Once upon a time there were millions of rocks, asteroids,
comets, meteorites, dust, and gas floating around in space. This debris
scattered throughout the universe was the result of much older stars exploding
at the end of their lives. Stars that had used up all the fuel they once had to
produce light and heat. This space debris was composed of approximately 100
types of atoms created in the death throes of stars, some atoms more numerous
than others.
This debris was soon orbiting around a very large newly
formed sun near the corner of a recently formed galaxy. As this debris orbited around this new sun,
unavoidable collisions began occurring. These collisions resulted in formation
of larger and larger pieces of debris. The gravitational powers of these larger
pieces became stronger as they became larger by the collection of more and more
space debris.
After many millions of years the larger sphere shaped pieces
that had survived the constant collisions had pretty much swept up and
collected all of the loose debris from the orbital paths they traveled around the
new sun. Eventually, there were only 8 large ball shaped pieces of debris orbiting
this common sun. Some were made up of very solid and dense material, while
others were made up mostly of gas and dust.
During these first years of the third planet from the sun, its
physical condition was little more than a ball of hot molten lava, the result
of heat generated by constant collisions and explosions. Most of the material
collected by the molten sphere began to cluster in layers with some of the
heaviest at the center of the planet and the lighter material nearer the
surface. The planet seemed to be in the process of refining and separating the various
materials it had collected.
During much of this early formation, many of the comets and
meteorites contained large amounts of frozen water - ice. When these collided
with the molten planet, they immediately vaporized and joined the atmospheric gases
that were collecting just above the molten surface. As this atmosphere of gas
and water vapor grew thicker with succeeding collisions of ice containing
debris, it began to cool the surface of the molten planet until a solid crust
began to form on the surface of the fiery ball like planet.
The initial formative years of this planet contained no biological
forms. The planet was made up of atoms that had been formed into molecules of
iron, granite, gold, silica, carbon, nitrogen, etc., by the dying stars from
which they came. Some of this material became part of the thickening and
cooling crust and atmosphere. This continued to be the case for millions of
years while the surface continued to cool and stabilize. Asteroids and comets
continued to bombard the planet with additional icebergs and special molecules
that also had been formed in the death throes of dying stars. These special
molecules are known as amino acids which had been embedded in rocks as they formed
in the fiery death of stars. Asteroids that are recovered even today, when sliced
open for examination, reveal scattered clusters of amino acids embedded inside
the rock.
Amino acids exist in many configurations and have many
cousins. Several varieties of amino acids are necessary to form the much larger
DNA molecule which is the key ingredient of all life forms, both plants and
animals. Every form of life on this planet contains the power of replication
which is contained in the blue prints of their DNA. However, succeeding
generations require the DNA blueprints from two sources, the two sets of parent
DNA chromosomes in order to reproduce a new strand of DNA and a new life.
When things on this planet cooled enough for water to begin
accumulating from the constant rains, it didn’t take long for life to find a
way to begin. Its first forms were crude and primitive single cell bacteria.
Eventually the DNA of this crude bacteria became more sophisticated as well
exceedingly more complex through the process of evolution until today when we
find millions of different biological species, both flora and fauna, scattered
all over the planet. Two things have remained constant through millions of
years of evolution; all life forms remain dependent upon water, and require the
merging of two parental chromosomes in order to reproduce succeeding generations
of the species.
Today there are two types of molecular formations of atoms
in this planet, the non-biological which do not reproduce and have remained virtually
unchanged since their formation by the stars (granite, silica, gold, iron, carbon,
nitrogen, etc.), and the biological formations which have evolved into flora
and fauna species which are capable of reproduction but have limited life
spans.
As various biological species evolve, they have adapted behaviors
that support their innate will to survive. Among these is the herd instinct. Grouping
together provided a common defense from predators or enemies, location and acquisition
of food sources, developing communication, and provided easier location of, and
access to, available mates. Most biological species of this planet continue to live
in groves, colonies, herds, pods, schools, hives, flocks, prides, clans, tribes,
cities, etc. Although some species appear to live a solitary existence, they do
live in a common geographical areas of their own species; i.e. tigers, bears,
whales, etc., all live pretty much solitary lives, but they live in areas where
there are many others of their own species.
