THE GREAT DISTANCE

THE GREAT DISTANCE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MzPT0q6PLo
I recently have had some very significant events that have pushed me deeper into the abyss. Day after day, I see great wrongs being committed, innocence punished, and the weak exploited. How could this be, I ask myself. Religion, I am told is a place of sanctuary when the world around you has slipped into madness. Is this true, could I have been so foolish as to have overlooked this incredible assistive device? Certainly not, I have pondered the mysteries for answers and been forced to forfeit my subscription to the Hebrew God of Abraham. Blaspheme you might say, but I say logical rationale. Below I will continue my twisted journey seeking shelter from the rhetoric of my peers.

How can so many people be wrong? Religion is an issue that will drive brothers to fight to the death to prove their God is stronger. Wars and rumors of war are rhetoric of all men and are not specific to revelations in the Christian Bible. Man, with his innate aggressive behaviors have achieved dominion over his environment through is ability to unlock his imagination and realize ingenuity. Not because of divine intervention, if this were the case a grizzly bear would pull a plow. Maybe religion is a means to achieve dominion over other men.

The Hebrews surely have learned some hard lessons from their horrific past and man look at them now. Moses, sure put the kybosh on the Pharaoh, with the ten plagues and killing his first-born son. I guess what amazes me the most is that how the Jews went from rags to riches and rags to riches again. It really is not that hard if you follow the money trail, and yes, this is another the Jewish banker conspiracy plot. Religion is a great way to amass wealth! I believe Jesus knocked over the collection table as he witnessed poor farmers handing over tides that could have put food on their tables. It was the same Jews who decided to have Jesus crucified and used as an example to all. Which brings me to a point to ponder; did Jesus come for all men or just the Jews?

Genesis clearly tells of the first humans Adam and Eve. Nevertheless, the story gets a little murky as the realization of other races of men comes into play. For example if the Holy Bible is correct, we are all Hebrew and no need for Paul to allow conversion of the Gentiles. Logic and religion are not good bedfellows. If Jesus was the Messenger (messiah) then clearly no one was listening. As more and more bloodshed continued to saturate the ground even to this day in his name, I sit in awe of this tragedy. Moses came, followed by Jesus and finally Mohamed. Three strikes your out! Man has an incredible knack for his boundless imagination. His ability to explain phenomenon without the slightest regard for evidence, it is just so! I am one of the many who require a little more than faith to sell out lock stock and barrel. Meaning if you are religious, you are 100% resolute not 60-70%. I subscribe to the all of none theory when it comes to this subject and this has been a constant reminder of why I remain skeptical.

The distance between the Hebrew God of Abraham and me continues to grow and to my peers my punishment will be the complete separation from God. In a way, I have always been separated from God as well as others in this brutal world. Millions upon countless millions have suffered fates no words could ever describe. Including the atrocities the Jewish Bankers unleashed upon their own kind during the Holocaust of WWII. No one wanted to believe such accusations, but if one desired to conceal a plot and come up with a foolproof way to allow your race to dominate the Banking world with no questions asked, playing the victim has been a success. As many of you may know the word holocaust actually means burnt sacrifice! A thinning of the herd to attain global domination is not a new concept and unfortunately will ultimately be used again in the very near future.

Bottom line;

I work in healthcare and see the affliction of horrible pathologies, motor vehicle accidents, burns, etc. and I constantly ask myself why do good people have to suffer. If you have ever watched a married couple of 50+ years sit in a day room and one has no idea who the stranger across from them really is, then you have no idea the pain in which I have described here. Millions of starving people from all over the globe are dying while brimming silo’s are allowed to spoiled for the sake of stabilizing the price of grain. Radical Muslims have infiltrated the mosque of good people in order to kill the infidel, as radical Christians scream the same battle cry, while the Elite Jews (not the majority!) sit in awe as their master plan plays out. Would these bank cartels have so much control if we were allowed to remove our social behavior training wheels? Some would say that in nature, the weak will be exploited by the strong and I would have to agree. Are we so indoctrinated in the belief that war is always the end that justifies the means? Can man overcome his innate bestiality and find peace in this world. Religion offers no answers only hope of a omnipotent deity that will right the wrongs. While science demonstrates promise in decoding the mysteries of our mind and body as well as the universe, we are attempting to coexist. Religion will only be proven false as time will tell, unfortunately we may not have enough time to realize our folly.

