Listen to this articleA LITTLE KNOWLEDGE...
On the one hand, it has been said that knowledge is power. On the other hand, it has been noted that a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. It seems that a little knowledge truly can be a dangerous thing in terms of the new breakthroughs in human science and technology at the dawn of the 21st century. That is to say, a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing only if that knowledge is misused or misapplied by nefarious-minded, deranged, misguided, and unscrupulous individuals, hence, triggering a downward, uncontrollable, and irreversible spiral of doom on Earth.
With each passing year, humans make new advances in science and technology. With each passing year, humans add more branches to humankind's tree of knowledge. Humans eternally are indebted to their scientific and technological forebears who blazed the trail leading to the present. Two such scientific trailblazers were Sir Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein. These two humans arguably represent two of the greatest scientific minds in all of Earth's history. These two humans arguably represent two of the smartest individuals to have ever walked the face of Earth up to this point in human history. Moreso than any other human, Newton and Einstein provided a comprehensive, mathematical framework for understanding how the entire Universe works at the macroscopic level. During the early 20th century, a microscopic explanation of how the Universe works would be synthesized as quantum mechanics under the tutelage of mathematical prodigies such as Max Planck, Niels Bohr, Werner Heisenberg, and others.
THE LEGACY OF SIR ISAAC NEWTON
Sir Isaac Newton's mathematical representation of gravity eventually led scientists to extrapolate the Earth's escape velocity. Using the metric system, the escape-velocity formula reveals that the Earth's escape velocity is 11,184.61 meters per second, which translate into 11.1846139 kilometers per second or 40,264.6101 kilometers per hour. Using the USA's measurement system, the 11,184.61 meters per second translate into an escape velocity from Earth of 6.94979689 miles per second or 25,019.2688 miles per hour.
In other words, the reason why birds do not take flight and keep flying into space is because they cannot accelerate to a speed of 40,265 kilometers or 25,019 miles per hour. The Earth's gravitational field does not allow birds to escape Earth given the relatively limited acceleration capability of birds. Humans who live at the bottom and sides of the circular Earth do not jump into the air and fly into space because the Earth's gravity pulls them back to the ground. Airplanes do not lift off and fly into outer space because they cannot accelerate to a speed of 40,265 kilometers or 25,019 miles per hour. In effect, the Earth's gravity is telling Earth's life forms that Earth is the limit to where they can travel in life.
THE LEGACY OF ALBERT EINSTEIN
Albert Einstein's mathematical representation of gravity eventually led to the splitting of the atom and nuclear fission. Albert Einstein's famous equation, e=mc², revealed to humans that energy and matter are one and the same. Albert Einstein's equation demonstrated how a tiny amount of matter has the potential for unleashing a gigantic amount of energy. For instance, 1 kilogram (or 2.2 pounds in USA measurement units) of matter translates into 89,875,517,873,681,800 (quadrillion) joules of energy.
By comparison, the Hiroshima nuclear blast is estimated to have generated roughly 80,000,000,000,000 (trillion) joules of energy. As of 2012, a contemporary nuclear missile is estimated to be capable of generating roughly 80,000,000,000,000,000 (quadrillion) joules of energy. One joule is equivalent to the energy of one second of one watt of power.
A LITTLE KNOWLEDGE
What is the significance of these scientific and technological developments? What is the significance of knowing the escape velocity for Earth or the escape velocity for the Solar System? What is the significance of knowing that a tiny amount of matter can be converted into a gigantic amount of energy? What does it all mean? What are the implications for the future of humankind?
The significance is this: Possession of this knowledge makes humans, at once, powerful and dangerous creatures. Humans have been made powerful by this knowledge in the sense that Sir Isaac Newton showed them precisely what it would take to accelerate and escape beyond the gravitational influence of the Earth. The Earth is no longer the limit to how far humans can travel. Humans now are free to travel across the entire Universe, that is, assuming the technology exists for them to do so. As of 2018, no human has actually left planet Earth for any extended period of time, but humans certainly have launched numerous artificial satellites and spacecraft permanently into space. Humans now are free to live anywhere in the Universe of their choosing, that is, assuming the technology exists for them to do so.
