Religion or Atheism? An open forum.

[MMI]

@ thir

The Bible is an important historical record, but it is just one source. Archaeologists are always looking for ways to verify biblical texts, but I doubt they are looking to prove that God revealed himself to someone at any particular time or place.

I agree that I maintain religions cannot be proved or disproved, but what they teach can. Thus the Catholic Church no longer holds that the Earth is at the centre of the universe.

What has [tossing virgins into volcanoes] got to do with evolution?

I simply meant that religions change. Once we might have thought the only way to placate the god of the volcano was to offer him brides, but now we know better.

[Thorne]

The Bible is an important historical record, but it is just one source.

The problem is that it is also a religious document, and it has been shown that sometimes the history has been skewed to agree with the religion.

Archaeologists are always looking for ways to verify biblical texts, but I doubt they are looking to prove that God revealed himself to someone at any particular time or place.

Depends on the archaeologist. Certainly up until the last hundred years or so they were almost universally trying to reconcile the Bible with history. Not so much anymore, but there are some who still try.

I agree that I maintain religions cannot be proved or disproved, but what they teach can.

But what they teach can be taught without the religious trappings far more effectively.

Thus the Catholic Church no longer holds that the Earth is at the centre of the universe.

At least not physically. Theologically? I think that might be a different story.

Once we might have thought the only way to placate the god of the volcano was to offer him brides, but now we know better.

And science, not religion, is the reason we know better.