helemon
1st May 2005, 06:22 PM
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0226901351/qid=1114993125/sr=2-3/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_3/104-2226429-9806327
"Wilson sees religion as a complex organism with "biological" functions. He argues that the social cohesiveness of religion makes it analogous to a beehive or a human body--and, in fact, religious believers sometimes employ these metaphors. He writes, "Thinking of a religious group as like an organism encourages us to look for adaptive complexity.... Mechanisms are required that are often awesome in their sophistication." To Wilson, therein lies the astonishing complexity of religion, just as in the biological world."
This arguement is clearly evident in the Mormon church both with respect to its origins and early teachings and how those teachings have changed over time.
"Wilson sees religion as a complex organism with "biological" functions. He argues that the social cohesiveness of religion makes it analogous to a beehive or a human body--and, in fact, religious believers sometimes employ these metaphors. He writes, "Thinking of a religious group as like an organism encourages us to look for adaptive complexity.... Mechanisms are required that are often awesome in their sophistication." To Wilson, therein lies the astonishing complexity of religion, just as in the biological world."
This arguement is clearly evident in the Mormon church both with respect to its origins and early teachings and how those teachings have changed over time.