Humans also have been made powerful by this knowledge in the sense that Albert Einstein showed humans how they can take a tiny amount of matter and convert into a process on Earth that is little different from the nuclear processes inside the stars. In effect, through the process of nuclear fission, humans have harnessed or bottled a piece of the stars and placed it on Earth.
Humans are dangerous creatures because they now possess the knowledge to play God. Sir Isaac Newton's computations informed humans exactly what type of an unbalanced force could be applied to the planets in order for the planets to break free from the Sun's gravitational field. Humans now know exactly what type of an unbalanced force could be applied to the Moon in order for the Moon to break free from the Earth's gravitational field. Humans now know exactly what type of an unbalanced force could be applied to Earth to cause the Earth to leave its orbit of the Sun.
In much the same sense as humans misused an aspect of Albert Einstein's formulation of gravity to develop and stockpile arsenals of nuclear bombs, it is conceivable that, at some future date, some humans might actually attempt to play God. Perhaps at some point in the near future, say a hundred or a thousand years from now, humans might discover a way to apply tremendous unbalanced forces in nature. Some humans might attempt to construct and deploy a device that is capable of applying a strong enough unbalanced force to cause the Earth to leave its orbit of the Sun; to cause the Moon to leave its orbit of the Earth; or to cause the oceans to flood the Earth. The human mind is not to be underestimated. Humans already have built enough nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons to destroy all life on Earth. Now, at the dawn of the 21st century, the quantum revolution has emerged on the global stage as explained in the following video:
Years from now, is it possible for the quantum revolution to morph into something akin to the H. G. Wells's fabled Martian invasion as depicted in Jeff Wayne's song titled "Eve Of The War"? In such an atom-manipulation-gone-haywire scenario, instead of space aliens invading and destroying life on Earth as imagined in the following video, is it possible that human-engineered nanobots actually would be the ones responsible for the destruction of life on Earth?
While this worst-case scenario of human-engineered doom is based on nothing more than pure speculation and conjecture and is not meant to incite fear and panic, the possibility of quantum science/nano technology going haywire is something that humans seriously should pause and think about as they proceed into the future. This worst-case scenario of human-engineered doom also is not meant to deter human scientific and technological progress.
At the same time, one thing must be acknowledged, and it is this: Much like there are some humans who willingly use and abuse certain chemical-based substances, if people are told that a nano product or a nano medical procedure will be forthcoming to make them smarter, stronger, faster, healthier, sharper (more competent), prettier, better, powerful, and so forth, then a certain percentage of them will buy, sell, and consume that product regardless of any potential harmful, debilitating, or life-threatening risks associated with the production and consumption of that product. In other words, if this magical nano product or nano medical procedure ever became a future reality, whether harmful or not, then some humans are guaranteed to engage in its production, distribution, and consumption. If there is money to be made, then there will be a market to propagate the nano product across Earth. If the nano product became legalized, then stores probably would not be able to keep enough of it in supply to meet the demand.
The use of performance-enhancing substances in professional sports represents a case in point. When one athlete discovers that using a performance-enhancing substance provides a competitive advantage, then the next athlete might feel compelled to use the performance-enhancing susbtance to boost his or her athletic performance, too. Before long, many athletes would begin turning to performance-enhancing susbstances to gain a competitive advantage or to gain competitive parity. A similar scenario is likely to occur in the future with nanobots. As humans compete with one another for business sales, jobs, mates, social acceptance, and so forth, it is conceivable that human life could become dominated or ruled by their nanobot boosters.
After the nano technology becomes understood, one of the worst-case scenarios would be for an underground, black market to emerge. This underground, black market would specialize in producing and selling designer or customized nanobots, even if the possibility exists for defective, untested, and adulterated nanobots to be produced and consumed. And, similar to the present-day nuclear arms race, if one nation decides to produce an arsenal of military-grade nanobots, then, not to be outdone, the next nation will feel compelled to do the same thing by weaponizing its own arsenal of nanobots as a countermeasure. Another worst-case scenario would be for these nanobots to be used as weapons of mass deaths in an all-out, multinational war. Even worst would be for black-market operators clandestinely to begin manufacturing and selling life-destroying nanobots, which conceivably could lead to mass deaths if a plague is triggered.
