Is Blind Faith the Answer for Truth?

Keith Crowe

“… if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

A parable found only in the Christian text, which did not exist until the 4^th Century CE, when several “catholic” religious communities began an Empirical compelled series of Council meetings beginning in Nicea, and renamed itself the “Roman Catholic Church,” and is subject to the same scrutiny for “truth” as any other of the thousands of religious texts.  Faith does not transform anything into fact or truth, nor can it change a leopard’s spots.  Faith is the mental key which allows fiction to mask reality.

Misplaced Faith can result in a very bad experience and a deeply scarred life.  Just ask the investors in Jeffrey Skilling and Kenneth Lay’s Enron Corp., or in Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC., or any of the victims of hundreds of other shady snake-oil salesmen.  Their investors were misled and lied to by people responsible for these crooked commercial corporations.  And, these are only a few of the ones we know about because they were caught cheating and stealing. How many “snakes” are still out there lying to vulnerable and fearful people.

The secular commercial world isn’t the only place people can be misled and duped by snake-oil salesmen.  MANY Evangelical churches, i.e. John Hagee’s Cornerstone Ministries, Jim Baker TV Ministries, Jesse Duplantis Ministries, Joel Osteen of Lakewood Church Ministries, and many more, are tax exempt, family owned CORPORATIONS who answer to no one outside of their family circle regarding corporate financial matters.  Many live in Gated and Protected Communities in mansions complete with servants and chauffeured limousines, and own multiple (congregation financed) private jets, and enjoy numerous “mission trips” to the playgrounds of the rich and famous.  Although those listed represent only a small number of a much larger religious extreme, they are by no means alone in the business of religious brand businesses and competition.

Religions claim that it only takes an “act” of faith to believe and accept their tenets and promises.  However, a threat with vivid descriptions of an eternal punishment that awaits non-believers in an unavoidable afterlife can be an effective incentive to encourage acts of faith.  Why is this even believable?  With thousands of religions competing for a commitment to their order, how can anyone determine what is truth and who is a true god?  Has there ever been a “mountain moved from here to there” in the history of the world?

One might say that a mustard sized seed of faith worked for the 16 terrorists who were responsible for thousands of deaths on 9/11, but the mustard seed sized faith didn’t work for the thousands of victims who were desperately praying for rescue from an obvious fate in their hour of despair.  Neither has a mustard sized faith or prayers worked for the thousands of innocent men, women and children who were victims of religious promoted wars producing atrocities in the Holocaust, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Palestine, Israel, Myanmar, Africa, China, North Korea, etc. – who faithfully pray to sleeping gods to “move the mountain” and rescue them from persecution and death.

If “prayer” was as effective and focused as many religions claim with prayer meetings, prayer warriors, prayer teams, etc., we wouldn’t need half as many Medical Centers specializing in maladies and diseases of every organ of the sick and dying, as there now are in every major city in America.  We just would not need this many healers if prayer and faith could do it for us.  Consequently, in the face of health disasters over which we have no control, we resort to ancient superstitions and fears who turn to supernatural powers that do not exist, for help in our times of need.

Faith springs eternal not only in every mustard seed, but in all the seeds of every organic life form of nature in the universe.  They all have faith that they will have a future to complete their purpose of existence.

However, not all will be successful.  Some seeds will fall by the wayside and the birds will devour them, others will fall among tares and thorns to be choked to death, some will fall on rocky ground with no soil to take root, and some will fall in prepared and fertile ground with support and encouragement to grow strong and succeed in accomplishing its purpose in life, to support the perpetuation of the species.

Nature exists and succeeds only by a constant struggle to live through cycles of Life.  Cycles that are measured in hours for mayflies; seasons for leaves, flowers and fruit; years for mammals; and centuries for giant sequoias.  Nothing exists or lives trouble free, it’s just that some life forms have more struggles than others.  There is nothing fair about the struggles for life.

Honeybee hives, termite and ant mounds may exist for years, although worker bees, termites, and ants may live only for weeks, depending upon weather and foraging conditions.  The queen of each species may live and continue to produce workers for several years.  For each, there is a continuous struggle to survive and remain useful.  When the queens become aged, a few of their newly birthed larva are fed a “royal jelly” which causes them to grow into new queens, and others are fed a different royal goop that causes them to grow into drones (males) for the purpose of mating with the new and emergent queens, who immediately set to work attempting to create a new colony, usually in a new location.  Rarely do they take over the colony from which they were born.

Inside jungles and forests, the struggle for life exists in much of the same way.  The tallest and most successful vegetation and trees produce most of the fruit and seeds that fall to the floor.  If the fruit or seeds are not consumed by animals, and when conditions are right the seeds germinate and become fledgling plants to begin the struggle to reach for sunlight from above and necessary moisture from the surrounding soils.  If the canopy is too dense, many plants never receive the necessary amount of sunlight and therefore never make it to maturity.  Eventually, holes are made in the canopy when an older tree is damaged or dies and falls to the floor, opening a hole for sunlight to penetrate to the floor and benefit the fledgling plants.

This delicate balance in the struggle for life has existed and succeeded for billions of years.  Until now.  The greed and proliferation of mankind has upset the delicate balance of this garden planet.

The world is in a critical crisis of continuing to be the garden it became billions of years ago.  The only creature responsible for this crisis is mankind.  If mankind were suddenly eliminated from the equation, the world could heal itself and continue to be the garden it once was.  How is this healing possible if mankind cannot be totally removed from this planet, you ask?  As the density of mankind increases, we become more susceptible to contagious microorganisms who can survive extreme climates and lay dormant for centuries until there is an optimum opportunity to awaken and continue their struggle to survive, thereby reducing the numbers of everything, including mankind.

Fewer numbers of mankind will reduce the demands for “sport hunting and trophy collecting;” over production of meat products by inhumane conditions; destroying forests to raise profitable grains to feed increasing numbers of animals for mankind to eat; and requiring less fossil fuels and their related emissions that continue to diminish the quality of the magic atmosphere that once existed to support the evolution and creation of life.  In short, without mankind (or a significant reduction of the same), this world could easily heal itself.

Faith can’t do it, prayer can’t do it; increasing the numbers of mankind won’t do it; increasing the numbers of religions who rely on supernatural spirits won’t do it.  And, we are not capable of reducing our own numbers.  So, what is left are infectious microorganisms to thin the ranks and numbers of people who have done nothing more than to be in the wrong place at the right time to allow opportunity for microorganisms to thrive through social interaction of mankind.

I have faith that if, or when, mankind becomes aware of the desperate and critical conditions necessary to reverse the destructive path we have created, the earth can and will succeed beyond our wildest dreams to become a garden planet once again.

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What If . . .

What if Jesus’ younger brothers and sisters were typical of their day?  They would most likely have been married and had children of their own by the time Jesus, their eldest brother at the age of 30, left home and the family Carpentry business, to begin wandering the Jordan Valley.

Mary, like most mothers/grandmothers, would continue to live in Nazareth supporting her married children spending her days caring for and spoiling her grandchildren.  Would Mary have left her home, her married children and her grandchildren, to travel with her wandering son, Jesus?

After three years of wandering the Jordan Valley and living off of the kindness of strangers, Jesus was arrested by the only group ever threatened by his public speaking and actions, - the Sanhedrin and Pharisees.  Jesus was accused of sedition by the Sanhedrin and turned over to the Roman ruler, Pontius Pilate on trumped up charges guaranteed to result in his execution. 

Sedition in any country meant a speedy trial, and an execution by a slow death on a large wooden post erected in full view of a busy thoroughfare entering a large city to get maximum publicity.  To guarantee a maximum publicity, the victim was left on the post after he died for sometimes weeks with a sign to warn others of the results of attempting to overthrow the ruling powers.

Nazareth is 90 miles from Jerusalem. There was no public transportation or communication between the two towns.  Mary and her family would not have received the message of Jesus’ conviction of sedition and execution for several days.  It would then take several more days before the 50+ year-old, Mary, with support of her sons/daughters, made their way back to Jerusalem to beg Pontius Pilate for the’ body of Jesus for burial. 

In this likely scenario, Mary would not have been present at Jesus’ trial and crucifixion, and unlikely that she would have been allowed to consign his body to a Jerusalem tomb. 

