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July 16, 2005 There is a myth that ostriches stick their head in the sand when they are frightened and then they feel safe. Even today people who avoid conflict or deny that problems exist are said to metaphorically "stick their head in the sand." The main problem with this metaphor is the fact that ostriches do not stick their head in the sand. This myth began when European colonists in Africa encountered ostriches on the plains of the Serengeti for the first time. The ostrich is actually a very tall bird. It fact, it's the largest bird in the world but it cannot fly. However, it does have very long, muscular legs making it the fastest flightless bird in the world. It also has an exceptionally long neck supporting a rather small head allowing it to see long distances across the African plain. When an ostrich lowers its head near to the ground, this small head can easily disappear from the view of an onlooker who is not close to the bird. This is simply an illusion. An ostrich may lower its head to inspect its eggs, to catch insects, to kill a snake or to get a drink of water, but it never buries its head in the sand. By now you may be asking yourself, what does this have to do with Christians? Well, I'll tell you. The problem with Christians is that they metaphorically "stick their head in the sand" as a tactic when defending their faith. In fact, when debating Christians I find that they often simply deny any contradictions exist in spite of evidence to the contrary. A few examples should suffice to illustrate the point. Many Christians have asserted that prayer actually works. When I question this assertion, they inevitably cite non-existent studies which confirm their own belief. However, I have searched the internet, encyclopedias, books and other resources and cannot find a single scientific study which proves empirically that prayer works. There may be a psychological and emotional comfort to the act of prayer but no one can prove their prayers were answered scientifically. Of course, Christians "stick their head in the sand" and simply deny the fact that the evidence doesn't exist. They may even concoct their own "studies" with skewed data to support their invalid claims. Probably the most obvious denial regards the validity of their most sacred book, the Bible. Again, when I point out legitimate discrepancies and contradictions int the Book of Books, they simply deny their existence. More specifically, they claim I have misinterpreted the scriptures and that only their "correct" interpretation is the right one. The irony, of course, is that this assertion by its very existence denies that the Bible is the true Word of God. If it were, there would only be one possible interpretation. Yet there are more than 200 Christian denominations in the United States alone and they all claim to have a true interpretation of the Bible. However, I've found literally hundreds of discrepancies and contradictions in the Bible. Let me mention some of the most obvious ones very briefly. In Genesis there are two contradictory creation stories. In the story of Noah's Ark he is told to take two of every kind of animal into the ark and then a couple verses later he is told to take seven of all the clean animals into the ark. Which is the right divine command? And for you scientific types, in the Book of Kings the value of pi is given as 3, but we know it is actually 3.14. Who's right? God or the mathematicians? In the New Testament there are two conflicting genealogies of Jesus. Which one is the right one? There are many more discrepancies like these but I think you get the point. Christians continue to "stick their head in the sand" and insist the Bible is infallible and absolutely true. So, what is the conclusion of the matter? Ostriches don't really stick their head in the sand but Christians really do deny the contradictions and weaknesses of their own religion. They do so at their own peril. If humanity is to survive it must reject archaic religious myths and aggresively pursue the truth and nothing but the truth. Only then will we be able to evolve to the next higher level and advance into the future. Our destiny depends on it. ------------ About the author: Keith Cantrell is a musician, artist and writer who lives in a small town in Oregon. He has worked at many different professions and currently is writing a book on the origins of the Bible entitled "The World's Most Dangerous Book." He has been a professing fundamentalist and is now struggling with atheism. His life has been spent searching for truth, and nothing but the truth. He loves comments, feedback and even verbal abuse if it is intelligent. He has 4 children and 4 grandchildren and loves everything about living in Oregon. Email: kwcantrell@yahoo.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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