The quantum-science technique of teleportation represents another case in point. Should the technique of teleportation ever become perfected, then the societal benefits would be undeniable and revolutionary. There also are risks associated with teleportation, and these risks equally must be weighed. The motion picture titled The Fly offers one dramatization of how things could go horribly wrong with the teleportation technique.
This powerful-but-dangerous paradox of knowledge serves to place the human organism on notice. This paradox is analogous to the one-bad-apple syndrome. As is the case with falling dominoes, all it takes is for one bad apple to lead to the spoilage of the far more numerous good apples in the basket. Is it possible that one bad use (or misuse) of science and technology in the future could lead to the spoilage of all life on Earth?
There are some who argue that humans need not worry about such things. Some argue that God has the situation under control and will not allow humans to go too far. Some argue that God will not allow humans to destroy Earth. My contention is this: What if God has decided not to intervene into Earth affairs or to visit Earth for another 1,000,000 (million) or another 1,000,000,000 (billion) years from now? What happens to life on Earth in the interim? My contention is this: Nobody knows when God will visit Earth; therefore, it is imperative for humans to take control of their condition and fate as a precautionary measure.
To be sure, it might prove to be fatal to the human species if humans do not cease control of their destiny instead of humans simply sitting around and waiting for God to take control of the human condition, waiting for God to make a positive difference in the daily lives of humans, or waiting for God to come and redeem Earth for humans. The sooner humans cease control of their destiny is all to the good for the fate of the human species.
My contention is this: Why should humans wait for God to transport them to Heaven to experience heavenly lifestyles when humans possess the intellectual, scientific, and technological capacity to transform Earth into Heaven all by themselves right now in this instant, particularly in view of the fact that, as far as humans know, it very well could turn out to be another 3,000,000,000 (billion) years before God decides to visit Earth? Extraterrestrial beings very well might arrive on Earth before God arrives. (It seems to me that education for all is the key to humans realizing Heaven on Earth.)
Humans cannot afford to wait another 3,000,000,000 (billion) years for God to redeem Earth. Humans must redeem Earth themselves in this instant. The quantum revolution is here right now in the 21st century with more scientific and technological revolutions certain to follow. Humans must contend with the quantum revolution right now in this instant as of 2012. The quantum revolution is not something that is predicted to occur 1,000,000 (million) or 1,000,000,000 (billion) years from now.
In short, depending on the time frame, schedule, or calendar that God has established, by the time God gets around to visiting Earth, there might not be anything animate left on Earth to visit. After all, the Universe is gargantuan. It seems logical that Earth might not be God's number one priority of places to visit given that upward to sextillions or trilliards (1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000) of other heavenly bodies exist for God to visit throughout the vast Universe. There might be as few as 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 other heavenly bodies for God to visit, or there might be as many as 999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999 other heavenly bodies for God to visit besides Earth. Although it is possible to hypothesize and theorize based on existing human knowledge, nobody on Earth knows with certainty how many other heavenly bodies exist throughout the Universe.
As I mentioned on the "Home" page of this website, given the immensity of the Universe, say, the billions of galaxies and the sextillions of heavenly bodies in existence, it must be challenging for God to oversee it all. For, if it is easy being God, then one has to wonder why doesn't God simply zap down to Earth posthaste in response to the many, many sincere human prayers and outreach to Him, Her, or It for intervention and help over the ages.
For instance, up to this point in the Earth's history and dating back to about 50,000 years ago, it is estimated that there have been about 100 billions humans ever to have lived on Earth (including the 7 billion humans alive today as of 2012). Assume that, for all humans ever to have lived throughout the Earth's history, on average, each of those humans has placed at least two prayer requests or pleas to God for some type of help, intervention, or relief.
It follows from this conservative assumption that at least 200 billion human prayers of outreach have been made to God up to this point in the Earth's history. If it is easy being God, then one has to wonder why doesn't God simply zap down to Earth and put an end to all of the human suffering and deaths caused by human atrocities and caused by the adverse forces of nature, that is, in response to these billions of sincere prayer pleas. Instead of God coming to their rescue, humans across Earth continue to suffer and die each day due to human-inspired atrocities and due to the adverse forces of nature. This scenario has been the reality of life on Earth for all of recorded human history. Some humans seriously have begun to wonder, "Where is He, She, or It, that is, where is God?"
