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moreon religion
==Religion==
==Religion==
Although raised in a devout Methodist family, he never joined a church. He was a defender of [[Charles Darwin]]'s theory of [[evolution]], and coined the terms "the [[Survival of the fittest]]"<ref>''fit'' - meaning suitable, or the right size and shape, '''not''' ''fit'' as in athletically strong (although some have inferred this interpretation).</ref> and "the Descent of Man." Spencer, like many scientists of the time, was a [[deist]], which is to say he did not believe in [[God]] ''per se'', but only in ''a'' god. Eventually, Spencer became an [[agnostic]].
Although raised in a devout Methodist family, Spencer never joined a church. He helped inspire [[Charles Darwin]]'s theory of [[evolution]], and coined the terms "the [[Survival of the fittest]]"<ref>''fit'' - meaning suitable, or the right size and shape, '''not''' ''fit'' as in athletically strong (although some have inferred this interpretation).</ref> and "the Descent of Man."
His father commented in 1860:
:"It appears to me that the laws of nature are to him what revealed religion is to us, and that any wilful infraction of those laws is to him as much a sin, as to us is disbelief in what is revealed."<ref> Duncan, ''Life and Letters of Herbert Spencer,'' p 491 </ref>
Though "he did not accept the dogmas of any creed, he was, in the truest sense, religious," said David Duncan, his closest aide. "In private life," said another friend, "he refrained from obtruding his heterodox views upon others, nor have I ever known him give utterance to any language which could possibly be construed as 'scoffing.' . The name of the Founder of Christianity always elicited his profound respect."<ref> Duncan, ''Life and Letters of Herbert Spencer,'' p 492 </ref>
Spencer, like many scientists of the time, was a [[deist]], which is to say he did not believe in a personal [[God]] ''per se'', but only in ''a'' god. In ''The Principles of Sociology'' (1876) and ''The Principles of Ethics'' (1879) he claims to have discovered the evolution of religious belief and institutions from what their origins in the cult of ancestors by primitive peoples to his own conception of an "unknowable" God-like First Cause.
Eventually, Spencer became an [[agnostic]] in the sense he could not describe God, but was sure something like God esisted.
Spencer said the longstanding disputes between science and religion were based on a misunderstanding and failure to see the logical boundaries between the "Knowable" and the "Unknowable." Everything in the "Knowable" sphere belonged to science, he argued, while everything in the "Unknowable" sphere belonged to religion, including the existence of God.
==Influence==
==Influence==