Friday, August 31, 2007

A Couple Questions

A Couple Questions

I was asked a couple of questions that I answered below. I thought this might be interesting to you.

Question one: Why do you seem to question a religion that our entire system of time is based on the death of Christ?

Question two: In your work you mention that many of the evil acts committed by people are supported in the Bible and by the vengeful and violent acts of God. Can you back up this claim with evidence of the scriptures that would do this?

Where did the calendar for BC and AD come from?

Answer: Pope Gregory XIII was born in 1502 and died in 1585. He carried out the reform of the Julian calendar. In 1582 he issued a decree dropping 10 days from the calendar which is now known as the Gregorian Calendar and today it serves as an international standard for civil use. In addition, it regulates the ceremonial cycle of the Christian Churches. In fact, its original purpose was ecclesiastical. However, this calendar still requires intercalation (inserting). There must be a leap day or a leap second at times in order to bring the calendar back into sync with the vernal equinox. Although a variety of other calendars are in use today, they are restricted to particular religions or cultures. The start of this calendar at the death of Christ was nothing more than a guess, as there was no evidence or record of the date in any historical or biblical account.


Here are pages and pages of examples of a not so loving god and a not so holy bible that teaches people not to be so good...


According to the Bible, if any of your loved ones talk of serving other gods what should you do?

Answer: (You must kill them.) “If your brother, the son of your father or of your mother, or your son or daughter, or the spouse whom you embrace, or your most intimate friend, tries to secretly seduce you, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods,’ unknown to you or your ancestors before you, whether near you or far away, anywhere throughout the world, you must not consent, you must not listen to him; you must show him no pity, you must not spare him or conceal his guilt. No, you must kill him, your hand must strike the first blow in putting him to death and the hands of the rest of the people following. You must stone him to death, since he has tried to divert you from Yahweh your God… (Deuteronomy 13:7-11)


Savagely beating another person with a weapon is a sin, unless you stop just before your victim dies and the victim is:

Answer: (Either one of your servants or your own child.) “And if a man smite his servant, or his maid, with a rod, and he die under his hand; he shall be surely punished. Notwithstanding, if he continue a day or two, he shall not be punished: for he is his money” (Exodus 21:20-21). “Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell” (Proverbs 23:13-14).


Killing someone is a sin unless your victim is:

Answer: A Wicca -- (A Wicca is a person in an Indian religion that worships nature), a stranger who has the nerve to approach you, or a virgin in the city. “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live” (Exodus 22:1). “But those that encamp before the tabernacle toward the east, even before the tabernacle of the congregation eastward, shall be Moses, and Aaron and his sons, keeping the charge of the sanctuary for the charge of the children of Israel; and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death” (Numbers 3:3). “If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed unto an husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her; Then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city; and the man, because he hath humbled his neighbour’s wife: so thou shalt put away evil from among you” (Deuteronomy 22:23-24).


What words can earn you a one-way ticket straight to Satan's lair?

Answer: (Calling someone a fool) "But I say unto you, That whosoever shall be angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall surely be in danger of hell fire" (Matthew 5:22).


How does God kill people that complain?

Answer: (Burns them to death.) “And when the people complained, it displeased the Lord: and the Lord heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the Lord burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp” (Numbers 11:1).


How many men did God kill because someone decided to peek into the ark of the Lord?

Answer: (50,070) “And he smote the men of Bethshemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the Lord, even he smote of the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten men: and the people lamented, because the Lord had smitten many of the people with a great slaughter” (1 Samuel 6:19).


How many men did Moses kill in one day because they failed to say they supported God?

Answer: (3,000) “Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the Lord's side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him. And he said unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbor. And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men” (Exodus 32:26-28 ).


How many Israelites did God deliver to the people of Judah to slaughter?

Answer: (Half a million) “Then the men of Judah gave a shout: and as the men of Judah shouted, it came to pass, that God smote Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. And the children of Israel fled before Judah: and God delivered them into their hand. And Abijah and his people slew them with a great slaughter: so there fell down slain of Israel five hundred thousand chosen men. Thus the children of Israel were brought under at that time, and the children of Judah prevailed, because they relied upon the Lord God of their fathers”
(2 Chronicles 13:15-18 ).


Notwithstanding the above, how many people of Judah were once killed or enslaved because they didn’t give God his due?

Answer: (120,000 valiant men were killed and 200,000 women and children were taken as slaves (not to mention the theft of property.)) “For Pekah the son of Remaliah slew in Judah an hundred and twenty thousand in one day, which were all valiant men; because they had forsaken the Lord God of their fathers. . . . And the children of Israel carried away captive of their brethren two hundred thousand, women, sons, and daughters, and took also away much spoil from them” (2 Chronicles 28:6-8 ).



How many Ethiopians did God kill for His chosen people?

