By D. "Deuke"
This post was amended on January 7, 2013.
Intelligence implies an ability to think and understand things clearly and logically. The word intelligent may be described as wise, knowledgeable, brilliant, skillful, shrewd, astute, and several other adjectives – each meaning, very smart. Design, is just what it implies; a plan, an aim of some project – to devise a blueprint, or something that is “fleshed out,” as they’re calling it these days, before actually implementing.
Thusly, Intelligent Design has been described by some as the spirit entity behind the ultimate plan of creation. The argument in favor of this belief, which is multifaceted may simply be stated: ‘Intelligent Design is based on the premise that nothing in the universe exists by chance, that it was all designed with purpose and wisdom, and created by an omnipotent being called GOD.’
However, the argument that some of our illustrious ‘mad scientists’ espouse, as stated in the words of an acquaintance; “There is no question that often people feel the need to fill the void with ideas of "god" - but that neither makes those ideas valid nor logically correct. A physics particle is a physics particle. I would surmise even most of faith would find it difficult to believe their god turned out to be a single particle at the quantum or sub atomic level. I like the quote by Carl Sagan…” my acquaintance says, which is, “The idea that God is an oversized white male with a flowing beard who sits in the sky and tallies the fall of every sparrow is ludicrous. But if by God one means the set of physical laws that govern the universe, then clearly there is such a God. This God is emotionally unsatisfying... it does not make much sense to pray to the law of gravity.”
My acquaintance added, “The law of gravity does not judge, it does not contain hell or heaven and it doesn't care what happens to you. There is no afterlife through the worship of gravity. It contains no self awareness. In that, we are already above the law of gravity. The bible is an interesting read…” he wrote, “….but it contains nothing special...”
However, according to a report published in Wikipedia, (an Internet encyclopedia), ‘Despite his criticism of religion, Sagan denied that he was an atheist, saying, “An atheist has to know a lot more than I know. An atheist is someone who knows there is no god. By some definitions atheism is very stupid.” Sagan maintained that “….the idea of a creator of the universe was difficult to prove or disprove and that the only conceivable scientific discovery that could challenge it would be an infinitely old universe.”
According to his last wife, Ann Druyan, he was not a believer: “When my husband died, because he was so famous and known for not being a believer, many people would come up to me—it still sometimes happens—and ask me if Carl changed at the end and converted to a belief in an afterlife. They also frequently ask me if I think I will see him again. Carl faced his death with unflagging courage and never sought refuge in illusions. The tragedy was that we knew we would never see each other again. I don't ever expect to be reunited with Carl.” ’
Many have probably seen the various documentaries or read the books that attempt to explain the origin of the universe, or at least our solar system. They start off with the known fact, (as some claim it to be) that our soon-to-be, little blue and green playground, is more than 4.5 billion years old. They say that some kind of cataclysmic event took place in space eons ago. They say that a star exploded and released enough energy to at least cook every hamburger ever made.
They say that bits and pieces of debris; the stuff that made up this particular exploded star, was flung into space so hard and fast that it began colliding with other balls of matter, (no telling where they came from), and in the period of time allotted for such an undertaking, a rocky ball made of frozen hamburgers and french fries with some other substance, such as water, along with biological tidbits of, “stuff,” trapped inside, began spinning at a 1000 miles per hour, and revolving around another star, which we call the sun.
This rotation of course took place at least once a year or approximately between 364-365 and a quarter days. This burning orb; the sun, is approximately 93 million miles away – an obviously perfect distance to keep this little blue planet from being consumed with ultraviolet rays or the intensely hot fire balls that spew out into space from the blazing behemoth monster.
Oh, and another large body, very gray, bleak, and full of dust and Hummer-sized potholes, called the moon, and which is approximately a quarter the size of our rocky, mineral rich, biologically-enhanced, (by happen-chance, mind you) planet, orbits around our now brilliant blue ball of stuff at a perfect distance of approximately, 384,403 km (238,857 miles). However, since the moon orbits the earth in an ellipse at its closest point it can be 363,104 km (225,622 miles), and at its furthest point, it’s 405,696 km (252,088 miles) – either distance works out fine for earth. Again, according to Wikipedia, “It is in synchronous rotation with Earth, always showing the same face; the near side. The Moon's gravitational influence produces the ocean tides and the minute lengthening of the day.”
This perfect distance away from us seems to have a positive effect on all of us for various reasons. The ice that finally made its way onto the surface of our planet; melted, and became oceans, seas, rivers, streams, and our beloved lakes. The gravity effect keeps these powerful oceans from drowning all the little creatures that didn’t have names yet – it was after all, 4.5 billion, give or take a few hundred million years ago.
And these 'mad scientists' continue to explain that the ‘stuff,’ which grew up to become the best little swimmers in all of Ireland, and after feeling a bit waterlogged, tested the environment outside their watery world. They stuck their tiny little beaks, or whatever they were, out of the water, and became the first to take in a breath of cool fresh oxygen. Some died right on the spot; others climbed over their colleague’s cold dead bodies and stepped onto a beach at Hawaii – or maybe on the shores of the second largest fresh water lake in the world – Lake Victoria, in Africa. We're not sure, no travel brochures were left behind.
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| Ferocious little critters |
It wasn’t long before these tiny little critters became superior critters and began chomping on all that green stuff now growing on our more hospitable ball of rock. Then they began chomping on other creatures less in size, until finally, the gods of fire threw some big asteroid at our planet and killed every last one of these very large and ferocious lizards.
