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EDMONDS, 2021 - MODERN SCIENCE VS RELIGION? CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF NEW ATHEIST ASSERTIONS CONCERNING THE
INTERPLAY OF SCIENCE AND RELIGION POPULARIZED BY VIABLE MEMETIC REPRODUCTION
Modern Science vs Religion? Critical analysis of new atheist
assertions concerning the interplay of science and religion
popularized by viable memetic reproduction
Noah Edmonds
May 31st, 2021
Guest piece prepared for Cerebral Faith (cerebralfaith.net)
Key terms: memetics, theism, atheism, christianity, fundamentalism, meme spreading, meme
replication, meme reproduction
Introduction
Hardly anyone living in 2021’s post-internet culture would be ignorant of what a meme is.
Imprecisely, memes are comparable to inside jokes that span a given culture: ideas, behaviors, or
styles which express meaning through symbols, gestures, etc., which are spread by means of
communication of information between persons of said culture. (1) They are governed by the
rules of natural selection (articulated via memetics, a growing subfield of anthropology),
whereby popular memes adapt and endure as they “reproduce” by spreading from person to
person and become more popular and widely known (or fail to and “die”). (1) In this manner,
memes are often utilized in a religious or political sense, with the rapidity of spread and
relatability of memes permitting ideological positions to be disseminated quickly among a large
subset of individuals. The significance of this mode of communication and reproduction cannot
be overstated (as Terrnace McKenna said, memes are to ideologies what genes are to biology).
(2) Consequently, it is to be expected that
many memes become popular, reproduce,
and thrive successfully despite containing
erroneous or inaccurate information due to
the ease of conception and the rapidity of
spread associated with memetic
reproduction and popularization. Such errors
would be less likely to be critically
questioned by individuals who already
believe the misinformation contained or are
predisposed to be more likely to accept it.
(3) (4) (5) This phenomenon can be well
noted in a random sampling of anti-religious/anti-theist memes that exist spread across
cyberspace, with such a sample having been compiled by Rebekah K. of the Curious Atheist
blog. (6) This report addresses a “condensed meme”, a single meme (pictured above, left) that
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EDMONDS, 2021 - MODERN SCIENCE VS RELIGION? CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF NEW ATHEIST ASSERTIONS CONCERNING THE
INTERPLAY OF SCIENCE AND RELIGION POPULARIZED BY VIABLE MEMETIC REPRODUCTION
contains many of the points common to new atheist memes (6) that are in error as they relate to
Christian beliefs and theology as though they are reliably established refutations.
1. Biology does not disprove Adam and Eve
It is assumed that this meme is referring to biology disproving the common fundamentalist or
evangelical interpretation of the story of Adam and Eve, being that they were created from
nothing, that they were the first two human beings to exist, that they lived between six and ten
thousand years ago and gave rise to every human being that has ever existed (i.e., they were the
first two human beings). (7) However, the meme refutes a certain image of Adam and Eve as an
eisegetical construction, and not as they actually exist as depicted in mythology or human
history.
First, the Biblical text does not necessitate the view that Adam and Eve were created ex nihilo.
