HD1976WR

World Religions, Fullerton JC, Assignment Paper 1976

Preface

What follows is a paper written 03-25-76, in response to the class assignment for "World Religions" taught by J. Horrigan at Fullerton JC College.

This is of observations -- you may or may not agree -- any conclusions are for you to make. A persons religion always has been and always will be something between the individual and his god.

I found the class very interesting. The instructor followed the California school system approved text which I'm sure had been reviewed by the followers of the religions presented. The text was somewhat like an encyclopedia, it provided well written information about each of the major world religions. The class is recommended to all who wish to know something of all the religions.

This paper is quite independent of what was taught in the class, it does not include a message, there are no persuasions and no answers, just thoughts. If you read to the end, the writing is a success, only you can judge the merit.

1.0 Introduction

What follows is a chronology of thoughts which share a religious relevance. The relevance may not be immediately apparent, but if the presentation is successful it will become so. The method is to make statements or pose questions for the purpose of stimulating the readers participation in the thought process.

2.0 Earth’s Only Religious Creature

Man is the only creature on earth capable of a religion. The 20th Century American, priding himself in going to the moon, sometimes forgets that he's a mammal and in that regard identical to primitive man.

Once conceived man is created by the random selection of characteristics coded on complex molecules carried forward by his ancestry. Knowledge of this process is a contribution of people living today. When the gestation period comes to an end each new individual is unceremoniously thrust into the world. The being has been created but the mind is blank. Man does not inherit the knowledge or thoughts of his ancestry, religion is something he must learn.

The book "Man's Emerging Mind" (ref. 1) conveys an English Biologists interpretation of the evolution of the human mind, a parallel but less obvious process than his visible being. Man's brain possesses unique capabilities unavailable to even his nearest kin. Man has the ability to gather information, process the information and project it in various scenarios and times. He can revive the past, observe present and forecast into the future. No other creature is capable of doing this, man is capable of a religion because he can.

As the new individual grows his blank memory gathers and stores. The memory records the individuals exposure to the outside world and the thought processes of the inner self. A rational individual must work with the information available to him. In this respect modern man is as different from primitive man as primitive man was from the mammals of his era. Modem man's biological memory is supplemented by vast artificial memories in the form of books, movies and tapes. Even part of his thinking process is supplemented by computers thus freeing the mind to encompass an enlarged scope.

Each individual's store house of information, his thought processes, motivations, etc. are different. We do not think the same and we do not believe the same -- but we each need a belief.

3.0 Man's Religious Needs

To say that religious beliefs have had a profound impact on man is to understate the issue. The history of man is for the most part a documentation of man's actions because of his religion. Will it continue to be so? How does one separate the secular domain from the religious; philosophy and religion; or relate science to religion?

"A History of Western Philosophy" (ref. 2) gives this definition, "All definite knowledge belongs to science; all dogma as to what surpasses definite knowledge belongs to theology. But between these is a No-Man's-Land, Philosophy exposed to attack from both sides."

One can take issue with the relegation of religion to dogma but most would accept the premise that man ceases to use religion to explain that which becomes accepted fact. Religion tends to fill a knowledge void. When there is a need for a belief, man's thought processes seek to close a gap. When definite knowledge is missing he completes a rational with the best he knows. In science he establishes a hypothesis, in Geology a paradigm, which serves until there is proof or disproof. In religion he tends to deal with issues not subject to laboratory proof, they become beliefs and the believer must depend on faith in lieu of scientific proofs.

One could extrapolate from the above and form a hypothesis that as man's definite knowledge increases, the span or need for religion decreases -- perhaps this is not true. Subsequently we'll try to follow the evolution of religion to date but first lets look at man's religious needs today. If one thinks in terms of secular contemporary issues one can postulate the following kinds of religious needs.

Youth seek release from parental shackles. They want independence and to make their mark. Youth are full of idealism, naiveté and vitality. Each in their way seek guide posts along the path of life. These are not provided by science, they need a belief, a set of convictions.

The middle aged seek purposeful goals, a sense of fulfillment, a feeling their lives are not wasted. As in Thoreau's Waldin, they do not wish to reach the point of facing death and realize they've not allowed themselves to live. They still have time. Such sense of direction and behavior have their roots in basic beliefs.

