| From his earliest days, mankind sought understanding | | | | not need "God" for either life or morality - that |
| of his world and origins. First were prayers to | | | | "Science" had now proven the Bible to be only a |
| "unknown" forces of nature in fear or hope; then | | | | "story" - that animals were not "created by God and |
| worship of a hierarchy of gods, inhabiting the | | | | man in his image", but that all had evolved by |
| heavens or mountains and controlling thunder, | | | | accidental mutation over eons of time - and man |
| lightning, sun and rain. Mankind's well-being clearly at | | | | from ape! As scientific data also accumulated |
| the mercy of powers beyond his control, or even his | | | | regarding the multi-billions-of-years as the age of |
| understanding, he fell naturally into a role of | | | | Earth - versus six days of Genesis - that seemed to |
| supplicant, the powers to whom he appealed | | | | clinch the matter "scientifically". To the most intelligent |
| becoming embodied as gods, the appeals soon | | | | and educated of mankind, the leaders of society - |
| becoming worship, with rationalized justification of | | | | god had certainly been the creation of mankind. |
| special treatment through sacrifice - of what would | | | | The philosophical controversy over the Bible is as old |
| be considered desirable to humanized gods. Gods | | | | as mankind's ability to observe and think - whether it |
| thus, became the creation of mankind. | | | | contains the "divine" words of "God", creator of the |
| Then came the Hebraic monotheism: one God (the | | | | Universe - or whether inspired mankind itself had |
| Creator) and Ten Commandments for morality; then | | | | conceived an omnipotent, omniscient power (with the |
| derivative religions: Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, etc. | | | | Bible therefore being humanly written). The |
| One God became the widespread Creator of | | | | knowledgeable public's belief in God has waxed and |
| mankind. | | | | waned throughout history, with a strong negative |
| Although content with his theological beliefs, man's | | | | persuasion during recent centuries. This was a natural |
| curiosity and intelligence caused pursuit of | | | | result from the teachings of Copernicus, Galileo, |
| understanding of his world. Aristotle, 350 years BC, | | | | Newton and Darwin, and while a great majority of |
| was first to visualize a sun-centered universe, but his | | | | Americans still are faith-ful believers in God and Bible, |
| seasonal calculations based upon circular planetary | | | | the most literate and educated, the leaders in all |
| orbits were at odds with reality. Ptolemy's | | | | branches of society (excepting theology) are solid in |
| Earth-centered solar system, four centuries later was | | | | their belief in Evolution - and that it has been proven |
| favored by philosophers, however, it wasn't until the | | | | as scientific fact, thus that Bible stories are fictional - |
| 17th century, when Kepler and Brache conceived of | | | | and god was the creation of mankind. |
| elliptical planetary orbits, that our sun-centered solar | | | | The present situation regarding God as the Creator |
| system was finally proven to be accurate and | | | | or the creation of mankind has become intellectually |
| accepted by philosopher-scientists. God was still the | | | | fascinating: on the one hand is the positive mind-set |
| Creator of mankind, but the scientific foundations for | | | | of all the leaders of society: judges, writers, school |
| understanding our world were beginning to be | | | | boards, legislators - riding the wave of |
| established. | | | | secular-progressiveness, with atheistic zeal and |
| Before the 16th century, with education generally | | | | confidence that Darwin-Evolutionism has been |
| limited to church and royalty, the biblical story of | | | | factually proven (teachers who dare to teach |
| creation was a mandatory view by all intelligent | | | | anything but Darwinism are expelled from their |
| mankind - often at peril of death. But then came the | | | | classrooms); on the other hand there is a growing |
| scientific discoveries of Copernicus, Galileo and | | | | body of scientists who dare to challenge this cultural |
| Newton, which progressively demoted "Man" and | | | | wisdom with the conclusions of their research. |
| "Earth" from the "biblical centers of the universe" to a | | | | However, as scientific knowledge has broadened and |
| speck of life, on a speck of a planet, orbiting a minor | | | | deepened in recent decades, it has become evident |
| sun. And with the invention of the printing press, such | | | | that neither case can be proved or disproved (neither |
| secular thinking became widespread. That set the | | | | Darwin-Evolutionism nor Intelligent Design). But with |
| stage for Darwin with his (very creative and plausible) | | | | detailed scientific research has come knowledge of |
| theories: first, a preliminary life form from lightning | | | | the make-up of life, of Amino Acids, of proteins, of |
| striking a pool of inanimate pre-biotic chemical "soup" | | | | DNA and RNA - and with them has come probabilistic |
| on newly formed Earth (four billion years ago); then | | | | analyses and calculations (Ref, Ezine Article: |
| by accidental, but progressive mutations, the | | | | Darwin-Evolutionism - The More We Learn (Amino |
| evolution from simple life forms to vegetable and | | | | Acids, Proteins, DNA), the more Imp(roba/ossi)ble!). |
| animal phyla - along with his theory of "survival of the | | | | This struggle between Darwin-Evolutionism (the |
| fittest" via "natural selection", and his "Descent of | | | | convinced mind-set and cultural wisdom of the |
| Man" - life as we know it today. God was still the | | | | leaders of society) vs Intelligent Design - with a |
| Creator of mankind for the great majority of people, | | | | growing number of courageous scientists daring to |
| however, to the scholarly elite, secular-atheism was | | | | challenge, risking their careers - from the standpoint |
| re-establishing the firm belief that - god had been the | | | | of probabilistic logic, the scientific astronomical odds |
| creation of mankind. | | | | should eventually win out - that a Supreme Being (or |
| Darwin-Evolutionism was pounced upon by | | | | Force) had to have created mankind! |
| secular-atheists, delighted to proclaim that "Man" did | | | | |