(8) Rather, it suggests that Adam and Eve were not created miraculously through divine fiat, with
the description of Adam’s creation from the dust of the ground referring not to material creation
but being a commentary on Adam and mankind as mortal (9), and Eve’s creation from his rib
having been a prophetic/archetypal vision granted to Adam concerning his and his male
descendent’s relation to women as their equals. (10) Second, Adam and Eve were not the first
two human beings to exist. Genesis explicitly states that God first created men and women
(plural, Gen. 1:26-27), and elected them as the Imago Dei (11, Genesis 1:26-28) to be his image
bearers as he commanded them to be fruitful and multiply. The humans that were created/are
discussed in Genesis 1:26-30 cannot be Adam and Eve, as not only are they described as plural
(Footnote 1), but the events of Genesis 2 could not have fit into the timeline set by the text if this
were the case (i.e., the events described in Genesis 2 did not take place during a 24 hour period),
with Genesis 2 describing the events of Day 6 as having been completed prior to the creation of
Adam and Eve. These distinctions make it clear that the identification of Adam and Eve as the
first humans to exist with none preceding them (7) is not accurate from a purely textual
standpoint, regardless of the relevant biological data. Third, from a biological/genetic standpoint,
Adam and Eve do not have to be said to have existed 6k-10k years ago. Nowhere in the original
mythology is it suggested that this is a reliable date for the existence of Adam and Eve, as such a
date is only arrived at following the assumption that the genealogies from Adam throughout the
rest of the Old Testament patriarchs are reliable parent/offspring records kept with precise ages
in mind: which, they are not. Not only are the genealogies given in Genesis not complete (12)
(13), but the ages given within those genealogies are not intended to be viewed as the ages of the
individuals during their natural lives(14), making it impossible to use the included genealogies as
a method by which to ascertain the “date of creation”. In regards to questions of whether or not
Adam and Eve gave rise to the modern human population, through the tracing of molecular
clocks and genetic maps, we know that every human being alive today can trace their genealogy
back directly to two individuals that may have lived in the same geographical area between
100,000-150,000 years ago. (15) (16) (17) The reader may keep in mind that nowhere does
Christianity dictate that Adam and Eve be the ancestors of every human being, but rather all of
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EDMONDS, 2021 - MODERN SCIENCE VS RELIGION? CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF NEW ATHEIST ASSERTIONS CONCERNING THE
INTERPLAY OF SCIENCE AND RELIGION POPULARIZED BY VIABLE MEMETIC REPRODUCTION
those alive antecedent to their existence needs be united by common genealogy/descent, which is
demonstrable via the great age model that places Adam and Eve between 100kya-150kya, and
even via models that give a much younger date for their existence. Joshua Swamidass, an
associate professor at Washington University of St. Louis, has proposed a reliably defensible
model of a recent Adam and Eve (with each figure existing around 10kya) that is consistent with
traditional religious ideas concerning our alleged universal genealogical ancestors and the
evolutionary and biological data on hand regarding the natural development of humans over the
past several million years. (18) (19)
To conclude, claiming that biology “disproves” Adam and Eve not only assumes a particular
erroneous fundamentalist assumption to be irrefutable reality, but ignores the veritable mountain
of data concerning the question that exists surrounding Adam and Eve as both mythic,
archetypal, and historical figures.
2. Cosmology does disprove a six day creation - and why this isn’t a problem
The idea of a “six day creationist” cosmogony (20) is a modern invention. (21) It is not endemic
to theism or Christianity, nor has it ever been taught as doctrinal by the Church. (22) (Footnote 2)
It is, in fact, explicitly contra-Scriptural, incompatible with the creation mythology and
overarching themes of Genesis/the Bible as a whole and cannot be harmonized with either of
them, much less cosmology. (23) (24) (25) As such, to cite the non-reality of a cosmological
creation that took place over six 24 hour periods sometime in the recent past as a point against
Christianity is absurd, since such a circumstance having actually occurred is not dictated or
required by Christianity.
3. Does genetics disprove intelligent design? It depends on what’s being discussed.
The imprecision of what is being alluded to here makes it slightly difficult to respond to the
claim made in the meme. The moniker of “Intelligent Design” or “ID” is applied across a wide
spectrum of scientific and philosophical dialogue. There are no inherent claims associated with
the concept of Intelligent Design itself, as ID only examines the natural world in the context of
its having possibly been designed by some sort of intelligence (ie, it makes no assertions as to
how this may or may not have occurred, unlike creationism). (26) (27) Now, this does naturally
carry a number of likely erroneous ideas that have been debunked wholesale by natural science,
(28) and not genetics alone. Have ID advocates made scientifically inaccurate claims? Of course
they have. Have anti-science or anti-evolution advocates used the moniker of ID to make their
ideas seem more reputable or believable? Yes. (29) The current author would like to express that
these observations do not arise out of sympathy for anti-evolutionary sentiments (as he holds
abiogenesis and naturalistic evolution as the way in which life arose and developed), but out of a
desire to clarify terms, as there is no question to whether evolution was “designed”, (30) with the
question concerning not if or if not it is designed, but whether this design is intelligently or
un-intelligently present. Genetics absolutely disproves anti-evolutionary sentiments of ID
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EDMONDS, 2021 - MODERN SCIENCE VS RELIGION? CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF NEW ATHEIST ASSERTIONS CONCERNING THE
INTERPLAY OF SCIENCE AND RELIGION POPULARIZED BY VIABLE MEMETIC REPRODUCTION
advocates, but it does not demonstrate that there exists no intelligence behind natural systems.