The elderly become concerned with the hereafter. Hopefully they are content with their past but must face up to their religious convictions. More than ever they must cope with forces beyond their controls their egos are humbled, they place themselves in the hands of their faith. The options run out.

The reader can compile their own definitions but for the purpose of presenting a point lets assume this does reflect the average 20th Century American needs. Now lets compare this with the religion of primitive man, ancient man, medieval man and modern man. In doing so we can determine if religion has "evolved" and ask ourselves if the precepts of the major religions today reflect today’s needs.

4.0 Primitive Religion

The thought processes of primitive man are not readily fathomed. As previously indicated he was as well endowed in mental capacity as people today. Anyone could espouse or suggest anything as a cause or effect, who could prove them right or wrong? They were perhaps like children who can readily become afraid of a presumed bogy man lurking in the dark or any hocus pocus pranksterism of older kids.

The book "Prehistoric Religion" (ref. 3) devotes itself to documenting burial sites, artifacts and drawings that pertain to religion. The most salient feature is that primitive man had some concept of an after life and went to monumental efforts at times to provide the remains with material goods for an after life, encasing the bodily remains along with paraphernalia in tombs. However, there was no hesitancy in violating biological credibility. Sometimes the body was mutilated in the process of “preserving" it and at times even cremated. The spirit or soul being non combustible, being freed to traverse upward to Heaven.

The Egyptian pyramids are the best known examples of megalithic tombs although there are also Herculean examples in Central America and England. (ref. 3)

Herodotus (ref. 4) a Greek who traveled and wrote of Egypt in the 5th Century BC (the pyramids were already very old) provides a most interesting account of among other things, the mummification process.

Today we think primarily of a Pharaoh being mummified and prepared for his after life without realizing that the general populace also sought a hereafter. Herodotus describes the embalming methods for the lower classes as well as the upper classes. He wrote: "...The wives of men of rank when they die are not given at once to be embalmed, nor such women as are very beautiful or of greater regard than others, but on the third or fourth day after their death (and not before) they are delivered to the embalmers. They do so about this matter in order that the embalmers may not abuse their women..."

"The Vikings" (ref. 5) includes an excellent eye witness account of a Swedish ship burial and cremation which took place by the river Volga in 922 AD. The narrator Ibn Fadlan was an Arab ambassador. These Vikings had a belief in a life hereafter and a sequence of customs including preparation of the corpse and a ship. This was followed by a ritual of drinking and sacrificing of animals including a human. In the reported incident a slave woman volunteered to die with her master. After several days of prolonged drinking, making sacrifices and farewell rounds, which included sexual intercourse, she was finally led on board the ship and killed. She was cremated along with her master and the animal parts from the sacrifices as the ship burned. In this case the wife lived. In other reported events the wife was buried alive with her husband. The issue of women's equal rights to take her husband with her was not mentioned.

Tacitus provides insight into the behavior and beliefs of the Germanic peoples in the first century AD (ref. 6). The writings of Tacitus and the Journals of Lewis & Clark (ref. 7) show a similarity in the beliefs and behavior of people separated by an ocean and 1800 years. Anthropologists (ref. 8) report similarities in primitive peoples regardless of their habitat or calendar time. They all had beliefs regarding fertility and birth as well as death.

"Seed to Civilization" (ref. 9) in chapter titled "Seeds, Sex & Sacrifice" provides an excellent description of primitive man's religious beliefs and practices when he first began growing crops. As a herdsman and animal himself he recognized the need for sex to result in birth. In growing crops "The plow itself seems to have been first constructed to resemble a phallic symbol, representing man's role in bringing fertility to Mother Earth". Much of man's time and mental energies were applied to feeding his family, fending off enemies and coping with the mystery and magic of reproduction.

