The Lunatick’s ravings

 

And the blind shall lead them.

 

     In today’s society we seem rather intelligent compared to our ancestors.  We have landed men on the moon, circumnavigated the globe.  We have analyzed the depths of the atom, cured diseases that were once plagues.  Yep it is with great confidence I can say that we have come a long way in solving one time mysteries.  As a species we are not the gullible people we once were.  So why do we still cling to the “truths” that our ancestors were gullible enough to believe?

     Lets say a man came down from the mountain carrying two stone tablets, saying they were the decree of god.  He would no doubt be taken to a nut house.  If some one today were to say that he (or she) had spoken to god and was spreading their will we would call them cult leaders, unless of course they belonged to the mainstream that believes in jesus, the holy trinity etc... then we would call them televangalists.   

     These things happened according to the bible though.  And many people would think a person crazy for saying they spoke to god.  Yet these same people go to church, temple or whatever and pray every night.  Hello! It sounds to me like you are trying to speak to a deity.    If one exists then why wouldn’t they answer back on occasion.  That doesn’t happen??  Well doesn’t the Koran or the bible or whatever say it does.  Has a few groups of people pulled off the greatest con game in all of history, lasting thousands of years?

     Think about it.  We now laugh at the Indian, excuse me, Native Americans (how un-PC of me) and their belief in sprits.  We refuse to accept the Greek and Roman, or even Norse pantheon of gods.  Why? Because they were proven to be wrong over time.  So why do we accept other seemingly baseless beliefs.

     Prove to me the bible came from god.  Prove to me that Jesus was the son of god.  Prove to me that Moses spoke to god.  Prove to me that Mohammed was visited by angels who removed the evil from him.  It’s in the various religious documents right?  Well prove to me that they are not exaggerated claims.  Fables that are handed down as truth.

     Play a simple game of telephone.  It’s amazing how much the story changes in 5 min.  Multiply that by thousands of years, take into consideration that it could take months for news to travel across an area the size of New York State, and WOAH!   What a yarn could be spun.  Look at fishermen, the fish gets bigger and the fight gets longer, and the story gets better every time they tell it.

     So why do we believe?  It’s in the book.  So prove to me that it happened.  It’s in the book.  Sounds like circular logic to me.  But can you offer on shred of physical scientific evidence.  It has nothing to do with science it’s a matter of faith.

     So why is it in a world where we have faith in almost nothing, we believe in these fantastic stories.  By today’s scientific standards these stories are ridiculous, overinflated and exaggerated.   Yet our ancestors accepted them as true.

     Our ancestors were very superstitious they believed in many other things that we no longer accept.  Things like witchcraft, curses, vampires, werewolves.  To our ancestors these were very real, but to us they make good movies to waste a Saturday night with.  We claim to be an educated people, and not gullible.  We look down upon the gullible.  We call them cult members or leaders and try to free them of their naiveté.  Sometimes with violent force and disastrous results.  Which leads me to wonder.  Do we fear the results of their gullibility on themselves?  Are we trying to help them?  Or are we merely trying to bury a potentially embarrassing situation.  If we allow them to exist, and request evidence from them to prove they aren’t insane, are we going to have to produce evidence ourselves?  Is gullibility acceptable as long as you believe the right fantasies?   If so than wouldn’t religion have a more sinister purpose?  In the middle ages many treaties also required conversion to Christianity of “pagans”.  Was it perhaps a plot to take over the world?  If so is it still?   Are these just the ravings of The Lunatick?

     (Some food for thought over the holiday break.  Challenge your beliefs, faith is good, but blind faith is dangerous.   Happy Holidays.  “Now come Pinky we must plan for tomorrow night.”,  “Why Brain what are we going to do tomorrow?”, “Same thing we do every night, try to take over the world!”)

 

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