TRAINING WHEELS

Training Wheels

I am what you might call a lost sheep. I held dear to the religious beliefs of my immediate ancestors at first just as child, totally obedient and religious. As time passed, I became more spiritual and found comfort in this position. Now that I have studied science, I am afraid the empirical evidence has swayed me once again from the flock. The flock, an interesting analogy that is given by thousands of ministers as they wield their version of the Bible, has been effective. Many believe that without religion the world would cease to exist as man would decent into oblivion with no morals or ethics. I will dispute this claim as best I can.

First, I would like to recall a familiar moral story about a dog and his prized steak. The dog has acquired a steak from the butcher shop and made a clean get away. Along his route on the way home, he crosses a bridge and out of the corner of his eye, he sees his reflection. He misinterprets the image as another dog with an even larger steak. Unable to fight back his greed he leaps into the stream. This hasty act leads to the loss of the prized steak and leaves the dog cold and hungry. Now everyone knows this story is fictional, but all can see the benefit of reciting it to children to learn the lessons it teaches. Even though we know that, the story is fiction we hold it as dear as if it were true and attempt to incorporate it into our society. This leads me to my next point of religion to create positive social norms.

Steven Pinker introduced me to the concept of the Noble Savage, in his book “The Blank Slate”. It is how some viewed the uncivilized world tribes, composed of peace loving men. His conclusion is that we are by nature, animals with the same selfish drives. Here one can make a good argument for the need of religion to band the people together and learn reciprocity. A deity that gives a moral law is in deed necessary to build a community. This explains the different religions that emerged around the world and how location directly influences the brand you subscribe. Evolution may have not succeeded without religion, but now I believe we are ready for the next phase of growth with science to show us the way.

Enlightenment is a word, thrown around loosely, spawning images of a Merlin-like figure gazing into a large pool of water reflecting the stars from the night sky. This as we all know is how the ancients began there quests, pondering the secrets of the universe. Imagination is our greatest adaptation and has lead to our great success as a species. Before science could explain these extraordinary phenomenons, deities were readily acceptable responsible parties. To shed some light on how the Catholic Church struggled to keep science in its place, finally in the year on October 31, 1992, Pope John Paul II and the Catholic Church state their remorse in how Galileo was treated and finally recognized that the earth orbits the sun. Innocent or guilty is probably a null point for the sake of argument here. I suggest that it is a sign of the times and to me a time of enlightenment.

Bottom line;

Humans are animals that have evolved from the motherland of Africa. Holding food, weapons, and tools man stood erect. Hunting is packs encouraged the first bands and reinforced the use of reciprocal behavior. Hunters are constantly devising ways to improve their skills communication, coordination, and preplanning. Now with the groundwork laid, these bands flourished and with the discovery of agriculture, the human race exploded overnight. Agriculture allowed enough food to allow the domestication of these wild bands. With their basic needs being met men were left to discern the world around them for the first time. Warlords and Kings quickly learned the lesson of a submissive populace in order to maintain control. Religion fell into place, by either naming these leaders as gods themselves or created through a divine union. As these practices passed on, one civilization to the next, religion was imported and improved upon with the lessons learned from the conquered peoples from before. Which leads me to my point; with all the moral stories learned and science, revealing the mysteries behind the veil it may be time to remove the training wheels. Religion served its purpose, but now I fear that if we continue to cling to these beliefs we are doomed to self-fulfilled prophecy of annihilation. The Bible, Koran, and Torah, are a few of our first books of reason, but should they be our last? I should hope not as we are living in a time of exponential growth in technology, and an infinite knowledge base resource sits in living rooms around the world. Never before have had access to so much, and I am not referring to shady sites, but real legitimate research illuminating the world! A time of enlightenment has dawn, where science will become our great book of reason, which may lead us finally to world peace and harmony.