(Footnote 3)
4. Statistics does not disprove the “power of prayer”
The “power of prayer” referenced here appears to be in reference to “divine wish making”: i.e
statistics proves that if you ask God for something often enough, you’ll eventually (statistically)
hit a yes every now and then. Prayer is not, however, a game of divine wish making, chance, of
yes/no/maybe so, hoping for the outcome you desire to just happen. Rather, prayer is the
elevation of one’s thoughts to the things of God or the entreating of God of proper
orientation/necessities in the world. (Footnote 4) This is done in a myriad of ways and is not
limited to asking favors or wishes (though most people seemingly limit their prayer lives to this
shallow end alone). When one looks at prayer for what it is, and doesn’t assume that modern
evangelical fundamentalist “methods” of prayer are the only or objective use of the medium, it
becomes apparent that statistics are in no way related to prayer or the “proving” of it. (31) (32)
(33) (Footnote 7)
5. Physics does disprove a young earth - and why this isn’t a problem
As we addressed in the above point #2 regarding a recent creative cosmogony taking place over a
period of 168 hours, the same observations may be applied regarding a young earth - the Church
has never claimed or put forward the idea that the age of the earth can be ascertained or is a
tenant of the Christian faith, as, due to the fact that we noted above, such a hypothesis is not
compatible with the Christian Scriptures or worldview. (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, Footnote 2) The idea
of a “young earth” is fully incompatible with not only modern science (34) (35) (36) (37), but
also with the Bible itself. (23) (38) (39) This acknowledgement is not limited to only those who
accept evolutionary arguments but is recognized by those believers who hold to divine/special
creation yet reject the theory of evolution as factual (particularly physicist Dr. Steve Ball
[Footnote 5], removing from plausibility the idea that such an observation regarding the antiquity
of the earth arises from evolutionary presuppositions or justifications). (40)
6. Does geology disprove Noah’s flood? It depends on what’s being discussed.
As this paper is wrapping up the final few points being addressed by the subject meme, it cannot
go without saying that some areas of this paper may repeat like a broken record, due to the fact
that assumptions regarding the veracity of fundamentalist speculation as the objective doctrine
taught, with no deeper analysis necessary. As with point #3 above, those who would endorse or
advocate for the claims made by this meme have made several low-resolution assumptions
regarding the assertions of Christianity. Does geology disprove fundamentalist assumptions
regarding the Noachian flood, to the extent that it is presented as a planet-wide event
approximately 4kya with a Kingdom Animalia bottleneck of a boat full of a few thousand
specimens? Yes, without question. (41) (42) (43) But is that how the Scripture describes the
event? No. The Bible describes a local flood event that, while massive and devastating in its
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EDMONDS, 2021 - MODERN SCIENCE VS RELIGION? CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF NEW ATHEIST ASSERTIONS CONCERNING THE
INTERPLAY OF SCIENCE AND RELIGION POPULARIZED BY VIABLE MEMETIC REPRODUCTION
scope, did not turn the Earth into a water planet. (44) (45) (46) (47) (48) (49) The latter is a
scenario for which geology speaks in testimony of, as an event that actually occurred in human
history. This is where the confusion arises concerning the meme’s claims, as geology in no way
disproves academic scenarios that depict Noah’s flood as an actual event that occurred in history,
such as those discussed and defended by L. G. Collins in Reports of the National Center for
Science Education (50), or the contemporary cumulative case put forward by Michael Jones of
InspiringPhilosophy. (51)
7. Neurology does not disprove the soul
A common trope within new atheism (in line with the mindset that drove the creation of the
meme being discussed) is to embody the fundamentalist ideal which they seek to critique. In this
case, assumption of a material-body and an immaterial-soul is assumed within a materialistic
framework, making the dismissal of a soul almost off hand and a defense being non-necessary.