Answer: (One million) “And Asa had an army of men . . . And there came out against them Zera the Ethiopian with an host of a thousand thousand . . . Asa cried unto the Lord his God, and said Lord, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power, help us, O Lord our God . . . So the Lord smote the Ethiopians” (2 Chronicles 14:8-12). How many soldiers did God burn to death with fire from Heaven because they confronted Elijah? Answer: (150 (three sets of 50)) “And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty. Again also he sent unto him another captain . . . And Elijah answered and said unto them, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume thee and thy fifty. And the fire of God came from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty . . . And he sent again a captain of the third fifty . . . Behold, there came fire down from heaven, and burnt up the two captains of the former fifties with their fifties” (2 Chronicles 1:10-14).


Speaking of God’s chosen people, how many kings were maimed in God’s name?

Answer: (70 had their thumbs and big toes cut off.) “And they found Abonibezek in Bezek: and they fought against him, and they slew the Canaanites and Perizzites. But Abonibezek fled; and they pursued after him and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his great toes. And Abonibezek said, Threescore and ten kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered their meat under my table: as I have done, so God hath requited me” (Judges 1:5-7).


How many people did God kill in one day for having premarital sex?

Answer: (23,000) "Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand" (1 Corinthians 10:8 ).


After God brought the Israelites out of Egypt, how many of their own people did they kill, at God's behest, for declining to give God His due?

Answer: (3,000 spouses and siblings in a single day) "Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the Lord's side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him. And he said unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbor. And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men" (Exodus 32:26-28 ).


How many Israelites did God kill to punish David for counting them?

Answer: (70,000 people through pestilence) "And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel, And David said to Joab and to the rulers of the people, Go, number Israel from Beersheba even to Dan; and bring the number of them to me, that I may know it. . . . And God was displeased with this thing; therefore he smote Israel. . . . So the Lord sent pestilence upon Israel: and there fell of Israel seventy thousand men" (1 Chronicles 21:1-14). How many people did God slaughter in a plague because they had the audacity to question the judgment of Moses and Aaron? Answer: (14,700, plus 250 He burned to death with fire) "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Get you up from among this congregation, that I may consume them as in a moment. And they fell upon their faces. . . . and, behold, the plague was begun among the people . . . Now they that died in the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, beside them that died about the matter of Korah" (Numbers 16:44-49). "And there came out a fire from the Lord, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense" (Numbers 16:35).


How many Israelites did God slaughter in a plague for some men having sex with the daughters of Moab?

Answer: (24,000) "And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab. And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods. And Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel. . . . And those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand" (Numbers 25:1-9).


How many members of other races and tribes did the Lord deliver to be slaughtered by Israel because he favored the Israelites and was prejudiced against other tribes?

Answer: (10,000 Canaanites and Perizzites and 10,000 Moabites to name a few) "And Judah went up; and the Lord delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand: and they slew of them in Bezek ten thousand men" (Judges 1:4). "And he said unto them, Follow after me: for the Lord hath delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand. And they went down after him, and took the fords of Jordan toward Moab, and suffered not a man to pass over. And they slew of Moab at that time about ten thousand men, all lusty, and all men of valour; and there escaped not a man" (Judges 3:28-29). Etc.


How many Assyrians did God kill after their king and his servants made fun of God?

Answer: (185,000) "And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord. . . . And Isaiah said unto them, Thus shall ye say unto your master, Thus saith the Lord, Be not afraid of the words that thou hast heard, wherewith the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. . . . Then the angel of the Lord went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses" (Isaiah 37:1-36)


How many Israelites did God threaten to kill when the tribe abandoned Him?

Answer: (90 percent of the population of each community) "Hear ye this word which I take up against you, even a lamentation, O house of Israel. The virgin of Israel is fallen; she shall no more rise: she is forsaken upon her land; there is none to raise her up. For thus saith the Lord God; the City that went out by a thousand shall leave an hundred, and that which went forth by an hundred shall have ten, to the house of Israel" (Amos 5:1-3)."


When God became particularly disgusted with the sin of man, how many beings did He kill?

Answer: (Every living thing (children and unborn children included) on the face of the earth (except those few residing on an ark)) "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. . . . And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man: all in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died" (Genesis 6:5-7:22).


What punishment did God say is mandatory for an unruly child?

Answer: (Stoning To Death) "And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard. And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die" (Deuteronomy 21:20-21). "For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death" (Mark 7:10). "And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death" (Exodus 21:15). "And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death (Exodus 21:17)."


What is God's punishment for women who wear showy jewelry and clothing?

Answer: (Ugliness, misery and death) "In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon. The chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers, The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the earrings, The rings, and nose jewels. The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping pins, The glasses, and the fine linen, and the hoods, and the vails. And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle a rent; and instead of well set hair baldness; and instead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth; and burning instead of beauty. Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy might in the war. And her gates shall lament and mourn: and she being desolate shall sit upon the ground" (Isaiah 3:17-26).


By the time God gets through with his killing spree, how many dead will there be?

Answer: (Enough to cover the entire surface of the Earth.) “And the slain of the Lord shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried, they shall be dung upon the ground” (Jeremiah 25:33).