The "Beginning of Religion" (ref. 10) presents the many aspects of the genesis of religions. The treatment of sacrifice and sacrament denotes a powerful motivation, the extreme measures taken and the tampering of these with time. Offerings were made to a supernatural being to secure their favor or minimize their hostility. Such fears were so great as to cause sacrifice of the first born. The burden of sacrifice was often placed on the rulers in the event of crop failures. However, the rulers, not having achieved such positions by being stupid, diverted attention and provided sacrifice in the form of a mock King in the person of a young and vigorous prisoner. The practice of substitution is still with us today by the use of wine in lieu of blood for holy ritual. The meaning of the rituals has also changed with time.

5.0 Ancient Religion

The demarcation between Primitive man, Ancient man and Medieval man is not readily defined particularly with respect to his religion. For our purposes lets say Ancient began when man could comprehensively express himself in writing and ended with the fall of the Roman Empire. This then was the "Golden Era of Religion", the period when the major religions were being founded, beliefs put in writing and followers began creating the organizational structures which would sustain a transition from generation to generation.

Certain regions developed civilizations which were quite advanced. Authority for both civil and religious life came under the control of the priesthood. Large expenditures of human effort were applied to performing religious related tasks.

Religious monuments are obvious reminders of such endeavors, less obvious but of more lasting significance were the centers of learning under the auspices of the priesthood. The priesthood had in effect a monopoly on education in some regions. They controlled what could be written and thus passed on. "Face of the Ancient Orient" (ref. 11) conveys the rigidity with which scribes copied approved beliefs from one set of cuneiform tablets to another. Change was stifled for centuries by conformity.

Ancient man collected data regarding the heavens in order to forecast the seasons. These efforts were primarily carried out by the priesthood of Babylon, Egypt, Maya and China. The priesthood were the few who held sinecure positions permitting them the leisure to ponder the esoteric.

The Stonehenge in England is a curious example of a cyclical process in man's finite and religious pursuits. Dr. Fred Hoyle (ref. 12) gives an excellent description of what the first Stonehenge people had achieved and how they did it. Stonehenge #1, constructed about 2700 BC, was an astronomical observatory. It was a clever but simple ring of posts. By a sequence of periodic sightings and the moving of key post, the time of solar and lunar eclipses could be forecast. The technique was probably evolved by the scientists of their days, the curious making measurements. (The monks of Europe evolved the complex process of brewing beer and perfected fermentation of wines which are not now considered theological endeavors.) In the process of time the decedents lost track of how the system of setting posts worked. Folklore probably amplified the ancients ability to forecast seasons. They sought to reinstate the magical power of how the observatory worked. They wished to earn the blessings of the heavenly gods. By superhuman effort they brought stones from distant places and stacked them in the manner photographed today. A sun dial explains itself, the setting of the posts had been lost & the post holes covered by sod. Only quite recently has man uncovered the true observatory, having been blinded by the megalithic structure.

The process of advance and collapse has often repeated. Christians for example burned the ancient library in Alexander Egypt, (the greatest collection or written documents to that point in man's history, a tragic event) and destroyed volumes of valuable astronomical records gathered over hundreds of years by the Babylonians. Subsequently it was the Christian religion that knowingly and sometimes unknowingly contributed to the next leaps forward in astronomy and science.

6.0 Medieval Religion

Those of European extraction are prone to forget the rest of the world. Libraries provide a rich source of material pertaining to European medieval history and its pages teem with religious relevance. "Wane of the Middle Ages" by Huizinga (ref. 13) carries one into the minds of partially enlightened man. The medieval peasant was readily inspired or "persuaded" to crusade and wage war in the name of his Master & God. His Weapons were no longer primitive but his Medicine was. The writing of Barber Surgeon Ambrosio Pare (ref. 14) who served the peoples on both sides during religious wars between Catholics and Protestants in the mid 1500's helps one visualize the conditions and concerns of these people.

European religion survived in monastic orders following the fall of Rome. In the latter days of the Roman Empire St. Augustine (ref. 15) challenged the rule of the Emperor by demanding separation of church and state, because the ruler was only a man. This was a significant departure from prior beliefs where the rulers had been considered Gods, as in Egypt with it's almost despotic use of human resources to entomb the rulers.

Rome however fell in the west and persons such as St. Benedict, in isolation from the remainder of the populace, established monastic orders which became the centers of learning. The power and holdings of these orders grew as the secular ruler had need of their services, they were the only ones who could read and write. These Orders began as a sheltered environment for Meditative Isolationists but changed with time. Initially these were self sustaining conclaves.

