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Aug. 31, 2006 To begin this article we need a definition of evolution. It is the process of change over time that influences all of life on this planet as well as governs the development of the entire universe. One of the key characteristics of evolutionary biology is diversity. It ensures that every ecological niche is filled with an appropriate organism specifically adapted to that environment by natural selection. Diversity also encourages change by competition when the environment changes. When the environment does change the organisms that live there must also change or they will die. The most diverse and adaptable organisms then, are inevitably the ones that will survive. In contrast, creationism denies diversity. According to this idea everything is exactly the way God made it so change is unnecessary. This completely ignores the evidence and evokes questions of why this mythical idea remains so strong in our society today. Since the scientific evidence strongly supports the theory of evolution and creationism only supports the belief in God, we are forced to conclude that creationism is merely a religious idea and has absolutely nothing to do with science. Let's continue this discussion with a closer look at human behavior. Humans, after all, are the only species on the entire planet with the ability to alter their evolution. That's because we are the only organisms with a highly developed cerebral cortex which allows us to think abstractly and to consider the world apart from ourselves. This self-awareness makes us the most advanced and intelligent of all the life forms on earth and that means we alone can assume responsibility for the ultimate fate of the entire planet. That's because we also possess the capability to destroy the entire planet through our invention of technology or we can use that same technology to make the earth into a paradise. So, it would be in our best interest to eliminate characteristics of our behavior that stifle our development and keep us from evolving to a higher level of existence. Don't jump to conclusions! I'm not advocating eliminating any particular groups of people. We already tried that in World War II and it resulted in a huge disaster and we don't need anymore disasters to help our evolutionary progress. What I'm advocating is changing our particular behavior with regards to superstition, myth and religion that imperil reason and logic. To be specific, I think that religion has outlived its usefulness. Religion has become a liability rather than an asset. In fact, it is the source of much bigotry, hatred, prejudice, discrimination and all forms of intolerance. It serves no purpose except to divide us and the sooner we realize it the better off we will be. If we accept the fact that we alone are responsible for our destinies then we can focus on improving our future. This flies directly in the face of religious faith because we will be forced to conclude that God cannot save us. There is no deity waiting to sweep us up into heaven or to plunge our souls into hell. There is probably no such thing as a soul and certainly no life after death. We aren't going to get a new body when we die nor is Jesus Christ coming back in clouds of glory to establish a heavenly kingdom on earth. He is dead and will never return and the second coming of the Messiah is merely a myth. In fact there is no Nirvana, no Xanadu, no Paradise, no Sheol, no land of the dead or anything supernatural or spiritual in all of the cosmos. We are alone and this present physical life is all we have. I'm quite certain at this point that I have offended a large number of readers who may be quite religious or confident in their faith. However, my intent is not to merely offend but to encourage people everywhere to think! Use your brains not your emotions. Simple reason and logic should be sufficient to guide us into the future even though the truth is often hard to accept. We must bravely sort the facts from the fiction if we are going to survive as a species until the end of the universe. In order to take control of our evolutionary destiny we must accurately identify the difference between reality and illusion and so the end of religion will be the beginning of the reign of truth. Ignorance is tyrannical and will only perpetrate further injustice, insanity and chaos in the name of faith. What we believe and what is actually true are not necessarily the same thing. What we believe cannot hurt us if it is false but what we don't know can kill us if it's true. ------------ About the author: Keith Cantrell lives in a small town in Oregon where he was a fundamentalist, born-again, evangelical Christian for over 35 years. After many years of questioning and research he has finally become an agnostic. He has written a book entitled "The World's Most Dangerous Book" and it tells the history and origins of the Bible. It's the only book on the market that takes the Bible from cover to cover, Genesis to Revelation and explores who wrote it, where it came from and how it all got put together. It's the 21st century. Isn't it time you knew the truth about the Bible? This book is available at Barnes and Noble, Borders, Waldenbooks and Amazon.com. Read it and tell me what you think! After all, I could be wrong! Email: kwcantrell@yahoo.com Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com. Please link to this article rather than copying and pasting it onto your site (which would be unauthorized and illegal). |
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