Failing to engage in which of the following acts of retribution can yield permanent residence in flames?

Answer: (Failing to amputate body parts involved in sinful acts) "And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched. . . . And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched. . . . And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire" (Mark 9:43-47; see also Matthew 5:29-30; 18:8-9; Luke 20:46-47).


How does God punish sinners with dung?

Answer: (He treats them like dogs, smearing feces on their faces.”) “If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the Lord of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart. Behold, I will corrupt your seed, and spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your solemn feasts; and one shall take you away with it” (Malachi 2:2-3).


In a single passage, how does the Bible say God will handle sinners?

Answer: “And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung” (Zephaniah 1:17).


To a True Christian, what is the equivalent of dung?

Answer: (Everything in the world other than knowledge of Jesus, including all other loving relationships.) “Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ” (Philippians 3:8 ).


How many animals did Solomon kill in a sacrifice to please the Lord?

Answer: (120,000 sheep and 22,000 oxen) “And Solomon offered a sacrifice of peace offering, which he offered unto the Lord, two and twenty thousand oxen, and an hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the children of Israel dedicated the house of the Lord” (1 Kings 8:63).


Which of the following are among God’s methods of punishing those who break His commandments?

Answer: (You name it, it’s depending on His mood.) “But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments…I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes…I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children, and destroy your cattle” (Leviticus 26:14-22). “If thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments…The Lord will smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish…The Lord will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed. The Lord shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart” (Deuteronomy 28:15-28 ).


How does God handle people who make Him jealous by having a religion different than ours?

Answer: “They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up...And he said...They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God; they have provoked me to anger...For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains. I will heap mischiefs upon them; I will spend mine arrows upon them. They shall be burnt with hunger, and devoured with burning heat, and with bitter destruction: I will also send the teeth of beasts upon them, with the poison of serpents of the dust. The sword without, and terror within, shall destroy both the young man and the virgin, the suckling also with the man of gray hairs” (Deuteronomy 32:17-25). “Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel” (Psalms 2:8 ).


How does God prefer to torture those who somehow become enemies of His chosen people?

Answer: (All kinds of ways.) “God brought him forth out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn: he shall eat up the nations of his enemies, and shall break their bones, and pierce them through with his arrows” (Numbers 24:8 ). “Moreover the Lord thy God will send the hornet among them, until they that are left, and hide themselves from thee, be destroyed. Thou shalt not be affrighted at them: for the Lord thy God is among you, a mighty God and terrible” (Deuteronomy 7:20-21). “And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood” (Isaiah 49:26).


How does God kill those who vacation in Egypt?

Answer: (Take your pick.) “And now therefore hear the word of the Lord, ye remnant of Judah; Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; If you wholly set your faces to enter into Egypt, and go to sojourn there; Then it shall come to pass, that the sword, which ye feared, shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine, whereof ye were afraid, shall follow close after you there in Egypt; and there ye shall die. So shall it be with all the men that set their faces to go into Egypt to sojourn there; they shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: and none of them shall remain or escape from the evil that I will bring upon them” (Jeremiah 42:15-17).


When a community’s sins really make God mad, how does God find comfort?

Answer: (One of any several ways.) “Wherefore, as I live, saith the Lord God; Surely, because thou hast defiled my sanctuary with all thy detestable things, and with all thine abominations, therefore will I also diminish thee; neither shall mine eye spare, neither will I have any pity. A third part of thee shall die with the pestilence, and with famine shall they be consumed in the midst of thee: and a third part shall fall by the sword round about thee; and I will scatter a third part into all the winds, and I will draw out a sword after them. Thus shall mine anger be accomplished, and I will cause my fury to rest upon them, and I will be comforted” (Ezekiel 5:11-13).


Whom does God slaughter when He gets jealous because a community is worshiping someone else?

Answer: (It all depends on who you are.) “Samaria shall become desolate; for she hath rebelled against her God: they shall fall by the sword: their infants shall be dashed in pieces, and their women with child shall be ripped up” (Hosea 13:16).


How does God punish promiscuous folks, like men who have sex with both their wives and mothers-in-law and the daughters of priests who sleep around?

Answer: (He has them all burned with fire.) “And if a man take a wife and her mother, it is wickedness: they shall be burnt with fire, both he and they; that there be no wickedness among you” (Leviticus 20:14). “And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the whore, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire” (Leviticus 21:9).


In Jesus’ time, how did the Trinity deal with nonbelievers?

Answer: (He had one eaten by worms and struck another one blind) “And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost” (Acts 12:23). “But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith. Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him. And said, O full of all subtlety and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand” (Acts 13:8-11).


What punishment does God mandate for anyone with a different religion?

Answer: (Death of the nonbeliever (man and woman, great and small) and everyone in the community.) “He that sacrificeth unto any god, save unto the Lord only, he shall be utterly destroyed” (Exodus 22:20). “If thou shalt hear say . . . Certain men . . . saying, Let us go and serve other gods . . . Thou shalt surely smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, destroying it utterly, and all that is therein, and the cattle thereof, with the edge of the sword” (Deuteronomy 13:12-15). “That whosoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman” (2 Chronicles 15:13).


