Way back when, I made a snarky (but I meant it seriously) comment about scientists invading churches and teaching Sunday School. I've been doing some reading, and I think that Daniel C. Dennett is the man for such a job.
Mr. Dennett is a philosopher by trade, but he has done a good deal of studying in the hard sciences of biology and paleontology. One of his books, "Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon," asks the question, Does the human penchant for religious belief have an evolutionary basis? Not only is Dennett an unbeliever in any religion, he posits that religious belief is a biological phenomenon. This idea is not new, but it is probably shocking to many.
The book is actually a call for more scientific research on the subject, because there are many questions that have to be answered, not the least of which is, If religion is a product of evolution, what benefit(s) has it conferred on the human race? In other words, if religious belief has been selected for, who benefits?
If you're a person who believes that the Bible contains everything you need to know, you probably won't want to read "Breaking the Spell." But if you have a suspicion that other books have something to teach you, here's a good one. Bring it to Sunday School, if you dare.
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