Evolution is a religion?

I can honestly say I haven't heard this one before. I have heard its total BS, that it's the work of the devil, that it is wrong to varying degrees, that it's God's will and other things but never that it was a religion. I have even heard atheism is a religion many times. I am honestly at a loss as how to begin responding to this. Here is the post I stumbled across. I am not going to bother replying to this one but I would love to hear some ideas about how to respond to this in the future.

I have some ideas already such but would love to hear from someone who has encountered and debated this already.

Thanks!

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Permalink Reply by Dale Headley on December 30, 2011 at 3:39pm

Below is an exact copy of a response I just posted on the "Just Passing Thru" website:

Hogwash! Evolution is a scientific discipline. It is no different from the gravitational theory; the germ theory, the heliocentric theory, the electromagnetic theory; the heliocentric theory; quantum theory, the light propagation theory, etc. The only difference is that the theory of evolution supplies, by many orders of magnitude, more actual, solid, empirical evidence than any of them. Evolution HAPPENED; has ALWAYS happened, IS happening, and WILL always happen. Why? Because life, in all its variety, could not exist without it.

The Theory of Evolution offers mountains of virtually irrefutable evidence, including, among others, that diseases evolve resistance to antibiotics. Around 1935, evolutionary biologists unanimously predicted that bacteria would evolve resistance. No pastor, priest, rabbi, imam, or holy book predicted it; and it wasn’t foretold in the Bible. That alone leads me to put more trust in science than blind faith in the ignorant ramblings of bronze age sheepherders or modern day charlatans who pass the plate on Sundays.
Religion? I can’t see, hear, smell, taste, or touch anything that could remotely be called a god. There is ZERO evidence for any kind of god.
I don’t have faith in Charles Darwin. He was wrong about a lot of things. Faith in God, conversely, is that He is wrong about nothing. He can’t be wrong about anything. That is true faith – blind faith.
If there is such a thing as “faith” in evolution, it is better termed “trust” – trust that, based on myriad observable phenomena as presented by a variety of sciences, including biology, paleontology, geology, archeology, immunology, bacteriology, and, most recently, genetics, that one’s best odds for making rational, efficacious decisions in life is through a reliance on (a trust in) science. Religion is based on NOTHING BUT FAITH! Faith in what? That you will live forever, despite abundant evidence to the contrary, of course. What does God look like, sound like, smell like, taste like, or feel like? Conceptions of God, although they are multifarious, tend to be highly anthropocentric – the magic man in the sky, who is usually white, male, bearded, white-robed, and avuncular. Hey, show Him to me and I’ll believe.

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Permalink Reply by Julie Ann Nielsen on December 30, 2011 at 9:30pm

Word!!! :o)

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Permalink Reply by Tex on December 31, 2011 at 11:41am

Excellent!!! Did they post it?

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Permalink Reply by Alice Browne on December 31, 2011 at 12:40pm

There are no horrible, eternal consequences for not believing in evolution. That sets it apart from most religions.

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Permalink Reply by Albert Bakker on December 31, 2011 at 12:47pm

Hmm... eternal maybe not, but free of consequences this type of "disbelief" is not.

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Permalink Reply by Alice Browne on December 31, 2011 at 2:51pm

Yes, there are consequences for that type of disbelief, but that's a different topic. Not believing in evolution, though, is not going to send your eternal soul to hell to burn forever. Some people will think you're a bit dim, but that's pretty small beans in comparison.

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Permalink Reply by Clark on December 31, 2011 at 6:19pm

From my understanding of what was stated in the linked post is that Evolution is a religion due to the fact it is something that people believe in and that it explains how we were created. I don't see "Evolution" in the same light at all. I think of religions more as culturally developed sets of stories, rules, customs and beliefs that governs and/or affects the thinking and behaviours of people and communities. Evolution doesn't fit into my understanding of a religion. Most people I know believe in evolution, but it has little effect on our lifestyles.

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Permalink Reply by Dustin on December 31, 2011 at 6:48pm

I just left a comment on the blog article as well - It appears she is actually responding to our comments too! Being pretty dumb about her answers, but nonetheless responding!