A nation can assume that the addition of the words "under God" to its pledge of allegiance gives evidence that its citizens actually believe in God whereas all it really proves is that they believe in "believing" in God
Huston SmithRead
One reason education undoes belief is its teaching of evolution; Darwin's own drift from orthodoxy to agnosticism was symptomatic. Martin Lings is probably right in saying that more cases of loss of religious faith are to be traced to the theory of evolution ... than to anything else.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Education can challenge and sometimes dismantle preconceived religious beliefs, particularly through the understanding of evolution.
Huston Smith's quote highlights a significant tension between education, particularly in the science of evolution, and traditional religious beliefs. He suggests that as individuals gain knowledge through education, especially regarding the scientific explanations of life's origins and development, they may find it difficult to maintain their previous beliefs in religious doctrines. This shift from belief to a more agnostic perspective can be seen as a natural outcome of confronting empirical evidence contrasted with faith-based teachings.
Themes
EducationEvolutionBeliefReligionAgnosticism
In practice
Example use cases
In a classroom discussion about the impact of education on belief systems.
More from Huston Smith
All quotes →So always, if we look back, concern for face-to-face morality, and its modern emphasis on justice as well, have historically evolved as religious issues.
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The crisis that the world finds itself in as it swings on the hinge of a new millennium is located in something deeper than particular ways of organizing political systems and economies.
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...conversation can be as mutually incomprehensible as foreign languages. We need the different and complementary perspectives of the various yogas - and ideally of all religions - not only to reach God but to reach each other.
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In the post-individualistic era, science and spirituality will become allies, and human beings will realize a vast potentiality now only dimly felt.
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In nature, the emphasis is in what is rather than what ought to be.
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