Religion: The Evolution of Self-Control

Jan 1, 2009 — A psychologist came up with a new theory of how religion evolved. It evolved to give people more self-control.
Science Daily reported the ideas of Miami psychologist Michael McCullough. Basically, “Religion May Have Evolved Because Of Its Ability To Help People Exercise Self-control,” the article states, with a picture of a rural church to boot. Self-control is a nice thing to have. Apparently, it produces fitness. “This, in turn, might help explain why religious people tend to have lower rates of substance abuse, better school achievement, less delinquency, better health behaviors, less depression, and longer lives.”
McCullough was non-sectarian with his view. The article said “explained” how “the same social force that motivates acts of charity and generosity can also motivate people to strap bomb belts around their waists and then blow themselves up in crowded city buses.” It’s a little more challenging to see why that would improve fitness, but to him, evolution teaches that “religion can motivate people to do just about anything.”
Maybe one thing evolution could do to help scientists is help them get their origin of speciesScience Daily announced, “Longstanding Theory Of Origin Of Species In Oceans Challenged.” According to our 01/15/2003 entry, this has been a religious war of sorts within the Darwinist camp. Sympatric speciation is struggling against allopatric speciation for survival of the fittest theory. In the oceans, the heretics are winning. Maybe they have a better navy.
doctrine right. Another article on Let’s get this straight. Religious people have self-control, therefore religious people are more fit. The question becomes, is it a lack of self-control that is causing Darwinists to say stupid things?
Brace yourself; we’re going to hear a lot more nonsense in the month leading up the King Charles’ 200th Birthday Re-Coronation Ceremony. You see what they do, don’t you? They gloss over the real issues by asking how religion evolved, not whether religion evolved.
This tactic is just the bully asserting his turf. What you do to stand down a bully is face off with him and turn his energy against him. Don’t accept his premise; fling it right back at him. Ask him if he is just saying this just because he is a sinner looking to rationalize his evil ways. What evil ways? he will sputter. Why, the evil of contradicting yourself. What? Right, you continue, pointing out that he said religious people tend to have longer lives. “How does a young boy blowing up a school bus have a longer life? How could that evolve?” you ask, diverging temporarily into a discussion of why a theory that explains opposite things explains nothing at all. “And come to think of it,” you continue gently but relentlessly, “if religion is a positive thing, what religion are you?” He mumbles that he is an atheist. “Then according to your own theory, you are less fit. In fact, you look kind of depressed and delinquent. Better get on a fitness program. Why not make a resolution to get some self-control and righteousness in your life instead of making up stories out of your own imagination? Come on, I’ll take you to church where we can learn about Truth that doesn’t evolve.”
The evolution-of-everything crowd can’t even get their basic core ideas on the origin of species right 150 years after Darwin supposedly figured it out, and they want us to think they can explain religion. Well if religion evolved, it evolved downward from a true knowledge of God to all kinds of deceptions and lies, including evolution. Time for an update of Darwin’s title: On the origin of specious ideas by natural man’s rejection, or the degradation of evident truths in the struggle for existentialism. But then he would just be plagiarizing Paul.


Published without permission, but with greatest respect.