How did Jesus punish those with different religions?

Answer: (He took their speech, had worms eat them, and had others kill them.) “And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak . . . because thou believest not my words” (Luke 1:20). “And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost” (Acts 12:23). “But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me” (Luke 19:27).


How has God punished those who have no knowledge of him?

Answer: (He has sent lions to maul the ignorant to death.) “Wherefore they spake to the king of Assyria, saying, The nations which thou hast removed, and placed in the cities of Samaria, know not the manner of the God of the land: therefore he hath sent lions among them, and, behold, they slay them, because they know not the manner of the God of the land” (2 Kings 17:26).


How should we punish whore-committing nonbelievers in a manner that will reduce God’s otherwise unrelenting wrath?

Answer: (Kill them, and hang their heads against the sun for God to view.) “And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab. . . . and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel. And the Lord said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before the Lord against the sun, that the fierce anger of the Lord may be turned away from Israel” (Numbers 25:1-4)


What is God’s punishment for adultery?

Answer: (Kill the man and the woman) “If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away evil from Israel” (Deuteronomy 22:22).


How did God punish a man who kept the Ark of the Covenant from falling off its cart and being damaged?


Answer: (God smote him dead.) “And when they came to Nachon’s threshingfloor [sic], Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God” (2 Samuel 6:6-7; see also 1 Chronicles 13:9-10).


What is the punishment for someone who anoints a stranger with holy oil?

Answer: (They are to be banished all the people.) “This shall be an [sic] holy anointing oil unto me throughout your generations. . . . Whosoever compoundeth any like it, or whosoever putteth any of it upon a stranger, shall even be cut off from his people” (Exodus 30:31-33). People of what religions are going to burn forever as Satan stabs their behinds with pitchforks for eternity? Answer: (Jews, Moslems, Hindus, Buddhists, Agnostics, and everyone else who is not “Christian”) "He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God" (John 3:18 ). "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved: but he that believeth not shall be damned" (Mark 16:16).


What type of blasphemy yields eternal damnation?

Answer: (You can be forgiven for blaspheming Jesus, but blaspheming the Holy Ghost will not be forgiven and begins your descent into the fiery abyss) "Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come" (Matthew 12:31-32; see also Mark 3:28-29; Luke 12:10).


Who among the following think they're going to Heaven but will wind up in Hell instead?

Answer: (All those who are “saved” and then continue to sin, All those that do not do the will of God) "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 7:21).


People who experience which of the following cannot experience God's love?

Answer: (Pleasures of the flesh or that have not died to self) "For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God" (Romans 8:6-8 ); see also Galatians 6:8 ).


Which of the following insincere acts results in damnation of your soul?

Answer: (Eating bread and drinking wine unworthily) "Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. . . . For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body" (1 Corinthians 11:27-29).


What is God's punishment of those who overeat?

Answer: (Death by plague) "And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails: he that gathered least gathered ten homers: and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp. And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord smote the people with a very great plague" (Numbers 11:32-33). "The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel" (Psalms 78:31).


What did Jesus say happens to those who have premarital sex?

Answer: (They cannot enter Heaven so they must wind up in Hell) "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God" (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).


What is the punishment for a single mother having a boy out of wedlock?

Answer: (The woman may not be punished but the child and his descendants will go straight to Hell) "A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord: even to his tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the Lord" (Deuteronomy 23:2).


What has God done in the past to children who make fun of unattractive people?

Answer: (God sent bears to maul all the children to death) "And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head. And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them" (2 Kings 2:23-24).


What punishment did God promise for promiscuous women?

Answer: (His followers will cut off their noses and ears, burn them in fire, take away their children and strip them naked) "And I will set my jealousy against thee, and they shall deal furiously with thee: they shall take away thy nose and thine ears; and thy remnant shall fall by the sword: they shall take thy sons and thy daughters; and thy residue shall be devoured by the fire. They shall also strip thee out of thy clothes, and take away thy fair jewels. Thus will I make thy lewdness to cease from thee, and thy whoredom brought from the land of Egypt: so that thou shalt not lift up thine eyes unto them, nor remember Egypt any more" (Ezekiel 23:25-27). "And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the whore, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire (Leviticus 21:9)."


What does God demand happen to those couples who have sex during the woman's time of the month?

Answer: (They are to be banished from society and not permitted to interact with people) "And if a man shall lie with a woman having her sickness, and shall uncover her nakedness; he hath discovered her fountain, and she hath uncovered the fountain of her blood: and both of them shall be cut off from among their people." Leviticus (20:18 ).


What punishment does God mandate for a man who rapes a virgin?

Answer: (The rapist must pay the father 50 shekels of silver and his victim and him shall be married) "If a man finds a damsel that is a virgin, which is not betrothed, and lay a forcible hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found; Then the man that lay with her shall give unto the damsel's father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife; because he hath humbled her, he may not put her away all his days Deuteronomy 22:28-29)."


