Michael Dowd - "Darwin Day Celebration" 2011, Omaha

Michael Dowd's dynamic illustrated talk for the interfaith celebration of Darwin Day in Omaha, Nebraska, February 2011, and hosted by Countryside UCC Church. Evolutionary topics include the importance of a Big History perspective in which we forthrightly see our evolved human nature as challenging us with mismatched instincts, especially in modern environments full of "supernormal stimuli" temptations. Death as "natural and generative at every level of reality " means it is to be honored, not feared.

Dowd advocates that an "evidential reformation" is the next evolutionary step for the Christian tradition (indeed, for all religious traditions). Humanity is entering a developmental rite of passage "from beliefs to knowledge." Henceforth, humanity will be guided not by ancient scrptures frozen in time, but by "scientific and historical evidence and cross-cultural experience."

He celebrates the worldview of "religious naturalism," in which faith is a synonym for trust -- not attachment to ancient "pre-natural" beliefs. "God" is a term, which, as a religious naturalist and evolutionary Christian, Dowd is stlll inclined to use, as it personalizes his relationship to Reality. But there is nothing supernatural about it. "God is a personification, not a person, not some being up there out there."

Dowd's educational website is http://thegreatstory.org

He is the author of the 2008 book "Thank God for Evolution," and host of a 38-episode audio series: Evolutionary Christianity, http://evolutionarychristianity.com

See also Dowd's 2009 presentation in the Distinguished Lecture Series at CalTech, sponsored by the Skeptics Society: http://youtu.be/_2ATHA8Cyp0

• Category

  Science & Technology

[Dean Jacobson]

This sermon is so smart, so true, this is an eye opener that a Christian can have such a good sense of humor. Bravo.

[Dean Jacobson]

Compost is good! It is rich and fertile and it is fun to make it! Why the negative connotation? It is not smelly, it smells good!

[journey2blue]

Just found this post.  Thanks! You two spoke at our church retreat a few years ago! (Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Murfreesboro)

[Ivan Moreno Roldan]

still, the concept of Karma can be interpeted as night language for most of those instincs he talked about :)

[Ivan Moreno Roldan]

not only TED. he needs to be on Oprah and really get this ideas to mainstream audiences.

[euforque]

Awesome! Thanks for letting me know. I'll be waiting for it to be posted so I can see it! I've already shared your ideas with friends.

[thegreatstory]

I just did! Grand Rapids TEDx in May 2012 gave me an opportunity to share these ideas with a wider audience. I hope that TED central will choose to notify their e-subscribers of the new video when it becomes available. Thanks for your encouragement. Michael Dowd.

[euforque]

This guy needs to do a TEDtalk.

[avedic]

This is incredible. This needs way WAY more than 2k views...

[avedic]

You don't exist. You're made up.