Am Improbable Heritage

     100,000 years ago humans as well as the mighty herds of animals grazing on the endless savannahs of this planet were familiar with lightning. They grew up with it occurring around them all of their lives. Neither the humans nor the animals understood the cause or purpose of lightning. Today, the animals of the savannahs still do not understand the lightning; they just tolerate and bear it. Ancient humans, on the other hand, with no more knowledge of the cause or purpose of lightning than the animals around them developed a theory that lightning was a mysterious force caused by the will of the Gods.^[1] Any destructive natural phenomena was probably regarded as an act of anger in retaliation of someone or something that has displeased the Gods, as they had witnessed the result of lightning strikes upon people, animals and trees.

     Today, we know what lightning is and how it is produced and how to avoid it. We have even seen it on some of our sister planets. We know how rain, hurricanes, tsunamis, tornados, earthquakes, etc., are produced. We know how to read and understand trends of weather patterns and how droughts or floods occur. Yet we still cling to ancient explanations for these natural phenomena as if it were the results of a manipulating Deity.

     An ancient text was read from the pulpit recently exhorting natural events as retribution by the hand of God for the iniquities of man (Psalm 107: 33-43), “He (God) turned rivers into a desert, flowing springs into thirsty ground, and fruitful land into a salt waste, because of the wickedness of those who lived there. He turned the desert into pools of water and the parched ground into flowing springs; there he brought the hungry to live, and they founded a city where they could settle. They sowed fields and planted vineyards that yielded a fruitful harvest; he blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased, and he did not let their herds diminish."

     We have a very mixed heritage that has been passed down to us by our ancestors. We have inherited minds capable of discerning, and an inquisitiveness to search for information and truth in the world around us. Yet we remain chained to ancient fears and superstitions that have no basis in fact or reason.

     The religions listed below by no means represent unified groups; Christianity alone has over 3500 different divisions and sects. Each of the other major religions today is also comprised of multiple divisions, sects, groups and beliefs, influenced primarily by their geographical location. Almost all religion are able to trace their origins to a single person, including Christianity. Exceptions are the Primal-Indigenous and the African Traditional & Diasporic religions which are practices and rituals of oral traditions without much if any written sources. Religions did not begin spontaneously. They were begun by someone with an idea, yet each religion claims to possess the truth of God and our universe.

Followers of Major Religions of Today:                              Approximate Date of Origin:

1.     Christianity: ................ 2.1 billion                1.  primal-indigenous                    5000 BCE

2.     Islam: ..........................1.5 billion                2. African Traditional & Diaspori 5000 BCE

3.     Agnostic/Atheist:          1.1 billion                3. Hinduism                         3228–3102 BCE

4.     Hinduism:....................900 million               4. Judaism                       2000–1850 BCE

5.     Chinese traditional: .... 394 million                5. Zoroastrianism                         1700 BCE

6.     Buddhism: ..................376 million                6. Chinese traditional religion   600–500 BCE

7.     primal-indigenous: .......300 million                7. Buddhism                                  563 BCE

8.     African Traditional  ..   100 million                 8. Jainism                                      550 BCE

9.     Sikhism: .......................23 million                  9. Christianity                    7 BCE–36 CE

10.  Juche: ..........................19 million                10. Islam                               570–632 CE

11.  Spiritism: ................... ..15 million                11. Shinto                                       712 CE

12.  Judaism: .......................14 million                12. Sikhism                          1469–1539 CE

13.  Baha'i: ............................7 million                13. Tenrikyo                        1801–1900 CE

14.  Jainism: ........................4.2 million               14. Baha'i                             1817–1892 CE

15.  Shinto: ............................4 million                15. Spiritism                                1856 CE

16.  Cao Dai: .........................4 million                16. Cao Dai                                1926 CE

17.  Zoroastrianism: .............2.6 million                17. Rastafarianism                      1933 CE

18.  Tenrikyo: .........................2 million                18. Scientology                           1952 CE

19.  Neo-Paganism: ................1 million                19. Juche                                    1955 CE

20.  Unitarian-Universalism: ..800 thousand           20. Unitarian-Universalism           1961 CE

21.  Rastafarianism: ...............600 thousand

22.  Scientology: ....................500 thousand

This adds up to roughly 6.97 billion of the world’s more than 7.1 billion people.

     Judaism, Christianity, and Islam have many common denominators, primarily stories on which their origins are based, as the Old Testament (with some variations) is held, in part, as a common origin by all three cultures. Two isolated story events, which have no corroborating evidence, is all it took to initiate the Jewish culture, and the birth of one supernatural person to begin Christianity. Stories that read more like fairy tales or legends than reality when measured against the yardstick of probability or fact. When compared to other major religions of the world, they possess no more integrity or validity than does any other religion.

