What's Wrong With Religion?

Evolutionists say their theory is a fact, just like gravity. This may seem strange since the theory of evolution has so many scientific problems. The science, however, is not what is driving the conclusion. Evolution is proclaimed to be a fact because it is mandated by religious beliefs. That is, a strictly naturalistic origins narrative is mandated by beliefs about what God would and would not do. Elliott Sober's new paper is helpful because it explains the power and structure of this reasoning (though the paper does not explore the religious assumptions that have penetrated science).

But what's wrong with religious reasoning? Actually, nothing. The problem is not the fact that evolution entails theological premises. The problem is that evolutionists are in denial about it. It is fascinating to see evolutionists rely on powerful arguments (and Sober's work explains why the arguments are powerful) which are religious, and then insist their theory is strictly scientific. Evolutionists have metaphysical certainty, but then claim it is based merely on the conservative and tentative methods of modern science. They step outside of science and claim their theory is a fact on par with gravity, and then retreat back to science as if to legitimize their claim.

Religion drives science, and it matters.