A Secular Creed

Keith Crowe

Prologue

Thousands of traditionally organized religions, cults and political persuasions have been responsible for the separation of people into warring tribal factions capitalizing on their ignorance, superstitions and fears, and continue to perpetuate brands of separation with organizational interests and the proliferation of brick, mortar, steeples, stained glass, and the systematic practices of ideologies based on ancient racially-biased folklore and mythology.

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I believe the universe began in a cataclysmic instant of time initiated in an unknowable circumstance, resulting in a continuously evolving universe filled with developing forms flora and fauna that will never have a capacity to know or understand the initiating force(s).

I believe there will never be an evolving biological mindset that can encompass or imagine the infinite or the eternal.

I believe throughout the history of this planet, there have been and continues to be, many exceptional persons who have shared their special leadership skills, insight and knowledge of life and its relationships to nature.

I believe all life forms are instilled with an innate compassion and charity toward all living things through a common bond of respect that binds all life together.

I believe every molecular body in the universe from galaxies down to viruses, exist in a 3-cycle state of birth, life, and death; and are composed of material produced in the origin of the universe and in the death of stars.

I believe all biological life is composed of a common molecular material that is released back into the environment after death to be used again and again in the rebirth of more biological life forms of flora or fauna.

I believe death is the final state of all things when personalities and histories continue to exist only as a memory in the minds of those who were acquainted, for as long as they shall live.

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Can a Created object ever know the nature of its Creator?

I believe - the Force that is credited by religions for creation of the universe, exists in every atom that was, and continues to be created in the plasma death of stars.  It is manifested in part by what we define as "gravity."  All physical bodies, organic, inorganic, mineral, flora, and fauna possess this property in every atom of its body.  Some call this energy a "spiritual link " that exists between everything that IS.  All biological entities, including plants as well as animals, possesses a "sensory system" that gives us a consciousness, a will to survive, and a procreative mandate that is shared with the universe.

Humans have created names for invisible forces who are credited with things we do not understand or cannot control, which we call Zeus, Yahweh, Trinity-God, Allah, etc., but conveniently overlook that the character and nature of these deities only reflect the traditions of our own tribes, and do not begin to describe an Intelligence that created the universe.  As evolving products of this planet, it is unlikely that we will ever have or develop an ability to describe or communicate with a Creator of the universe we find ourselves in.

Even though we have developed only a limited knowledge of the universe it has allowed us to investigate deep space communities, and a sensory system that allows us to explore our origins from a cataclysmic event 13.7 billion years ago, we will never be able to comprehend the nature of infinity or eternity.  We can only say the words and define a fragment of their essence.  The closest thing that we have incrementally discovered regarding the realm of infinity and eternity, is the nature of Atoms which are used to construct a universe.  The extraordinary character of atoms is that they are born in the plasma environment of stars and never die, expire, or cease to exist.  On the last day of universal existence, a hydrogen atom will still be and act like a hydrogen atom, a helium atom will still be and act like a helium atom, etc. etc.

Every cell of every biological life form, both flora and fauna, is constructed by DNA/RNA molecules using the same 5 basic types of atoms; hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, and phosphorus as tools to construct every body cell part.  Although trace amounts of 20 other elements such as, sodium, magnesium, aluminum, potassium, iron, iodine, etc. are needed in all biological life forms, the 5 basic types of atoms are the major building blocks.  We are more alike than our physical appearances would suggest and when we die, all of the atoms that compose our being are eventually released back into the environment from whence they came, unchanged.  Hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, and phosphorus and the trace atoms will continue their original separate personalities, characteristics, and identities.

Sons and daughters born to the same parents are rarely identical in either appearance or behavior.  They are conceived at a different reproduction stages of each parent and are influenced by separate and different experiences while they progress from birth to adulthood.  Each begins life with an altered set of genetics and experiences to become new links in the evolutionary chain of life to cope with new and ever-changing environmental conditions.  Unable to do any less leads to extinction.

For 13.7 billion years an evolutionary event has been in progress supporting a wave of life that has rolled through time long before mythological legends were ever recorded on animal skins and clay tablets.  Every culture that has ever emerged from the Olduvai Gorge and Lake Turkana regions of East Africa over the past 3 million years, has developed stories about the creation of the world they live in, none of them accurately describing the reality of today’s knowledge bank, but representing points of interest to their tribes and cultures.

No matter how sophisticated and advanced our tribes may become, it is unlikely that we will ever be able to define, know, or understand the force(s) that is responsible for the creation of the universe in which we are only a very remote speck.

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Life is a “Crap Shoot ”

Life is a just a fractional link in the evolutionary DNA/RNA chain of time.

We had nothing to do with the initation of our existence and very little to do with the intention of our learning experiences which have resulted in who we are today.  It began as the result of a chain of innate biological programs that surface when a critical maturity level is achieved and is identified as the procreation sequence of all biological species, as well as our own ancestors.

The “will to live” begins when the progeny of a biological species is able to functionally survive in the environment they are hatched or born into, whether they be seedling, hatchling, larvae, or infant.  The quality and span of life of individuals or a species depends upon an ability to cope and adapt to environmental conditions.  Either the individual or the species survive and thrive, or they become extinct.  Between these two possibilities lies an infinite number of variations of “pauper or princes” possibilities.

The sensory system of single-cell organisms from which all biological life has descended, is necessary for survival by both flora and fauna, and are designed to detect the difference between pleasure and pain.  These two divergent conditions control our learning experiences and direct choices of seeking or avoiding conditions that produce any measure of these extremes.  Surprisingly, the same environmental conditions produce either pleasure or pain in both flora or fauna, i.e. climate, moisture, nourishment, opportunity to advance, opportunity to mate, etc., and favor genetic changes which are best able to seek the advantages and avoid deficiencies of these life requirements.

A simple algae is the very distant ancestor of all flora in existence today.  The thousands of variations from broad palm fronds to needle like leaves, from shrubs to towering giants, to a tolerance of wet, arid, and artic conditions has been accomplished by minimal deviations of the genetic DNA/RNA reproduction through succeeding generations, directed by the pleasure and pain responses of the sensory system to conditions of this planet.

The same evolutionary process has existed for all fauna of this planet.  We all had the same common beginning from a simple single-cell organism whose sensory system has directed it to grow influenced by a pleasure or pain mechanism, into the thousands of insect and animal species that exist today, influenced by; climate, moisture, nourishment, opportunity to advance, access to mate, etc.  Both flora and fauna are products of, and shaped by, the physical conditions of this planet.

Four sons are born to the same parents over a twelve-year period.  Each brother is different in physical appearance by the slight genetic variations of their ancestors.  Their lives are different based in small part to the slight genetic variations, but more so by the sequence of experiences each has had in their progress to maturity.  Even identical twins are not completely identical.  There are still genetic variations, but on a much smaller scale, and although there may be similar sequences of experience, one will possess a more environmental compatibility than the other.

Individual ability to achieve a level of maturity and procreation of both flora and fauna is only possible if each personal sensory system is able to direct the individual in a path between the extremes of pleasure and pain, the basic teaching and learning tool of a successful existence.  Creativity, compassion, and charity can only become a result when the sensory system experiences the dimensions of both pleasure (feeding the ego) and pain (for empathy).

The primary purpose of the existence of each generation of biological species is to extend and continue the links of the evolutionary chain.  Some will continue the propagation of the species through procreation, but all have a responsibility to support and protect the evolutionary development of every species that exists today.  To allow individuals or species to dominate the process by promoting its own selfish purposes (kudzu & oligarchs) is a criminal threat to the continued success of evolutionary life on this planet.

From star dust we are formed, and to star dust we shall return when our “link” in the genetic chain of life is finished.

Keith Crowe - 7/27/2019

Origin of Deities

     Every identifiable culture since the beginning of time has created a multiplicity of gods to forge history and traditions in molding races and languages of people.  Gods that possessed the same characteristics of the cultures they were associated with.  Gods married (sometimes several wives) and had families; the Gods fought among themselves for superior positions;  the Gods even committed murder of other deities and humans to enhance their powers.  Gods mirrored the culture of their creators.  There have been thousands of gods to guide and control the fate of their adherents, many of which continue to exist even today, too many to enumerate in a page.

