Is it possible that religion has a tendency to make people afraid of knowledge?

[pr0t0ur8493]

"special"-ed, censoring "intellgent design" is like creating a controversy over censoring the stork theory of biological reproduction; there's evidence for neither.

[thepianist]

I must emphatically disagree with you. Growing in Christ or religion, if you will, is to increase knowledge as well as wisdom. The more one studies (2 Tim 2:15) "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."), the more knowledge they acquire and subsequently they will (Eph 6:11) "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." (2 Cor 10:4) "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds." With all due respect, this doesn't sound like someone melting. As for the "warm and gooey", yes, sometimes when the Holy Spirit is heavy you feel as if you're being bathed in warm honey. However, the were no warm, gooey feelings when Joshua marched around Jericho that 7th time, the trumpets sounded and the walls of Jericho came tumbling down. The cold, hard truth on that day was specifically for the inhabitants of Jericho and Joshua was not one bit intimidated.

[Cayne]

I used to be a rather devout (hardheaded) christian... until I made the "big mistake" . I decided I was going to prove my belief was the truth. I.... melted. Knowledge is... kryptonite to religion. In hindsight... Genesis should have warned me.... everything was cool for Adam and Eve until they gained knowledge. You know... by eatting from the tree of good and evil. They went from being unaware to being aware... ergo... God booted them out of the Garden. Moral of the story is.... if you find other answers than those He wants you to have.... you fall from His Graces. So.... yeah... to answer your question. Not only do I believe it's possible... I would say it's extremely probable. Pretty smart strategy really though .... as long as you're ignorant... you are easily controlled.

[Methooselah6017]

Christians Have you immunized yourself against the world of reason and logic yet...if not then here's some tips...1. Remember... to not have to soley rely on evidence is a Christian virtue… for any fool can believe something if there is evidence for it…but it takes a real red blooded Christian to use faith…2. Be warned my friend the Devil will come bearing highly plausible scientific arguments…the better they are the more logical they are, the more plausible they are, the more well reasoned they are... then the more "devilish" they are3. The devil's plans are well laid.. you must be armed against them.. so if necessary: Avoid certain books, turn off the TV, walk out of certain lectures... if they start to get at all persuasive.That's how its done Desi!!

[KAL7329]

Interesting...I agree with your conclusion but not with any of your premises. Yes, I think religion has a tendency to make people afraid of knowledge...but I think God created us to have a thirst for knowledge. Your first premise, that the lack of "tangible knowledge" means something is "just make believe" is flawed. I'd argue that much (all!) of our "tangible knowledge" (knowledge backed by physical evidence) was, at one time, based solely on intangible knowledge (knowledge backed by logical reasoning, speculation about the meaning of patterns in observed data, etc...). How many theories have people proposed that they had no hope of studying in any tangible way with the current level of technology? The fact that we can't measure a variable does not mean that it is make believe...it merely makes it an unknown. ...and when it comes to God, if he is who he claims to be, isn't it at least a tad arrogant to think we could ever discover a way prove OR disprove his existence?I do think that "religion" can lead to a fear of knowledge...but I'd argue that there is a positive correlation between the level of fear and the level of structure provided by that religion. Religion is nothing more than man's attempt to "put God in a box"...but it isn't "warm and gooey" feelings, it is a more fundamental need for security that motivates people to fill their brains with a religious rule book and shun any information that seems to contradict something they've been taught about God. I have no doubt you'd label me "religious"...but to me, my beliefs represent a lifelong attempt to avoid letting my perception of God be polluted by any man-made "religion"...and this translates to a lifelong quest for knowledge. Main difference as I see it is the perspective we take on all that tangible evidence we collect...some people view apparently contradictory evidence at a threat to the security of their beliefs and tend to ignore it...others seek "tangible knowledge" with the intent to prove or disprove the existence of God...and others, like myself, seek "tangible knowledge" that provides "tangible benefits". I start with a simple position of faith..."there is a God, and I'm not him". Then, when faced with the vast universe of knowledge I could chose to pursue with my life, I selected (and will continue to select) knowledge that offers tangible rewards...I ask questions that I have some chance of answering. To me, it seems irrational to think that you could ever design a measure that would allow you to eliminate the possibility that "God did it and we don't know why" so instead of asking questions like that, I ask questions that provide knowledge I can use to fulfill God's purpose for my life. ...and No, I don't limit that to the bible or to the "rule book" prescribed by any religion. I seek knowledge in sociology, psychology, human behavior, business, history, physics, and more...but instead of trying to use this knowledge to prove or disprove the existence of God, I use it to understand people...for in business and in life, I have no hope of satisfying a person's needs if I don't understand those needs (love one another)!

[RissaLyn]

You are the exact opposite of the over zealous Christians. The ones that take to the extreme and hurt their Children By it Misinterpreting the word of God to fit their own way of thinking, You Are an Atheist Jim Jone,Wes-bough Baptist fundamentalist Mormons. That is you a Fundamentalist Atheist! I think I hit The Nail On the Head.