God, Religion, Science, Nature, Culture, and Morality: A Critical Analysis in Plain Talk

By Yemant and Friends

Plain Talk about Us and Our Dealings with the Creator of Everything

Most of us have never bothered to find out why we believe what we believe. Thats especially true for our thoughts and convictions about religion. Perhaps we were otherwise too engaged. Perhaps we simply adopted what our elders and peers appeared to believe. Whatever the case, isnt it time for us all to examine matters of religiosity more carefully? At least wea bunch of retired professors, no longer absorbed by professional dutiesthought the time had come to ponder why we had taken so much for granted.

No, we did not see the need to dive yet deeper into ancient scriptures to find the ultimate truth. We focused, instead, on universal convictions. Why, for instance, do humans around the globe believe in creator gods? Why do they envision kind gods who turn nasty on occasion? And why do most people believe that the gods watch and judge every single one of us, discern merit, and then set our fortunes? Can we really converse with the gods and, if need be, bribe them with good deeds and sacrifices? And finally, why are the gods inclined to grant us life after death? If so, why do we have choices between various forms of self-continuance and recurrent physical existence in other organisms? Given that some religions proclaim resurrection with retained identity whereas others propose alternating reincarnation, how can such discrepant projections be equally true?

But we also examine the behavioral implications of adherence to a religion. Could it be that devotion to a creed empowers in rendering hope, confidence, and contentment? And could such reactivity squelch fear, inspire happiness, and ultimately elevate health and longevity? In these terms, how would those fare who fail to enlist the help of supernatural forces? Is it conceivable that humanity would be better off with religiosity than with secularism in which each individual determines what is good or bad for him or her, what for their communities, and what for the world at large?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Archway Publishing
• Release date: Nov 11, 2014
• ISBN: 9781480811256

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Copyright © 2014 W. Riedle.

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ISBN: 978-1-4808-1124-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4808-1125-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014919467