John R. Hill

INCEST A LOT

INCEST A LOT

Our story picks up as Lot seems to be over his grieving for his wife turned into a pillar of salt. Zoar, the small town that would spare his life is not to his liking and he decides to take his two daughters and move into a cave in the mountains.

Ge 19:30 Lot and his two daughters left Zoarl and settled in the mountains, for he was afraid to stay in Zoar. He and his two daughters lived in a cave.
Ge 19:31 One day the older daughter said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man around here to lie with us, as is the custom all over the earth.
Ge 19:32 Let’s get our father to drink wine and then lie with him and preserve our family line through our father.”

Now I know where the Mormons get their rhetoric in order to have daughters sleeping with the old wise ones. The oldest daughter’s plan to continue the linage seems innocent enough, except for the part about there are no men around here to lie with us. The fool hearty part is the drinking of wine with the intention of intoxicating the father enough to be unaware of his actions, but able to perform.

Ge 19:33 That night they got their father to drink wine, and the older daughter went in and lay with him. He was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up.

Here again pay attention to the wording, no excuses for translation. He was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up.

Ge 19:34 The next day the older daughter said to the younger, “Last night I lay with my father. Let’s get him to drink wine again tonight, and you go in and lie with him so we can preserve our family line through our father.”

Again I have trouble with the logic here, as the daughter says, “ Wow you have got to try that.”

Ge 19:35 So they got their father to drink wine that night also, and the younger daughter went and lay with him. Again he was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up.

All come on now, we all know that sex leaves behind a distinctive scent. Papa got a brand new bag. Lot has to know what that old fishy smell has come from or maybe he did know what his mischievous daughters were up to and just played dumb.

Ge 19:36 So both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father.
Ge 19:37 The older daughter had a son, and she named him Moab ; he is the father of the Moabites of today.
Ge 19:38 The younger daughter also had a son, and she named him Ben-Ammi ;he is the father of the Ammonites of today.

So yes there is a Santa Claus Virginia! Lot’s omnipotent semen successfully impregnated his two daughters and they went on to allow their father to create the Moabites and Ammonites. I wonder why the scribes omitted the questioning Lot should have had when his darling daughters came of pregnant. Unless the moral rationale is that, it is okay to sleep with father when no men are around to lie with and stuff. I guess that little town of Zoar had no strapping men available to sire these hot cave babes. Maybe the real moral here is to beware of daughters bearing wine.

The Holy Bible, New International Version. :Ge 19:30-38

SODOMIZE

SODOMIZE

Here is another troubling story from Genesis in regards to how women were seen in the eyes of the Jews of the Old Testament. For those of you who really believe we need religion to teach basic morals I ask you to look for the moral here. Two angels arrive at Sodom in search of 10 righteous people. If the ten are not found the city is to be destroyed. Lot, Abraham’s brother is camped at the gates of the city; he sees the angels and pleads with them to stay with him.


Ge 19:1 The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When he saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground.

Now here there is little description of the angels, so how does it that Lot knows their identity. Some would argue he was simply being a Good Samaritan warning strangers of the city’s horrific nightlife. Also, take note that he is a significant landowner, but bows burying his face in the sand as the two strangers approach.

Ge 19:2 “My lords,” he said, “please turn aside to your servant’s house. You can wash your feet and spend the night and then go on your way early in the morning.” “No,” they answered, “we will spend the night in the square.”
Ge 19:3 But he insisted so strongly that they did go with him and entered his house. He prepared a meal for them, baking bread without yeast, and they ate.

I have inferred here that the angels are attractive and dressed in a manner that may have implied they had wealth. As this wealthy landowner, insisted on having them stay the night in his home. This bread without yeast is significant, but I am not educated enough to rationalize why angels need to eat.

Ge 19:4 Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom —both young and old—surrounded the house.
Ge 19:5 They called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them.”

Clearly, the situation is deteriorating outside as these mad horny men surround Lot’s humble home. Now I understand cities can be clannish and known for making outsiders the object for violence in order to deter unwanted populace, but clearly, these men want a little something more. In my mind, I can envision mad mobs of men with clubs, torches, and blades, but to see a bunch of intoxicated men calling out for sex is in the least disturbing.

Ge 19:6 Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind him
Ge 19:7 and said, “No, my friends. Don’t do this wicked thing.