This is noted in part to explain the brevity of the response in this section, as a simple response is
that neuroscience in no way “disproves” the soul. To repeat a similar theme of this report,
neuroscience absolutely disproves the low-resolution idea of the “soul” just mentioned (a ghost
in a shell, so to speak). However, overwhelming evidence from various fields of mind science
and consciousness studies has revealed that not only is consciousness not a phenomenon that can
be explained away as naturalistic or generated by the brain, (Footnote 6) but that the idea of a
“soul” as “consciousness distinct from/not caused by brain chemistry” is wholly consistent with
the academic literature. (52) (53) (54) (55) (Ibid., Fn. 6) At the very least, it is disingenuous to
say that neuroscience “disproves the soul”, as such a statement is reflective of an ignorance of
the current dialogue taking place in the mind-sciences concerning the nature and identity of the
“soul”. (Ibid., 52-55, Fn. 6)
8. The gods are human ideas that can be traced back to the cultures who invented them -
and why this isn’t a problem
The main issue with this critique is that it is a truism that says nothing as to whether or not gods
exist. (Footnote 8) Of course the gods are human ideas that are specific to certain
peoples/cultures. This says nothing in regards to in what manner the gods exist or don’t exist, as
it assumes that by dismissing them as “ideas”, they’re somehow not real. Which is rather
peculiar, as one would be hard pressed to find someone to defend the idea that ideas or their
manifestations aren’t real, in an objective sense. The gods, as we would understand them as
historical phenomena, are psychological states of being that exist animated and independent of
individuals and time. (56) This is why all mythologies tell virtually the same story, (57) (58) as
humans were capable of identifying external philosophical and psychological states of being that
seemingly acted on their own, summarizable within narrative structures that were logical and
capable of being understood, and capable of compelling human behavior, overcoming reason,
possessing people, etc. Comparative mythology demonstrates that these stories are not just fairy
tales invented to tell children: these stories map over common themes and objective realities
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EDMONDS, 2021 - MODERN SCIENCE VS RELIGION? CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF NEW ATHEIST ASSERTIONS CONCERNING THE
INTERPLAY OF SCIENCE AND RELIGION POPULARIZED BY VIABLE MEMETIC REPRODUCTION
encountered by human beings throughout history. Whether it’s ancient Babylon, Egypt, the
modern western world, etc. the stories are the same. (Ibid., 57, 58) (59) (60) (61) Eventually, the
gods become “condensed” into meta-figures across time as cultures collide and mingle, an idea
expressed by the Psalmist in ancient times. (Footnote 9) It isn’t an accident that monolateralist
tendencies have been present about as long as humans have had the capacity for development of
religious or psychological abstractions (62) (63) (64). In the context of this model it’s wholly
wrong to state that, because the gods are created by human action they somehow don’t exist
objectively. The question is not “Do the gods exist or not?”, but rather, “In what manner do the
gods exist or not exist?” (65)
Conclusion
Notably, most of the objections to theism/Christianity that are expressed by the points contained
in this meme are the result of low-resolution/low-information strawmen, which, while debunking
fundamentalist assumptions in a heartbeat, do nothing to accurately critique the belief system
that those similar low-resolution/low-information fundamentalist ideas spring from. This report
serves to demonstrate that it is not fundamentalists/theists alone that are susceptible to bias and
the spreading of inaccurate information (67), with a particular notice regarding rapid memetic
spread as enabling the spread of false information from either side of the aisle.