Archway Publishing rev. date: 11/04/2014

Contents

Preface

Looking Ahead

Chapter 1: The Creation of Everything by Somebody

1a. Vanished and Enduring Tales of Creation

1b. Tracking Down the Origins of Creation Tales

1c. The Time of the Tales’ Inception

Chapter 2: The Science Perspective on the World’s Creation

2a. From a Gravitational Singularity to the Big Bang

2b. Commotion in the Skies and Runaway Galaxies

2c. The Dawn of Atoms and the Matter of Things

Chapter 3 Loose Ends in Primordial Emptiness

3a. An Eye-Blink of Darkness Prior to Know-How

3b. Wise Men’s Visions of a Creator of Everything

3c. Daring Proposals in Persisting Twilight

Chapter 4 The Science Perspective on the Creation of Life

4a. Inconspicuous Beginnings on a Miniature Scale

4b. Sketching the Progression of Evolving Species

4c. Our Kinship with Monkeys and Apes

4d. About Our More Immediate Ancestors

4e. The Coming of Cultured Peoples

4f. The Passage into Modernity

Chapter 5 Loose Ends in Origination and Creationism

5a. Moral and Aesthetic Qualms about Evolution

5b. Remaining Questions about Life’s Inception

5c. Laws, Codes, and Degrees of Freedom

5d. Life’s Irrepressible Strive toward Uncertainty

5e. Inspiring Creativity and the Problem with Isms

Chapter 6 On Getting Personal with the Creator Gods

6a. Bartering with the Mighty Ones for Favors

6b. From Bargaining to Pleading for Favors

6c. The Miracle of Prayer Lost en Route

6d. Gods of Reward and Punishment

6e. Persisting Beliefs in the Power of Prayer

Chapter 7 Hopes, Dreams, Promises, and Glorious Illusions

7a. In Praise of Illusory Objectives

7b. The Promise of Happiness in Paradise

7c. Traveling Uncharted Existences toward Nirvana

7d. Prospecting for Everlasting Life on Earth

Chapter 8 Emergence and Growth of Human Societies

8a. The Rule of the Alpha Male

8b. Societies’ Rulers, their Rules, and the Ruled

8c. Trying to Get a Handle on Lawlessness

Chapter 9 Living with Religions in Contemporary Society

9a. The Gist of Dealing with Commandments

9b. A Question of Conscience

9c. Rationalizations of Morality and Virtue

9d. The Cost of Benefits in Social Justice

Chapter 10 The No-Harm-Done Proposition

10a. Amidst Nagging Doubt and Absolute Certainty

10b. Refuting Doubt and Misinformation

10c. Illusory Reality and the Reality of Illusions

10d. The Larger Picture of Things

Chapter 11 Guidelines from the Ground

11a. Dealing with an Indifferent Creator

11b. Browsing for Rational Directives

11c. Taking Lessons from Mother Nature

Chapter 12 The End of Life in Biological Terms

12a. Death as a Medical and Legal Phenomenon

12b. Putting the Death of Life in Perspective

Preface

OK, OK. So we agreed to stay anonymous to bypass irrational, aggravated, but ultimately futile debate. We reveal only that we are three retired university professors who like to meet to ponder such contentious matters as the creation of the universe, the evolution of life on earth, and in particular, beliefs about the makers of it all, the care they extend to their creations, and their provisions for the continuation of life after the death of human beings. Our discussions seek to discern which of these beliefs have merit and which do not. Broadly accepted and deeply held beliefs that were devised in ancient times and honed throughout the ages are considered and examined in terms of conceptions based on contemporary science.

As a group, we are committed to avoiding esoteric, obscure language and to explaining intricate and often convoluted phenomena in the least technical terms possible. Also, our arguments will be free from the clutter of footnotes and references that tend to destroy the flow of deliberations and impair comprehension. We will sparingly name scholars, scientists, and other public personnel, and then only if the persons in question are widely known. Ideas, theories, and observations that are not part of common discourse will be explained in simple vocabulary. This, at least, is our pledge. In case we fail at one point or another, for clarifying elaboration there is, of course, the internet with its seemingly unlimited storage of all particulars of human wisdom.

Finally, we will make reference to one another by the letter designations AA, BB, CC and merely indicate that AA was active in the natural sciences, BB in the social sciences, and CC in the humanities.

Postscript. As professors formerly, our well-entrenched speaking habits made it difficult to prevent comments from becoming lectures. Additionally, as we sought to make the most of our collective expertise, we worked out a system of mini-lectures with the proviso of liberal interruption for elaboration, disagreement, clarification, and correction. To be acknowledged further is that in our informal meetings we occasionally sputtered and bungled, even lost focus to the point of having to be called to order. We therefore commissioned our colleague BB to weed out all slip-ups. If any should have slipped by, BB is to take the blame. On the other hand, for being overly exacting when we might have been able to express ourselves more colloquially, we are jointly at fault and apologize.

Looking Ahead

Chapter 1 relates a sampling of ancient creation myths from around the globe. The diversity of beliefs in mighty creator gods is highlighted, along with theses gods’ inclination to destroy and restore the earth’s inhabitants and their belongings. Attention is given to the cultural circumstances under which such religious convictions emerged and matured.

Chapter 2 details the materialization of the physical universe in terms of contemporary scientific knowledge. This explanation does not invoke creator gods.

Chapter 3 addresses remaining questions about the initial instigation in the universe’s creation. We scrutinize the argument that a primary agent must have existed to set the scientifically established process of the world’s emergence and growth into motion.

Chapter 4 lays out the evolution of life on earth in considerable detail. Starting with microscopic life forms, it sketches the progression in the complexity of life from plants and archaic animals through more intricate species to the primates, culminating in contemporary humans. Our genetic relationship with the great apes is established, and the emergence of humans is traced from incipient manifestations to modernity. Cultural developments are considered alongside.

Chapter 5 takes issue with objections to the well-established evolutionary progression of life on earth. The genetic mechanics of the evolutionary process are articulated. Suggested alternatives to evolution, such as the insistence on spontaneous creation of species, are deemed assertions without empirical basis.

Chapter 6 turns to the essentials of living world-religious across the Eastern-Western divide. Focus is on the universal beliefs in creator and ruler gods. Human efforts at gaining favors from benevolently inclined gods are examined. Analogous efforts at appeasing ill-willed gods are considered. Further scrutinized is the universal assumption that gods can be reached and influenced. Attention is given to ritual sacrifice as well as to bartering and pleading with the gods. In this context, the effectiveness of prayers is questioned, especially in light of readily attainable evidence of their futility.

