ABSTRACT

From Genesis to AD 2002

Change in the Universe is random according to the nature of matter and energy.

The solar system (Sun, planets, moons, etc.), galaxies, etc. were formed by the condensation of matter/dust by gravity and by the rotation of this matter. The rotation resulted in objects circling each other according to their mass and distribution.

The age of the Earth is given at about 4 billion years. For billions of years there was little or no life as we know it, only a mix of atoms and molecules, with no systematic reproductive process.

PROOF OF EVOLUTION: As is obvious, every human is different. So is every dog, cat, and all plants and animals propagated by two sexes. This is proof of evolution. With the occurrence of sex -- reproduction by the joining of two cells, each offspring is unique. Variations will follow the "normal curve" -- the expansion of the binomial. Some individuals will have remarkably different traits that will benefit the individual and some will not survive. Over vast amounts of time this resulted in change in the species, or "evolution". Over hundreds of millions of years, a great variety of plant and animal life appeared in the sea and then on land.

Mammals appeared after the extinction of the dinosaurs, and developed more complex brains and nervous systems.

Expansion of the brain and change in vocal chords led to the development of spoken and written language.

Any spoken of written language leads to the development of religion, which serves and needs and wishes of the people.

The concept of "God" in any language is that God is ever loving and protects his people. In fact, God/Nature is the ultimate efficient killer who eliminates any individual which shows the slightest sign of weakness. This is compensated in Nature by extraordinary reproduction rates. This also expedites the process of "evolution", or change in species.

DISCUSSION

The red shift of light from distant galaxies suggests that the Universe is expanding in all directions from Earth. "In all directions" implies that we are in the middle of it. However, every object or galaxy in the Universe is probably in the middle of it. The Universe has no borders or boundaries. Stars explode and new stars are continually formed from the dust of space. So long as there is no net loss of matter or energy, If would seem more reasonable to assume Einstein's curvature of space and/or that the Universe is infinite in time and space.

Over vast amounts of time this has resulted in an almost infinite variety of both plant and animal life forms. The extraordinary variety of life is difficult to explain. How did animals develop digestive systems to derive energy from food? How did they develop organs sensitive to certain frequencies of light, organs sensitive to sound waves, nervous systems and brains to control and modify behavior, how did spiders develop the ability to spin webs, how did snakes and spiders develop venom poisonous to other animals and methods of injecting these venom's, how did bats develop organs sensitive to reflected sound, how did snakes develop sensitivity to infrared heat, how did mosquitoes develop the appendage to draw blood, carnivores the teeth and claws to capture and kill other animals, birds develop wings and feathers to fly, etc. etc.

PROOF OF EVOLUTION

The argument is made that evolution is a theory without proof. Religion is a theory based on language and without proof.

Proof of evolution is exists everywhere if one will notice. Dinosaurs and extinct species are proof of evolution because they no longer exist. If God created the Universe and life on Earth He/She would certainly know about dinosaurs. However, dinosaurs are never mentioned in the Bible or the texts of other religions, because they were unknown to authors at the time.

Probabilities and "chance" are defined mathematically by the expansion of the binomial known as the "normal curve". Individuals will vary in measurable attributes which can be defined by the "normal curve". With these variations a few individuals will have extraordinary physical or mental attributes.

Tiger Woods, Venus Williams, and other outstanding athletes are proof of evolution. With genes from two parents, occasionally a person will be born with exceptional motor or physical skills not possessed by either parent. Also "mistakes" occur which result in handicapped or deformed offspring. This is "evolution", or change in individuals of a species. This constant change process leads to changes in the species over long periods of time. This is true for all animal and plant life.

LANGUAGE AND RELIGION

However, Nature is totally heartless and cruel from the human viewpoint. There is no sympathy in “Nature” for any individual. Therefore it is not plausible for religion to propose that “God” is kind and benevolent and serves to protect the interests of each individual human. Human kindness probably derives from a maternal/paternal instinct, which is also common in most species. There is no such instinct in “Nature”, only in individuals.

At the same time, all life forms demonstrate a remarkable degree of common design or structure. Both plant and animal life come in two sexes. Virtually all animal life is built on the same general pattern: a body, a head with various sense organs, limbs or muscles for locomotion, a mouth to intake food, a digestive system to process food into energy, lungs to absorb oxygen, etc. This certainly suggests that all life including humans come from the same origins.

Nearly all present animal life derives essential energy by eating some other plant or animal life form. Life is therefore in a generalized sense cannibalistic. Animals cannot eat rocks, dirt, sand, etc. Initially early life forms probably consumed plant or microscopic life forms.

The evolution of the brain in humans has resulted in several important changes:

· Increased memory

· With changes in vocal chords the ability to make a greater variety of sounds.

· Development of language

MEMORY AND THE BRAIN

The brain in mammals has developed over millions of years into a mass of billions of nerve cells. When born the brain is more or less a blank with certain survival instincts. As the individual experiences life's trials and challenges, changes occur in the brain cells which modify behavior, known as learning or memory. These changes allow the individual to adapt to his environment and increase his changes of survival.

The capacity of human memory is extraordinary and not widely recognized. Over the years a human builds up a vast storage of images and events that have occurred during his lifetime. The brain works like a computer RAM -- random access memory. The human can instantly recall events from any period in its life (after the first several years). Memory in humans is tied to language. A person verbalizes his memory in the language that he knows.