Lot would clearly make a poor negotiator, as he does a terrible job here. “No my friends do no do this evil thing!” What exactly is the relationship Lot has with these people?

Ge 19:8 Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them. But don’t do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof.”

Now this part gets my blood boiling and should for you all, especially women. Being a father myself, this disturbs me and it would be a cold day in hell before I would give my daughter to a mob of sex maniacs. What makes it worse is Lot is sweetening the deal by informing the men that his two daughters have never known men and that they are more that welcome to do what they will with them! But don’t do anything to these men they have come under the protection of my roof?

Ge 19:9 “Get out of our way,” they replied. And they said, “This fellow came here as an alien, and now he wants to play the judge! We’ll treat you worse than them.” They kept bringing pressure on Lot and moved forward to break down the door.
Ge 19:10 But the men inside reached out and pulled Lot back into the house and shut the door.

The angry mob is not pleased with Lot’s offer and refers to him as an Alien. This opens a lot of questions, but for the sake of time let us stay with two. Has Lot suffered this “getting to know you” welcoming comity himself? Are Lot’s daughters so hideous that the mob considers it an insult?

Ge 19:11 Then they struck the men who were at the door of the house, young and old, with blindness so that they could not find the door.

Now I do not subscribe to miracles, but I would love to know how these strangers blinded a mob of men to the point they were unable to find the door to Lot’s home. There is no mention of a bright light, powder, or magic only the word struck.

Ge 19:12 The two men said to Lot, “Do you have anyone else here—sons-in-law, sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of here,
Ge 19:13 because we are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the LORD against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it.”

Here the angels include Lot in God’s plan to destroy the city as it is clear there are no righteous people here. What I do find disturbing is the reference that the angels are going to destroy the city not God. Many believe these men are extraterrestrials, well I guess an angel is not of this earth.
Ge 19:14 So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry 90 his daughters. He said, “Hurry and get out of this place, because the LORD is about to destroy the city! ” But his sons-in-law thought he was joking.

Now surely the son’s in laws have heard about the two strangers blinding a mob of men and that something serious was about to happen. If they were laughing, it would show that they were not worthy of the two hot babes he had offered them.

Ge 19:15 With the coming of dawn, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Hurry! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away when the city is punished. ”
Ge 19:16 When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the LORD was merciful to them.

Here again I wonder how much of a participant Lot was with the lustful men of Sodom. It seems that for him to have lived so close to sin city that he could remain without becoming involved. Maybe this is why he pleads for the angels to take mercy on the city.

Ge 19:17 As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, “Flee for your lives! Don’t look back, and don’t stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!”
Ge 19:18 But Lot said to them, “No, my lords, please!
Ge 19:19 Your servant has found favor in your eyes, and you have shown great kindness to me in sparing my life. But I can’t flee to the mountains; this disaster will overtake me, and I’ll die.

Excuse me if I botch this interpretation, but Lot says your servant has found favor in your eyes, meaning that we are to serve the angels and Lord. Now that Lot is a safe distance away from the blinded mob, he relays the message that it is impossible for him to make it to the mountains in time. These details give me grief mainly because the angels and the lord should be quite aware of Lots potential mobility and would not ask him to do something he was unable to accomplish.

Ge 19:20 Look, here is a town near enough to run to, and it is small. Let me flee to it—it is very small, isn’t it? Then my life will be spared.”
Ge 19:21 He said to him, “Very well, I will grant this request too; I will not overthrow the town you speak of.
Ge 19:22 But flee there quickly, because I cannot do anything until you reach it.” (That is why the town was called Zoar. )

Again, time and time when one reads the bible and finds oneself scratching their head. It is not because we lack the knowledge to comprehend only the material itself is simply not logical. Zero hour is upon Lot and his family, as the two angels prepare to let loose the burning sulfur meanwhile Lot is fretting over a place to hide. Then miraculously Lot calls out, “Oh look there is a little town, look how small it is. If I go to the small town, my life will be spared. As the angel drags his toe in the sand and sighs heavily, “Aw all right you can go to the little town, but hurry up man, we have schedule to keep!”

