We cannot deny that this Universe was created. We are here and this planet is here. We see magnificent snow covered shaggy peak mountains, beautiful blue lakes, lush green meadows, vibrantly gorgeous colors, violent storms and erupting volcanoes. We see an abundance of life in myriad forms and species, all of it in a dynamic, pulsing cycle of interaction. We look to the heavens and see stars. We have instruments that tell us some of these stars are galaxies, consisting of billions of other stars. We are told that there are billions of these galaxies, and that the extent of the Universe has not yet been measured. We are amazed that our sun is a star, consisting of a constant nuclear explosion which is 93 million miles away. We are astonished to learn that this planet has a rotating core, producing a magnetic shield. If it did not have this shield, we and all life on this planet would not exist. The nuclear electromagnetic storm 93 million miles would have stripped all life away, were we not in this protective cocoon of our planet. We keep searching for life on other planets in our Universe, but so far only know that the type of planet on which we exist is the only place we, as this particular form of life, could exist. We are in awe of the vastness and strangeness of our Universe, and of our seeming insignificance in this grand scheme. We keep asking why we are here and where we are going. As long as humans have been humans, these same questions have been asked. The very first indications of art and literature, as evidence that the human species had arrived on this planet, also contained this searching for a reason and a purpose. To their minds, there had to be a reason we were here and some destination for our species. The answers they invented at that time to explain our existence, are still present today, and have become embedded in our religions. With the advent of written language, they are expressed in the language of those religions with little change, even though our God concepts have been evolving. We now have significantly greater understanding of the physical laws of the universe, and the laws of chance. We understand the amount of time that it took for our solar system to develop and for life to develop. We understand how species evolved through a process of natural selection. We know that all suns burn out and either explode or collapse. We know that this event will destroy all life on this planet, if it continues to exist that long. We find no evidence that there is an orderly progression of events in the universe towards a determined end. We find no evidence that life continues, in any form, after death. In spite of this marvelous increase in understanding of our human plight and the condition of the universe, our religions have held fast to their myths. The first and foremost myth that the religions of Abraham begin with is that there is a grand and all-powerful Creator, who began the Universe with a goal in mind. This all-powerful and all-knowing Being has a plan, they say. This Creator is still creating, and is still manipulating events in the Universe to make it conform to His, Her or Its plan. This grand Creator has, they say, has cast humans as major players in this grand scheme for the universe. This Creator, they say, will answer requests on their behalf, against other humans and/or inanimate objects. He, She or It likes humans so much, they say, that He, She or It created us in its own image. This Creator, they think, will grant certain humans who are the most faithful an eternity of pleasure. This Creator, according to them, is totally good. The first and most prominent of these religious myths is that this grand and glorious Creator began this Universe with a purpose in mind. This is a concept we can no longer swallow. About all we can agree with is that this Universe does exist, and that it is still changing. We find no evidence that there has been manipulation of events to conform to some design. We see no evidence that there is progression toward a determined end. All events in the Universe, measured by any criterion we possess, have occurred by random interaction, since the Universe began. The idea that there is an all-powerful force that is above the stage, pulling strings, or behind a curtain, pulling levers, manipulating all life and all objects according to a plan, does not wash. Since there is no evidence for a grand manipulator in this Universe, this concept says more about those that created this God, than the concept itself. It says more about those who continue to adhere to this belief, is spite of evidence to the contrary, than the belief itself. One thing seems certain: Humans are self-centered, as is all other life. We have the need to feel individually important, and collectively be a part of something important. That’s what keeps us going, in spite of frustrations, pain and loss. Our religions prey upon this need with enthusiasm. They tell us that this Grand Creator loves each one of us, and includes each one of us as a part of this scheme to take us to a glorious end, sometime, somewhere. He, She or It will help us along the way, they say, if we simply ask with sufficient reverence, sincerity and fervor. Our egos feed upon this mythology with great acceptance, because it says what we want to hear. It seems certain that, as long as there is human suffering, our religions will have great success propagating this myth. It also seems certain that, as long as there are religious zealots who accept this grand design myth as fact, they will continue to make destructive decisions about their lives, and other lives. It is a mistake to totally decry this mythology. It is wonderful stuff. Our myths add great color to our lives and teach us marvelous moral lessons. Don’t fly too close to the sun with your wax wings, Daedalus, or your wings will melt, and you and Icarus will fall to your deaths. Santa Claus only brings Christmas presents to good little girls and boys. It was the Easter Bunny that left all those colored eggs and chocolates out on the lawn. The Tooth Fairy will leave money under your pillow for your tooth. We love it. We also love our religious myths, and should continue to use them constructively as poetic symbols of our yearning. The key, however, is to realize that these are myths, and not facts. Everything we have learned about our planet and the beginnings of our lives has told us differently. Life began on this planet after 500 million years of violent chemistry on its newly formed crust. It was aided by infusions of amino acids from the multiple asteroids imploding on the surface. Once that life formed, it followed a process of natural selection to eventuate in the human species. There was no intended creation, design or purpose in it. All species eventually die. Ours will too. The rhythm is that of life and death. There is no life eternal. There is only this one unbelievably beautiful and brief life all of us are given. We have only one chance to live it with compassion for all other life, and with deep reverence for our planet home. This is the basis we should use for our ethical decisions, and not that of a grand purpose, available only to a select few true believers, who violently punish those who do not believe in this myth.