What did Jesus do to those who failed to sell all their possessions and give every dime to the Lord?

Answer: (Jesus struck them dead) "But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet. But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? . . . And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things. . . . Then fell [Sapphira] straightway at [Peter's] feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband." Acts (5:1-10).


Why are some people blind, deaf, dumb or handicapped in some other way?

Answer: (These deficiencies are deliberately inflicted on some people by God) "And the Lord said unto [Moses], Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the Lord ?" (Exodus 4:11). "And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season" (Luke 1:20).


Who do you have to hate in order to be a disciple of Christ?

Answer: (It is very important that you hate your father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, and even yourself, if you are going to follow Jesus.) “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26; see also Mark 10:29-30; Luke 18:29-30).


What does the Bible say about a woman's role in the church?

Answer: (A woman is never to open her mouth in church. She has nothing valuable to say and should limit her participation to asking her husband to explain things to her) "Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church" (1 Corinthians 14:34-35).


What does the Bible say about a woman's role in the educational process?

Answer: (Women should never be teachers because they are easily deceived) "Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression" (1 Timothy 2:11-14).


According to the Bible is a wife permitted to follow her own conscience?

Answer: (No, a woman must obey her husband in all matters at all times) "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their husbands in every thing" (Ephesians 5:22-24). "But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God" (1 Corinthians 11:3). "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord" (Colossians 3:18 ).


In God's eyes, according to the Bible, who is worth more, women or men?

Answer: (God expressly says men are worth more, and actually provides dollar amounts proving this) "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When a man shall make a singular vow, the persons shall be for the Lord by thy estimation. And thy estimation shall be of the male from twenty years old even unto sixty years old, even thy estimation shall be fifty shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary. And if it be a female, then thy estimation shall be thirty shekels. And if it be from a month old even unto five years old, then thy estimation shall be of the male five shekels of silver, and for the female thy estimation shall be three shekels of silver. And if it be from sixty years old and above, if it be a male, then thy estimation shall be fifteen shekels, and for the female, ten shekels" (Leviticus 27:1-7)


What are the requirements for a woman's physical appearance?

Answer: (A woman must dress modestly and refrain from wearing expensive jewelry and a woman should wear her hair long) "In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array" (1 Timothy 2:9). "But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering" (1 Corinthians 11:15).


Can you trust a woman's promises or guarantees?

Answer: (No, because women are deceitful and manipulative and because a woman's promise is null and void if her husband disapproves of it) "And I find more bitter than death the woman, whose heart is snares and nets, and her hands as bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her" (Ecclesiastes 7:26). "But if her husband hath utterly made them void on the day he heard them; then whatsoever proceeded out of her lips concerning her vows, or concerning the bond of her soul, shall not stand: her husband hath made them void; and the Lord shall not forgive her" (Numbers 30:12).


In times of war, what is God's plight for women in the captured areas?

Answer: (While the men are to be killed, the women are to be taken as slaves. Pretty women are to become the wives of conquering men who find them attractive. Women in places the Lord gives His chosen people as an inheritance are to be killed along with every other living thing) "And when the Lord thy God hath delivered [a city] into thine hands, thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword: But the women, and the little ones . . . shalt thou take unto thyself . . . But of the cities of these people, which the Lord thy God doth give thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth" (Deuteronomy 20:13-16). "When thou goest forth to war against thine enemies . . . And seest among the captives a beautiful woman, and hast a desire unto her, that thou wouldest have her to thy wife; Then thou shalt bring her home to thine house . . . thou shalt go in unto her, and be her husband, and she shall be thy wife" (Deuteronomy 21:10-13).


Murdering your own child is a sin, unless your child…

Answer: (Unless your child cursed at you, had spiritual beliefs other than Christianity, or was killed in the name of Jesus) “And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death” (Exodus 21:17). “If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods…thou shalt surely kill him; thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people. And thou shalt stone him with stones, that he die” (Deuteronomy 13:6-10). “And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved” (Matthew 10:21-22).


Self-mutilation is a sin unless it is done in the name of …

Answer: (unless it is done in the name of the Lord and to punish the body through self denial) “I pommel my body and subdue it” (1 Corinthians 9:27).

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

The Simple Truth About This

The Simple Truth About This

Just after graduation from college my mind really started stirring for wanting to understand what religion was all about. Was it something that people had cultivated or was there something to it? When I was younger and growing up I somehow believed that, although I did not know God then that someday I would. Then came the time when the need to know if God was real or not was more important than anything else. It was time to find out.

“What would be the best way to try to find God,” I asked myself. The answer to that was simple. Read God’s word; simply read the bible very slowly and with more care than I have ever read any book in my life. So I borrowed the next-door neighbor’s bible and commenced with so much vigor and delight that I must have already had myself convinced that the finding of God, communication with God was only pages away. For I thought surely after all the things I had been told and disputed before, that in the reading of the words I would see the truth of God in them.