     The earliest gods had only single focused powers of interest for which they were summoned by humans for aid or influence.  These multiple gods were called upon for their specialties concerning men, women, children, families, fertility, domestic animals, wild animals, seas, war, peace, earth, sun, rain, seasons, crops, under-world, etc.   Later, many of these deity specialties were combined into single gods as their powers of influence tended to overlap.  Today, some single gods have inherited the powers of all previous multiple gods.  Although most Western cultures use the same texts to define a single god, they continue to pursue the aid of multiple gods.  There are multiple Baptist Gods, there are multiple Methodist Gods, there are multiple Jewish Gods, there are multiple Muslim Gods, there are multiple Catholic Gods, etc.   Many of these gods share a common history but have become separated by political, cultural, and ritual practices.

     Today, there is a new god and her name is “Science”.  She has become the whipping-dog of all traditional gods, not by her aggressive nature, but by the presentation of a new knowledge and reality of the universe.  Science has provided verifiable answers to natural cataclysmic phenomena, superstitious curses, threatening plagues, miraculous healing, seasons, historical creation, and the eventual destiny of our solar system.  This new god has provided mankind with an alternate philosophy to traditional ignorance, making ritual prayers to powerless demagogues of ancient texts obsolete, which is upsetting to the traditional religious community.

     Science has opened “Pandora’s Box” to verifiable information.  She has answered the age-old question, “where did we come from, and why are we here – now.”  Answers which conflict with traditional information produced in the vapor of superstitions and ignorance.  Cultures and traditions are experiencing an impending sense of finality and terminal anxiety.

     The knowledge-bank produced by Science is growing by leaps and bounds.  Her High-Priests are forging answers about the universe from the sub-atomic world, and using it to enable a vision into the past 13.8 billion years. 

     Just as fish are condemned to live their lives in the confinement of water, so are we condemned to live our lives in the confines of this planet.  We are products of this planets characteristics, its gravity, its seasons, its chemistry, its atmosphere, its protective Ozone layer, and are condemned to remain prisoners of this realm for as long as we shall live.  Although we dream of establishing biological life on a Planet B, we are unable to make the necessary transition required to do so in only single generations.  To say this transition is impossible is to deny that we (humans) have made a similar transition from single cell origins.  It can be done, but will take many generations of biological adjustments.

     Until then, I wish you to, “Live long, and prosper”.

Here's what I Think !

     One day, several years ago, a man named Gronk said, “Ugh grok wiiny,” and he picked up his club and spear, and set off from the shelter of his cave to slay a beast for dinner.

     Since that day, man’s language, tools, occupation, skills, neuroses, and gods have become increasingly modern.  These, as well as many other accoutrements, have evolved to enable Gronk to exchange his cave, for a 4-bedroom, 3.5-bath, 3-car garage (which will probably never see a car), and a 20 year mortgage, to become the sophisticated, debonair, dandies we are today.  Even though all of mankind has not yet reached a uniform communication, i.e. “the red house,” “la casa roja,” “La maison rouge,” “cave, red,” we can still get the picture in some rudimentary form.

     

     When we examine the trappings man has brought with him through the past 3 million years, we find the level of refinement has evolved with man’s growth from a Gronk to an Einstein.  The language, tools, occupation, skills, neuroses, and gods have become refined in each culture through their confrontation with the environment in which they live.    

    

     Just as the earliest tools were quite crude by today’s standards, so too were their gods.  Deitomical names given unseen forces to explain the mysteries of nature (volcanoes, earthquakes, storms, etc.), in the same way the word, “wiiny” was used to identify the “beast” usual served for dinner.  As natural threatening forces became better understood and predictable, deities became refined and re-associated with other mysterious events that continue to threaten, such as debilitating illnesses, misfortunes, the unknown, etc.    

    

     The sophistication level of gods has continued to grow within cultural limits.  Greek gods were worshiped and legitimized by Grecians;  Roman gods worshiped by Romans; the Buda adorated by Buddhists; Yahweh claimed by Jews; Allah created by Muslims; and the multiple configuration of a Trinity by Christians; and so on, and so on, ad infinitum – and, never the twain shall meet.  Each deity seems to reflect the traits of the culture by which they are embraced.    

    

     Gronk’s gods had a far simpler task in meeting Gronk’s daily survival requests than the gods of the 21^st century.  We have become increasingly neurotic and absorbed with multiple events that threaten our perceived daily survival, and have developed coping habits with ornate buildings, complex and organized social structures, prayer warriors, beads, incense, candles, etc., for things our deities can, or must do, for us.    

    

     In short – we, like the Gronks, continue to struggle against the perceived powers of darkness which we believe have been intentionally placed before us to threaten and interfere with our desires and destiny.  We want our path cleared of any impedance, and straightened for ease, and seek the gods who can do this for us - if we only believe in them.    

    

     The Gronks have succeeded in their created task, either in spite of, or due to, their belief in unknown powers they feared, by the evidence of our existence today.  Our created purpose is to continue to support the wave of life surging through time, and has been so successful that it is now pressing the limits of this planet to sustain us.  Will we resort to beseeching the gods to save us from ourselves and our imagined fears, as demonstrated by the swollen numbers attending church services the Sunday after 9/11?  Or will we, like lemmings, continue our rush into the sea.    

    

     After 80+ years of actively participating in religious life, all of which has been plagued with unsatisfactory answers to a myriad of questions, I can no longer accept the philosophy of a god who manipulates lives or answers prayers.   The ancient texts upon which religions are based were written hundreds or even thousands of years after the subjects of their texts (all of which were located in one teeny tiny corner of the planet), by men who fitted pieces of oral traditions together to answer Gronk’s questions – not the questions of an enlightened scientific generation who has measured, weighed, and defined the universe in which we find ourselves.    

    

     Where was Yahweh when unanswered prayers of millions of people were marched into Holocaust ovens?  Where was the Christian Trinity when thousands of prayers were unanswered when Allah inspired terrorists attacked on 9/11?  Where are the gods of the millions of unanswered prayers offered from hospitals, hospice facilities, Iraq, Iran, Syria, Turkey, and 100 other countries of abused humanity around the world?  Apparently, modern deities prefer to dwell in comfortable ornate and gold-laminated temples and enjoy incense, communion wine, candle light, and offerings (cash or sacrifices only).

I think - an unknowable Creator made the universe which began in an instant of unimaginable conflagration, commonly referred to as the “Big Bang,” 13.7 billion years ago. 

I think – there is no possible way a created entity, such as we are, has, or will ever have, the capacity to understand, know, or even imagine the essence of a Creator capable of initiating a universe.

I think – all life forms of this planet are the products of evolutionary development by influences of the physical characteristics of this island in the Milky Way galaxy, its gravity, temperature, atmosphere, daily cycles, annual cycles, and orbit.

I think – the closest thing to eternity, or an eternal existence we can imagine, are the elements (atoms) of which everything is made – organic, inorganic, biologic, flora and fauna, the cosmos.  The essence of atoms is eternal, unchanging, and the building blocks of the universe.

I think – gods were created and characterized by mankind to relieve our fear and anxiety of the unknown.

I think – our minds and bodies are capable of more natural healing than we know, compliments of our evolutionary development, and that dietetic abuse is a detriment not only to a healthy existence, but to the temples in which we dwell.

I think – the sense of taste is a defense mechanism to warn us of nutritional harm, not a habit to be continually satiated.

I think – I shall never see, a verse as lovely as a tree.

Questions

­­­­­Questions to ponder . . .

     Throughout history, every culture has eventually developed a tradition of deities out of fear, superstitions, and ignorance.  Plural deities because ancient traditions bestowed each with special, but differing powers.  The Sumerians, Greeks, Romans, etc. maintained many deities for centuries. Today, there continues to be many deities, although some religious sects would claim, “there is only one God who is known by many names,” but is this true, or just a claim to bolster a position of dominance.

