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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Dave_W" data-source="post: 196915" data-attributes="member: 9521">I once read an article that compared the behavior of religions to the behavior of viruses and bacterial infections. Over time they both go from being virulent in the beginning to a much milder form later in life. For instance, when syphilis first appeared in the record it would kill the host very quickly after infection however with time it became more and more benign to the point that now you can carry the disease into old age (assuming you don't mind the spirochetes squirming around in your brain). Many diseases have followed this paradigm with only a few exceptions. This pattern also seems to take place in most major religions. For instance, Judaism once advocated killing anyone who did not observe the sabbath, whereas now the religion is perhaps one of the least strictest, in general. The same with Christianity, we all remember the stories of the Spanish Inquisition and the punishment for anything considered blasphemy. Yet now, some 2000 yrs on, the religion, as a whole, is much less violent and not nearly as demanding as it was just 300 yrs ago. The article also pointed out how Islam is a comparatively new religion and is still in the virulent stage. At only ~1200 yrs old, it compares quite well to Christianity in around the year 1200 CE. Which explains why many zealots find it seemingly easy to blow themselves up or to remove the heads of the "non-believers". In fact, any attempt to convert a Muslim to another religion is punishable by death in many of the Islamic based countries, much like the old testament describes the old Hebrew laws.The article then delved into the subject of memes and mind viruses but I'll leave that segment for another conversation. Meme's, btw, is a fascinating subject. Meme's are a by-product of the "selfish gene" theory, first described by Professor Richard Dawkins, and both revolve around access to reproduction and the continuation of the genetic line. Similar in nature to E.O Wilson's "Sociobiology", the two together go a long way in illustrating the purpose of culture and cultural transmission and how it applies to human nature.</blockquote>

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