As I started reading about who begot whom, I was already taken into the words. I read about how God created the earth, how he created everything, how he said let there be the beast of the field, the foul of the air, the firmament in the heavens, and how everything that was upon the earth was created. Then it says he brings forth light by saying “Let there be light”.

Then out of the dust of the earth he creates man to be in his own image, and to know only truth and goodness. Then God places this man in a garden full of fruit trees called the “Garden of Eden”. In the Garden of Eden there were fruit trees all about, but there was one fruit tree that was different from all the rest in that it contained in its fruit the knowledge of “good and evil”.

God told the man, who was called Adam, that he could eat from every tree in the garden but he was not allowed to eat from the tree in the midst of the garden for it contained the knowledge of good and evil. Then the story tells how God made Adam fall asleep in order for God to remove one of his ribs, and from the rib of Adam God made woman, who was called Eve.


Then in the next verse comes a serpent, or talking snake. The talking snake told Eve that they should eat from the tree of good and evil, and that if they do they will be as Gods and know good and evil. So she grabbed a piece of fruit and took a bite and then she handed it to Adam and he ate some of the fruit.

Because they ate of this fruit, God condemned mankind on the face of the earth from that time on. He gave him sin, sickness, pain, disease, hate, sorrow, fear, anger, frustration, confusion, and made him ashamed of himself.

Is this not an act of vengeance? Would God be vengeful? But I thought God created man in his own image? Obviously he must have!

Why would an omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient God have to test his creation?

And yet this infinitely powerful God had to call out to Adam when he got back from wherever he went because he could not find him in the garden. Where was God at the time? God didn’t even know Adam had eaten of the “forbidden fruit” until he saw that Adam was ashamed to be naked.

This God of infinite love, infinite understanding, infinite truth, and infinite compassion, couple with infinite power, condemned his highest creation.

In truth Gods actions in this story would be far more severe than say for me to pour a glass of milk and place it on the table and tell my brother not to drink of it. Then come to find out that my brother drank of it, thus taking a gun a blowing his brains out. God’s vengeance and violence was obviously of greater magnitude than this, for God condemned and destroyed all of mankind. This God destroyed his own creation.

Why didn’t God just change him? With all of God’s power, why didn’t he just zap Adam and Eve away and try again? In fact it says in this story that God saw his other creations before man, and that he saw that they were good. Which implies that if something wasn’t good he could change it and make it good.

Or better yet, it would have been far less amazing than creating the universe in six days to have said “let there be goodness upon the earth,” and then the story would have gone on to say, “and there was goodness and He saw that it was good”.

Why is it that God had immense power in the beginning. Power that was magical beyond imagination, and then as time goes on his power dwindles to only being able to relate to one prophet at a time. Then God attempts to have one man convince the whole world of his existence, and supposedly die for everyone’s sins.

What happened to all of God’s power? How could one man convince all mankind to follow something that they knew nothing about and were by God’s own actions, rebellious to change.

In church history one stipulation of being a Christian is to take the bible literally, as it stands. Most of the more intelligent Christians admit that this story cannot be taken literally, but say that they consider it to be a symbol of God’s word. Others say that our interpretation might not be the same as God’s, and all other kinds of nonsense.

From my point of view, it should be accepted as how it stands or rejected entirely. How can something be a symbol of the truth? It is either true or it is false, and in this case it is clearly and undisputedly false.

Monday, August 06, 2007

The Problem with Conclusions

The Problem with Conclusions

I THINK it is important for us to understand the problem with conclusions. The entire structure of knowledge is based on conclusions. I say this is wrong. I’m not saying that we should stop investigating and inquiring into any of the many fields of study—that would be ridiculous—but that we need to STOP coming to these conclusions and then calling any ONE conclusion a FACT.

We say that North America was inhabited 11,500 years ago, and all indications from the excavations and the studies indicate this. So some individual gets credit for coming up with this knowledge and he pats his big ego and then becomes popular and makes money on his discovery and then his knowledge becomes FACT.

Now we say it is a FACT that North America was first inhabited around 11, 500 years ago. And this remains a FACT for some time to come. But then another fellow finds other sites and in his research he determines that North America was first inhabited around 35,000 years ago and this process starts all over again, and then this new data comes to be accepted as a FACT.

We have done this behavior in the fields of history, religion, mathematics, physics and quantum physics, paleontology and evolution, and in the field of astrophysics and every field of knowledge that we investigate. Then these conclusions become the basis for our further studies, calculations, and so forth, and because the conclusions were wrong and in FACT were not FACTS, we are led astray and so much time is wasted. By coming to these conclusions that are WRONG and then moving on by using the data from these conclusions, it may take years or decades or even hundreds of years to get back on track, if we ever get back on track.

Now, I propose a system where we no longer call a conclusion a FACT and simply call it the CURRENT THEORY or the CURRENT OBSERVATION. This allows for those that are doing further research or moving from this CURRENT OBSERVATION or CURRENT THEORY to proceed with caution and to even question the information that they have acquired.