     Aboriginal beliefs of all continents are supported by plural deities.  Shintoism, Buddhism, and even Catholicism include many deities called upon to grant differing attendant services, Mary, St Christopher, St Francis, St Patrick, etc.  Although Christianity is a sect that claims their Trinity is the one and only true god, and all others are only colloquial variations, I doubt you would find much agreement of this claim among other religious groups.  Yahweh, or Allah would not be considered the same deity by their cultural traditions, as the Christian Trinity.  Although all three religions consider their deity to have creative powers sufficient to do, or create, anything, Jews and Muslims do not adhere to a deity that produced a noble son by human sexual concepts with a young Jewish virgin, in the same manner claimed by Kings and Pharaohs of the period.

How do religions respond to the proposition of one god, with many names?

     My personal position, (at this time because positions are influenced by gained knowledge) is that gods were created by superstitious and fearful mankind to answer the unknown and the unknowable.  As man’s knowledge of his environment increased, his early fears of gods of the natural world, i.e.. earthquakes, volcanoes, violent storms, etc., diminished while other gods of agriculture, rain, sun, fertility, war, etc. became more sophisticated in relation with man’s growing knowledge and cultural traditions.  Deities that reflect an evolutionary development to parallel the cultures from which they have emanated.

     Today, our knowledge of the natural world extends beyond the comprehension of our early ancestors.  We now know more about what lies beyond the distant mountains, borders, kingdoms, or oceans.  We have a knowledge of not only our world, but of the planets, galaxies and universe in which we live.  Now, we have an idea about how and when the universe came into being, and, I am inclined to believe the current scientific evidence of a universe created by an unimaginable conflagration of a ‘big bang’ which created the atoms of which the whole universe and everything in it, is constructed.

     My god, if I claimed one, would be the unknown creator that produced this universe and set it into evolutionary motion.  An entity which is beyond any comprehension of man or our gods.  How is man able to imagine, comprehend, communicate, etc., with an entity capable of creating a universe, when we cannot communicate with each other, and has resulted in 60,000+ versions of gods, religious sects and cults around the world?

Does any created entity, which includes mankind, possess an ability to know, comprehend or communicate with its creator?  How great is the span of ignorance between life on this planet and a creator of the universe?

     I have a niece who recently acquired an automatic floor sweeper.  It is a round robotic instrument about the diameter of a large dinner plate, and approximately 3 inches thick.  It came with a recharging station that is mounted against the base-board in a remote area of the room where it will dwell.  When it begins its duties, it will detach from its charging station and begin to scour the floor in straight lines, changing its course whenever it encounters an obstacle.  When its battery is almost depleted, it will make its way back to its Charging Station by consulting an internal map and attach itself for replenishing its battery.

     If the door to an adjacent room is opened, the sweeper will include it in its sweeping duties and proceed to include the new area in its mapping data storage.  If more robotic sweepers are installed in other rooms of the house, they too will sweep the areas open to them before returning to their respective charging stations. If all of the sweepers are given access to the whole house, they will each contain internal maps of the house, but they will be different with respect to the location of their charging station. 

     These diligent cleaning instruments were all made by the same designer and manufacturer, of which they have no concept or knowledge.  And, they will only have information about the rooms they are given access to, from their charging station; only in one house; only on one block; only in one community; only in one city; only in one state, etc., etc., etc.

Does this sound familiar?

An Interfaith Dialogue

Keith Crowe

     One of my nieces acquired a “robot” floor sweeper for her house. It is a disc about the size of a large platter and about 3 inches thick. It’s only purpose is to sweep her hard-surfaced floors. It came with a “charging station” which is mounted on the floor, against the baseboard in some remote part of a room. At a programed schedule the sweeper will detach from the charging station and begin sweeping in straight lines until it encounters stationary objects (furniture), at which time it will randomly change directions and continue until it encounters another stationary object, etc., all the while, recording its movements and location. When its battery becomes almost depleted of energy, it consults its memory data to locate and return to its charging station until such time it is programed to begin its appointed cleaning cycle again.

     When a door is opened to an adjacent room from which the sweeper is located, it will also include the additional room in its duties and add it to its memory, the new room size and location of stationary objects, as well as the route necessary for its return to its charging station.

     If, second and third sweepers are installed in other rooms of the house, they will map out the description of their environments as well.  If all 3 sweepers are given access to the whole house, the 3 sweepers will undertake to clean and map all of the rooms they are permitted to access, before returning to their respective charging stations.  If, and when, the sweepers encounter each other, but do not engage a second time at that location, the meeting will be classified in their memory banks as a “temporary” barrier, such as a pet, someone’s foot, etc.  When the memory data of all 3 sweepers is compared, there will be a different descriptive map of the house by each sweeper. Each will be correct, but from the perspective of different charging station locations, in the same way an elephant is described by several blind persons touching different parts of its body. Each description may be accurate, but does not describe an accurate picture of the whole. As efficient and intelligent as the robotic sweepers are in their given tasks, they can have no knowledge of other sweeper’s perspectives or the essence of their designers or creators.

     For billions of years, life forms, both flora and fauna, have been evolving and expanding to occupy every niche of this planet. Humans, like the organisms, molecules, and atoms which have combined to construct our bodies, have become cultural organisms. We, like all life forms, are herd animals living and thriving in fields, groves, flocks, pods, herds, villages, tribes, and nations, experiencing and learning the ways of the valleys, deserts, forests and jungles, we live in. Our experiences have been recorded in a common knowledge bank that contains a history and tradition of our story. None of these histories tell the whole story, nor are they a full description of the whole house, or an accurate description of an elephant.

     Hominid man has existed on this planet for over 3 million years (i.e.: Lucy – AL 288-1). There were approximately 200 to 400 million people living in tribes and cultures all around the planet during the period when the religious canons of three major cultures were compiled. The sources of these canons occurred in a very small corner of the planet, during a very brief period in the history of mankind, addressing traditions peculiar to Middle-Eastern cultures in Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, Roman, and Arabic languages. These canons used the deities, Yahweh, God, and Allah as their “authority,” in vague interpretive languages to address rules and laws of social relations and human behavior. The obvious question then is; why would any deity(s) elect to converse with mankind, so late in the history if mankind, and to only a handful of Semitic people, while 200 to 400 million people lived all around the world?

     Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Mohammad (the Big Four), were certainly not the first, nor the only persons throughout the history of man, who have invoked disciplines of tolerance, peace, humane treatment, health or hygiene. The Torah, New Testament, and Koran were not written or compiled by the “Big Four” who have been traditionally credited with their origins. Information contained in these books was collected, edited and compiled by hundreds of likeminded, but fallible humans, primarily from oral traditions. Within the cultures, for which the books were compiled, people have found comfort and support in their creation stories, but beyond their culture of origin these books have become weapons to be used against other cultural legends. The will to live, traditions of survival skills, an impetus to be treated fairly, are all far more ancient than any cultural concept of deital invocation.

     Although our knowledge of forests, jungles and plains from which we originated and where we were preoccupied in a primitive daily survival, has expanded into a sophisticated universe, we still do not have a knowledge or words to describe a Creator of it all. The definitions and words used by religions, suggest their Gods are little more than jealous genies, and disagree on a definitive concept. How is it possible for any created entity to ever know or even define its Creator? That we are aware of a Creator beyond our Mother’s womb is miracle enough. To imagine anything beyond that is speculation based on myths and legends of cultural experiences.  The robotic floor sweeper couldn’t begin to imagine its maker; the animal kingdom cannot imagine a creation of 13.7 billion years; neither can we ever know a definitive creator. Are the deities of different cultures, Yahweh, God, and Allah, the same or equal to, the Creator of the Universe? The words used to describe these Deities by the various canons do not aspire to a Creator of the Universe. They sound more like a distant friend or relative in whom we are to confide, and make our requests for things we have no power to provide for ourselves - or else there may be consequences.

     All life forms exist only briefly in the spectrum of time and space, from the few frenzy minutes of the Mayfly, to the thousand years of Giant Sequoias, all for the sole purpose of supporting the wave of life rolling through a universe of time. All multicellular life is composed of only the same few types of atoms, configured by a common DNA Spiral produced by two parentally donated chromosomes, and exists for only a brief spectrum of time before all the building blocks are returned to the environment, waiting to be used again, and again. Everything in the universe is subject to the same fate, planets, stars, galaxies, all live finite existences. The only thing that even remotely endures to resemble an eternity are the elements of which the universe and all life forms are made, from dust and gas produced in the death of ancient stars.