Some of the religious Orders degenerated into havens for a select few who lived off others with little meritorious return. Some simply served as a means of economic and political gain primarily by the selling of indulgences. This eventually led to Luther's break with church authorities in Rome. Other monastic orders as the Jesuits founded by St. Ignatious embarked on a missionary effort to promote Christianity. Their zeal resulted in trials for Heresy.

The entire period is one of almost a continual state of war, some between secular rulers & some as crusades to free the holy lands from "Heathens". The most devastating were those between the Christian factions. These combine with plagues tried people to the core of their beliefs. Out of this ferment burst the Modern World, a process highly influenced by changes in religious thought.

7.0 Modern Religion

"History of the Modern World" (ref. 16) carries the reader through a burst of enlightenment and aggressive human endeavor. The listing of "100 Great Thinkers & Scientists" (ref. 15 & 17) show that prior to this time the listings are sparse, then begins a snowballing movement. The book "The Origins of Modern Science" (ref. 18) startles one with the realizations of how little man really knew prior to this time. Until this time, life was believed to be spontaneously generated! Harvey traced the human circulatory system for the first time. This must be a credit to the printing press, it's difficult to believe the anatomy of creatures butchered for food had gone unobserved for thousands of years.

Again religious orders played a significant role in enlightenment. The Mohammed’s carried ancient knowledge from Rome and Greece into southern Spain. Jewish traders of the day translated it and made it available to the European Christian world. This triggered the new awakening.

Astronomy affords an example of conflict between religion and the new precepts regarding finite knowledge. Copernicus, a priest, proposed that the Sun, not the Earth, was the center of the universe; as perceived then -- but he was afraid of the authority of the church. His work was published only after his death, he was not afraid of his God. Subsequently Galileo was made a virtual prisoner of the church for simply telling of what he'd seen with his telescope. Later Kepler, also trained by the church, worked some of the basic mathematics defining the motion of heavenly bodies. The scientific defiance of Aristotelian views was equivalent to defiance of the church.

These breaks with prior finite knowledge seemed to set the stage for self expression in the religious sense. What Luther had started was elaborated on by others. Some religious groups failed the test of time and some modified history.

Luther had held that man could approach god through his own prayers and did not need a mediator, the priest. Calvin held that man belonged to god and that it was man's duty to sacrifice himself for God. With time Calvin's strict views were tempered to allow salvation for all men. Followers had a sense of mission to convert the heathen.

A historian, Max Weber, identified what he called the "Protestant Ethic". He contended that Protestantism gave three things which yielded capitalism: (1) a denial of poverty as a virtues, (2) that every occupation is a virtue and idleness a sin, (3) success is a sign of one being selected by "the doctrine of election" (a Calvin belief where some go to heaven and some to hell). These concepts of hard work, worldly rewards, Christian honesty, thriftiness was carried to the new world by the Puritans. "The Protestant Dilemma" (ref. 19) has the story of this transfer and development of the foundations for the kind of government, religion and sense of Manifest Destiny that created the United States.

Expansion of the Christian religion was carried to many parts of the world by peoples like the Puritans and Jesuits.

Religions have stifled, advanced, saved and brought destruction to the nations were they have prevailed. The religious beliefs of the Maya are thought to have brought about their self destruction. The beliefs of the Aztecs and Incas aided in their subjugation by a handful of white men. A different commentary is expressed by Darwin in "The Voyage of the Beagle" (ref. 20), he compared the developments in North and South Americas in 1835, when he traveled around and over regions of South America while gathering data for what became "Origin of the Species". He believed that the difference in economic welfare of the common man was primarily due to the differences in religious beliefs, the north America prospered and while South America remained suppressed.

8.0 Today’s Dilemmas

In the last 10 years man has learned more about the cosmos than in all his prior time on earth.

He has probed the micro world as well an the macro world. What he finds is awesome. At these extremes of "vision" he is primitive man again trying to fathom the unknown. There seems to be no end in either direction. "Relativity & Cosmology" (ref. 21) deals with the same issues which primitive man tried to comprehend.