The evidence may be at the sea floor near the Yucatan.
A few million years later there was a whole new species of critters, called homo-sapiens. This creature walked upright on their two hind legs and began to make fire, (to BBQ all those delectable creatures that were left over from the big asteroid collision), and during the fishing trips these hunter-gatherers were on, started asking each other questions, like, ‘How did we get here? Why are we here and where are we going?’ Of course none of these cave man types were equipped with the answers right away, and there was no Internet to look it up. So according to some, the Jews made up a story.
The elaborately detailed story, but even less satisfactory as the story of evolution, for some, was written in a book called Genesis, the first book in the Bible. It explained as succinctly as it could that in fact we did not come from a one-celled animal; we did not evolve from monkeys, nor have we adapted to our environment in such a way that we can grow fur at the drop of a hat, or shoot venom into our prey to eat, but instead were created uniquely by the most powerful being in the universe – GOD – and that this GOD had a plan for all of us.
Part of His plan, some think, is for all of us to sit down some day under the beautifully decorated shade trees, that HE created, “sip our wine,” as one musician’s lyrics go, and get all the answers we have looked for since the beginning. Then according to others, HE plans to show us more of HIS creation, which HE’s very proud of. HE will allow us to live forever; we will need to live forever to see and hear the rest of the story.
The bottom line is this; a book which has been around both orally and in written form since long before somebody dreamed up the story about monkeys going ape, explains to us complex and versatile creatures that indeed we were formed from the “stuff” that makes up this earth. And according to this book, we were given a soul and a set of principles to live by, which I might add are inherent in most humans, and told that at some point in our near future, we will meet this omnipotent being and be so awed we will all bow.
Let me repeat that; we will meet this omnipotent being, and we will all bow!
But, there's more to the story, isn't there?
In the past few years, the theory, which some may say was first proposed by Erich Anton Paul von Däniken in 1968; that there were extraterrestrial influences on early human culture, has gained much ground recently. It has moved farther; it is being said now more openly that not only did extraterrestials influence mankind, but may have actually "created" man through genetic engineering.
In 1977, when I began to write the first drafts of my novel, now titled, "The Final GOD," I looked for references in the Bible that might might support this theory and found Genesis chapter 6:
And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, 2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. 3 And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. 4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
In June of 2012, a writer named John Shade Vick wrote a negative review of the film,
Prometheus. He wrote a few days later; "
Considering the attention that my negative review on Forbes of Ridley Scott’s Prometheus has garnered, it is clear that this film – regardless of its silliness as a story – has proven worthy of heady debate on multiple levels."
And well it has, for in my opinion this subject is ripe for the season. As December 21, 2012 rolled on by and the world didn't end, as predicted by many whose ridiculous assumptions about the Mayan calendar and other uninformed prognostications expressed their ignorance over the matter of the "Last Days," many are turning to more credible sources for their understanding about the subject.
Documentaries abound, related to the Sumerian tablets that give an incredible story about the interaction between primitive men and extraterrestrials that come from the mysterious planet, Nibiru. In one scenario the world is to end in a planetary cataclysm.
According to wikipedia: "The Nibiru cataclysm is a supposed disastrous encounter between the Earth and a large planetary object (either a collision or a near-miss) which certain groups believe will take place in the early 21st century. Believers in this doomsday event usually refer to this object as Planet X or Nibiru. The idea that a planet-sized object could collide with or pass by Earth in the near future is not supported by any scientific evidence and has been rejected as pseudoscience by astronomers and planetary scientists.
Although the name "Nibiru" is derived from the works of the late ancient astronaut writer Zecharia Sitchin and his interpretations of Babylonian and Sumerian mythology, Sitchin denied any connection between his work and various claims of a coming apocalypse."
The Bible itself foretells of a world-ending disaster, which is also explained with a myriad of interpretations. The point is, there is reason to discuss the subject; there are obvious connotations: the endangerment of all species on Earth. These same documentaries have suggested that the Bible is compiled from the Sumerian sources - and in some instances, I might agree, but for those of us who embrace our faith, I'd be more inclined to say that a deception is taking place, borne not from the compilation of the Bible, but from an evil influence that set out to deceive and corrupt the "creation results."
I studied concepts, perpetuated by religious communities, and found many of their dogmas to be based on nothing more than their particular brand of spirituality. I looked to scientists, from many disciplines, to understand what they believed and how they imparted those beliefs. I found them questionable in many instances as they seemed to discount the conscious/spiritual side of the intricate equation. 
There is a multitude of information available about man's origins from anthropologists, archaeologists, paleontologists, and many others - any having to do with the best explanations of how we got here and how we progressed, or degenerated, depending on one's perception. We have studied life from ancient times to present. Images of skeletons, scattered bones, even the skulls of ancient humans have been carefully examined. Areas from all over the world have been excavated, photographed and sifted through, in an attempt to answer the questions of our origins and how we came to be.
Can we say with certainty how it all came to be? It's hard to tell sometimes when the presenters of theories that do not consciously allow a spiritual connection, and advocate an origin that came about simply by chance. In recent times, scholars have theorized that comets brought the first proteins of life to a forbidden planet. They propose that although the environment was volatile and going through catastrophic changes, it was just right for the proteins to "fold" and begin a life process. I find it disengenuous at best that scientists will allow for statistical impossibilities in our origins, but will at the same time discount, "Intelligent Design."