     The largest man-made tool in history, the Large Hadron Collider (CERN), is buried underground near Geneva Switzerland, and has been created in part as an attempt to a peek behind the curtain that veils the initial cataclysmic event that occurred 13.7 billion years ago when energy was transformed into matter, in the remotest possibility of seeing the Face of our Creator.

     Cultural perspectives can never describe the “whole” picture, or purpose of creation.  For humans to continue to quarrel about the existence of which we know so little, is the epitome of illogical logic. So, let us begin a new culture.

Afterlife Concepts

          At almost every Funeral I’ve attended, the most common condolence expressed is, “He/she is now in a better place.” I have often wondered what this expression is meant to convey. Does it express relief that the departed is now immune to whatever pain and suffering this life has to offer? Or, does the expression imply that the spirit of the departed has gone to a heavenly reward?

     The following text expresses a time when the departed will enter into a heavenly realm:

By the word of the Lord, we declare to you that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will be the first to rise. After that, we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord.… 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17

     Life after death is a concept that has evolved from legends, myths and folk lore, through oral traditions of many cultures. Early humans had no concept of a heaven described by today’s Western Religions. One early concept of life after death consisted of the spirit of a departed tribal member entering into an animal that reflected the departed’s personality in life. The bravest human spirits would enter the fiercest animals such as lions, bears, bulls, eagles, etc., whereas lesser human spirits would join less threatening animals such as small mammals, birds, butterflies, etc. The occupation of human spirits in animals would last only as long as the animal lived. When the animal occupied by a human spirit died, the human spirit was released to become trees, stars, rains, storms, or any of the many natural environmental objects and conditions that humans revered.

     The Jewish culture, from which Christianity has originated, had no canonical tradition of a reward based afterlife. The incentive to live a righteous life was motivated by the desire to remain obedient to the God they honored and worshiped in return for his protection. Altar sacrifices were practiced for a wide range of purposes, such as gifts to God as a blessing, or atonement for the transgression of disobedience. The type of sacrifice to be offered was specified for each purpose ranging from grains of wheat, baked goods, animal entrails, birds, or flock animals (cattle, sheep, goats, etc.)

     Christians developed their concept of an afterlife during the 1^st century CE, and was based on legends surrounding the life and death of Jesus of Nazareth, alleged to be the Son of God. When the “Jesus Followers” broke away from their Jewish roots, they made a transition from making sacrifices on an altar in “THE” Temple for atonement of transgressions, to the sacrifice of a human, Jesus, on a cross to atone for the “sin” of being human which was allegedly inherited from Adam. The incentive for believing this story was the philosophy of a reward in an afterlife. With the “Belief Key” you would enter an idyllic paradise in an afterlife, without this “Key” your spirit would be banished to the punishment of an eternal Hades.

     The theories of an afterlife and its description have taken many forms over the centuries, from no concept of an afterlife, to the concept of an eternal place where only Christians may enter, with streets paved with gold where residents live in mansions sized by the measure of the departed’s obedience and devotion during their life on earth. The Islamic description of an afterlife reward is similar. The difference being, only Muslim Believers may enter a paradise that is an eternal garden of physical pleasures and spiritual delights.  Suffering will be absent and bodily desires will be satisfied.  All wishes will be met.  Palaces, servants, riches, streams of wine, milk and honey, pleasant fragrances, soothing voices, pure partners for intimacy; a person will never get bored or have enough!

     These philosophies provoke a question concerning animal’s knowledge or thoughts about an afterlife. Do Chimpanzees, Wolves, Elephants, Whales, domestic pets, etc. have any concept of an afterlife? Or do they live in the moment by instinct and opportunity? There doesn’t seem to be an overwhelming evidence that animals have a concept of an afterlife, although some pet burials might indicate otherwise.

     According to the history of mankind, the earliest break with our animal ancestors branch of the evolutionary tree occurred approximately 8 million years ago. There is further evidence of bi-pedal Hominid existence and tool making as recent as 2.8 million years ago. Assuming animals do not have a concept of an afterlife, it would be appropriate to surmise that our earliest Human ancestors had no concept of an afterlife either. These concepts seemed to develop as early humans began to develop an increase in social interaction and coalesced into the seeds of early cultures.

     As man’s knowledge of his world increased, he began to overcome his primal fears of “natural events”, i.e.; earthquakes, volcanos, tsunamis, lighting storms, etc. by reasoning these super-natural events were somehow being controlled by invisible forces which were given names such as, Aphrodite, Apollo, Ares, Hades, Poseidon, Zeus, Fire, Volcano, etc. Gods that could be useful or destructive to humans, who lived in elevated realms in the sky, on top of mountains, or deep in the sea or earth.

     A proscribed behavior became a standard as humans attempted to appease the Gods which often threatened human existence. If humans behaved in ways proscribed by Medicine Men, Witch Doctors, or Shaman, it was supposed to please the Gods. If any proscribed behavior was violated, the Gods became displeased and punished the humans with some natural event. When this happened, the guilty party(s) had to ferreted out and made to pay for their transgression, sometimes with their life, or the life of someone else if the guilty party was not identified.

          Today, our knowledge of the universe and its properties present us with a new set of concepts of how eternity is defined. This is based on the common building material throughout the cosmos – Atoms. The entire universe is made up of approximately 118 types of atoms. These atoms behave and are controlled by a common set of physical laws. All atoms were produced in the Big Bang or in subsequent explosions of mega giant-stars. Consequently, these atoms have existed for billions of years. Every galaxy, solar system, and planet is made up of atoms that are billions of years old. The characteristics of atoms never change and are as near to an eternal state by any definition or concept can describe.

      Atoms that compose inorganic compounds such as rocks, granite, crystals, sand, minerals, etc., if not disturbed, are locked into place until the planet is destroyed. Atoms which compose all organic compounds of biology, flora and fauna, are locked in only as long as the biological component lives. At its death, the atoms are eventually released by deterioration and decay, back into the environment to become free atoms again and available to be recaptured and used as building material to form another biological life form of flora or fauna. The atoms used to compose your body have previously been used to compose some part of an insect, a tree, another human being, a flower, an animal, and will continue to be used to compose other biological life forms after your demise. The recycling of atoms will continue until the end of time.

     Another example of physical recycling of atoms in multi-use situations is a very familiar process because of today’s knowledge of the universal cycle of atoms. Billions of years ago, ancient ferns and palm like plants soaked up millions of gallons of water (H2O) through their roots, and absorbed tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) through their leaves to use the atoms of these two molecules to construct plant material. Today we harvest these long dead plants in the form of “fossil fuel” and burn it to release and use their long stored energy. In the process of burning, hydrogen and carbon atoms are released back into the atmosphere in their original form as water (H2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2, while contributing to the depletion of today’s oxygen (O2). Unfortunately, the increase of these two compounds in today’s environment is contributing to the detrimental side of the environmental equation, one to our global warming, and the second to increases in ocean levels.

     We now know that all biological forms use the same types of atoms (approximately 8 to 12 kinds) as building material for both flora and fauna. The chromosomes which contain the DNA blueprints to form both plants and animals are nearly identical. The reproduction of all species requires two chromosomes to initiate a new organism. A supply of atoms to construct the determined life form is supplied in the nourishment consumed, and in the air we breathe. At the end of life, the organism deteriorates and the atoms are released into the environment to become available for another cycle of life. Our lives exist as long as we can maintain a viable organism to use the available supply of building materials. When the supply of raw material is diminished, or the blueprints (DNA) is corrupted by time, life ceases to exist.

     All life forms exist as an interim entity whose sole purpose is to procreate or support the species progressing, evolving, and adapting. We are nothing more than a wave of life traveling through time. We are made of eternal material which we acquired and will release again. All things come to an end, galaxies, stars, solar systems, planets and biological life forms. Their properties (atoms) will be released back into the cosmos to be recycled into new galaxies, stars, solar systems, planets, and biological life forms.