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Mythology. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVyUe5BhWQc&t=523s
59. Kaira, K. (2017, July 29) Massive Similarities Between Different World Mythologies. ED
Times. https://edtimes.in/massive-similarities-between-different-world-mythologies/
60. Kroepel, R. H. (2001) The Assyrian and Babylonian Bel Myth Parallels to the Christian
Jesus Myth.http://www.bobkwebsite.com/belmythvjesusmyth.html
Note: the author wishes to clarify that this source is included as a reference to the similarities
within ancient babylonian mythology and contemporary christian mythology. the author does not
view the conclusion reached by Kroepel, that christian mythology is a direct rip-off/development
of babylonian mythology, as academically defensible.
61. Purrington, M. (2020, July 22) Pre-Christian parallels to the Trinity in Babylonia. Carl Jung
Depth Psychology.
https://carljungdepthpsychologysite.blog/2020/07/22/pre-christian-parallels-to-the-trinity-in-bab
ylonia-carl-jung/#.YK0H5GjYrrc
62. Wikipedia. (2021, February 20) Jesus in comparative mythology.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_in_comparative_mythology
63. Jones, M. [InspiringPhilosophy]. (2020, March 12) The Case for Ancient Monotheism
Documentary. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-bMgXQV7no&t=1149s
64. The Reality Pill. (2020, August 18) Kings, ideals and Marduk | Jordan Peterson. [Video].
YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfqYGhnc0eE
65. Dose of Truth. (2017, November 17) Polytheism = Confusion and Monotheism = Unification
- Carl Jung, Jordan Peterson. [Video]. YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtJHEY-3VZY
66. Pageau, J. [Jonathan Pageau]. (2018, July 24) Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy Exist.
[Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXnef2Ltklg
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EDMONDS, 2021 - MODERN SCIENCE VS RELIGION? CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF NEW ATHEIST ASSERTIONS CONCERNING THE
INTERPLAY OF SCIENCE AND RELIGION POPULARIZED BY VIABLE MEMETIC REPRODUCTION
67. Jones, M. [InspiringPhilosophy]. (2020, May 29) Are Atheists Biased? [Video]. YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1MBI5z0MMY&t=58s
Footnotes
Footnote 1. Genesis 1:26 - “...Let us make man in our image…” Strong’s OT #120 (adam - man,
mankind), with the action of dominion possessing a plural translation (...and let them have
dominion). Genesis 1:27 - “...male and female created he them.” We know that Adam and Eve
not only were not created on the sixth day (see Gen. 2), but Eve was not created until sometime
well after Adam. (Gen. 2:23) Genesis 1:28 - “...and God blessed them, and...said unto them…”,
etc.
Footnote 2. The reader should note that the observation concerning the Church Fathers is
referenced in order to address the doctrinal question at hand, and not to assert positive evidence
for their holding of an old earth or evolutionary worldview. For example, St. Augustine could
believe that the universe was created instantaneously as there exists no doctrine dictating that this
is not how it occurred. Origen was able to speculate concerning the nature of the “days” of
creation as there existed no doctrine dictating their length, etc. Simultaneously, it is incorrect to
assert that belief in a young-earth or literal six-day creation period is a presupposition or
prerequisite for Christian faith, as the Church makes no such doctrinal statement, and never has.
Footnote 3. It should be noted that observations concerning the “designed” nature of
evolutionary processes is a purely naturalistic endeavor divorced from religious sentiments, as
the question concerns not whether or not evolution actually occurs in nature (as creationists
would object to), but how evolution occurs. (a) Process structuralist views on evolutionary
processes propose that biological forms are not merely the result of adaptation in a purely
random environment, but are dictated by biological laws such as those that dictate the formation
of minerals, crystals, planets, stars, orbits, etc. (b-d) Such a view is not compatible with
creationist assertions concerning the development of life, (i) as it “leaves no room for a creator”,
accepts darwinian natural selection and associated processes as valid, and is not able to be
harmonized with popular models of “creation science”. (i)
a. Denton, M. (2016, February 3) Two Views of Biology: Structuralism vs. Functionalism.