     The malleable mind of man^[2]  is capable of being shaped to believe and accept anything, especially when applied in weekly doses from church pulpits over a lifetime. Information based on ancient knowledge gained through fears and superstitions has been the only message repeated by almost all religions, whose success is often measured by the size and income of the church. By these standards, the more members and money you can collect, the truer the tenets of your religion.

1800 BCE^[3]   (Estimated world population at the time was 30 million.)

According to Jewish tradition, Abraham was born under the name Abram in the city of Ur in Babylonia in the year 1948 from Creation. He was the son of Terach, an idol merchant, but from his early childhood, he questioned the faith of his father and sought the truth. He came to believe that the entire universe was the work of a single Creator, and he began to teach this belief to others. Eventually, the one true Creator that Abram had worshipped called to him, and made him an offer: if Abram would leave his home and his family, then God would make him a great nation and bless him. Abram accepted this offer, and the b'rit (covenant) between God and the Jewish people was established. 

     At a time when there were 30 million people living around the world, a middle eastern merchant’s son announces that he has had a meeting with God to receive a gift. God did not appear to anyone else to verify or make this announcement; only Abram makes the announcement public. No other people in the entire world were made aware of this special covenant. The common belief at this time in history was that only Shaman, Witch Doctors, Medicine Men, Priests, Kings, Rulers, etc., the pinnacle of elite, were capable of  personal communication with Deities of the day. The question is, “how credible can this story possibly be?”

1391--1271 BCE^[4]  (Estimated world population at the time was 38 million.)

According to Jewish tradition, Moses is born during the Jewish enslavement in Egypt, during a terrible period when Pharaoh decrees that all male Hebrew infants are to be drowned at birth. His mother, Yocheved, desperate to prolong his life, floats him in a basket in the Nile. Hearing the crying child as she walks by, Pharaoh's daughter pities the crying infant and adopts. It surely is no coincidence that the Jews' future liberator is raised as an Egyptian prince. Had Moses grown up in slavery with his fellow Hebrews, he probably would not have developed the pride, vision, and courage to lead a revolt.

     The story of a Jewish boy born into slavery, is saved by a princess, raised as an Egyptian prince and lives in royalty, is banished from the kingdom after committing a crime against a royal guard, eventually returns to liberate the slaves and lead them to a land promised by God to Abraham and his descendants. Not only did Moses liberate the Jews from Egyptian slavery, he wrote the law and commandments describing how they must live. The story describes how Moses led the slaves for 40 years through the desert of the Arabian Peninsula, while the distance from Cairo to Jerusalem can be completed by a very slow donkey in 3 weeks. When they finally reach the “promised” land, an army of slave warriors is sent to slaughter the men, women, children and all their animals, currently inhabiting the land “promised” to people who claimed to be descendants of Abraham. Again, the question is, “how credible can this story possibly be?”

1000–900 BCE^[5]  (Estimated world population at the time was 50 million.)

Solomon succeeds King David, builds Jerusalem temple. After Solomon's death, kingdom divided into Israel and Judah. Hebrew elders begin to write Old Testament books of Bible. Phoenicians colonize Spain with settlement at Cadiz.

     While in captivity in Babylon, Hebrew elders begin a written record of oral stories and traditions, 800 years after the Abraham event, and approximately 300 years after Moses and the Exodus legend. They included stories which describe the creation of the earth, an ark and a destructive flood, etc. The source of many of these stories came from much earlier periods and cultures during the Sumerian and Gilgamesh Epic. The intention of these writings was to establish credible roots of Jewish heritage by including stories of Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Moses the Prince of the Egyptian Slaves and editor of Jewish law,  and feats of their most beloved king, David, all legends and heroes of the culture. Ancient, 800 year old, oral traditions have a way of embellishing themselves with each telling and retelling. After 300 to 800 years of aging, there is very little left of the original tale.

400–300 BCE^[5]  (Estimated world population at the time was 100 million.)

Pentateuch—first five books of the Old Testament evolve in final form. Philip of Macedon, who believed himself to be a descendant of the Greek people, assassinated (336 BCE) after subduing the Greek city-states; succeeded by son, Alexander the Great (356–323 BCE), who destroys Thebes (335 BCE), conquers Tyre and Jerusalem (332 BCE), occupies Babylon (330 BCE), invades India, and dies in Babylon. His empire is divided among his generals; one of them, Seleucis I, establishes Middle East empire with capitals at Antioch (Syria) and Seleucia (in Iraq). Trial and execution of Greek philosopher Socrates (399 BCE). Dialogues recorded by his student, Plato (c. 427–348 or 347 BCE). Euclid's work on geometry (323 BCE). Aristotle, Greek philosopher (384–322 BCE). Demosthenes, Greek orator (384–322 BCE).Praxiteles, Greek sculptor (400–330 BCE).

