Tuesday, September 05, 2006

RELIGIOUS OR OBESE? IT'S EVOLUTION'S FAULT

According to Prof. Bruce Hood 'irrational' beliefs spring from evolution itself:
HUMANS have evolved over tens of thousands of years to be susceptible to supernatural beliefs, a psychologist has claimed.
Religion and other forms of magical thinking continue to thrive — despite the lack of evidence and advance of science — because people are naturally biased to accept a role for the irrational, said Bruce Hood, Professor of Experimental Psychology at the University of Bristol.



This evolved credulity suggests that it would be impossible to root out belief in ideas such as creationism and paranormal phenomena, even though they have been countered by evidence and are held as a matter of faith alone.

People ultimately believe in these ideas for the same reasons that they attach sentimental value to inanimate objects such as wedding rings or Teddy bears, and recoil from artefacts linked to evil as if they are pervaded by a physical “essence”.

So it's not just because I'm ignorant, irrational and gullible that I'm religious, but I'm only human--it can't be helped! And the next time I reach for that second (or third) cinnamon roll? Why, that's evolution's fault, too!
Steinbeck said fighting obesity was not simply a matter of people eating less and exercising more, but discovering environmental and genetic contributors to obesity.

"We know this is not about gluttony -- it is the interaction of heredity and environment," said Steinbeck....

Dietary supplements and alternative treatments promising weight loss have minimal or no effect because they cannot match evolutionary influences that cause the body to conserve energy in times of famine, Dr Anne-Thea McGill told the conference....

"Early humans sought energy-dense food with high levels of fats, starches and sugars. We are genetically programmed to find foods with these qualities appealing," said McGill.

It's Stephen Jay Gould meets Oprah: you're irrational, but it's not your fault--evolution is to blame!

As a creationist, how do I explain why evolutionists stubbornly cling to their irrational beliefs? Hmmm....

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

So have they thrown out the idea that evolution is progressive altogether, or are they just concluding that in the larger scheme of things, humans have hit a dead-end with all this endless searching for meaning, fulfillment, and self-preservation?

- Mitch

Anonymous said...

"...despite the lack of evidence and advance of science.."

That's just what they want you to believe. They're hoping that you'll just accept their word instead of His.

- Joel