     The story of a man who was commanded by a deity to build a boat in order to save all species of animals from an impending flood 7000 years ago;  the story of a man and a deity who decided to begin a new and “favored” race of people 6000 years ago; the 3000 year old story of a man and a deity who liberated the favored race of people who had been enslaved for 400 years; the 2000 year old story of a deity who sired a son with a human virgin to become a human sacrifice for an afterlife of a heaven where only Christians may go; the story of a man who became a prophet and father of the Islamic culture and a story of an afterlife where only “Muslim believers” may go;  these are all stories created by mankind to define and promote a culture, not a deity.

     The concept of an afterlife that is described in human terms as a heaven or a hell, is the result of fears and superstitions of humans. All forms of flora and fauna have embraced life to its fullest and resist death by an innate will to live. Until recently, humans believed that: stars were lanterns that were turned on at night by the Gods; Gods used natural disasters to punish the disobedience of man; the world was flat and floating on the back of a giant turtle; the world was the center of the universe; we were the only life form in the universe. Now, we know what we are made of and how the Universe works. The only thing about us that is eternal are the atoms, dust from ancient dying stars, of which we are made. And our death contributes to recycling the supply of atomic material available to continue the wave of life rolling through time.

     The personality or character of each human can be defined as their “spirit,” and continues to exist after our demise only in the minds and memories of everyone who knew us, good, bad, or indifferent. The “spirit of our lives” continues to exist only as long as everyone who knew us, lives. The tradition of placing a headstone over a grave is an act to perpetuate the remembrance of a “spirit” of the departed, when all who knew them have passed away. The desire to be remembered is almost as strong as the will-to-live. Biographies and Memoirs are other ways in which humans attempt to perpetuate their memory and “spirit.” As long as a person can be remembered, even by strangers, there is a feeling that their “spirit” will continue to exist.

o

A Fork In the Road

     My religious upbringing was based on the one and only, Christian Bible. My Southern Baptist, and later my Methodist experiences, were similar by the use of the same Bible as the basic handbook and curriculum guide. As my community exposure and horizons expanded, I was to learn that many of the Faiths around me also used the same book, but with differing results. Thus began the origin of my quest.

     Eventually, questions regarding conflicting information and supernatural events contained in the Bible, moved me to my own study of who, how and when these stories were written, collected and compiled to produce a book the entire Christian world is based upon.

     During the period of history when the Bible was supposed to have been written, most of the population in the world was illiterate. Many of Jesus’ Apostles and Disciples probably could not read or write well enough to record information and stories attributed to them. Scribes were an honorable and a much needed profession in performing tasks of reading and writing for 95 percent of the population in all of the cultures living around the Mediterranean, and beyond.

     Old Testament stories existed in an oral tradition for hundreds of years before they were ever recorded by people who were literate enough to do so.  Most of the Old Testament, the Torah, as we know it today, was not written by Moses, but by Jewish Captives after the destruction of the Temple by the Babylonian invasion.

     The New Testament books and stories were not written until 50 to 100 years after Jesus died, and, for the most part, not written by the people whose names were used as their titles.  Almost all of these stories were written by unknown persons who were not first-hand witnesses to events recorded. Paul, one of the most prolific writers of New Testament literature, did not witness any of Jesus’ life.  Luke collected all of his material for the two books credited to his authorship, through the oral tradition. He too, was not a witness to the Life and times of Jesus. This alone should raise enough questions
concerning the traditional orthodoxy and practice of placing all of your religious eggs in one basket.

     The second condition that existed which raises questions concerning the legitimacy of information contained in the Single Christian Handbook, is the method and when it was compiled.

     The United States Declaration of Independence (1776) and the Constitution (1787) upon which this country was founded were written before we became a new country. Since then we have expanded from a young country located along the Atlantic seaboard with a population of approximately 2.3 million, to a current population of 319 million which has spread across the continent.

     At the time of Jesus’ death, there were very few devoted followers or disciples forming what has been described as “churches” (a secular Greek term Paul used to describe groups of Christ Followers).  Before this period in history there were no religious “churches,” there were only grand edifices with towering granite pillars, Monoliths, Temples, Tabernacles, etc., erected to a myriad of Gods.  Three hundred years later, a longer period than the United States has even existed, there were numerous underground groups of Christ Followers gathering in homes, stables, caves, throughout the Roman Empire.  Each group possessed their own oral stories and scraps of letters and documents from questionable sources, which contained information that was presumed to be about the legendary Jesus.

     Not all of these “churches” were religious, many were groups of zealots believing that Jesus had been encouraging a secret revolutionary movement that was always seething just beneath the social surface, a reincarnated King David to overthrow the occupying Roman Empire to restore Israel to its former glory.  Many of the people who lined roadside when Jesus road into Jerusalem on a donkey were zealots hoping for a sign that would lead them in the overthrow of the Roman occupation of Israel. Consequently, there was a great deal of friction and quarreling between these many groups, not only over the intentions of the man Jesus, but over the authenticity of the letters and documents each group possessed.  Paul, in his numerous letters to the gentile groups he had establish, continually warned of interfering and meddling “groups” Jews and other sects who would attempt to change the instructions and practices he had taught them.

     Many of the Christ-Follower groups were involved in physical confrontations not only with each other, but with the occupying Roman Legions, which made the reigning emperor nervous that these conflicts could easily get out of hand and result in another uprising.  All other religious or secular groups tolerated by the Roman Empire were controlled by central governing bodies, (i.e., for the Jews there was the Sanhedrin) who was held responsible for keeping the peace among its members or culture. These trouble making and bourgeoning Christian sects had no controlling hierarchy which was answerable to the Empire for taking responsibility for the friction breaking out between the growing number of “churches.”

     During most of this 300-year period, Christians had been on the “okay-to-persecute-list” by the Roman Empire which kept most of the Christ Followers activities underground, except for occasions when physical conflicts erupted.  Constantine made an attempt to bring peace to the scene by co-enacting the Edict of Toleration in 311CE, in the hope that this would reduce the friction between the religious and zealot groups of Christians and bring them out into the open. Obviously, this did not have the effect he had hoped for.

     Fourteen years later, in 325CE, Constantine ordered representatives of each of the Christ Followers groups to meet in an ecumenical Council in Nicaea for the purpose of organizing a common leadership and governing body, and to reconcile all of the letters and documents being used by the 300+ “churches” as their authority and literature. The result of this mandated meeting was to establish a quasi-political/religious headquarters of the Christ-Followers, not in Jerusalem or Israel, but in Rome.  That was like establishing the headquarters of an organization dedicated to the perpetual memory of Dr. Martin Luther King and locating it in Canada.  How much sense would that make?

     After spending several years filtering through and editing all of the many letters and documents used by each of the 300+ “churches” in attendance at the Council of Nicaea, they settled on 27 documents which were canonized as the authentic history for all of Christ Following groups.  All of this was constructed 300 years after the death of a legend, by people who had for the past 300 years, been arguing and conflicted about the truth of a history that existed only in fragments. There were to be several more succeeding Council get-togethers for the purpose of “fine tuning” the story of who Jesus was. Questions were discussed and decided upon subjects such as: “Was Jesus human or divine?”; “Are any of the Miracles reported over the past hundreds of years real?”; “Was Mary a Virgin after Jesus’ birth?”; “Were the brothers and sisters of Jesus born of the Virgin Mary, or were they half-siblings from Joseph’s first marriage?” “The selection of dates for celebrating events.” Etc.

After the Council of Nicaea, Constantine had a central agency responsible for the control and behavior of the Christ-followers. And, with them out in the open instead of underground, they would be easier to monitor and control.

     The United States has existed a mere 240 years and was founded on distinctive documents and letters from the very beginning. Yet, we still experience a diversity of opinion concerning the intention and translation of these documents.  The Council convened in Nicaea in 325CE by the Roman Emperor, 300 years after events that purportedly was the reason for their existence, had no first hand witnesses to testify. All they had were exaggerated oral stories and pieces of letters and documents from questionable sources, fragments from which to compile a common guiding edict, 300 years after the fact, which was then arbitrarily declared inerrant.

     Two forces have controlled mankind since we became a life form, Chiefs, and Shaman. One became a decision maker and ruler by popularity or brute force for purposes of dispute arbitration, hunting and defense.  The other became a mystic and sorcerer founded upon human ignorance and superstitions by creating stories about supernatural forces responsible for natural disasters such as volcanoes, earthquakes, destructive storms, etc.  Rules, Laws and Gods have increased in number with clan size, populations, and generations.