     The final form of the Pentateuch has now aged 1,400 years since the Abrahamic story, and 600 years since Moses and the Exodus event. With a world population of approximately 100 million, and perhaps a hundred different religions with their own stories and legends, it is difficult to accept these stories with any more validity or integrity than any of the religions of the rest of the world.

1–49 CE^[5]  (Estimated world population at the time was 200 million.)

Birth of Jesus Christ (variously given from 4 B.C. to A.D. 7). After Augustus, Tiberius becomes emperor (dies, A.D. 37), succeeded by Caligula (assassinated, A.D. 41), who is followed by Claudius. Crucifixion of Jesus (probably A.D. 30). Han dynasty in China founded by Emperor Kuang Wu Ti. Buddhism introduced to China.

     It has now been approximately 4.5 billion years since the formation of the world, and after 200,000 years of human existence, which now numbers a worldwide population of approximately 200 million people. Why would there suddenly be a need to provide a human sacrifice for the atonement of “sins,” to a small group of Jewish peasants in place as obscure as Nazareth? The Old Testament was a script to establish an exclusive race of people who claim to be the “chosen people of God.” Now begins a legend to form a new religion from the roots of Judaism; a new branch of the tree.

300–349 CE^[5]  (Estimated world population at the time was 250 million.)

Constantine the Great (rules A.D. 312–337) reunites eastern and western Roman empires, with new capital (Constantinople) on site of Byzantium (A.D. 330); issues Edict of Milan legalizing Christianity (A.D. 313); becomes a Christian on his deathbed (A.D. 337). Council of Nicaea (A.D. 325) defines orthodox Christian doctrine. First Gupta dynasty in India (c. A.D. 320).

     During the past 300 years, independent Christian sects of various kinds have proliferated throughout the Roman Empire. Each possesses its own written literature from dubious sources which they use to enlist and educate new converts into their sect. The friction between the various sects has grown and results in violent disputes over who possesses the true writings for Christianity. As these sects are independent from each other, there is no central agency to control or discipline their growing numbers. Most other sects of any kind tolerated in the Roman Empire, whether religious or secular, had a central agency to which they must answer; such as the Sanhedrin which rules over all Jewish activity in the Roman Empire.

     Constantine decides to convene a Council to organize all of the troublesome Christian sects under one central authority, which, to no one’s surprise, is located in Rome instead of Jerusalem. This new agency will become responsible for maintaining the peace among the various Christian sects, and is answerable to the Emperor of Rome, Constantine. This new Council collects copies of all of the written material used by the various churches and decides which ones will be retained for canonization to be used in all Christian churches, and which written materials will be destroyed.

     Since there is no way only one meeting of any Council can settle all disputes, a series of Council meetings is held over the next 400 years^[6] to hone the tenets for all Christianity, as well as the undisputable authority of the Roman Church. [First Council of Nicaea (325); First Council of Constantinople (381); Council of Ephesus (431); Council of Chalcedon (451); Second Council of Constantinople (553); Third Council of Constantinople (680–681); Second Council of Nicaea (787)]

     A quasi religious empire within a political empire was created and is politically supported, sanctioned and enforced by the Emperor of the Roman Empire. The rest of the 250 million people in the world are left clueless and are not included in this alleged new Salvation.

     Meanwhile the world in search of a Deity, a religion, a unity with nature, etc. marches on, led by Shaman, Witchdoctors, Medicine Men, Priests, Preachers, Bishops, and Charlatans selling holy relics and indulgences while hawking the carrot of immortality in an afterlife. The religious tenets of obedience, chastity, charity, compassion, allegiance, etc., have not only been repeatedly broken by members of the various flocks, but by many of the Spiritual Leaders in gross dimensions.

     The common theme among all religions is, “Don’t ask questions, just believe what we tell you. We are your spiritual leaders. If you begin asking questions, you risk the loss of your soul on a slippery slope.” A fictitious descent from the side of an artificial hill religions have created.

     I believe in man’s creativity, curiosity and search for knowledge and truth. We have evolved into a unique species more by accident than design. And in this state, have gained a knowledge never before attained. During the last 50 years, we have learned more of our planet and universe than at any time during the past 200,000 years. We know what we are made of and how we will end. All life forms, not only of this planet, but on any planet in the universe, both flora and fauna, share not only a common ancestry, but a common assortment of elemental building blocks.

     Animals live from day to day and do not anticipate or fret over death. On the other hand, humans have been groomed to fear death as if it were a horrible sentence pronounced on us by a vengeful God. Yet, at the same time, also believe that if we are obedient to this God, we will pass through death into immortality with rewards of mansions, streets of gold, jeweled crowns,72 dark eyed virgins, to join our ancestors and continue to live in eternal bliss. This is sometimes known as the ancient practice of fear mongering to sell snake oil.

