Webster's defines religion as follows:
a. Belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe.
b. A personal or institutionalized system grounded in such belief and worship.
Evolution makes no claims about any supernatural powers, neither denying nor affirming them. Ergo, evolution is not a religion.
"Evolution makes no claims about any supernatural powers, neither denying nor affirming them. Ergo, evolution is not a religion." ~ curiosity
"Origin of man now proved. -- Metaphysics must flourish. - he who understands baboon would do more toward Metaphysics than Locke." - Darwin, Notebook M, August 16, 1838
Metaphysics has to do with the supernatural.
Yes when in doubt...we must appeal to the religion of Webster, the omnipresent standard that the religious and the atheist both recognize.
Wrong, actually Darwin believed that God breathe life into the frist creatures in the evolutionary chain. Evolutionary theory is really only concerned with how life evolved after its origin. To this day no one can conclusively state, "here is how life began."
Darwin believe the explanation was "Divine Intervention" most of his life. He was explaining the "How" not the "Why."
His faith in God was unshaken during the development of his Natural Selection theories. It wasn't until he was 40 years old that he turn agnostic, however many believe he had a death bed conversion.
My faith in God is unshaken by Natural Selection theory too. There are too many holes in the Evolutionary Theory that need to plugged. Like, why did Man after hanging around the planet for 200,000 years suddenly develop a conscience and intelligence a mere 6,000 years ago?
GBA's comment is apt to my point.
I believe in God and I believe in evolution. I think evolution is the tool God used to create humans and all living things.
In the fourth definition: a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith, Evolution certainly qualifies.
Statements which say 'the fossil record shows the evolution of forms' are disingenous at best. They show an apparent succession of forms, with the assumption that those forms are derrivative of earlier forms, and that later forms are somehow more advanced.
The connection between different species is inferred by morphological similarities, and the stratigraphic and geospatial relationships, but by no means is evolution shown by the fossils, instead, it is a conclusion drawn from the fossil assemblages, and defended with religious fervor by its adamant proponents.
For those who hold this belief dear, the denigration of Christianity, Islam, Judaism, or any other belief structure is done with the fervor of zealots who are decrying the beliefs of a competing belief structure.
So, frankly, when evolutionists decry Christianity, for instance, especially when they assume the absence of a God, they are merely expressing different religious beliefs, no matter how "reasoned" these beliefs claim to be.
Source: Merriam-Webster online Dictionary Main Entry: re·li·gion Pronunciation: ri-'li-j&n Function: noun Etymology: Middle English religioun, from Latin religion-, religio supernatural constraint, sanction, religious practice, perhaps from religare to restrain, tie back -- more at RELY 1 a : the state of a religious b (1) : the service and worship of God or the supernatural (2) : commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance 2 : a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices 3 archaic : scrupulous conformity : CONSCIENTIOUSNESS 4 : a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith - re·li·gion·less adjective