Has it ever occurred to you that God always seems to be missing in action or seems nowhere to be found just when humans seem to need Him, Her, or It the most? Think about it for a moment. Take USA slavery, for instance. It was not God who put an end to slavery; it was the Union troops during the Civil War (1861-1865) who put an end to USA slavery. Take the Holocaust during World War II (1939-1945), for instance. It was not God who ended the Holocaust; it was Allied troops (the Allies) who freed the surviving Holocaust victims from Adolf Hitler's assortment of death camps in Europe. Take the January 12, 2010 earthquake in Haiti, for instance. It was not God who came to help the Haitians. The Haitian people were assisted in their greatest time of need by an outpouring of generosity and donations from private citizens around the world along with an outpouring of assistance from philanthropic organizations, national governments, churches, schools, celebrities, charitable organizations, private corporations, other non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the United Nations, and so forth. The following video exemplifies how humans repeatedly have come to the rescue of other distressed humans during their greatest time of need such as the case of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.
When a natural disaster strikes, have you ever wondered why doesn't God appear on Earth and help the suffering humans in much the same way as the Holy Bible depicts God as coming to the assistance of the Jewish people when they fled ancient Egypt under Moses's leadership? When a natural disaster strikes, many humans caught in the disaster tend to praise God for sparing their lives, but few of those same humans usually ask God why did He, She, or It have to cause such destruction, death, and suffering to be visited upon the innocent in the first place. After all, God generally is depicted as personifying all things good.
One thing is certain, and it is this: Over the years, humans have ascribed too much "Superstition," folklore, and legend to this mystical Entity known as God. The fact of the matter is this: Nobody on Earth knows with absolute (100%) certainty whether or not God exists, which is the essence of religious faith. A bit of irony is this: The people who one would think should have the least faith in God (such as the victims of slavery and the victims of the Holocaust, for instance), generally speaking, tend to have the most faith in God. Is it possible that God is nothing more than a gargantuan figment of the human imagination? Nobody on Earth knows the answer to this question albeit there are millions of humans who claim to know or who pretend to know the answer [for often they claim that the answer was secretly revealed to them by none other than God Himself, Herself, or Itself]. The truth of the matter is this: Nobody on Earth knows what exists out there throughout the vast Universe.
A QUESTION OF GOD, FAITH, FATE, AND SCIENCE
Given that God's arrival date on Earth is unknown, and assuming that God exists, in the interim, it is wiser and advisable for humans to err on the side of caution as they scientifically and technologically proceed into the future. For, as the saying goes, it is better to be safe than sorry. [To be sure, it should be noted that many theologians teach the following: The most compelling reason for believing in God's existence and for formally worshipping God is to be safe (that is, if one wants to be assured of spending eternity with God in Heaven) rather than to be sorry (that is, if one wants to be assured of spending eternity with Satan in Hell). The fact that nobody knows for certain whether or not God exists is why it remains vital to maintain freedom of religious worship in society. Humans are going to believe what they want to believe about the origins of origins. Just as citizens are free not to worship God in secular societies, humans also should be free to worship as they believe. Freedom of religious worship means a lot to the spirtual well-being of those who believe in God's existence, or to those who believe in the Divine. For, as I mention in the book, God as the originator of both the Universe and life on Earth is as plausible an argument as, say, the so-called Big Bang.
I wish to reiterate that I firmly support the free exercise of religion. At the same time, it must be acknowledged that, because religion is based on blind faith, the teachings of various religious faiths sometimes require their followers to think (and sometimes behave) illogically and irrationally. For instance, just as certain as it is illogical and improbable for Santa Claus and his reindeers to fly around Earth in one night to deliver gifts and toys to every child, some would argue that the parting of the Red Sea by Moses is illogical and improbable. Some would argue that Jesus Christ walking on water is illogical and improbable. Some would argue that Jesus Christ's feeding of a multitude (that is, thousands) with a few loaves of bread and a couple of fishes is illogical and improbable. If interpreted literally, did Methuselah really live for 969 years (King James Version of the Holy Bible, Genesis's Chapter 5: Verse 27), or is this assertion illogical and improbable? Based on existing human knowledge about human longevity and based on existing living standards on Earth, common sense should inform you that it would have been impossible for Methuselah to have lived for more than perhaps 130 years. In effect, God reduces to the Santa Claus syndrome for adults. The teachings of various religious faiths sometimes require their followers to suspend, abandon, ignore, or betray all notions of common sense in favor of illogical and improbable thinking. A closed mind that does not consider other viewpoints is a form of self-repression or self-imprisonment.
