The Doctrine of Man

“Two things inspire me to awe — the starry heavens above and the moral universe within.”  Albert Einstein

 

Where did we come from and why are we here? These are age-old questions we all ponder. The current  Intelligent Design vs. Evolution debate has become a hot-button issue….more people are paying attention. I would argue that we all have faith. All of us have to fill in the gaps with assumptions to reach conclusions. For instance, it has yet to be proven that man has evolved from a sub-species or that all life has arisen from bacterial cooties. Many have decided that nature is solely responsible for the entire existence of the Universe. This, in essence, is a leap of faith. Don’t get me wrong, I am familiar with the fossil evidence that has become gospel for many who answer the age- old questions by claiming that life evolved over billions of years. And proponents of evolution will argue that observation alone is the sole arbiter of what is real. It is not my intent to push science aside for the sake of blind faith. Simply put, I argue that science cannot answer the age-old questions. The Universe is a complex, beautiful, and awe- inspiring testimony to the fact that we know absolutely nothing. We can all agree that there was once a void and then there was a Universe, meaning that something or someone pulled the trigger way back when. It is the basis for a starting premise. Was it nature or purpose?

 

Further, there are observations that science cannot address. These observations are philosophical in nature and science does not delve into such realms….but the observations are significant nonetheless. Consider that man stands alone in the animal kingdom. I know there are those who assert that monkey and man are related to a common ancestor….but man has no peer. Monkeys can use rudimentary tools, yet man can send robots to Mars. Man’s intelligence far exceeds that of any species in the animal kingdom, so much so, that we now have developed the ability to create life in a lab….yet science cannot answer the moral implications of such things. Should we create life to destroy it for our own selfish gain?

 

Speaking of morals, where do they come from? Is there such a thing as good and evil? How do we know what that means? Has the complexity of man’s emotion naturally evolved over time? What about the soul? Is there such a thing as Divinity? What would happen to our world if we stopped seeking answers to these questions?

 

Consider that there is no such thing as a civilization of atheists in all of history. One might point to the Soviet Bloc or China as such….but that finger would be covered in blood as tens of millions of people were slaughtered to promote the unnatural concept of atheist societies. Today, both Chinese and Russian populations are largely faithful to a belief in something more than man, once again proving that faith is powerful enough to overcome the obstacle of the bloodiest persecution. It appears, by observation alone, as if mankind has an innate desire to seek something beyond ourselves. Has nature conjured these impulses over billions of years….that man would look to the heavens for answers, clinging to faith all the while? There are those who might argue that evolution is still taking its course and that in our quest for knowledge we are finally able to put aside the myths that faith once brought us. All of the knowledge in the world cannot tell us where we came from or why we are here. Only faith can teach us who we really are and what our purpose is.

 

To those who still seek answers from the observations of man alone, your words have not left the atmosphere of this tiny rock in the middle of a small galaxy in the middle of a Universe that we can hardly fathom. If we leave destiny to the dogma of mankind, we are in for a very selfish, cruel, dark and desperate existence. Observe for yourself.

Filed under: PC by Mr.PC