The complementing universal is the religion-conveyed belief that the gods observe all humans, judge their conduct in terms of religion-imposed commandments, and then administer rewards and punishments commensurate with these humans’ obedient or defiant actions. As such a belief system amounts to self-administered behavior control, it is given much attention.

Chapter 7 addresses the ultimate religious universal, namely the projections of a continuance of life after death. Visions differ, however, in the specifics of the proposed perpetuation. The Eastern, Dharmic religions suggest survival in a chain of other living beings. The Western, Abrahamic religions suggest a detainment of individual identity but in a transformed nonphysical existence. However, whether the belief is in reincarnation or resurrection, religions have made provisions that those who lived within the dogma will reap benefits whereas those who failed to comply will be severely punished. The merits of such a behavior-directing belief system are ascertained in some detail.

Chapter 8 examines human interactivity in tribal societies. It seeks to determine the implications of governance by religion-based behavior guidelines in comparison with those of governance devoid of intervention from religious doctrines.

Chapter 9 applies this comparison to contemporary, modern societies. The analysis focuses on individual behavior control as a function of belief systems. The key question is whether societies would be better off with a religious citizenry that follows their dogma-based conscience than with so-called secular citizens that self-construct their conscience and act accordingly. The derivation of behavior guidance by purely rationalistic means is analyzed and contrasted with concepts of morality, social justice, and virtue adopted from religious teachings. The possibility that religious ethics, despite unfunded expectations of ultimate blessings, might produce superior communal welfare is examined.

Chapter 10 explores the justification of suppressing doubts about religious projections of gods’ support of virtuous humans during their lifetime and thereafter. In focus are the demonstrable mental and physical benefits from steadfast believing, regardless of how illusory these beliefs may be.

Chapter 11 surveys the prospects of living without beliefs in primarily benevolent gods. As creator gods are deemed indifferent to all individual beings, it falls upon humans to construct their own moral directives. The pitfalls in doing that are considered. But our evolutionary heritage is thought to hold the clues for joyful, rewarding living. As we are equipped with keen anticipation, sensitive emotions, and advanced intellect, it is suggested that these faculties should guide us in securing personal pleasures and satisfaction—even without unduly impairing others who seek like experiences.

Chapter 12, finally, inspects the vulnerability of the human body and its unavoidable demise. The continuous cycle of life and death is outlined, with its uptake of matter for the construction of new life and the passing-on of matter by fading life to support further new life. In these terms, life, a grant from nature, is seen as a time-restricted window of opportunity. In pursuing gratifications and eluding adversities, individuals are invited to make the most of this fortuitous situation. But hoping for an extension of life is deemed futile. On the other hand, those who manage to give credence to an afterlife may find themselves less traumatized by the inadequacies of their earthbound existence.

ONE

The Creation of Everything by Somebody

BB: Let me try, then, to get our discussion under way.

Our first task is to make sense of what, at the dawn of humanity, people must have felt and thought to come up with the idea that the environment in which they found themselves, along with all its creatures, had to have been crafted by supernatural beings. Surely, as common humans did not display such crafting skills, beings with powers far above and beyond those of humans had to be imagined. Mighty beings of seemingly unlimited creative capacity were envisioned, and all facets of the world were thought the result of their actions. Could it be that humans literally invented creative gods in this manner? Or could preexisting gods, at one time or another, simply have revealed themselves to inquisitive humans on earth?

As CC is knowledgeable in these matters, CC can tell us how creation beliefs came about and how emerging religions helped shape human societies and cultures.

1a. Vanished and Enduring Tales of Creation

CC: Alright, I will try to give you an overview. But as we cannot possibly consider all existing creation stories, I have to limit myself to presenting a rather small sampling of these stories. Given that restriction, I shall sample stories from around the globe in order to convey a sense of these stories’ great diversity in imagination and causal conception. And let me caution you right now. Some of these creation stories sound unbelievable and even may strike you as ludicrous. But whatever your immediate reaction may be, hold your thoughts and comments for our later analysis and debate.

Let me start with one of the oldest recorded creation stories. It comes from Egypt and dates back to the so-called Old Kingdom around the year 2,500 before the Common Era—meaning before the birth of Christ.

This creation myth commences with the description of a borderless expanse of sea devoid of life. For the very first time the sun is rising above the sea. A god Ra, believed to have existed in the primal waters as an inert potential being, now comes to life. He is joined by a group of primordial gods that come to partake in creating all the land and its inhabitants.