Some argue that the scientific theory of evolution is illogical. Some would argue that the Big Bang theory is illogical. The task becomes one of assessing these religious and scientific arguments and making a judgement about which argument makes the most sense. Some humans choose to be atheists (that is, someone who does not believe that God exists). Some choose to be agnostics (that is, someone who believes perhaps there is a 50-50 chance that God exists). Some people choose to be believers (that is, someone who wholeheartedly believes that God exists beyond a shadow of a doubt). Some humans simply are not interested in following any types of religions and could careless whether or not God exists. And, for those humans who confidently state or unequivocally proclaim that God does not exist, then one has to wonder have they really boarded a spaceship and travelled to every corner of the Universe to prove their contentions; the same thing holds true for those humans who confidently state or unequivocally proclaim that God exists. [Nobody on Earth knows the absolute truth about the origins of origins.]
[It further should be noted that one of the greatest strengths of science is this: Rather than relying on incredibleness, the secret workings of God, the Supernatural, the Divine, and so forth, to explain reality or to explain how the natural world works, say, as compared to reliance on these kinds of things by religious faiths, science restricts itself to the realm of the observable, testable, and provable (repeatable) phenomena throughout the natural world. A cornerstone of science is openness, not secrecy. Recall how Moses received the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai in secret from God some 3,250 years ago. Recall how Jesus Christ was resurrected from the dead in secret by God some 2,000 years ago. Recall how Mohammed was divined as a prophet of God in secret some 1,400 years ago. Do you detect a pattern of secrecy? Why does God refuse to perform these supernatural kinds of things in the open for the entire world to witness and believe? Why must the most divine events have to occur in secret (especially if the aim of these divine events is to demonstrate to as many humans as possible that God, in fact, exists)? Within the context of gaining followers, it does not make sense for God to operate in secret. Instead of operating in secret, why doesn't God simply appear before the world and put all of the speculation about His, Her, or Its existence to rest once and for all? What is the big secret? Why not be transparent and straightforward with the peoples of Earth? Humans very patiently have been waiting and watching for the blessed appearance of God on Earth for 2,013 years now as of 2013 (that is, since Jesus Christ's death).
Does it strike you as somehow suspicious or questionable the fact that God always opts to operate in secret? Why must there always be all of this secrecy? Why is there such silence or never hearing anything from God? What is there for an all-knowing, all-loving, and all-powerful God to hide? Why has God chosen not to reveal Himself, Herself, or Itself to contemporary humans? For the truth of matter is this: Most humans very much look forward to seeing and receiving God. I sincerely do not think that it is an unreasonable request or that humans would be asking too much if they requested for an all-powerful God to appear on Earth once every 50 or so years, not to perform any miracles (such as healing the sick or ending human poverty, disease, misery, blight, fighting, gunplay, killing, and crime), but simply to reassure the next generation of humans that He, She, or It still is watching over them and that He, She, or It still is safeguarding Earth from destruction. Why doesn't God appear on Earth to visit His, Her, or Its creation? These are the kinds of questions that beg answering.
Much like an episode of the television program Bewitched, most humans view God as an all-power, all-knowing, and omnipotent entity who could appear on Earth, snap its finger or twitch its nose, and in a flash, everything would be made right and good for the human condition. Most humans would view it as being a good and reassuring thing if, occasionally, they saw or heard something from God. Most humans would be overwhelmed if God did nothing more than occasionally appeared on Earth for no other reason than to say hello, good morning, good afternoon, good evening, or good night to all. Instead, as far as I have been able to ascertain and discern in my lifetime, it seems that God has chosen not to appear on Earth and has chosen not to intervene into Earth affairs under any circumstances no matter how many prayer pleas are made to Him, Her, or It from humans.
