We ought to spend more time reasoning

Tue, Aug 23. 2011

Editor: One of the things I find lacking in our society is open discussions on things that affect our lives. We are either concerned about the repercussions from those who may be offended or from God. We do not debate our economic policies or our religious beliefs outside of the forums organized by the politicians or the religious leaders.{{more}} In my opinion, this is negatively affecting our ability to reason and this is one of the key elements of human development and may even set us apart from other animals. Children must be encouraged to reason from a very early age so that they can broaden their minds and become more appreciative of their surroundings.

If a politician tells me not to reason an economic policy, I would be gravely concerned; therefore I do not expect a religious leader to advise me not to attempt to reason the Bible but only believe. Well, this is what the believers of Christianity always tell me. I always find the Bible a good piece of literature to debate and reason.

We have been told that Adam and Eve were the first two persons created by God about five or six thousand years ago; therefore we are all their offspring. It means therefore that the gene pool that exists in humans today should be limited to those carried by both of these individuals. We all know that there is a wide variety of genes among mankind. If it was as a result of genetic mutation, this large amount would have required millions of years to occur. Of course, scientists have been presenting evidence to show that we have been around for millions of years and this notion is being rejected by religious leaders.

I also have been told that it was not intended for mankind to die, but everything changed with the initial sin committed by Adam and Eve. If mankind was not supposed to die, it would therefore follow that neither plants nor animals would have died. However, large fishes that live in the sea have to eat smaller fishes in order to survive and this would constitute death.

We all blame the Devil for tempting Eve and Adam and causing us to lose our opportunity to live forever. It means that Satan was the architect of death which God opposed. Ironically, God then turns around and uses the handiwork of the Devil to show his love. We are told that he sent his Son to die for us.

We are further told that God knows the beginning and the end, yet seemed unaware that the Devil, whom he created, would eventually plot to overthrow him. Maybe he was just going along for the fun. What amazes me most is the amount of mass slaughtering that followed as a result of this sin. We read of cities being wiped out and even the great flood where only Noah and his family were saved. I am certain that there would have been other genuine followers who were killed. Once again, we are awaiting another event of mass slaughtering with the expected return of Christ. All this could have been avoided if the Devil was thrown on another planet or God uses his power to change everyone.

I often hear persons claiming that their prayers were answered. I am therefore urging these persons to pray for the end of the drought in the horn of Africa and let me see the result.

If we spend more time reasoning, many of our beliefs would be thrown out of the window.

Mystic