     Death is a natural event and comes to everything in the universe including suns, stars, planets, galaxies, vegetation, insects and humans. When death comes, the material of which we are all made is released to be used in the reconstruction of new suns, stars, planets, galaxies, vegetation, insects and humans. The only afterlife experience is the use of our elemental building blocks (atoms) in the growth and formation of new life forms. The ancient fears and superstitions of death by our ancestors was fed by spiritual leaders (Shaman, Witchdoctors, Medicine men, Priests, etc.) to justify tales of immortality. Unfortunately for mankind, current spiritual leaders continue to promote the same ancient fears and superstitions of death over the mounting knowledge discovered everyday by our continued search for the nature of our universe.

     The conflict we have in this new age is whether to continue to live under the fears and superstitions of our ancient ancestors, or accept these myths and legends of our past as stepping stones into our future. I see churches (not the religions) of today as social organizations of “like minds.” Where personal interaction exists to facilitate a desire to support each other and corporately provide outreach charities that are not easily accomplished on an individual basis. I see the stories of ancient texts as models of inspiration for a noble lifestyle and charitable behavior as opposed to superstitions of salvation into an immortal afterlife in order to avoid the damnation of a netherworld.

^[1] http://keithcrowecorpus.blogspot.com/2012/10/a-genesis-of-gods.html

^[2] http://keithcrowecorpus.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-mallible-mind.html

^[3] http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/abraham.html

^[4] http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/moses.html

^[5] Ancient History | Infoplease.com http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0001198.html#ixzz2bU6g36JQ

^[6] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecumenical_council

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Where Is God?

     The world's major religions developed during a period of transition between oral traditions of epic events and the development of written texts.

     Most, if not all, stories were embellished for purposes of persuasion and perpetuity. The duration of a story was dependent upon the memory and skills of the teller, as well as the interests of the hearer.

     By the time these stories were written into history, they had little resemblance to the original events and were shaped to meet the interests and understanding of the tellers and scribes who recorded them.

     Yet, religious adherents today easily approach the point of combat in defense of their understanding or belief in a particular theology.

     Today there are an estimated 38,000 Christian sects or denominations in the world. All of which base their "theological truth" on one or more versions of the same New Testament. Like wise, there are a number of varied interpretations and philosophies among adherents of Judaism or Islamic faiths based on their own common books of religious law.

     Most of these divisions in religious truths are attributable to geographical locations, whether it is by race, country, village, tribe, or part of town. A person raised in Alabama is more likely to be associated with a Western style Christianity; where as a person born in Iran will likely become an adherent of Islam. Their religious experiences are acquired by cultural influences, rather than conscious choices of truth.

      Today, millions of dollars and immeasurable energies are spent to evangelize or proselytize others to our beliefs. Multiple theologies that have been declared by the many sects and denominations as the "real" truth.

Eventually one has to ask, are these the results intended by a benevolent Creator? Or is this the result of human attempts to perpetuate a particular ideology?

     When you weigh the human desires for religious truths against the reality of our existence as a micro-dot in the space of billions of galaxies and even more planets, where is God? In the measure of time, our whole organic existence on this planet isn't even a tick's (or tock's) length or speck on the celestial clock.

     We and every living and non-living thing on and in this island planet is made of material produced by the death of stars. What and who we are has been shaped by the circumstances and events of this planet. This planet was not created to suit our life forms.

     As products of this planet, we possess the same basic physical traits and behavior as every other animal. Two eyes, 2 ears, 1 mouth, 4 limbs, oxygen dependent, experience hunger, seek safety, feel pain, procreated by male and female, mortality, etc. As humans, which are but one notch above the animals, we have developed additional philosophies that we have honed and perfected over hundreds of years; immortality in a reward based after life.

     In the time before there were any religions or gods, survival fears fostered superstitions to answer the unknown and uncontrolled events in our world and were attributed to mystical forces of good or evil. Today, although our well developed sciences have answered most questions about our past, present and future, there is still a significant element of our behavior that clings to many perpetuated superstitions.

Conclusion: God exists in the mind of man.

A Search for Intelligence

     Mankind has been a herd animal the same as almost all other biological species on the planet since the beginning of time. They discovered that they lived longer, ate better, and found it easier to obtain a mate when they hung out with the tribal family. In the evolution of this social order, rules were developed quite naturally within the group - a pecking order that was enforced by the older and stronger members of the group. Seniority was a valuable asset to the group due to their longevity and memory. They knew where to find the best hunting, fishing, gathering, safety, etc. Strength was also a valuable asset in the defense from predators and enemies. The older and stronger members generally had an advantage among tribal members, in the first selection of food, shelter, mates, etc. as the pecking order developed.

     Leadership of the group eventually became divided into two patterns, an administrative leader surfaced as Chief, King, Ruler, etc., by virtue of their feats of bravery, skills in the use of weapons, and being a successful hunter. They usually served by mutual consent of the majority of the group. Occasionally there would be a challenge by others who felt more deserving of this leadership role and the dispute was usually settled by some sort of public combat, or by the mutinous murder of the reigning monarch.