Ge 19:23 By the time Lot reached Zoar, the sun had risen over the land.
Ge 19:24 Then the LORD rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah —from the LORD out of the heavens.
Ge 19:25 Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, including all those living in the cities—and also the vegetation in the land.
Ge 19:26 But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.

Many have cited these verses as the equivalent to a nuclear explosion, delivered by extraterrestrials. Burning sulfur is more akin to napalm, as some have theorized that maybe a volcanic eruption may have been the cause. Whatever one believes of the first two conclusions the fate of Lot’s wife should be the most ludicrous or horrific. To become a pillar of salt is truly unscientific and insane. Was she reduced to a block of salt for the sheep to lick? Could Abraham not see his brother’s wife frozen in time as he surveyed the destruction below?

Ge 19:27 Early the next morning Abraham got up and returned to the place where he had stood before the LORD.
Ge 19:28 He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, toward all the land of the plain, and he saw dense smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a furnace.
Ge 19:29 So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham, and he brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived.

The conclusion here is not very satisfactory as we are given only few details of how this extraordinary event took place. Three angels earlier in which one turned out to be the Lord visited Abraham. Abraham challenges the Lord in his decision to destroy the city and haggles a deal that if ten righteous people could be found the Lord would spare the city. Well we soon learn that the whole barrel of apples are tainted and Lot may not be all that clean either. My issue with the morals of the story are profound. When is it okay to annihilate a city, simply because they have succumb to lust. Morale rationale here is plain to see sex is for procreation!
When is just to abandon your daughters to a crowd of sex maniacs! Clearly this work was not intended for me to read, it causes me great concern and reinforces my point. Why write a book that will continuously be disproved because of its flawed logic. Philosophical use here is still null and void if one reads the scripture objectively, as many believe the book is not meant as a literal translation. The only take home lesson here is the one that in order to rule people one must use fear.



The Holy Bible, New International Version. :Ge 19:1

ABRAHAMS MORALS

ABRAHAMS MORALS

I know that it is hard for some to come to terms with the celebrated great patriarch Abraham's unethical and immoral ways, to demonstrate such insane acts only for financial gain. I was shocked to have never heard of this story, through the many years of Sunday school indoctrination. However, Richard Dawkins drew my attention to the verses, right there in the good book. Here I would like to discuss this incredible tale and prove that in religion we only see what we allow ourselves to see.
Below God has sent Abram (Abraham) to territory outside of Egypt (Negev I believe) during this time a famine came over the land forcing Abraham to go into Egypt.

Ge 12:10 Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe.
Ge 12:11 As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “I know what a beautiful woman you are.
Ge 12:12 When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live.

Now that the stage is set for welcome speculation, first God instructs Abraham to leave his home and go out into the desert in search of God’s purpose. He found himself in a hostile environment a famine and was forced to enter Egypt. He decides that he will be killed and his wife taken because of her beauty. So he formulates a plan to deceive the Egyptians and claims Sarai (Sarah) to be his sister.

Ge 12:13 Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.”
Ge 12:14 When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that she was a very beautiful woman.
Ge 12:15 And when Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into his palace.

The plan is going well and the desert dweller arrives on the scene with a woman so striking that he is taken in to the palace. Sarah must have been a knockout, because anyone who has been camping for and extended time would know that it is hard to remain beautiful under these harsh conditions.

Ge 12:16 He treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, menservants and maidservants, and camels.
Ge 12:17 But the LORD inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Abram’s wife Sarai.

Everything is great, but God inflicts serious diseases on Pharaoh or does he. It does not take a rocket scientist to theorize what kind of diseases Sarah has unleashed. Now what puzzles me the most is why the Pharaoh does not have Abraham and Sarah drawn and quartered?

Ge 12:18 So Pharaoh summoned Abram. “What have you done to me?” he said. “Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife?
Ge 12:19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!”
Ge 12:20 Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram to his men, and they sent him on his way, with his wife and everything he had.