Let’s take the field of physics for example. We come to these conclusions and then we move on to call some conclusion a FACT. Even if it goes by some name that has the word THEORY in it, it still becomes accepted as an accepted conclusion or FACT amongst those in the specific field of study. In the case of Einstein’s THEORY OF RELATIVITY one may spend months and months in his attempts to understand this theory and go through all the mathematical equations to grasp the accepted FACT of this information and then after several months of studying this information one finally understands the accepted information and in that same instant that this accepted theory is understood one realizes that it is WRONG. In fact one later comes to realize that the accepted FACT of MASS is WRONG. There is this insight from all this study and persistence in attempting to understand these principles and suddenly one comes to the OBSERVATION that MASS may not exist at all, and that everything may be ENERGY. It may be that only because of electric and magnetic energy fields (electromagnetism) and certain other very complicated principles (which I will not go into here because of their complexity) that this ENERGY is held together as MATTER, and is therefore should not be considered MASS. Now look at how physics has gone on for so many years from these WRONG conclusions, so most everything else is WRONG. I’m not the only one that has come to this OBSERVATION, and there are others. This fellow by the name of Bruce Harvey in the UK came to this OBSERVATION and has facts to back it up (learn more by putting his name in a search engine).

You believe in your views about gravity because you have been conditioned to believe in it. Did you know that science has learned that Newton's law of Gravity may not be the whole story? Science has learned that gravity may not be ONLY because of "the objects attracting each other". Some scientists now theorize that a warping of space, by spacetime curvature contributes to gravity. This gets into some very complex shit like electromagnetism and quantum mechanics that very few people can understand. There is also the rope theory and this is a far more simple theory that few scientists will consider because it overrides their accepted theories. Therefore gravitation, as we know it, is still a theory and we may come to learn that there are other aspects to this force or this energy, or what you will.

In the field of astronomy or, more specifically, astrophysics, we find conclusions that have been made in this field of knowledge that have been blown completely out of the water. Just look at the knowledge based on THE BIG BANG THEORY (which I think is a plausible theory), and the BIG CRUNCH THEORY, and then look at the knowledge of our universe. We now have come to the realization of the possible existence of DARK MATTER and DARK ENERGY (learn more by putting these names in a search engine), which may make up some 96 percent of the known universe, yet the scientist know little to nothing about it. The CURRENT OBSERVATION or the CURRENT THEORY on DARK ENERGY is that it is creating a repulsive energy and causing the expansion of the universe to be in a state of continuous expansion and it seems to be actually accelerating. This contradicts all the KNOWLEDGE and all the CONCLUSIONS that I learned just fifteen or twenty years ago.

Now let’s take the field of paleontology (the study of the fossil record). If we study this field we find that certain conclusions have been made and have been accepted as FACTS and then we come to find out that the FACT was incorrect or even, as in one case, a fabricated fossil and not the truth at all. This science also tends to overlook the possibility of some sort of cosmic energy playing a part in evolution. In my studies of evolution I have seen evidence that this may indeed be true. Some Astrophysicists and other scientist believe that cosmic rays from supernovas could play a role in evolution. One can show through examples and with mathematics that the cosmos is full of energy and that the many components of our cosmos contain the necessary ingredients to form a "thinking" cosmos. Could the cosmos itself be the creative energy of our universe and the directive forces in nature working along with natural selection? Could it be that there is an "outside" energy working with the energy within these organisms?

Humans tend to focus on those things that support their view and exclude those that don’t. Greed, ambition, and even knowledge can get in the way of truth and open-mindedness and we need to put a stop to this or at least slow it down and I think using the principle I describe here will help do that.

Science puts forth evolution based solely on natural selection and usually refuses to consider any outside energy, even if this energy is a natural creative energy of our cosmos. Scientist within the established media claim to know a great deal about physics and mathematics, but they are willing to propagate information that may be false and often refuse to consider evidence that demonstrate possible errors. Scientist claim to know a great deal about the universe and the cosmos, but they actually know very little and there are still many unknowns. Scientist claim to know what the center of this earth looks like and they put pictures in text books to represent this knowledge, but in actuality they know virtually nothing in reality about the deep interior of this earth. In fact we are still learning about the deep oceans and our rainforest and we continue to find new species of life in the water and on land.

I can make examples in every field of knowledge where this problem applies. I could produce examples in the field of HISTORY and, especially, in the field of RELIGION but I would have to keep you here until KINGDOM COME (sorry, pun intended) or for much longer than you may like so I will end it now by saying we simply need to stop this insidious behavior of coming to conclusions in any field of knowledge and we should begin calling the information we have by the description of CURRENT OBSERVATION or CURRENT THEORY. This will hopefully bring about a completely new attitude in all these fields of study.

P.S. I received an email from this physics genius, Bruce Harvey, in the UK. It was good to hear that he read my work. He also clarifies and makes a very profound statement concerning what I have said here by saying, “I’ll add my current thoughts about how the human mind works—We have an innate ability to come to ‘conclusions’ based on inadequate and unreliable information. Because our brains are designed to do this, we all too easily fall into the belief that our ‘conclusions’ are logical deductions derived from sound axioms.”


