The next question I have to ask then is, “Why do we believe
that there HAS to be a loving God?”
A third question however, occurred to me recently, “Why do
we believe that there HAS to be love?”
A fourth question will irritate lots of people, but that’s
OK, because what kind of essay would this be if it didn’t irritate? “Why do we
believe that Humans HAVE to have changed the climate of Earth?”
Aren’t the answers to all of these obvious?
Hmmm. Maybe I need some definitions here. Let’s start with:
Believe: verb
(used without object); 1. to have confidence in the truth, the existence, or
the reliability of something, although without absolute proof that one is right
in doing so. verb (used with object) 2. to
have confidence or faith in the truth of (a positive assertion, story, etc.);
give credence to. 3. to have confidence in the assertions of (a person). 4. to
have a conviction that (a person or thing) is, has been, or will be engaged in
a given action or involved in a given situation. 5. to suppose or assume;
understand (usually followed by a noun clause).
Obvious: adjective;
1. easily seen, recognized, or understood; open to view or knowledge; evident:
an obvious advantage. 2. lacking in subtlety. Origin: 1580–90; Latin obvius in the way, lying in the path, equivalent to.
Regarding aliens, this has been said, “Second, there is in
the fable no step unique to our Solar System or to our planet. There are 250
billion suns in our Milky Way Galaxy, and billions of other galaxies in the
heavens. Perhaps half of these stars have planets at biologically appropriate
distances from the local sun. The initial chemical constituents for the origin
of life are the most abundant molecules in the universe. Something like the processes
that on Earth led to man must have happened billions of other times in
the history of our Galaxy. There must be other starfolk.” Carl
Sagan (from http://www.e-reading.co.uk/bookreader.php/148581/Sagan_-_The_Cosmic_Connection___An_Extraterrestrial_Perspective.pdf
To Carl Sagan (1934-1996), who was in some ways, a guru of
belief in intelligent life, it’s obvious that there are “other starfolk” like
us.
Regarding belief Allan Sandage (1926-2010), a world-renowned
astronomer and contemporary of Sagan’s startled the scientific community: “Though
he never stopped working, from the late 1960s Sandage largely disappeared from
public view and stopped attending scientific conferences until 1983, when he
staged a surprise appearance at a meeting in Vancouver. During his absence, he
became a born-again Christian, reasoning that ‘I could not live a life full of
cynicism. I chose to believe, and a peace of mind came over me.’”
Clearly, it was obvious to Sandage that God exists and that
he chose to have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
Let me place here, the definition of love: noun; 1. a
profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person. 2. a feeling of
warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend.
3. sexual passion or desire. 4. a person toward whom love is felt; beloved
person; sweetheart. 5. used in direct address as a term of endearment,
affection, or the like)
What is the logic of love? Why do we love? Why do we believe
in love? No idea – yet the majority of us do believe in love, even if we are
scientists.
I could add that those who believe that Humans have changed
the climate of Earth through action or inaction are searching for something
bigger than themselves. It appears to me that they want a “god” who is not
personal, requires nothing of us but certain political, scientific, and
sociological deeds and certainly has no claim on our thoughts, behaviors
(outside, of course, behaviors that will “save the planet”), and is little more
than a reflection of Humanity supercharged with the power to change the
long-term climate of an entire planet.
This supercharged power to change the climate of a world has
been granted to a force which masses 3 quadrillion kilograms. An immense
amount, to be sure! But the mass of all Humanity is nothing compared to the
mass of even our tiny planet, which weighs 6 septillion kilograms (quadrillion à
quintillion à
sextillion à
septillion). How could something so lightweight have an effect on something so
massive?
Humanity is as nothing compared to the Earth, even if we all
squashed together in one spot, we wouldn’t make any difference to Earth’s orbit
or spin or wobble. “Scientists” (as in some scientists) believe that the power of Anthropogenic Global Warming has been given to beings who are
invisible from orbit; in fact beings whose greatest technological constructs
are invisible from beyond its Moon.
*sigh*
The point of today’s essay is to point out to myself and
anyone else who might be interested, that the part of us that “believes”
something – even when there is a lack of evidence – is in all of us and that
part seems to have sparked some of our most puzzling behaviors.
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