Besides the venereal disease Pharaoh asked what trick has Abraham played. He claims her as a wife and then curses her and orders Abraham to go. Now this part is a bit to swallow. The Pharaoh does not kill these deceivers, but instead rewards Abraham by making him wealthy. Abraham and his tainted wife were allowed to leave with all their recently acquired possessions. Now maybe I do not understand politics, but it is my understanding that you do not piss off the king, even an Egyptian Pharaoh. I imagine that you are saying that sometimes when the going gets rough we have to hard things to survive. I agree with that logic, but as you will see below Abraham breaks bad with some commando tactics to further his status.

Ge 14:11 The four kings seized all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food; then they went away.
Ge 14:12 They also carried off Abram’s nephew Lot and his possessions, since he was living in Sodom.

Lot gets caught in the middle of a war zone and is captured, Abraham vows to rescue his brother.

Ge 14:14 When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he called out the 318 trained men born in his household and went in pursuit as far as Dan.
Ge 14:15 During the night Abram divided his men to attack them and he routed them, pursuing them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus.
Ge 14:16 He recovered all the goods and brought back his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the other people.

Rambo has nothing on this Hebrew hero, Abraham is over seventy years of age and with a band of shepherds 318 men he is able to defeat four kings and return with spoils of war, such as Lot and his possessions and women and other people. Also note that Lot was living in Sodom ( a nice little town of brotherly love).

Ge 14:23 that I will accept nothing belonging to you (referring to the king of Sodom), not even a thread or the thong of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, ‘I made Abram rich.’
Ge 14:24 I will accept nothing but what my men have eaten and the share that belongs to the men who went with me—to Aner, Eshcol and Mamre. Let them have their share.”

Now we see that Abraham has become a bit self-righteous, his Tailiban warriors have ruled the day and he wants to make it clear that the King of Sodom had nothing to do with the victory. However, being a truly frugal Hebrew, he decides that it would be wise to let his men have the food they have already eaten and the share that belongs to the men (how much of a share was this?). Abraham has now become a true con man and god warrior (magi).

Bottom line:

I would like to point out that most everyone you ask will surely tell you that we get our morals from the good book. Clearly, the morals of Abraham’s time are a lot different from today’s standards or is he the mischievous entrepreneur I paint him to be. I stand with others in agreement that we learn morals for the social and cultural norms that surround us in our environment. This begs me to pose the question can we live a moral and ethical life without religion. My answer is yes, we can experience love, companionship, community, and a sense of purpose without religion. I take it upon myself to prove this statement not with words but with my actions. I respect others and try to have a positive affect on their lives without striving for a reward in the clouds, just a simple thank you.

Reach out to your neighbor, loved ones, coworkers, or a complete stranger. Resolve to take comfort in your terrestrial action and it alone that is making the difference.

John R Hill.

Forbidden Fruit

Forbidden Fruit

Introduction; I have been a spiritual and religious person for most of my life, but the doubts I had as child still bothered me into adulthood. Recently I returned to school, at the age of 39, in order to change careers and found myself enlightened. With my studies of Physiology and Anatomy, not to mention Psychology giving me the tools to rationalize my doubts of the validity of religion my quest began. Let me be the first to say that losing one’s religion is a double-edged sword in spite of the liberation; the downside is the cold dark abyss of reality. So why even bother to write this, because the doubts will not let me be and to see our world threatening to eliminate itself because one branch of the same religion (Judaism) is insane! Any cleric, preacher, pontiff, mullah, or rabbi that calls for its congregation to make war should themselves be drawn and quartered.
Here I have selected 10 verses from the NIV Holy Bible from the book of Genesis. I welcome rational responses to my post, and hope my readers realize that I am not a scholar by no means, just a man seeking answers. Knowing that the book of Genesis came from oral tradition, probably spoken around campfires under the stars as shepherds kept an eye on their flocks, there has to be some inconsistencies. Then the possibility that the words have been lost or misunderstood, in the countless translations making the reader use metaphoric rationales to comprehend the word of God. I will attempt to do this in a respectful manner, but how does one proceed in blaspheme and not cause true believers to hate you. For those of you strong enough in your beliefs I challenge you to entertain my interpretations and conclusions and look forward to calm, intelligent responses.