Miracles do happen in life, but most of these miracles remain unexplained. An example would be when a hurricane makes landfall. Sometimes the force of wind would destroy practically everything in its path. But, for reasons unexplained, there would be one structure (building, store, or house) left standing unscathed amid the surrounding destruction. Why was this one structure spared from destruction by the hurricane? Are these miracles attributable to the secret work of God, or are they attributable to something else (such as luck, chance, or fate)? Nobody really knows.
Consider, for instance, the alleged sacred and reverent birth (and life) of now-deceased Supreme Leader Kim Jong Il of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) some 70 years ago (that is, born on February 16, 1941 and died on December 17, 2011). Indeed, perhaps one of the closest equivalencies or parallels in today's civilized world to the age-old human phenomenon of incredibleness, secrecy, supernatural occurrences, cult of leadership, and so forth, permeating all aspects of daily human life would be contemporary daily life in North Korea (as of 2012) as exemplified by the following video:
After watching the Welcome to North Korea video, one bit of wisdom to be gleaned from it is this: In present-day North Korea, the human drama surrounding incredibleness, secrecy, supernatural occurrences, misinformation, deception, the cult of leadership, and so forth, is unfolding in real time. Humans generally are accustomed to reading about these types of supernatural happenings and the emergence of these kinds of divine individuals during long, long ago Biblical times. Humans get a unique chance to watch this phenomenon of incredibleness and supernatural happenings unfold in its purest form in real time in North Korea, which also is a nuclear power. While most Westerners would dismiss the supernatural claims about the North Korean leader as being ridiculous to the point of being silly, thousands and perhaps millions of North Koreans sincerely and seriously believe every word of these claims to be infallible truths.
Science dispenses with the secrecy, the incredibleness, and the infallible truths. Science discards the supernatural and places its faith in observable, testable, and provable (repeatable) phenomena as it seeks to explain reality, and as it seeks to explain how the natural world works, hence, the source of the tension and the clashes that sometimes result between science and religion. Science, generally speaking, only is concerned with explaining everything about the Universe after the so-called Big Bang. Science is not concerned with explaining the origins of the primordial energy that gave rise to the Big Bang; science, in general, is not concerned with Existence before the Big Bang (or is not concerned with that which it finds impossible to observe).
In contrast to science, many religious faiths believe that God created the Universe, Earth, and life on Earth. However, these same religious faiths do not concern themselves with answering questions such as these: Where did God come from? Who, or what, created God? If something else created God, then should humans be worshipping that thing instead of God? What about the thing who created that other thing who created God? Does that other thing who created God still exist, or did it somehow evaporate or vanish after God was created? If that thing who created God still exists, did God somehow manage to become more powerful than it thereby superseding it or relegating and demoting it to a less prominent role in Existence?
Science accepts the following as its starting point of knowledge of the Universe: The primordial energy of the Big Bang simply existed and marked the beginning of time. In contrast to science, certain religious faiths accept the following as their starting point to mark the beginning of time: God simply exists and has always existed for eternity. Both science and religion do not seem capable of explaining the origins of origins or to explain the origins of God.]
