Basing your understanding of the world on ancient religious texts written exclusively by men from a specific part of the world is bound to be rife with problems and glaring inaccuracies. Here, we explore 20 things mainstream religion can’t reliably or realistically explain, yet science and observation now provide intelligent insights into.
The Age of the Earth
Many religions have creation stories, including the Old Testament, which claims the world was created by a supreme being approximately 6,000 years ago. However, according to ScienceNews, carbon dating has identified zircon crystals in western Australian bedrock that are 4.4 billion years old. That must be awkward for biblical literalists!
The Existence of Extraterrestrial Life
Mainstream religions like Judaism and Christianity focus on life on Earth in a universe that is over 93 billion light years in diameter and constantly expanding. The vastness of the known universe makes the possibility of life elsewhere statistically probable, and scientists continue to search for potential biosignatures, like methane gas, around planets orbiting distant stars.
Evolution
The scientific proof of evolution from the fossil record and paleontology is overwhelming. Natural selection and the inheritance of beneficial genetic traits perfectly explain the change and diversification of living things over millions of years. Religion fails to offer a reasonable or probable explanation for the complexity of life and the plethora of extinct species.
The Nature of Consciousness
NewScientist asserts that consciousness is “for each of us, all there is; the world, the self, everything. But consciousness is also subjective and difficult to define.” Religions often link consciousness to an imagined ‘soul’ or ‘spirit,’ yet science is now investigating not just why we are conscious but how we become and what about our brains makes it possible.
Dark Matter and Dark Energy
These mysterious substances are thought to make up most of the universe’s mass and energy, yet they remain undetectable through direct observation. They are theoretical particles that explain scientific data. Scientists themselves don’t truly understand them, but they are developing complex theories and experiments to unravel their nature. Religion, however, falls into a hole.
The Origin of Morality
Many religions believe morality comes from divine revelation and often use eternal damnation or karma as threats to force followers into following religious tenets. On the other hand, evolutionary biologists propose that moral codes emerged as social tools that promote cooperation and survival within groups—vital in an individually weak but socially strong animal like a human.
The Origin of the Universe
Scientists aren’t 100% sure how the universe came into being, but based on their data, the most likely explanation is ‘The Big Bang Theory’—the universe started in an incredibly hot, dense state and has been expanding and cooling ever since. According to the holy texts of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, a divine creator made the world. But there’s no mention of who made him.
Quantum Mechanics
There are some bizarre rules governing the behavior of matter and energy at the subatomic level, many of which defy scientific understanding and continue to perplex even the greatest modern minds. Yet, scientists have successfully applied quantum mechanics to develop technologies like lasers and transistors. Modern religions, however, don’t offer any insight.
The Arrow of Time
The direction of time is referred to as an ‘arrow’ because the universe has a clear past, present, and future. STEM Fellowship states that astrophysicist Sir Arthur Eddington first explained this in 1927, based on his studies on thermodynamics. As time moves forward, entropy (randomness or disorder) always increases. Religion cannot explain this phenomenon.
The Existence of Multiple Universes
The concept of a multiverse wasn’t made up by the creators of the Marvel movie Doctor Strange but is a scientific theory supported by certain cosmological evidence. Some data models suggest the potential for a collection of co-existing universes (with potentially different physical laws). However, most modern religions tend to focus on planet Earth.
The Limits of Human Knowledge
There may be fundamental aspects of the universe and our own existence that are beyond the reach of human comprehension, either due to limitations in our brains or the nature of reality itself. Basically, even the most intelligent human being on Earth may be incapable of understanding certain concepts. Most religions don’t assign mankind with such limitations.
The Placebo Effect
This is a well-documented medical phenomenon in which a patient feels better and heals more quickly when they believe they’re receiving effective treatment. While “the power of prayer” is often deemed capable of curing the sick, no such effect has ever been proven. While the exact mechanisms behind ‘placebos’ aren’t understood, the human brain clearly has hidden ‘powers.’
Animal Intelligence
According to many religions, humans were created in the image of a divine being, and other animals are ‘beneath’ them. Yet, creatures such as dolphins and apes are almost as smart as humans—even on a scale that we invented! HowStuffWorks reports that, in one study, “adult orangutans performed better than human children at making and using tools.”
Parasites, Viruses, and Bacteria
Religious texts often depict the creation of a limited number of animal species, and some even claim that a flood wiped out all life on Earth, bar those rescued in pairs. However, science has documented the existence of millions of extinct and extant species, including those that seem to defy all evidence of a benign creator, such as deadly bacteria and painful parasites.
The Complexity of the Brain
The human brain is the most intricate organ we know, with billions of neurons interconnected in trillions of synapses. While scientists often have more questions than answers, psychology and neurology are slowly shedding light on the processes that underlie the human experience, like memory, thought, emotion, and instinctual behavior. Religion doesn’t offer any such revelations.
The Origin of Free Will
Free will is the ability to make choices independent of external factors. It is a central tenet of many religions—some of which claim that a divine creator ‘gave’ mankind free will and yet becomes angry when people don’t do what he wants! However, neuroscience argues that unconscious processes influence our decisions before we’re even aware of them.
Plate Tectonics and Continental Drift
Religious texts don’t account for the movement of continents. Yet, USGS claims that, as recently as 230 million years ago, “the continents were arranged together as a single supercontinent called Pangea. During the 165 million years of dinosaur existence, this supercontinent slowly broke apart.” The theory of plate tectonics perfectly explains the current position of major land masses.
The Human Body’s Immune System
Religion can’t explain how the body fights off disease—a biological ability that even healthy non-believers are capable of! Clearly, the immune system isn’t controlled by faith or prayer but by a complex network of organs, cells, and tissues. We now understand how white blood cells, antibodies, and the lymphatic system work together to defend the body from pathogens.
The Randomness of Dreams
During REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, circuits in the brain become activated and trigger specific areas to become active (namely the amygdala and hippocampus). The electrical impulses result in a compilation of random thoughts, images, and memories—forming dreams. Most religions maintain that dreams are ‘messages’ or ‘visions’ from the gods.
Natural Disasters
Many religions attribute natural disasters to divine wrath, but how does that explain the suffering of innocent animals and babies caught up in them? Science shows us how earthquakes and volcanoes are caused by tectonic movement and pressure build-up, hurricanes form over warm ocean waters, and tornadoes result from atmospheric pressure changes.
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