Sorry Dr
Aren't there people who think that having more kids is still the highest goal of life?
He Brilliant I've read most of his books and I'm an atheist but it's always bothered me about beards all the old wise one's got big white ones all the nasty evil ones got pointy black ones and Stalin and Hitler had mustaches 😂
the bible has sayings of everlasting life…….that is a very attractive idea to any gene……..one very high value meme
Excellent lecture
I wouldn't go so far as to say that religions have been brilliantly designed. They have been intelligently desinged, though, or at least some of them.
14 years hence, it's wonderful that Rick Warren has slipped from the national scene. What a phony he was.