A unique, esoteric god is Atum. This god is believed to have created himself by way of masturbation. It is said that he transformed himself from a single elementary being to the multiplicity of his godly existence. After re-engendering himself in this manner, he went on to sire additional gods. Moreover, he generated yet other deities, one by sneezing and the other by spitting. The two thusly created ones then coupled to produce further deities, in particular one god and one goddess.

Despite ample rivalry and hostility among the various gods, they cooperated in fashioning the world from the initial deluge. A pyramid-shaped mount is said to have emerged first from the waters, with the sun rising exactly above this mount. But stories differ on the specifics of the sunrise. It is reported that the sun came out of a lotus flower, a scarab beetle, a heron, or a child, among other things.

Whatever one cares to make of these rather incredulous godly powers, much of the Egyptian creation myth reflects significant natural circumstances. The river Nile seasonally flooded the Old Kingdom, and the people must have witnessed the receding waters with pyramid-like mounds emerging slowly. They also must have noticed the creation-like explosive growth of plants and animals after the thorough watering of the desert soil. It appears that the people’s observations entered into and shaped their visions of the creation of their environment.

BB: Just a quick comment, CC. I noticed that all gods in this account of creation are human or, at least, have human features. I mean that these gods and goddesses are not composites or admixtures of human and nonhuman characteristics, such as men with lion paws and dragon heads or women with wings. I take it that this adherence to human features is atypical. And my question to you is whether it might reflect the great age of this myth? Or put differently, should we expect that later creation myths entail greater elaboration of god figures? Like hybrids, such as the minotaur that combines a man’s body with the head of a bull, or the griffin that integrates the body of a lion with the head and the wings of an eagle, or perhaps even more fantastic awesome creatures?

CC: No, BB, not at all. I think it has little to do with the age of the myth. We will get to Hindu myths that are especially old and have highly adorned and only partly human gods in them. And comparatively speaking, rather young religions, Islam in particular, have no visual representation of god and actually do not allow any such portrayal.

Be patient, BB! We will get to these creation accounts and analyze the differences.

BB: I also noticed that the Egyptian story put the existence of water, air, and the sun before the emergence of the creator gods. Well, the dormant one was there but in no position to create the water in which he rested prior to becoming a god. Isn’t this contradictory?

CC: You can see it that way. But this situation is not unique. In other creation stories the universe also predates its creators. Please hold off on this until we have learned about alternatives. Later we can compare.

BB: Sorry.

CC: I will now turn to the oldest active world religion, Hinduism. This religion dates back to the Iron Age in India, close to the year 3,000 before the Common Era.

Holy scriptures and hymns relate various creation stories. In one of them, a huge cosmic man named Purusha is sacrificed by the gods. Specifically, this primeval giant was dismembered. His mind was used to create the moon, his eyes the sun, his breath the wind, and his skull the heavens. Other parts were used for different purposes. And there were plenty of other parts. Purusha had thousand heads and thousand feet.

In connection with his sacrifice, the first holy chants were conceived. Also, the cows and the horses were formed. But the most astounding part is that the caste system of Hinduism was fashioned. The uppermost caste, the preachers and scholars, was made from Purusha’s mouth; the second caste, the warriors and administrators, from his arms; the third caste, the merchants and land owners, from his thighs; and the lowest caste, workers and servants, from his feet. But Purusha found a way to survive it all. He oozed out female reproductive parts, fertilized them, and was reborn. His fate thereafter seems to be unknown, however.

BB: Exceedingly colorful!

CC: Yes, it is. But there are less colorful, sober tales, too.

Let me summarize another truly ancient account from the Hindu scriptures. These texts, verses, and hymns are up to 5,000 years old. They were initially passed on, from generation to generation, by word of mouth in prose, chants, and songs. But they were written down eventually.

Surprisingly, the key concept of Hindu religion, namely reincarnation, surfaces already in these extremely old stories about the creation of the universe or, more accurately, about the creation of innumerable universes.

The present world, it is said, is not the first, nor the last, nor the only universe. The story contends that there always will be a great many universes. The number of past and future universes is estimated to be greater than the number of drops of water in the river Ganges. Universes thus come and go, seemingly forever. They were originally made by the Creator Lord Brahma. A god Vishnu is commissioned with their preservation, a god Shiva with their destruction. As universes have to be destroyed before they can be recreated, god Shiva functions as both the destroyer and re-creator. The three gods are part of the Supreme One, who is said to be behind and beyond everything.

