(jlanger jumps in with both feet)
...before we abandon God and religion to the ashes of history and embrace the Scientific Principle as the new ethos of our existance, let's take a look at a few interesting items I would like to see scientifically measured:
1) Love
2) Hate
3) Trust
4) Doubt
5) Faith
These 5 items are concepts that are physically/spiritually/emotionally manifested by human beings on a day to day basis. They form the backbone of our nature, our very existance on some level. Without them, a core part of a human (or what we define ourselves to consist as human) is missing. There have been more wars fought, more peace made, more lives created and lost due to one or a combination of one or more of these 5 concepts than anything else in our history.
JaTo I liked your discussion about religion and science being able to guide the other. As for the 5 concepts, many can be explained by evolutionary theory.
1)Love: chemicals in the brain similar to Lust that help us mate and propogate the species.
2)Hate: Opposite of love, used to protect the species against things we fear or dislike greatly.
3)Trust: could be described as altruism, ie I scratch your back you scratch mine. Also used to protect the species, numbers are important when you don't have claws or fangs.
4)Doubt: Similar to hate, used to enhance caution in us hence protecting the species. However, our most successful members appear to have little doubt or hide it very well.
5)Faith: opposite of doubt, simialr to trust. Used to explain what we don't know or have the capacity to understand. Children have the utmost faith that their parents will protect them. We have faith in our elders (or we used to) We have faith in superior beings to protect us.
Many animals, especially ones closest to us on the evolutionary ladder, have similar things. (I'll try not to anthromorphisize too much)Chimps appear to feel love towards other chimps, chimps can also appear to hate other bands/tribes of chimps and will go out on "war parties" into other territories to find and kill others. I can add many more similar similar examples with many other animals.
Now I'm still not trying to disprove the fact that a god(s) exist. However sating that because we feel emotions proves that there is a God cannot be used.
One more thing: Since we can alter our mood, state of mind, and emotions with chemicals, does this imply that our emotions are chemically based, and not soul based?
PS sorry about not stating sources, I'm going off memory here but if more is needed I'll certainly look it up and find the source/quote.
