Jerry Coyne - Why Science and Religion shouldn't cohabit

source: https://www.facebook.com/groups/dorsethumanists/permalink/10151767186228943/

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Today at the SW SACRE conference I was asked by a Chair of a SACRE (she has Bahá'í Faith and was a former biology teacher) whether I thought Science and Religion are compatible, so this video linked by John Davison is timely (actually I wish I'd seen it LAST night, as I would have answered her: No! rather than 'sometimes'!)

A brilliant talk by Jerry Coyne. I'd recommend you watch (make notes!) on the whole hour long video. My highlights...

13min 50s: question to US public "if science found a fact that contradicted the tenets of your faith, what would you do? 64% of Americans would reject the fact in favour of their faith!"

18min: the more who believe in god, the less who believe in Darwin

21min 40s Frans de Waal http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frans_de_Waal moral sentiments can be seen in chimpanzees and other animals eg sympathy, empathy, reciprocity. Dogs follow social rules. thats why we like them so much [4] http://partners.nytimes.com/library/magazine/home/20010114mag-atheism.html

I am deeply confused by Free Will (I hope Johno Pearce? can enlighten me in his talk for Dorset Humanists)

22mins: "Free Will is an Illusion: we do NOT have free will - we do NOT have free choices, they are made by our unconscious often well before we think we made those decisions, this is deeply threatening to religious people because free will is a deep part of many religions; you have to freely accept [must have Free Will] Jesus before you are going to heaven, and if you can't do that, religion has no meaning whatsoever'

24min: Stephen weinberg '"The more the universe seems comprehensible, the more it seems pointless' ie no deity gives a point to the universe.

26min: Pollution of science and Naturalism by superstition eg Francis Collins says fine tuning, morality is evidence for god,

29min: why science works. Science provides ways so that you don't fool yourself (Richard Feynmann). With Religion you do fool youself.

40min: The Nicene creed - a metaphor?

46min: if science disproves something in the Bible, the theologican says it's a metaphor.

50min: Adam and Eve story refuted.