[Do not misinterpret me. I wish to make it clear to all that I am not anti-Christ, and I am not anti-religions. I am a huge admirer of Jesus Christ and his teachings about love, peace, humility, and a brotherhood of humankind. While Sir Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein arguably are two of the smartest humans ever to have walked the face of Earth (up to this point in human history), Jesus Christ clearly is the most influential individual ever to have walked the face of Earth. Nobody has influenced the course of human history more than the life and teachings of Jesus Christ and the life and teachings of the prophet Mohammed. At the same time, it is worth noting that the following video gives an historical account of how the Christian religious faith came to be spread across Earth:]
[I also wish to make it crystal clear to all that I am not anti-Mohammed, anti-Islam, or anti-Muslim. I only see one race on Earth, and it is the human race for clearly WE ARE ONE species here on this marvelous and miraculous planet called Earth. I concur that I have not studied the Islamic religious faith extensively, but I admire any religious faith in that it teaches love, peace, humility, and a brotherhood of humankind. Islam is one such religious faith that teaches love, peace, humility, and a brotherhood of humankind. The Islamic religious faith is not well understood in the USA. Many in the USA believe that, if religious worship does not pertain to the Christian religious faith, then it bodes bad for them entering Heaven with God someplace in the sky in the afterlife; therefore, many in the USA are not interested in learning about other religious faiths. Generally speaking, followers of the Christian religious faith believe that they would be putting their souls in jeopardy of going to Hell to spend eternity with the Devil if they flirted with other religious faiths. The following motion picture provides historical insights into the genesis of the Islamic religious faith:]
The following video provides historical insights into the genesis of the Christian religious faith:
To be sure, the website adherents.com provides a ranking of the world's major religious faiths based on the number of adherents or followers. Each religious faith has its own beliefs about the origins of the Universe, the origins of the Earth, the origins of life on Earth, and so forth. Each religious faith has its own sacred text. Obviously, these competing religious viewpoints and teachings cannot all be correct. Clearly, somebody has to have it all wrong with respect to the origins of the Universe, the origins of the Earth, the origins of life on Earth, and so forth. If you throw a little scientific theory into the religious mixture, then it becomes a volatile combination. For instance, either God created the Universe, or the Universe evolved from the Big Bang some 15 billion years ago. Both explanations about the origins of the Universe cannot be correct. For instance, either God created the Earth in 6 days [as explained in Genesis's Chapter 1: Verse 31 of the Holy Bible], or the Earth has been evolving for the past 4 billion years [as explained in the typical science textbook]. Both explanations about the origins of the Earth cannot be correct. For instance, either God created Adam and Eve and all humans descended from Adam and Eve some 6,000 years ago (4000 B.C. + 2000 A.D.), or humans descended from ape-like beings as far back as 25 million years ago. Both explanations about the origins of humans cannot be correct. Common sense should inform blacks that they don't look anything like popular depictions of Adam and Eve. It is philosophical arguments such as these where you have to make a judgement about which argument makes the most sense. Suffice it to say that the Earth's fossil evidence tends to lend greater credence and greater credibility to the scientific perspective.
It really does not matter whether human origins are attributable to evolution (science), Allah (Islam), God (Judaism and Christianity), Brahman (Hinduism), Ahura Mazda (Zoroastrianism), or some other supernatural force. What matters is that the peoples of Earth learn to live in peace. What matters is that the peoples of the Earth treat one another with courtesy and respect.
It really does not matter who is right or wrong about the origins of the Universe. No matter who is right or wrong about the origins of origins or the origins of humans, be it religion or science, it is not a reason for humans to succumb to hatred and violence. Hatred and violence are the opposite of how these religious faiths teach humans to live and the opposite of how these religious faiths teach humans to treat one another albeit oftentimes these same religious faiths have historical roots in violence.
Over the ages and to this very day, there have been many, many inhumane acts committed by humans in the name of religion, that is, based on modern-day human interpretations of ancient religious texts. Rather than relying on sacred religious texts that were meant to address the human condition and human thinking some 2,000 years ago, at the dawn of the 21st century, isn't it so much easier for humans simply to love one another? Rather than relying on sacred religious texts for guidance on how to live and conduct themselves, isn't it so much easier for humans simply to treat one another with courtesy and respect? Isn't it so much easier for humans to live in peace rather than constantly to be engaged in fighting, maiming, and killing one another? Times change; people change; and societies change. Nothing on Earth remains the same forever; recall the rise and fall of the dinosaurs or the rise and fall of empires. The peoples of the Earth must learn to adapt to THE CHANGING TIMES.
Keep in mind, moreover, that it was Jesus Christ who is said to have uttered, "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (King James Version of the Holy Bible, John's Chapter 8: Verse 32). The broader point is this: Humans should be able to debate controversial topics such as the origins of origins without recourse to hatred and violence. One of the strengths of a free, open, tolerant, and democratic society such as the USA is that its citizens do have the privilege of exploring controversial topics without fear of societal wrath, reprisals, and bodily harm. In academia, USA students are encouraged critically to examine all sides of a given topic in search of the truth. In academia, rather than relying on blind faith of any kind, USA students are encouraged to do research and to think for themselves before drawing conclusions. Students are encouraged to be open-minded or multi-dimensional, not closed-minded or one-dimensional. In response to a perceived religious offense, the most important thing to do is to remain level-headed and not succumb to your basest, cruelest, and most primitive instincts. There always will be exceptions to the rule. That is to say, there always will be a few members of society who seem to delight in inciting trouble, misunderstanding, hatred, and violence; these few misguided individuals are not representative of the entire society.