Man now knows how stars are created, what sustains their life, what causes their death and the hereafter of a star. It is now known that the very elements in our bodies were brewed in the interior of a star, the star synthesizing bigger elements from smaller ones, then exploding them out into space. The more massive stars ultimately collapse into themselves resulting in the phenomenon of the black hole. The black hole being so dense that no light can escape and into which it attracts all matter within its gravitational pull. Never mind about Karma or seeking Nirvana, the Black Hole Bogey man will get YOU...

Man rejects the concept of his own oblivion, even if it's billions of years hence, and tries to find alternate solutions. These take the form of belief in there being a "white hole", the inverse of a black hole; i.e., the galaxy that disappears is reborn (now we're back to reincarnation). This however remains a nebulous hypothesis. Mathematics and observations tend to provide proof of black holes but nobody’s found a white hole. Man is not readily suppressed in his desire to believe in a story with a happy ending.

There is the concept of the Big Bang when all that is was created from one glob of energy and is now flying off into space. Clusters of matter, galaxies, staying glued to each other by gravitational forces but their present velocities ever spreading them from each other. Like dots on a balloon that is expanding larger and larger, looking from any dot, all others are going away spreading farther and farther apart. Some believe the momentum will slow down due to the mutual attraction of the original mass and the process will reverse to cycle again and again. Evidence to date indicates escape velocity has been achieved, that there will be no reversal, yet each new study finds there is more and more mass out there than detectable with a telescope. It remains unknown if man's environment is destined to become lost in space. Worlds & Anti-worlds (ref. 22) presents other hypothesis which provide lexicon for writers of Star Trek.

How will man react to the inverse of the problem faced by primitive man? Will he behave and continue to believe as he has, will he tend to condition himself, as if dooms day is pending, as the Australians in the book "On The Beach". Will he use modem science to achieve Nirvana though drugs. He could even wire himself to trigger a pleasure sensor of his choice in his brain. It's been done with monkeys. They will sensualize themselves endlessly, overcoming any other desire. Does this open the door for a new Buddhist sect, Buddha never contended with the possibility of physical pleasures that did not fatigue the drive. Could the Theravadens find Nirvana by such means and still convince others to feed them. Western views could probably place a ban on such activity contending that "God helps those who help themselves".

Perhaps there will always be believers and non believers, or those who separate work, religion and play, how else could Jainism have sustained a following.

9.0 Reflections

The species man has leaped ahead of other animal species in recent biological time. The proposition has been documented, in such magazines Scientific American, that much of man's rapid evolutionary progress with respect to other mammals is due to the selective choice of mating pairs that propagate the species. This produces different results than a constant re-pooling of genes, which sustains the status quo of a species by random indiscriminate mating.

It is interesting to observe that the concepts of biological evolution have been most vigorously opposed by those defending religious convictions based on the limited knowledge of their communities. They had no way of recognizing that their own religious beliefs were the product of a process of religious evolution.

The scope of man's vision and comprehension depends on the height of the knowledge base on which he stands. Primitive man could only perceive from the height of the terrain on which he stood or could traverse on foot. Ancient man could encompass what he could see from the height and range of a horse. By the end of medieval times man had circled the globe.

Today, for those who seek to know, every man can see from a Macro or Micro vantage point, from the fringes of the universe to the sub-elements of the inner parts of an atom. However, each new individual must mentally grow through the phase of man's earlier development in the process of feeding information to the blank memory he begins with. Parental knowledge is not a part of the DNA molecules coding. This is perhaps a blessing because prior prejudices are erased, though the greater part of another life time is spent seeking wisdom, after it's recognized there is a difference between knowledge and wisdom.

Individuals are not equally equipped with mental capacity, drive or opportunity. Many never achieve the vantage point or desire to deal with the esoteric. Thus there is a need, at any given time, for a religion or sect within a religion for different groups of people. It was interesting to note the differences, expressed in the book "Man's Religions", (ref. 23) regarding which religious variation had the greatest appeal to what segment of society. Most religions evolved something for everyone, else they would not have survived.

Today’s societies also contribute to the need for differences in religious paths or ways. There are those individuals who "cop out" and choose not to compete. This often begins at the lower academic level and as a result carries over into the economic level. However, there is a bigger issue than this.