     The second leadership position was created by cunning and magic to address the many superstitions that existed. This position interpreted past and present events into future consequences and relied heavily on illusions and an acquired knowledge of human behavior. Although this position did not usually compete with or threaten the ruling positions of the tribe, it did have a great influence over decisions made by the tribal rulers. This position became known as a Shaman, Witch Doctor, Medicine man, Wizard, Priest, etc. who wore costumes befitting their mystical powers.

     As human social cultures have advanced through thousands of years, these two positions have become more and more complex. Instead of a single individual occupying these positions, many societies now have numerous individuals functioning corporately, sharing the responsibilities of leadership. Some societies have incorporated these two positions into a single role, both as reigning administrative leader and religious cleric with total authority.

     Today, most societies which still maintain the two basic leadership positions use completely different sets of values for making decisions for the tribes. The administrative leaderships base their daily decisions primarily upon current facts regarding neighboring or world social conditions, using factual history and current knowledge as the measure to predict future results. Although this method of leadership has been in evolution for thousands of years, it still has not become perfectly suited to the ever changing needs of today’s tribes and cultures.

     The leadership of the religious side of the tribal equation has continued to base their rituals, philosophies and knowledge on thousand year old superstitions developed through ancient and mythological legends and theories which were used to control the obedience and continued support of tribal members. An irrefutable reward and punishment system in an afterlife was devised by Shaman of the tribe to control behavior and perpetuate their position and power which was claimed to be beneficial to the tribe. Today, these mystical rituals can be found in almost every religious sect on the planet.

     Although the method of selecting the leaders of our tribes has changed, its results have not improved. Administrative leaders continue to make decisions that benefit only a small and wealthy segment of the people. They obviously make decisions in favor of the power and money that has placed them in leadership positions and not for the welfare of the tribe for whom they were elected. They generally see the majority of tribal members as temporary tools to be used and discarded. Wars and dissention have existed between tribal units throughout history, and continue unabated today. The only historical difference in our battles is the ever increasing number of enemies we are able to destroy as we progress into the future of technological and modern warfare.

     The religious leaders operate in much the same manner as they have for thousands of years. They maintain ancient and mythological rituals in order to promote their version of spiritual philosophies and to justify or promote their existence. The dissension and violence between religions has also increased with time. The much expressed religious mission to save or convert the world’s population is paled in comparison to the resources spent on their religious buildings and schools, their frequent conferences, their comfortable pews, their numerous staff positions, and their more than adequate salaries for religious leadership, etc. 

     Churches and denominations have become social networks of like-minded tribal members where they are continually indoctrinated and stroked; where the care and nurturing of their young promotes continuation of the sect; places where newborns ritually become members of the tribal afterlife without their consent or understanding; where marital alliances are celebrated and made public; where phobic apprehensions of death and a mysterious afterlife are cultivated, and where the passing of a loved one is comforted only by words of hope for a desirable afterlife.

     Our search for intelligent life somewhere in the universe is an ultimate irony when you consider the condition of the intelligence and civility demonstrated by the humanity of this planet. Administrative positions of leadership have evolved out of necessity in the pursuit of civilized societies. Religions have continued for thousands of years out of superstitions and ignorance and continue based on ancient relics and myths. If there is another intelligent culture somewhere in the universe also seeking to communicate with other intelligence, I’m afraid they will surely pass us by -- or should.

An Age for Reason

     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.

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Reasonable Concepts: Nature vs. Scripture

     John Wesley’s Quadrilateral suggests the application of four elements for testing or formulating new material which could or should be included in a theology. Each of the four considerations are worthy of merit, but they are not always applied equally when considering new thoughts or ideas. They are given different priority weights depending upon the authority using this method to validate the subject under consideration. Very conservative orders tend apply a heavier weight of Scripture as the test for acceptance of any new material, whereas a very progressive order will apply the heavier weight of Reason as the main consideration of developing theology.

QUADRILATERAL DRILL WEIGHTING CHART
	Fundamentalist Evangelical	Orthodox Evangelical	Mainline Christian	Progressive Christianity	Possibilian	Agnostic	Atheist
Scripture	100%	40%	20%	15%	0%	0%	0%
Tradition	0%	40%	60%	15%	20%	0%	0%
Experience	0%	10%	10%	35%	40%	30%	0%
Reason	0%	10%	10%	35%	40%	70%	100%
	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%

     During our life time, incredibly more strides have been made in the accumulation of knowledge about the universe we live in than during any time in the last 100,000 years. We have also learned more about the basic structure of organic and inorganic matter not only of this planet, but throughout the universe. Our developing scientific disciplines have begun answering questions about our past, present and future that our ancestors could not even imagine asking. These disciplines have amassed a universe of verifiable facts and evidence to continue building upon this ever growing mountain of knowledge. None of this evidence has been kept secret from anyone, but is made public for any and everyone to examine and evaluate for themselves. Neither does this scientific evidence and knowledge require a “Belief system of Faith” to understand or accept.