After a universe is destroyed, only a vast ocean is left. Floating in it, and sitting on a huge snake, is god Vishnu. A lotus flower springs from his navel, and from the flower emerges god Brahma, the creator of all. It is told that he felt lonely and split himself in two to create a man and a woman. Then he became one again and created humans. Thereafter he crafted both genders of the largest mammals and the smallest insects.

Alternative stories assert that everything came from Lord Brahma’s body. All animals and people came from his mouth, arms, thighs, and feet.

The duration of a universe is said to be beyond imagination. For Lord Brahma, one day is longer than four-thousand million years. Every time he sleeps, the world is destroyed. But every time he is awake, it is newly created. And after Lord Brahma has lived a lifetime within a universe, god Shiva will destroy it completely. Everything is absorbed by the Supreme One, however. For unimaginable periods of time, only water and chaos exist. Floating on a vast ocean, god Vishnu will appear. He will bring Lord Brahma back to life. A new universe will be molded into existence, and the cycle of death and rebirth will continue forever.

AA: Amazing! I am fascinated with this conception of universes in never ending succession, with some pauses in between. I did not realize how far back this idea goes. It brings to mind some rather speculative conceptions of contemporary physics. Coming out of quantum mechanics—the branch of physics dealing with exceedingly small particles, such as photons and electrons—there are theories that project multiple universes. They are thought to exist in bunches, side by side or atop of one another, rather than one following the other.

CC: Most intriguing! But I presume that these suggestions are unrelated to religion.

Actually, AA, the idea of sequences of universes has come up in other religions also. We will encounter those conceptions when we look at Aztec creation stories.

But let me first finish up with Hinduism. There are yet other creation accounts. Some of them allow, even invite, highly non-definitive explanations. One of these open, nonrestrictive approaches comes from the Rig Veda, which is a part of the oldest scriptures. It expresses the creation concept in questions rather than in answers. Here is a portion of the text.

Who really knows?

Who will here proclaim it?

Where is this creation?

The gods came afterwards, with the creation of this universe.

Who then knows whence it has arisen?

The only definitive statement in this set of questions asserts that the universe predated the gods. By implication, the gods came too late for lending a hand to the creation. We thus might be inclined to ask: Who really knows how the gods got into the universe at so late a time?

Other translations have expressed the great uncertainty about creation and its creator in statement form.

None can know from where creation has arisen,

And whether he (god) has or has not produced it.

He who surveys it in the highest heavens,

He alone knows—or perhaps does not know.

It seems that the uncertainty is deliberately expressed and thus accepted. Apparently, even he (god) does not necessarily know how the universes or he himself came about.

BB: Hey, hey, CC! You called me to order earlier. Now you yourself started interpreting and discussing the matter.

CC: So sorry, BB! Got carried away. It won’t happen again.

Well, let me move on to another creation myth.

In order to get a better sense of common ground in visions of creation, but also to discern critical differences between them, I will jump across the globe to Central America. The Aztecs and related Nahua peoples lived in what is now a part of Mexico. Their religious beliefs and traditions are nowhere near as old as those of Hinduism, but oddly they do share the conception of multiple universes.

The Aztecs’ myth projects the creation of a string of five universes. A group of gods created the first four universes and then destroyed them in cataclysmic actions. The fifth universe is the present one, created and maintained by the premier god Ometeotl. This god of dualities was both male and female, good and evil, fire and water, harsh and forgiving, and cheerful and sinister. He/she gave birth to four children who became gods of the four cardinal directions. The east god ruled light and wind. The south god powered the wars. The west god controlled spring time, farming, and gold. And the north god ruled the earth and the night, and exercised power over sorcery and deceit, among a few other things.

The four direction gods eventually brought numerous other gods into being. These gods created all there is on earth. One interesting aspect of their creative efforts is a high failure rate. Items in the making often fell into the waters down below, where they were snapped up by a giant earth crocodile. The gods learned quickly, however, to bypass this problem. They noticed that there were no mishaps when they had behaved destructively, and they therefore adopted a cycle of destruction before creation.

Some gods seem to have been put in charge of safeguarding others’ creations. There was,