Religion is hardly the only sensitive and controversial topic on Earth. Equally controversial and sensitive is the topic of intelligence and race. As I mention in the book (The Age of Homo Sapiens Sapiens: Heaven or Hell), racial intelligence per se is not important. Much like life in ant society, regardless of race, what matters in human society is getting a good education and finding your niche in the broader civil society. What matters is becoming a productive and self-supporting member of civil society. What matters is treating your fellow humans with courtesy and respect. What matters is being a responsible and law-abiding member of civil society.
LESSONS LEARNED?
What is the lesson to be learned from all of these advances in human knowledge? The lesson to be learned is this: Humans should proceed into the future with an overabundance of caution. In their never-ending quest for knowledge, wisdom, prosperity, and a futuristic way of life, it is all too easy for humans to become enamored with and captivated by the promises of science and technology so as to become blinded by the inherent dangers or the adverse consequences of scientific and technological progress. The lesson to be learned is this: Just because humans possess the knowledge to do extraordinary things does not necessarily mean that humans actually should do all of those things. For instance, just because humans possess the knowledge to destroy the world by constructing nuclear weapons does not mean that they actually should destroy it. [After all, history repeatedly has shown that two disputing countries or sworn enemies of today most likely will become the closest of allies, say, 100 or 200 years from now. It would be pointless and senseless for those two feuding countries to use nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons against one another in a conflict today when, in all likelihood, those same two countries will turn out to be the very best of friends many years later. It would be tantamount to them having destroyed the world essentially for nothing. For, in hindsight, they clearly would realize that their feud was not so overly serious such that it was worth going to the extreme of destroying the world. For, as the saying goes, time heals all wounds. Calm heads and the voice of reason must prevail at precipitous moments in human history such as these with the nuclear, chemical, and biological weaponry options being central parts of the human equation or with these extinction-inducing weapons playing key roles in human life. There has to be a common ground over which feuding countries can agree to respect and honor without recourse to armed conflict.]
The lesson to be learned is this: Just because humans of the future might determine a way to apply gargantuan unbalanced forces in nature does not mean that they actually should apply those gargantuan unbalanced forces. Humans must remain vigilant and cognizant of their actions.
Humans must remain steadfast and cautious by slowing down and establishing foolproof safeguards against potential scientific and technological catastrophes. Humans must slow down and carefully ponder the ramifications of their scientific and technological discoveries. Taking the time out to ponder the ramifications of their actions sometimes can prove to be challenging for humans to do given a very competitive business setting. In a competitive business climate, business success or failure, in part, is determined by which corporation makes it to the marketplace first with the latest breakthrough products. In the hustle and bustle of the business world, haste to outperform business rivals and pressure to be the first to deliver the latest inventions and innovations to the marketplace sometimes take precedence over caution and safety.
One thing is certain, and it is this: If humans do not proceed into the future with an overabundance of caution, then they might unleash upon Earth the equivalent of an evil and uncontrollable genie. If humans do not proceed into the future with an overabundance of caution, then, at best, their actions could lead to an extinction of the human species. At worst, their actions could lead to an end of all life on Earth. Their actions could lead to an end of the world. For, as the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure, which is the essence of Curtis Mayfield's song titled "Think," Stevie Wonder's song titled "Race Babbling," and Vangelis's songs titled "Intestinal Bat" and "12 O'Clock [Movement 1]".
THE UNTHINKABLE
What if humans, on one future day, actually did the unthinkable? As a result of their unwise actions, what if humans became extinct? What would Earth be like without humans? The following video offers one conjecture:
Self-preservation must remain the number one edict of humans, not self-destruction. Otherwise, humans (homo sapiens sapiens) will have ceased being wise (Heaven) and will have proven to be foolish (or Hell), hence, the title of the book The Age of Homo Sapiens Sapiens: Heaven or Hell, which, stated simply, equates to The Age of Very Wise Human Beings: Will the Outcome Be a Future Paradise or a Vast Wasteland on Earth.
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