Ge 2:9 And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Here there is mention of the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Now moral stories serve as guidelines to help. My first concern is that why is knowledge of good and evil so bad. If the serpent had not succeeded in persuading eve to taste the forbidden fruit was the plan for Adam and Eve to live in the Garden of Eden for eternity oblivious to anything other than basic living eating, defecating, and companionship. My second concern is why they were forbidden to eat from the tree of life when the punishment was death.

Ge 3:12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me —she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”

Here Adam sells out his companion to God putting the blame on her. If there is a moral here to learn, it seems to me it is this. The devil can easily tempt a woman into deceiving a man. Therefore, women are inherently evil companions not to be trusted. Secondly, why would God allow this verbal serpent into this Eden if he knew what the outcome would be in the first place?

Ge 3:13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

Here again Eve is put on the spot, as God already knows, but continues to question the frightened woman. What fruit was this or is it a metaphorical rationale and the real fruit was Adam’s penis. After that Adam returned the blissful favor and realized that there was more to do than hang around eating food. Clearly, the serpent could pass for a phallic symbol though I doubt it spoke any verbal commands. Functional moral would be that early men interested in procreation in order to populate an area with like minded people would see this type of sexual act as wasteful and detrimental if oral were to become preferred.

Ge 3:22 And the LORD God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.”

This is another puzzling use of words as God says that man has become like one of us? Are there more than one and just knowing good and evil can elevate your status that much seems ludicrous? Now that Adam has become like God he must not eat of the tree of life and perish back to the dust in which he came. Metaphorical rationale or not I do not comprehend this concept.

Ge 4:1 Adam 19 lay with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “With the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man.”

Now that the knowledge of good and evil or sex has set in Adam becomes a father to Cain. Eve has been scorned, set up, and blamed for the fall of man but is quick to give the credit to God for her son.

Ge 4:2 Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil.

Here I find it all a bit much that Cain, who is clearly the stronger of the two sons is a humble farmer. While Abel is living the carefree life of the shepherd, bringing in choice cuts of meat and fat to offered up as sacrifice. Cain has only vegetables’ to offer and seasonal at best cannot compete with the bounty his brother is able to provide. It does not take a rocket scientist to see that the first-born son of any family would enjoy watching their younger sibling out do them on a consistent basis and may retaliate.

Ge 4:8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.

I believe we all know where this is going as Cain slays his only brother in the middle of a wheat field. What astounds me here is where Adam and Eve were, practicing are good and evil? It is as if the murder had to happen in order to explain the reality of man’s violent innate nature. Functional moral is to learn to except your situation and not to retaliate if your brother is able to provide offerings that are more bountiful.

Ge 4:17 Cain lay with his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was then building a city, and he named it after his son Enoch.

Knowing that all men are not Jews and did not descend from Jews here it is easy for me say that the deal is off. How could Cain lay with his wife to bare Enoch while he is also building a city? Do the math, if you get extremely productive how many offspring can you have? Now to do shepherds work 12 sons would be a good number, but building a city would imply that there were others around. Now where could these non-Jews have come from?

Ge 4:25 Adam lay with his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, saying, “God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.”

Maybe this is presented out of context, but it appears clearly after Cain lays with his wife which debunks the theory of Eves many sons and daughters. Clarity is nowhere to be found, as the populace seems to explode exponentially over night. Seth was sent as a replacement for Able, which would indicate he was the only child born before, or at the time, Cain was building a city.

Ge 5:2 He created them w male and female and blessed them. And when they were created, he called them “man. 29 ’”

Here again clarity is nowhere to be found it now sounds as if God created more men and women. I am a die-hard evolutionist and it just makes sense the cells multiplied and became plentiful. Along the way they became two and three cell life forms devising better ways to acquire food and procreate. The race began and multicelled life forms went forth and prospered. Life from the sea made its way to the land. Why is this considered a ridiculous theory when compared to a deity forming a man from clay.

Bottom line;
There is no way that anyone can ever prove the existence of God or that he does not. Science, in my opinion has overwhelming empirical evidence on the evolution of man, but it does not satisfy the bigger questions like what started the big bang? I look forward to your rebuttals.

John R Hill

Reference for Bible verses;
[The Holy Bible, New International Version. Pradis CD-ROM:Genesis ]