Evolutionary Religion

by J.L. Schellenberg

J. L. Schellenberg articulates and defends a simple but revolutionary we are still at a very early stage in the possible history of intelligent life on our planet, and should frame our religious attitudes accordingly. Humans have begun to adapt to a deep past--one measured in billions of years, not thousands. But we have not really noticed how thin is the sliver of past time in which all of our religious life is contained. And the eons that may yet see intelligent life have hardly started to come into focus. When these things are internalized, our whole picture of religion may change. For then we will for the first time be in a position to Might there be a form of religion appropriate to such an early stage of development as our own? Might such 'evolutionary religion' be rather different from the forms of religion we see all around us today? And might it be better fitted to meet the demands of reason? Though most concerned simply to get a new discussion going,
Evolutionary Religion maintains that the answer is in each case 'yes'. When the light of deep time has fully been switched on, a new form of skepticism but, at the same time, new possibilities of religious life will come into view. We will find ourselves drawn to religious attitudes that, while not foregoing the idea of a transcendent ultimate, manage to do without believing and without details. As Schellenberg reveals, pursuing evolutionary religion instead of embracing a scientific naturalism is something that can rationally be done, even if traditional religious belief is placed out of bounds by argument. And ironically it is science that should help us see this. Indeed, in a new cultural dispensation evolutionary religion may come to be a preferred option among those most concerned for our intellectual enrichment and for our survival into the deep future.

Genres: Philosophy, Religion, Science, Atheism, Spirituality, Nonfiction

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

J. L. Schellenberg (born 1959) is a Canadian philosopher best known for his work in philosophy of religion. He has a DPhil in Philosophy from the University of Oxford, and is Professor of Philosophy at Mount Saint Vincent University and Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Graduate Studies at Dalhousie University, both in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Schellenberg’s early development of an argument from divine hiddenness for atheism has been influential.[2] In a subsequent series of books he has arrived at a form of religion called ‘skeptical religion’ which he regards as being compatible with atheism.[3] In 2013 the Cambridge University Press journal Religious Studies published a special issue devoted to critical discussion of Schellenberg’s philosophy of religion.

Reviews

[A BIT Of Thought · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every now and then you run into a book that grips your imagination from beginning to end. I find that the best books tend to be those that you don’t necessarily agree with on every single detail, but, rather, those that make you think and envision a different world.

This book definitely did it for me.

I’d recommend this book to both naturalists and supernaturalists. I’d advise to keep an open mind while reading it and follow Schellenberg through an evolutionary journey that not only takes the deep past into consideration but also the deep future.

J.l. Schellenberg’s proposal is one that is severely underrated in the Philosophy of Religion, which is probably why we don’t hear much talk about it. Sadly though, the neglect to take this proposal of his seriously only speaks to the truth of his proposal: that we are a very immature species when it comes to thinking about the ultimate things.

[John Martindale · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is sensible to recognize that we, as a species, could be immature regarding the nature and reality of the ultimate. If evolutionary timescales are brought to mind, then our 6000 or so years of religious thought and development are a momentary blip. We really do not have grounds for dogmatism and certainty on ultimate matters; so, a greater humility should be in order. That said, we can hope that the human race may progress; we can continue to recognize dead ends, try things out, pursue insights, and play our little role, as we strive to move closer to reality, and this can be done while maintaining a religious skepticism.

Even if we think there may be the Ultimate, as a people, we've only begun wrestling with the issue, and thus should withhold belief--we should be skeptics. However, we can have non-believing faith, which is based on imagination. Schellenberg mentioned how Imagination is different from belief. I can imagine a rat running towards me right now, and not jump out of my seat. However, if I truly believed I saw a rat running towards me right now, that would interrupt this review.

Imagination can result in emotional responses, and yet it is still different from true belief. Think of the difference in watching Alien and feeling the rise of our heartbeat, vs. actually believing an alien is in the next room.

Concerning non-believing faith.
Suppose I am not in a position to know that P is the case, and thus I am in a state of non-belief concerning P. I, however, could hold a pro-attitude towards P and not disbelieve it. I realize that P could possibly be the case. In this case, nonbelieving faith would be to use the imagination to envision P being the case and attempt to think accordingly. Schellenberg mentions numerous ways Darwin did this when presenting his theory of evolution, before there was enough data.

Here is another example: if a date said she will meet me at a location at 5 pm, and it is now 5:30, and she hasn't arrived, and she doesn't answer the phone. I am in a state of uncertainty. Supposing the previous dates seemed good, and I am unaware of any reasons for her to reject me and intentionally leave me hanging, I could then be positively disposed to the possibility that we're still good, that something has delayed her and is preventing communication. I have no grounds for believing this, but since it is a possibility, I could use my imagination to envision possible explanations, which could serve to tame negative emotions while waiting.

Hmm...thinking about a friend who had some pretty profound and meaningful trips on magic mushrooms. I see how it has resulted in a positive attitude towards certain possibilities, such as a higher reality, reincarnation, the importance of soul-making, history being pulled rather than pushed, all humanity partaking in divinity, and profound individuality connected with unity and oneness, and many other things. Can he "believe" these things, not in a strong sense, but he is becoming more positively disposed towards them; they seem to resonate and seem compelling. Imagining these are the case is not believing they are the case, but it can have an impact on his life, and ultimately begin to shape his choices and life. I wonder if this faith has a positive impact on his life, then, in the grand scheme of things, if this reveals he is progressing towards reality.

Thus far, that is not something I recall Schellenberg discussing. What is the criterion by which we evaluate progress? I would think within science, for example, it is pragmatism. We recognize that the paradigm seems to explain a lot of data, and it works, and we continue to try and make sense of what it doesn't seem to fit and make it work where it doesn't. We realize it could be overturned, but we also feel justified in working as if it is a fact. However, if a better paradigm that explains more and works better comes along, we will likely feel we've progressed once it becomes mainstream.

It would seem that Schellenberg, with his Hiddenness argument, is trying to help religion progress by showing how an all-good and all-powerful divine parent clashes with reality. Whatever the ultimate is, Schellenberg thinks we have enough data at present to rule out this Christian conception of God. In science, falsification is important. It does seem one way science progresses is by revealing what routes are dead ends, and one way religion can progress is by exposing false ideas.

As I continue, it does seem that what Schellenberg is proposing as Evolutionary Religion is somewhat similar to my stance as an agnostic Christian. Most of the Christian truth claims that I once believed--due to trust in authority-- can no longer be believed, for every authority is errant. This put everything in the maybe and possibly category. I no longer can say I "believe" most Christian truth claims, but several of them, I do not disbelieve. Some remain possibilities. Those elements that I find more beautiful, to which I have a positive attitude, I can imagine that they're the case, and allow it to shape my thoughts and actions. To the degree I do so, I have faith without belief.

[Julianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hurt my brain to read.

[Zaaccckkkkkk · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish I was smart enough to understand all of this book, but woweee what a delight.