     I, like almost every one whose religious education was based on the Old and/or New Testament, has since the age of reasoning, harbored questions concerning almost every story and book in the Bible. Answers provided during our early years by our religious educators included the real fact that we may never know the answers, but were encouraged to continue to have Faith in the stories and Believe that they were either true or important to our lives. Eventually these answers ceased to satisfy our questions and curiosities and reason began to stifle blind Belief.

     One question which has solicited a variety of answers from church members is, “What is the origin of Sin?” Although this question will generally fill the room with definitions of what Sin is, the origin of Sin most commonly expressed is either the; (1) Tempting and Talking Snake; (2) the forbidden fruit; or, (3) the disobedience of Adam and Eve of eating fruit from the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. These answers are given only by cultures whose religious education includes what we call “The Old Testament.” Many cultures that base their religious education on other sources of information, have a different set of answers about the origins of unacceptable human behavior. This obviously invokes the question, “where is the truth?”

     Questions can be, and are, endless when it comes to cultural practices. We will never know what the truth is when we base our truths on cultural differences. Scientific evidence, on the other hand, is not affected by culturalism. The study of, and accrued knowledge about our universe has no cultural borders, it is universal.

     The following are only a few more questions I have pondered and attempted to apply the Wesley Quadrilateral in search of answers.

      In the year 1800 BCE, the world’s population was estimated by credible anthropologists and archeologists to be approximately 35 million people scattered around the planet. These peoples lived in tribes, villages, dynasties, and had developed a variety of thriving cultures everywhere on the planet. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_population)

2000–1500 BCE:

Hyksos invaders drive Egyptians from Lower Egypt (17th century BC). Amosis I frees Egypt from Hyksos (c. 1600 BC). Assyrians rise to power—cities of Ashur and Nineveh. Twenty-four-character alphabet in Egypt. Cuneiform inscriptions used by Hittites. Peak of Minoan culture on Isle of Crete—earliest form of written Greek. Hammurabi, king of Babylon, develops oldest existing code of laws (18th century BC). Abraham becomes patriarch of Jewish Nation (c. 1800 BCE).  The Chinese Shang Dynasty (c. 1700–1046 BC).(http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0001198.html#ixzz1DtZTuZ3Z)

     Question #1: Why is it reasonable to accept a story that the God who created the universe, the world, all of the people in it, and pronounced them, “good,” would reveal himself to a single Bedouin herder from a semi-nomadic tribe of the Mesopotamia area to announce that “he would become the father of a great nation of people more numerous than the stars in the sky, and become His chosen people?”

      The stories of Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, etc., come to us from a long oral tradition before they were ever written in any form by unknown people who had no firsthand experience or witness of events they wrote about, the originals of which no longer exist. These stories and a lineage of oral stories, myths, and legends have come to form the basis of Christianity without any archeological or historical support from any other sources. The only authority of truth it purports to possess is the claim that because this story is included in the Bible which is the inspired, if not dictated, words of a God who should be feared without question. There is no other evidence to support this story.

1000–900 BCE:

Solomon succeeds King David, builds Jerusalem temple. After Solomon's death, kingdom divided into Israel and Judah.Hebrew elders begin to write Old Testament books of Bible. Phoenicians colonize Spain with settlement at Cadiz.(http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0001198.html#ixzz1DtZTuZ3Z)

400–300 BCE:

Pentateuch—first five books of the Old Testament evolve in final form. Philip of Macedon, who believed himself to be a descendant of the Greek people, assassinated (336 BC) after subduing the Greek city-states; succeeded by son, Alexander the Great (356–323 BC), who destroys Thebes(335 BC), conquers Tyre and Jerusalem (332 BC), occupies Babylon (330 BC), invades India, and dies in Babylon. His empire is divided among his generals; one of them, Seleucis I, establishes Middle East empire with capitals at Antioch (Syria) and Seleucia (in Iraq). Trial and execution of Greek philosopher Socrates (399 BC). Dialogues recorded by his student, Plato (c. 427–348 or 347 BC). Euclid's work on geometry (323 BC). Aristotle, Greek philosopher (384–322 BC).Demosthenes, Greek orator (384–322 BC). Praxiteles, Greek sculptor (400–330 BC).

      Pontius Pilate was the 5th Prefect of the Roman province of Judaea, from AD 26–36. Rome occupied many Mediterranean countries and had learned the art of managing a foreign occupation. The secret was to allow the occupied cultures to continue to observe their own religious and social practices as long as they did not conflict with paying a monetary tribute to Rome or threaten Roman occupation. Under this practice, the Jewish Sanhedrin, with Roman approval of the appointment of the Chief Priest, was allowed to rule over Jewish practices. It was easier to maintain rule over conquered lands when some leniencies were allowed. It was a matter of convenience with a minimal force of occupying Roman soldiers.