Evolution News. https://evolutionnews.org/2016/02/two_views_of_bi/
b. Van der Hammen, L. (1997) A structuralist theory of evolution reconsidered. Rivista di
biologia, 90(3), 385-392. PMID: 9549404
c. Goodwin, B. C. (1990) Structuralism in biology. Science Progress, 2(294), 227-243.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/43423887
d. Arciszewski, M. (2021, May 24) Process Structuralism (hub). PhilPapers.
https://philpapers.org/browse/process-structuralism
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EDMONDS, 2021 - MODERN SCIENCE VS RELIGION? CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF NEW ATHEIST ASSERTIONS CONCERNING THE
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e. Thomas, B. (2013, September 18) Structuralism: A New Way to Avoid Creation. The
Institute for Creation Research.
https://www.icr.org/article/structuralism-new-way-avoid-creation
Footnote 4. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (2558-2565) defines prayer as not limited to
requesting good things from God, but as encompassing any act of raising of one’s mind or will to
the things of God and habitually being in the presence of the Ideal and learning how to act that
out through animation of the Logos.
https://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p4s1.htm
Footnote 5. Dr. Steve Ball’s professional profile:
https://www.letu.edu/academics/arts-and-sciences/fac-bio-ball.html
Footnote 6. Michael Jones of InspiringPhilosophy has compiled an impressive set of data
concerning the discussion surrounding the nature of the “soul” in relation to past and present
models of consciousness, and the science that supports and debunks various claims in the attempt
to positively identify what role, if any, the “soul” has in regards to the mind-sciences. The data is
distributed amongst two series hosted on his YouTube channel of the same name.
a. Jones, M. [InspiringPhilosophy]. (2014, October 30) 1. The Case for the Soul
(Neuroscience). [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBsI_ay8K70
b. Jones, M. [InspiringPhilosophy]. (2015, April 3) 2. The Case for the Soul: Refuting
Physicalist Objections. [Video]. YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GB5TNrtu9Pk
c. Jones, M. [InspiringPhilosophy]. (2015, July 17) 3. The Case for the Soul: Quantum
Biology. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_xEraQWvgM
d. Jones, M. [InspiringPhilosophy]. (2015, October 16) 4. The Case for the Soul (Near
Death Experiences). [Video]. YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlBO0Y9GJhk
e. Jones, M. [InspiringPhilosophy]. (2020, June 16) Neuroscientific Evidence: Irreducible
Mind (Part 1). [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOFGKhvWQ4M
f. Jones, M. [InspiringPhilosophy]. (2020, July 10) Hard Problem of Consciousness:
Irreducible Mind (Part 2). [Video]. YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PX1RuXU4_o
g. Jones, M. [InspiringPhilosophy]. (2020, August 7) Physicalist Arguments Debunked:
Irreducible Mind (Part 3). [Video]. YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIJiAhRd4jI&t=316s
Footnote 7. This is in harmony with the observable data regarding the reality of positive
psychological effects associated with engaging in prayer and/or meditation, as it literally and not
metaphorically has been demonstrated to bring one’s mind and body into alignment in goal
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pursuit. The “power of prayer” is not summed up via demonstrations of granted or withheld
favors.
a. Formica, M. J. (2010, July 28) The Science, Psychology and Metaphysics of Prayer.
Psychology Today.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/enlightened-living/201007/the-science-psycho
logy-and-metaphysics-prayer
b. The Association for Psychological Science. (2020, May 20) The Science of Prayer.
https://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/the-science-of-prayer-2.html
c. Rad, M. R. (2013) The Positive Psychological Effects of Prayer. Huffpost.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/prayer_b_3055127
d. Rad, M. R. (2011) The Power of Prayer: Why Does it Work? Huffpost.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/power-of-prayer_b_1015475
Footnote 8. This sentiment may be best summed up in the statement:“Whether the gods are
inside or outside makes very little difference to whether there are gods.” (Dr. Jordan B. Peterson,
professor of psychology, University of Toronto) To simply assert that the gods are psychological
in nature or are created by human beings says nothing to their existence, or lack thereof.
Footnote 9. Psalm 82 identifies Yaweh as one such victor among the gods, depicting him as
standing at the top of the hierarchy of gods and judging them from a seat of authority.
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