     Supernatural explanations of events were an easy sell thousands of years ago. With today’s expansion of our knowledge bank concerning our past, present, and future of the galaxy we share with the universe, supernatural explanations don’t carry the same weight they once did. We have come to a century when supernatural hypothesis of ancient manifestos that teach its adherents to accept them unquestionably is colliding with hard facts and reality.

     A reality that everything in the universe is interconnected having a beginning and an end, Galaxies, Solar systems, Stars, Planets, flora and fauna, Y2K, the 2012 Mayan Calendar, etc. The only things that even come close to an eternal existence are the building blocks of which we and all things are made, atoms. Atoms are born in the crucible fires of stars and composed of an eternal triad which never expires or dies.

     The clearest graphic I can imagine of a Creating Power of the Universe is the Periodic Table of Elements, natural laws that have influenced and shaped every aspect of the evolutionary course of events throughout the cosmos. Our existence is not based on a supernatural events or fairy tales, it is based on definable and measureable facts discovered as our growing knowledge bank increases.

     At this point in my life, I have transcended the orthodoxy of the biblical stories of my youth. I accept these in the same literary vein as folk tales, myths and legends as in all other cultures. I recognize the purpose and corporate promotion of today’s congregations and religions as a stabilizing traditional function of social interaction for the common good of communities in which they exist. I do not accept the concept of original sin, or a necessity for a spiritual atonement. Neither do I accept the concept of an existence beyond this life. I do recognize the extremes of human behavior to be either beneficial or destructive, supportive or dividing.

     The quest has not ended, nor will it ever. We have not solved the ultimate equation, but have begun to view propositions with clearer eyes and objective minds. The curiosity of human nature will continually propel mankind in an adventure where no one has gone before, to explore that which lies beyond our current knowledge or reach. Religion, like art, is subjective in the eye of the beholder and exempt from facts or reality. The clarity of truth is continually emerging by the enlightenment of discovery and knowledge.

     Any hope we may have for ourselves and our future is to live each day as if it will be our last, as one day, it will be. When that day arrives, the atoms of our bodies will begin a process of release whereby they become free to join other atoms in the formation of molecules for continuing biological life on this planet. This force of truth will continue forever.

o

Where Faith Went

I was born and raised in a King James, Southern Baptist brotherhood. Saturday night was prep time for Sunday, and Sunday mornings and evenings were spent in church; also, Wednesday evenings and all other unscheduled times the church was open, i.e., visiting Missionaries, Revivals, etc.

Today, I could be described by several tags, but would prefer Possibilian or Skeptnostic. How did I arrive here? There was no “One thing or event” that brought me into this arena, it was a series of many questions and experiences.

At an early age I began to wonder about stories contained in the “Christian User Manual,” (the Inerrant, King James Version of the Word of God). One of my first questions pertained to the Bible itself. It seemed to be a collection of ancient stories compiled during a short period of the geological time period during which Modern Man has existed in a traceable history. The chronology of the main events seemed to be separated by hundreds of years; Noah (2500BC), Abraham (2100BC), Jacob (2000BC), Exodus (1300BC), David (1010BC), Jesus (35 CE), etc., none of which were recorded into a final written form for hundreds or thousands of years. The Old Testament was not canonized (adopted and closed to the addition any other material) until 550BC. The New Testament did not begin to take shape in its current form until three centuries after the crucifixion of Jesus. Again, none of these stories were written by the “first” person, they were all authored by people who were not present at the events and usually many decades and centuries after they occurred.

When you purchase a set of encyclopedias, you normally subscribe to an Annual Edition, an updated single volume in an effort to keep the reference information as current as possible, and to correct any discrepancies made in the original editions of the encyclopedias. Sometimes these discrepancies consist of new information or discoveries that supersedes the original edited texts of the encyclopedias, others were to correct errors that were overlooked in the original proofing process. Although the Bible was canonized with numerous discrepancies and contradictions it has never been significantly changed or updated for thousands of years. New translations from various sources are reborn every few years, however, most of these translations are produced by groups or persons who desire a translation that fits their particular theology. Its original stories, admonitions, commandments, etc. of ancient cultures has not been altered, consequently, it has been interpreted in as many differing ways as there are religions who use it as their basic information guide.

Many of the stories contained in the Old Testament have been found to exist in many much older writings by earlier cultures. The Biblical account of Noah and his Ark filled with animals, exists in an earlier account of the Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh, composed about 2500BC, contains a flood story almost exactly the same as the Noah story in the Pentateuch; in Greek Mythology, Deucalion, like Noah, is warned of a flood by Zeus and Poseidon, and builds an ark to save a multitude of creatures; the Hindu Lord Vishnu orderd King Manu to construct a huge boat filled with animal and plant specimens of all forms, to escape the Great Deluge. Many cultures possess stories to address the natural curiosity that children have about where everything came from when sea shells can be found on hill and mountain tops, coupled with stories of great floods.

Today, countless stories such as these continue to abound. Images of Mary, Jesus, and many Saints found on bagels, potato chips, biscuits, tree trunks, windows, cloud formations; tears and drops of blood from statues, persons who claim they have seen or talked to heavenly hosts of some sort or another, etc. Many of these are very old and have developed complicated stories of miracles related to them. Even in these modern sophisticated societies, supernatural stories grow and grow, and most of this has happened during the past 50 to 100 years. When you have 2 to 4 thousand years to develop a story its aura will take on more and more of the unexplainable and supernatural qualities.

The nucleus of all ancient stories begins with an event that is unexplainable, but requires some sort of answer, reasonable or not. Superstitions were the order of the day and imagination had little or no bounds when it came to providing answers to questions by early cultures. Without the ability to produce an accurate or written record for these events, stories existed first in an oral tradition for hundreds of years before they were ever written in a form that could be codified. During these hundreds of years the stories were retold and passed on by several generations and cultures who modified the stories to meet their contemporary need for that particular information. Stories that were begun to describe an event did not end with the same accuracy of that original event.

Just as in today's game of “Secrets” where the first person tells a secret or story to a second person, who in turn passes the story on to another person, and is repeated several times with several people. The last person in line then reveals what he understood to be the initial story. Very seldom does the final version even resemble the initial story generated in the beginning.

Oral traditions possess the same inherent flaw, they have a way of producing a new life for the original story that may or may not resemble any truth of the original story. This is especially true when 2 or more languages are involved and the story is very long and detailed.

An evolution of truth.

An Evolution of the Spirit

      At what point in the evolution of life did an awareness of the repeated cycle of seasons begin? An awareness of a repeated cycle of motion in the night sky? An interest in cave art? The concept of a deity? None of these occurred over night, but gradually over a very long period of time to become an accepted consensus of the tribe.

     Migrating animals (geese, monarch butterflies, gray whales, wildebeests, etc.) demonstrate a knowledge of changing seasons. Although some migrate due to extreme temperature changes or climatic conditions, others migrate in an oft repeated pattern in search of food and water resources initiated by climatic changes between dry and wet seasons.

     Mankind has followed some of these same migration patterns. Very early hominids seemed content to remain in one place as their comfort and security were supported by the knowledge of the locale and accessible sources of food and water. As family populations grew in number and encroached upon each others territory, it became necessary to search out new and less contentious competition for food, eventually spreading all around the world. In temperate climate zones, the tendency was to remain semi-permanent residents as long as food and water sources were accessible. In more hostile climactic zones of both cold and hot, the tendency was to constantly migrate following the sources of food and water.

     During cloudless daytime hours, it is relatively easy to determine directions of North, South, East, and West and the time of day. During a cloudless night sky, and the recording of star patterns over a period of time, it becomes possible to determine one's location and predict the change of seasons. These were the rudimentary methods which allowed early hominids to expand their living and migrating areas. Over many seasons and annual cycles man's observations and knowledge of the heavens and the earth continued to grow. Much of this early knowledge was documented in oral traditions of stories, myths, legends and experiences of the family groups and tribes. Early methods of physically recording this information took many forms. Objects such as stones, sticks, wood, etc., were used to mark on which aided in remembering stories of their history and ancestors.