A wolf will quickly learn his rank in the pack when a stronger member puts it down. Memory also has a vast storage of lower level experiences. That is, for example, if the person visits his old hometown many years later, (he) will recall many events that otherwise he may have forgotten about. Memory includes learned knowledge and skills, such as a Ph.D. degree in a subject, how to play an instrument, how to type, knowledge of several foreign languages, a medical degree and years of experience, etc.

Memory is a function of the brain. If injury, stroke, or death cuts off blood supply to the brain of any animal (or human), memory is lost. What the individual has learned during its life is lost. Memory is not limited to humans. "Lesser" mammals, birds, reptiles, etc. learn and retain information during their lifetime. Memory is a matter of degree. It will be most advanced in some humans, but also exists in varying degrees in most other animal life forms. Some animals like wolves, apes, whales, dolphins, etc. probably have considerable memory. In death, brain functions and memory are lost permanently. However, death is similar to sleep. The brain and memory cease to function in sleep. However, this is of course only temporary. Nothing is lost when you awaken. If you (any life form with a "brain") die in your sleep, you never awaken. The person or animal is unaware of the transition from life to death. The brain simply never comes back with loss of blood supply.

An interesting characteristic of the brain is dreaming. The brain is able to create images without visual or auditory stimuli. Dreaming may be explained as related to "thinking" when one is asleep or not fully conscious. The nerve impulses that create images perhaps wander through the brain in an uncontrolled manner and may be retained in memory when the person awakes. Once a dream starts (at least from the author's experience), it seems to take on a life of its own, like someone else is telling the story. When you awake, if the dream is still in your memory, you feel that the story was incomplete, and you wanted to know how it would end. Some dreams are so realistic that on awakening the person is glad it was only a dream.

LANGUAGE AND ENERGY

Humans verbalize in the language they know when "thinking. The ancient Greeks thought in Greek, the Romans in Latin, etc. Other animals -- mammals, whales, dolphins -- have “languages”. More complex languages undoubtedly facilitate higher levels of “thinking”.

Since humans with their extensive memories dread the thought that with death their entire memory will be lost, it is easy with language to create the concept of "soul" which is "eternal". This is the wish of just about every culture -- e.g., the Egyptians and their pyramids, etc. Probably every culture develops the concept of eternal life. The concept of eternal life seems to imply that the "soul" retains the senses possessed in life, although without the sensory organs. Also, energy is generated in stars by thermo nuclear processes, and life forms on Earth derive their energy from the Sun, eating, drinking, and oxygen from the air. What is the source of energy for the soul? You cannot generate energy from nothing.

LANGUAGE CREATES RELIGION.

Language makes it possible to create “imaginary” concepts such as mermaids, unicorns, Santa Claus, the Easter bunny, dragons that blow fire, gods, etc. The increased brain and mental capacities of humans has enabled geographically separate groups to develop unique languages all over the world.

YOUR MEMORY IS YOUR "SOUL"

However, there is no point in arguing about religion on a rational basis, since religion is irrational. Religions are based on "faith" or the supernatural. Since religion is not rational, it leaves open a multitude of unanswered questions, some of which are discussed herein.

In discussing the concept of soul in Christianity or eternal life in any religion, the question might be raised when did the human race develop a soul? Since Christianity did not develop until around the time of Christ, or around 0 AD, did humans have souls "before Christ"? Was there some point in history that parents did not survive after death, but their offspring did? Also, when in the conception and development of the human embryo does the individual have a "soul"? Certainly before birth the individual would have no memory or knowledge of life on Earth.

Religion is not compatible with observable nature.

If the memory of every human that ever lived still existed, this would represent a virtually infinite library of human experience, in innumerable languages. It would indeed be interesting if the memory of a cave man or Roman gladiator or Egyptian slave were still intact and the individuals could recall -- in their own language -- what was in their memory when they died. Furthermore, most mammals and other animals learn during their lives and thus have memory. Some may be extensive, although they do not have the language to express it. Your dog or cat learns to recognize you, where to sleep, where he lives, your habits, etc., and therefore has memory. Why not hypothesize eternal life for animals?

One remembers the "slings and arrows of outrageous misfortune" -- failures, errors, accidents, insults, etc. It is bad enough to remember these during life. One would not want to be burdened with these memories for eternity. Or is your memory lost or filtered after death? If erased what is left? In life, one needs purpose, goals, motivation. What are one's goals in the after-life?

It may also be noted that there is no record of the existence of virtually all "humans" who have ever lived. With few exceptions -- those that have made an imprint on history -- when the contemporaries of an individual also die, there will usually be no record that that person ever existed. With billions of humans presently living, the number that has lived before is astronomical. They are forever forgotten in history.

Religions concern themselves generally with the currently living and their near descendents, as well as the local geographical environment and culture. Concern for long past civilizations and other cultures are usually not considered. However shouldn't the benefits of religion also apply to these?

Also, every animal or human must rely on its own resources for survival. When very young the individual is protected by its parents by virtue of the parents' maternal and sometimes paternal instincts. However in maturity the individual is on its own. The individual has no one to fall back on. Here religion provides a resource to fall back on in times of stress, as evidenced in the 23rd psalm.

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