The "Nature" of Belief: Evolutionary Explanation, Biological Function, and Divine Purpose
Dates: Nov 3, 2005 - Nov 5, 2005
A Calvin College Seminar in Christian Scholarship
From the conference web site:
One of the most provocative historic interactions between science and religion has been the elucidation by science of naturalistic causes for phenomena understood by religion as entailing divine agency. No current issue embodies this tension more dramatically than the quest for biological explanations of religious belief, behavior, and experience. However, the implications for religious faith are ambiguous. On the one hand, Western religious traditions view belief in God as facilitated by and fulfilling of human nature. So uncovering natural inclinations, and perhaps adaptive benefits, to religious faith is both welcome and anticipated, and may even constitute a resource for natural theology. On the other hand, biblical faith entails the conviction that God has acted to engage humanity through special revelation and often through supernatural initiative. Reductively functionalist, not to mention overtly eliminativist accounts of religion are problematic for believers, and may represent a new natural atheology. Through plenary addresses and concurrent presentations by advocates and critics of various evolutionary theories of religion, this conference will survey current approaches, assess scientific and philosophical merits, and explore implications for religious belief.
The conference will feature Alvin Plantinga, John Haught, Dominic Johnson, and others. For more information, including presenter abstracts and biographies, visit the conference web site.
Location:
Calvin College
Grand Rapids, Michigan
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