     Much of early human's primary food sources consisted of vegetation, roots, leaves, fruit, berries, etc. many of which also produced stains and dyes of various colors that were used primarily as body paint for gender and tribal identification. It was not long until the scribes and artists of the tribes found these useful to mark on rocks and walls of caves for recording stories of tribal history. These drawings were used to identify territories and the types of animals that were best used for food, clothing and utensils. Some of these drawings illustrated hunting methods and identified animals to be feared and avoided. Many of these rock and cave drawings have been dated as old as 35,000 years ago. http://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/oct/08/cave-art-indonesia-sulawesi

      As early hominids evolved and their numbers spread over the planet they encountered ever new and often threatening conditions which needed to be remembered and communicated. Their rudimentary languages became more sophisticated in sounds, words and gestures as their need to communicate increased.

     Climatic conditions such as rain were a familiar experience to hominids as they grew up in these elements and were for the most part uncomfortable, but non-threatening. Lightning is a sometimes thing and did not always accompany the rains. When it did occur it was a fearful experience and recognized as a life threatening element from which one needed to seek shelter. Other natural phenomena that could not be explained and incited great fear were earthquakes, volcanoes, flash floods, grass or forest fires, tsunamis, etc. The hominid's and all animals' response to encounters of this nature was to flee as quickly as possible.

     Eventually, the consensus of reasoning hominids was that these disasters were caused by mysterious and unseen forces. Human characteristics were applied to these forces and they were believed to be content during peaceful times, and angry during times when disasters occurred. It was far better in the land when the mysterious forces were happy and did not cause disasters to plague the humans. So it was that humans came to believe that things which made humans happy might also make the mysterious forces happy, such as desirable gifts. Eventually the most desirable gifts were assembled from the group and presented to the mysterious forces at designated locations and times in the hope that they would appease and make the mysterious forces happy so they did not torment the humans with threatening disasters.

     Very early in humane history it was recognized that when an animal or person was killed and the blood drained from their bodies, the animal or person was dead, and unrevivable. It was assumed that the life of the animal or person was contained in the blood which had been drained from the body. If the animal or foe had been a mighty adversary, it was believed that to drink or consume their blood would would transfer and enhance the powers of the person drinking the blood. When desirable gifts presented to the mysterious forces did not spare the people from the wrath of natural disasters, they raised the value of the gifts to include the life (blood) of animals, enemies and/or victims of the tribe or culture. These practices of animal or human sacrifices became embedded in many cultures and are still practiced by some cultures today. If, and when, the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem is restored, the practice of animal sacrifice for the atonement of sin will also be resumed, as the Holy Temple was the only place blood sacrifices were allowed to take place.

     At some point in every evolving culture, someone, probably seated around the family or tribal campfire, would ask the question, “Where did we (humans) come from?” As each culture attempted to answer this question, there would be many great stories assembled from whatever fragments of memory, or imagination, the older generations could remember. The stories grew with each telling and retelling until they became a legend of heroic proportion. Some stories credited the forces responsible for the mysterious natural disasters with the creation of their world and all of its life forms, to elicit gifts from humans. Forces of lightning, earthquakes, volcanoes, floods, fire, etc., were given names with human traits. A few shrewd members of each culture claimed a special talent for being able to communicate with the mysterious forces and translating the desires of each deity to the tribe or culture. These became known as Shaman, Witchdoctors, Medicine Men, Holy Men, Priests and also became the recipients of the valuable gifts (first born, best of the herd, flocks or agriculture, etc.) presented to the mysterious forces. Through their alleged talents of communicating with deities, they became the official keepers of tribal history, traditions and knowledge that had been handed down from generation to generation through oral traditions to answer the questions of creation, etc. True to their human nature, these persons edited ancient creation stories in ways that would enhance their position and authority within the culture.

     When suitable methods were devised to record the history and traditions of a culture in a written form, the Priests (et. al.) would be the first to record this information according to their limited understanding and biases. Thus began the written theology of many cultures, with many deities, many creation stories and many rules of behavior to appease the deities involved.

     During these early times of founding deities, animals were recognized as having two distinguishing characteristics, its body and its life blood. Separate the life blood from the animal's body and it died. Humans were believed to have these same two basic traits, as well as a third – the first triune phenomena. The essence of a person, their character, personality, and intelligence constituted the third characteristic and was called a spirit. When death occurred for humans, the spirit departed the body and became a ghost which continued to dwell among the tribe for a time. The amount of time the ghost lingered was dependent upon the length of time the deceased person was remembered in story or deed. When the deceased person was no longer known or remembered, their spirit/ghost disappeared. In later cultures the spirit also became known as a soul and when separated from the body, proceeded to an everlasting spiritual realm where it was either rewarded or punished based upon the conduct of the person during their lifetime. Several cultures arrived at similar beliefs to answer the question, “What happens when we die?”

     There exists today over 50 different ancient religious texts, all claiming communication with a deity as its source, and as many religions to support these beliefs. Each expounds upon its own version of creation, Gods, rules/laws of behavior, and all claim to be founded in truth. Some of the oldest known religions (African Traditional & Diasporic) date back beyond 5000 BCE, while some of the most recent religious texts and religions have taken their current form during the mid 20^th century.

     Who can claim possession of “the truth” when all we see are only fragments of truth, as illustrated in the story of seven blind men who were describing what an elephant looked like from their limited perspective.

     Just as an infant of almost all species (bat, wolf, primate, human, etc.) is only aware of its immediate environment, breast, mother, a world limited to a mother's arm reach, or the safety of a den, its world expands as it grows and matures. As we grow in stature and knowledge our horizons expand to encompass a larger world around us. So it is with our historical maturity. Ten thousand years ago our knowledge of the world was very limited and the world must have seemed overwhelmingly threatening and mysterious. However, for humans, mysteries are challenges to be solved in the best way we know how. Early humans used their limited knowledge and applied it to producing what seemed at the time to be reasonable answers for which they had no adequate knowledge.

     Today our world and knowledge encompass a much greater field of vision than that of the ancestors who first began writing philosophical or theological answers to unexplained phenomena. We can now explain why and how earthquakes, volcanoes, forest fires, tsunamis, rainbows, lightning, etc. happen, and even make predictions of these events to within some measure of accuracy. Reason is and has been a major factor in determining the direction we have taken philosophically, and reason tells us that some things are just not reasonable. It would seem unreasonable that a creator of the universe, who has demonstrated a power and knowledge so immense, would not have the ability to communicate with humans in a manner that did not create such diverse and conflicting versions of truth. Or, be limited to any meaningful contact or encounters with only a handful of humans extremely infrequently over a ten thousand year period, leaving humans to “fill-in-the-blanks,” as it were, with a very limited understanding and knowledge.

     There is nothing, and no place in the universe to remotely suggest the existence of an afterlife of a heaven or a hell. There is more than sufficient reason and evidence to recognize the possession of an innate drive in all life forms, both flora and fauna, of a fierce will to survive and attempt to delay the inevitable end that will come to us all. The theological stories of an afterlife was created by man (Witchdoctors, etc.) to influence personal behavior in this life and to convince their followers of a fabricated HOPE that they might transcend death to a destination that would not only relieve them from any physical limitations and access immortality, but to reap generous rewards for a life of obedient conduct.

FAITH is the firm BELIEF in something for which there is NO PROOF.

“Faith is a confidence in what we HOPE FOR and an assurance about what we do not see.”

      In the realm of reasonable theories, there is no evidential support for an eternal afterlife destination of a soul. There is, however, evidential fact that the dust from long dead stars, are the atoms used to compose our physical existence and will be released at some point after the occurrence of our death, to be used again and again by biological DNA to form molecules for the construction and growth of new biological materials, either flora or fauna. A cycle that is, like the atoms themselves, eternal.

     The spirit of man has all of the hallmarks of his physical and evolutionary development. From primitive primate ancestors to modern man capable of advanced reasoning and creativeness with a vision expanding into a universe larger than his imagination. A sequence of baby steps that are expanding to a full stride of foot prints that stretch from earth to the moon. None of which was ever foretold by any of the ancient texts.