Abstract

The contrast between the accepted view of life in modern science and that grossly held by traditional religions is stark and significant. Science’s material-only view of life appears to be largely unquestioned by many educated people and this effectively has blocked serious consideration of religious understandings. Yet it will be argued herein that science’s vision is easily challenged by consideration of unusual behaviors, and more broadly its reliance on DNA appears to be unraveling. Herein the basics of science’s materialist model will be considered via some relevant texts, but with particular consideration on writings by the psychologist Steven Pinker. Arguments for materialism’s failure - and science’s associated two-by-four dilemma - will then focus on DNA’s broad heritability crisis, with a backdrop of under-appreciated behavioral conundrums.
A simple gross vision of religions will be adhered to herein. This vision includes the existence of souls, an afterlife, and an approachable mysterious divine entity(s) and/or understanding. Some introductory support for that religious vision will be provided by looking at a number of soul-suggestive behavioral enigmas. The larger argument here supporting a basic religious vision is that it shows up innately and that this is unlikely to have fallen out of evolution. Additionally, for a look at the possible validity of a basic religious purview discussions turn to the observations and insights of a young child along with their subsequent profound experiences during World War II. That chronicle, as found in Jacque Lusseyran’s And There Was Light, provides some relatively detached support for religions, and as such is significant.