Kerry Craig Walker, April 23, 2006

Thursday, August 02, 2007

ON EVOLUTION

ON EVOLUTION

As I write this one’s mind is focused on this unknown energy behind creation, with its evolutionary processes. I think it’s important to start by being in a state of not knowing and to remain in this empty state, being no-thing. This is the only way to be open-minded and to learn, as well as to keep this sense of wonder. Therefore, I am not saying that I know it all, because really I know nothing, but I will share with you what I have learned.

Having been involved with looking into this thing called “evolution”, and the energy behind living things off and on for over a quarter of a century, and having communicated with and studied some of the experts on the subject, such as Richard Leakey and Stephen Gould, and having spent countless hours studying paleontology and the fossil record, I can tell you that the evolutionary processes (or changes over time) are observational facts. Although I question some of the conclusions of science and the so-called experts on evolution and on conclusions on the fossil record, and their purely limited aspects of natural selection---the simple fact is that these processes themselves, with their mutations as they occurred along the way, is still reality and the “what is”.

On the other hand, one of the prerequisites to becoming a paleontologist (someone who becomes an expert in the study of the fossil record) is to not consider any outside energy when dealing with this subject. This is obviously a closed minded approach. Although this energy is not namable, its existence in the realm of creation and design is obvious. There are too many examples to count that have such intricate design characteristics that an outside energy had to contribute to its existence. There is no reason for an insect that has wings that look just like a leaf of a tree to end up with this as a design based on natural selection alone. And then for this creature to have the capability of perfect aerodynamic flight with these wings is well beyond the result of natural selection left to itself.

Take a creature that can not only change its color to mimic the colors that it rest on, but that can also change its skin to match the texture of these objects. This design is also beyond the scope of natural selection alone.


Consider the echolocation system used by bats and the biosonar used by whales and dolphins. There is no reason for the processes of natural selection alone to have brought about this ability. Where would nature have selected such technology?

Having spent a great deal of my time over the past years looking into origins of religions, histories of religions, and all aspects of religion, the best explanation to all of this has nothing to do with religion. In fact, it is not even a “supernatural process”, and is in fact a natural process.

The best explanation to this sense of wonder is the observation that this energy behind this process is the infinite cosmos and the energy within this cosmos. When we consider the ability that this little speck of matter called the brain has and its ability to function and to think---what about the infinite cosmos and the energy in it, and its ability to function?! This would explain why this energy is not the tangible god of the many religions and why it does not have direct communication with us as the religions claim. This does not mean that we cannot absolve ourselves for this energy to relate to us, but certainly not on the verbal level, or any direct vocal level of communication. If the energy behind creation could relate to humans on this level, it would simply speak to us and let us know of its existence or it would let us know by some form of communication or action. This energy is simply not capable of this type of relationship or action.


This observation that the cosmos is the energy behind creation and life itself solves all the nonsensical views of all the religions. This also solves the problem of “if there is a maker, then who made the maker?” The infinite cosmos has always been, and there is no need for a maker. Some refer to this energy as the Creative Intelligence; the Indians called it the Great Spirit; some say Higher Power, and others call it God---The name is not the thing. The difficulty lies in breaking through the conditioning on both sides of the issue.

Has thought invented God? I can tell you with absolute certainty that the religious views on this subject are absolute nonsense and that thought has created and invented all of these gods, just as I can tell you that some of the conclusions by science are absolute nonsense.


Start by knowing nothing and remaining nothing and you can come upon the moving truth, as long as you continue to be nothing and live a very simple life. This does not mean that you don’t retain the knowledge that you have accumulated. In fact you will retain it better and there will be no decay of the mind before death.

Being simple does not mean being mediocre; in fact a simple life can be a very exiting life, because it is a life based on reality and truth.

It is only in dying while living that we come to realize that we are nothing, and this brings about the only true wisdom. There is nothing more sacred than the “what is”.

Kerry Walker
written some time ago…
Canton


Supernova! (clicky for awesome before and after picture)

For the first time, modern scientist had the opportunity to observe close up, by astronomical standards, natures most spectacular display. They could train sophisticated instruments on an exploding star and analyze in detail a phenomenon fundamental to the structure of the universe and indeed life itself. An overstatement? Hardly. The stupendous processes that lead to and occur during a supernova are responsible for the production of most of the elements in the universe. These elements are hurled into the cosmos by the force of the supernova blast to form great clouds of gas and dust and starting the formation of new stars and planets. Thus the planets and any life that evolves on them consist of elements forged in supernovas. Furthurmore, these stellar explosions generate energetic partricles, known as cosmic rays, that can cause mutations in terrestrial organisms and may have played a direct role in the evolution of life on earth. In a very literal sense, says University of Illinois Astrophysicist Larry Smarr, "we" are the grandchildren of supernovas.

Supernova! Time, Vol. 120, No. 12 (March 23, 1987), pp. 60-61