      Constantine I was Roman Emperor from AD 306 to 337. Constantine issued the Edict of Milan in 313, which proclaimed tolerance of all religions throughout the empire. Like the Roman rulers before him, he practiced a limited benevolent style of ruling occupied countries.

       Most of the religions and cultural groups living under the occupational rule of the Roman Empire had central authorities which were responsible to the Emperor for control of activities of their members. This made it easier for Rome to control large numbers of occupied people. However, Christian sects scattered throughout the Roman Empire had a very loose connection with each other and had no central authority. Frequently they were at odds with each other over the authenticity and authority of written texts each possessed for teaching and converting new members. When the threat of disputes among the Christian churches was brought to Constantine’s attention, he ordered a meeting of the various church leaders to settle their disputes and create a central authority before they became a domestic problem for Rome.

        This mandatory meeting of the church leaders in AD 325 was known as the first Council of Nicea and was the first ecumenical council of the catholic Church. This meeting was commissioned by Constantine to settle disputes between religious groups and come to an agreement not only on the materials submitted for consideration and inclusion into a common written authority, but to elect an order of Bishops that would preside over future Council meetings and subsequently over all Christian churches. This meeting, as well as later Council of Bishops meetings, would make decisions about; “Was Jesus a God or a Man,” “Powers of the Holy Spirit,” “Elements of the Trinity,” “the date to celebrate Easter,” etc.

      Not surprisingly, the largest delegations won not only positioning the Church of Rome as the central authority over all Christendom, but also ruled over the selection of written materials that would support this authority, hence the establishment of the Roman catholic Church. The selection of letters and texts were voted on by the Ruling Bishops and canonized as the final authority of God’s word for all of Christendom. This authority for ruling over all of the churches in the Christian world was backed up by the insistence and authority of the Roman Emperor and everyone attending the Council meetings knew it.

       The doctrine of Biblical inerrancy was developed by a group of quasi military Bishops who were more politically motivated toward establishing rule over a loosely organized and growing religious group, than establishing any truth of God. They used the power of the Roman Empire and the ancient stories handed down through Jewish traditions as leverage to their success.

     Although Constantine has been credited for assisting the spread of Christianity throughout the Roman Empire, in reality he was just trying to avert an internal conflict between differing religious sects by the establishment of one central ruling agency he could more easily deal with directly and hold responsible for any anti-Roman activity.

      The story of Christianity began in Judea about a Jewish Nazarene who died in Jerusalem, but the story ended up in Rome as a document edited to support a claimed authority to rule over all Christendom in the Roman Empire.

Question #2: How can a Christian world, base any authority of truth on results of events such as these?

For too long, my God has been held hostage by the ancient myths and legends cloaked in unquestioning religious fervor which has blinded us to the marvels of creation all around us. Every single speck of this planet, flora, fauna, and terra firma is composed of common atoms that were created in the death of stars in a universe billions of years ago. These creation atoms are eternal, they never die or expire. Molecules, on the other hand, are composed of eternal atoms, and are used to create all biological life forms which are mortal. Our bodies, our minds, our intelligence, our thoughts are all ultimate products of the stars. This is a much more beautiful and enlightening understanding of the nature of God and the creation of our world than ancient stories of a man made from dust, a woman made from a rib, a talking snake presenting temptations, or a son of God produced by a young Jewish virgin. These may have been acceptable answers for the prevailing knowledge and intelligence of 8, 6, or 2 thousand years ago, but they are not answers for anything today.

     We have been conditioned by superstitions and fears for 200,000 years to wear blinders and never venture past our herd culture in search of truth. Ancient myths and legends have been the only acceptable and daily answers to everything we have been allowed to explore. The practices of today’s worship reflect only ancient perceptions of a knowledge of God, and none of the accumulated knowledge of the nature of God during the past 100 years.

Question #3: When are we going to break free from the dark ages and begin shedding the light of truth on our current knowledge of God and the world we live in today?

American Casualties of War 2003-2013

American casualties, March, 2003 to April 26, 2013

Iraq war = 4,422 deaths, 31,927 wounded

Afghanistan war = 2,193 deaths and 18,429 wounded

For What?

     Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990. George H W Bush was president; Dick Cheney was Secretary of Defense. The USA along with a coalition of several allies, with UN Security Council approval, went to the aid of Kuwait to push Iraq back across the border and reclaim Kuwait. Dick Cheney and several high ranking Military officers wanted to continue the push all the way to Baghdad, but were held in check by President H W Bush and the UN Security Council.