Rules of social etiquette developed by each specie vary with
the requirements for basic survival and communication. Almost all species have
developed some degree of deductive reasoning which has influenced their social
behavior, some more than others. Experience has been the greatest influence in
honing these deductive skills. While some deductive skills have been acquired
by physical experience (birds learn that Monarch caterpillars are not good to
eat) other deductive skills are acquired by observation and reason.
Humankind has been at the pinnacle of social development of
all the biological species of this planet.
Although humans have developed a
more complex mental diversity, we still exist in the basic format of all
members of the animal kingdom. Anatomically, we have the same basic
configuration; a central nervous system (brain), an epidermal organ, 2 eyes, 2
ears, 1 mouth, 4 extremities, a fairly common digestive and cardiovascular
system, same requirements for reproduction, etc. We possess almost identical
DNA with not only the animal kingdom, but the vegetation kingdom as well. Some
vegetation even has a higher genome complex than do humans.
Humans have long considered ourselves not only at the top of
the animal kingdom, but a completely separate and unique life form of which
there is no other throughout the universe. How we came up with this notion has
been greatly influenced by our own ignorance and superstitions. It has been erroneously
reasoned that since we have a superior nature when compared to the animal
kingdom, that we possess special characteristics animals do not have. We have considered
ourselves an image of a God, therefore we must have a God like spirit which is also
eternal. Although we have a limited life expectancy, the same as all other
flora and fauna of the planet, we have mistakenly assumed that we have a
consciousness (spirit) that will continue forever. Even though there is nothing
in the universe which lasts forever.
100,000 years ago, early man was preoccupied with survival
in the same manner as all other animals. He had to experience volcanoes,
earthquakes, raging fires, thunder and lightning, floods, as well as many other
natural phenomenon. He had no concept of how, why or what had caused them. His
initial thoughts were that some unseen power was the cause of these events that
threatened his existence, causing him to flee or hide. As he became more
familiar with these seemingly disastrous events, he began to give them names. Eventually
the name of the disastrous event became the name of the unseen power which was
causing them. It was then only a few short steps before every unexplained event
had a name of the unseen power that was the cause. These unseen powers were
soon bestowed with a ranking, some more powerful or dangerous than others.
Today, even though the cause of almost all natural disasters
can be simply and easily explained to every human understanding, many people
still considered them to be caused by, or the will of, a God. Human interpretations
and descriptions of Gods today are almost as varied as there are natural
disasters and mortalities. Although mankind has become more sophisticated in
our understanding of the past, present, and future of the universe we live in,
it still clings to the superstitions of mankind from the past 100,000 years.
The metropolitan area of our community includes 413,000
residents. In this area there are 411 Yellow Page listings of religious groups.
This does not include all religious groups, only religious groups with an
address and a telephone number. These groups base their convictions of
religious truth on information accrued in ancient writings by men with no
knowledge of origins of the universe or natural phenomenon. The Old Testament
was written between the years 587-BCE to 350-BCE; the New Testament was written
between the years 70-AD and 150-AD. Without any corroborating evidence, these prevalent
convictions have been the force behind most of man’s inhumanity to man and cultural
chaos for centuries, and continues to do so even today; Sunnis vs Shiites,
Muslims vs Jews, Muslims vs Christians, Muslims vs Muslims, Catholics vs
Protestants, Serbs vs Croats, Spanish Inquisition vs anybody who does not
confess, East vs West, etc.
The variety of creation stories that have developed since
the beginning of mankind by superstitious and primitive minds have been
accepted as fact by today’s educated people of reason. Religions cling to ancient
myths and legends, many of which conflict, as if they were indisputable facts.
Q:
How many Gods does it take to keep a light bulb burning for more than the
3500 religious sects on this planet?
A:
Depends upon where you were born and which religious sect you were
indoctrinated in.
o
