Read more: 鈥�The God issue: New science of religion鈥�
鈥淕IVE me the child until he is seven, and I will show you the man.鈥� This Jesuit maxim epitomises how many of us perceive religion: as something that must be imprinted on young minds.
The new science of religion begs to differ. Children are born primed to see god at work all around them and don鈥檛 need to be indoctrinated to believe in him (see 鈥淭he God issue: We are all born believers鈥�).
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This is just one of many recent findings that are challenging standard critiques of religious belief. As we learn more about religion鈥檚 biological roots, it is becoming clear that secularists are often tilting at windmills and need to rethink.
Another such finding is that belief in a god or gods does appear to encourage people to be nice to one another. Humans clearly don鈥檛 need religion to be moral, but it helps (see 鈥淭he God issue: Religion is the key to civilisation鈥�).
An interesting corollary of this is a deeply held mistrust of atheists (see 鈥淚n atheists we distrust鈥�). In fact, atheists might consider themselves as unrecognised victims of discrimination. In a recent opinion poll, Americans identified atheists as the group they would most disapprove of their children marrying and the one least likely to share their own vision of American society. Self-declared atheists are now the only sizeable minority group considered unelectable as president.
Such antipathy poses a dilemma for opponents of religion, and may explain why 鈥渕ilitant atheism鈥� has failed to make headway.
Secularists would also do well to recognise the distinction between the 鈥減opular religion鈥� that comes easily to people鈥檚 minds and the convoluted intellectual gymnastics that is theology. Attacking the latter is easy but will do little to undermine religion鈥檚 grip (see 鈥淭he God issue: Science won鈥檛 loosen religion鈥檚 grip鈥�).
This is not an apologia for god. Religious claims still wither under rational scrutiny and deserve no special place in public life. But it is a call for those who aspire to a secular society to approach it rationally 鈥� which means making more effort to understand what they are dealing with. Religion is deeply etched in human nature and cannot be dismissed as a product of ignorance, indoctrination or stupidity. Until secularists recognise that, they are fighting a losing battle.
鈥淩eligion is etched in human nature and cannot be dismissed as ignorance or indoctrination鈥