     When Iraq was pushed back and Kuwait was secured, President Bush, his wife and two of their sons, with several cabinet members made a visit to Kuwait to offer support for the damages inflicted by Iraq. During the visit, an assassination attempt was made on President Bush by Iraqi forces, but was interdicted by Kuwait Security Police. 17 Iraqis were captured in the attempt. This further contributed to Cheney’s desire to invade Iraq and nail Saddam Hussein, not only for snubbing his nose at the US, the UN, and the rest of the world, but for trying to assassinate President George H W Bush.

     After completing his service as Secretary of Defense with President George H W Bush, Dick Cheney spent the next 8 years as CEO of Halliburton, a large government contractor.

     When George W Bush became President under questionable conditions, Dick Cheney became Vice President. Both men harbored a deep seated hatred for Saddam Hussein, and would use any excuse for an opportunity to invade Iraq for the sole purpose of revenge.

     After the Twin Towers attack by 15 Saudi Arabian citizens who were members of the al Qaida terrorist organization, intelligence reports were manipulated to indicate Saddam Hussein and Iraq as the source of the attack. Erroneous intelligence reports were manufactured indicating Iraq was making and hiding Weapons of Mass Destruction which were a threat to the USA. Both of which were later to be proven false.

     Against world opinion and without the approval of the UN Security Council, several allies were bullied into joining a US led invasion of Iraq in March, 2003. Halliburton was arbitrarily awarded a No Bid contract for all military requirements, construction and supply for the war(s).

     After Saddam Hussein’s regime was toppled and his palaces and estates were captured, W Bush appeared on the deck of an aircraft carrier displaying a banner reading, “Mission Accomplished.” As far as “W” and Cheney were concerned, they had had their revenge on Saddam Hussein, for his arrogance toward the US and for attempting to assassinate “W’s” father, and their mission was completed. They weren't interested in identifying or pursuing the real perpetrators of the attack on the Twin Towers, and the US. Yet the war has continued and expanded into Afghanistan. Hussein was later captured and hanged by an Iraqi court on December 30, 2006.

     “W” and Cheney’s personal revenge has cost the US unimaginable debt, and more than twice the number of casualties caused by the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon. Not to mention the untold number of civilian casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The cost for these wars during “W’s” administration has depleted the US treasury and was charged on a “credit card” to be paid by following administrations plunging the US into trillions of dollars in debt.

     During “W’s” administration we witnessed some of the worst greed ever by banks and Wall Street CEOs, Kenneth Lay of Enron, Bernard Madoff, Mitt Romney & Bain Capital, etc., all paying themselves million dollar salaries and bonuses and stripping pension funds, savings funds, mortgage funds, company assets, and putting thousands of people out of work while the American economy was going down the toilet.

     In the end, what has been accomplished by this act of reckless revenge? What have we settled by waging war in and on 2 Middle Eastern countries? What has been changed? So far the most we have accomplished is the uniting of all Arabic and Islamic peoples in a hatred of jihad proportions against America.

     Middle Eastern countries have been in conflict with each other for thousands of years. When American forces leave Iraq and Afghanistan, deep rooted cultural traditions will prevail and conditions will continue as they have been for centuries.

o

Isn't It Time?

Fresh water is quickly becoming a limited resource. Courts are, and have for many years, been involved in settling ownership of water rights.

Today’s water requirement systems (cities, industry, and agriculture) are based on an ancient design of an unlimited supply of fresh water. We usually use water once, then discard it. Often, we don’t even use it before discarding it; water flows through open faucets while we do nothing with it; brushing our teeth, running water in a shower or bath until it is the correct temperature, leave a hose running while we wash our vehicles, etc. Multiply these wasteful habits by the population of America and we see enough fresh water wasted to supply half of the United States with fresh water for months.

General technology has been developing at a rate that has made us not only dependent on it, but we expect new breakthroughs almost daily that will improve our health and simplify our lives and tasks.

We have developed methods and technology to conserve energy by improving the efficiency of our vehicles, by developing renewable sources of energy from naturally occurring forces that have reduced detrimental stresses on our environment, etc. It is now time to put our technology and inventiveness to work reducing the fresh water demands of our culture.

Unfortunately, as in all developing methods and technologies, it will not be inexpensive. But in the long run, we will learn how to improve and modify these water conserving systems which will become integral as well as beneficial to all cultures. The big question is how do we start the process?

To lead, maneuver and direct a herd of cattle requires a joint effort. All of the herders need to be on the same objective page. There can be no independent herders whose only interest is taking care of their own cows or horses. They need to have the best interest of the whole herd in the fore front of their priorities. Herders must get along with each other and work together. If the herders don’t meet these conditions, they need to be replaced with herders who will be able to see and understand the requirements of the herd, and have its best interests at the top of their priorities. The herd does not well follow a blue or red flag. They follow best a red, white, and blue flag.

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