Prior generations lived on farms or ran small businesses, there was an opportunity for them to have a personal identity and feeling of fulfillment. Since industrialization, trends have been more and more toward bigness with decision making and control at higher and higher levels and less and less opportunity for self fulfillment even by those who have a desire to achieve. The persons left out react in many ways often unrecognizable to themselves. These responses are religion related. They may participate in religious endeavors they might not have otherwise or launch on endeavors deemed worthy by them due to their religious convictions.

The cop out or striving for personal identity (or non-identity) comes to mind when youth are observed taking up religions foreign to those of their parents. The successful inheritors of the family business tend to follow and support the families religion.

Studies of peoples, reported in Scientific American, show there is a compelling instinct for conformity. Tests have shown that many people will conform to a majority response rather than be different even if they believe or know different. Perhaps this has two results. One where people abandon a belief in which they feel uncomfortable so they can join a majority with whom they feel comfortable. Or one where people give the appearance of a belief when they actually do not believe. The latter may be quite prevalent in religious matters. For example the follower of any religion may have been taught and believed in the benefit of the rituals or prayers of their sect only to subsequently find themselves discouraged by results and thus disbelieving. For many faith must be periodically reaffirmed. For some a feeling of disbelief can be traumatic. Their fear of being different becomes a minor consideration compared to the fear of repercussions from the god in whom they both do and do not believe. Perhaps most significant of all is their fear of no belief. (There is wisdom and compassion in not interfering with the beliefs of someone who is content. The missionary zeal to enlighten or convert can be overdone even in non religious matters.) Those who realize that the end of life is in sight frequently comment to the effect that they've made peace with their maker. Their choice of words often reveal the existence of prior inward doubts.

Each individual when struggling with their inner self at some time experience the rational of a primitive man when trying to cope with that beyond their grasp. Such as the fear of being struck dead for disbelief, the marveling at the magical beauty of life; trying to comprehend the spirit, the soul, that which gives each living thing an individuality. Those who have lived in natures environment can feel a oneness with primitive man. They see the cyclic process (Taoism's Ying Yang) of nature; birth/death, growth/decay. They ponder the seed that will become a the plant, the putrefaction of a carcass, the consumptive process of fire, the minds retained memories of a person or creature after its burial.

Man's wanting to believe that the ancestor, friend or pet has not truly decayed to nothing is strong inducement for the creation of an early, widespread and continued belief in a spirit of Atman, such does not make a spirit a fact. Many became confused like a Zen Student and simply believe because they want to believe in a supreme as well as individual spirit.

Many believe in the institution of a religious sect for the good it teaches, the good it does and the comfort they receive in the setting of it's culture. The periodic need for the contemplative setting of a place of worship, the accumulated generations of marvelous music, the architectural beauty and company of basically good people is frequently more motivation than religious convictions.

Such things appeal to the emotions. Physiologists have made it their domain to probe the regions of the mind. In "the Psychology of Consciousness" (ref. 24) it is reported that the mind is in two halves with one side tending to deal with artistic and emotional related aspects and the other dealing with mathematics and reasoning functions. If one were to assign a "Ying-Yang" sex to these sides one could say that use of the emotional side is most natural for women and the reasoning side most natural for men. The bond between a woman and her child, her lover and her religion is very emotional. She does not want to have to reason such things. Men, no less susceptible to emotions, tend to probe. (Perhaps this is because prior to women's lib they didn't have to tend the kids. In primitive times they probably had to stand their shift on guard duty.) It is curious that the religious founders and disciples were men, was that due to the times, when women were considered chattels or a difference in gender makeup?

There are times that religious dogma has a negative result. What is taught in the public school systems of today is often in conflict with finite statements of religious beliefs. Christianity has had trouble with the book of Genesis for generations. For example the creation of daylight and darkness before the creation of the sun, moon and stars. Today’s youth feel that politician’s suffer from a credibility gape. lawyers have long used the technique of destroying a witnesses credibility. It is thus not surprising that antiquated religious dogma destroys the credibility of the good in many religions. The writer's of such dogma would never have dreamed that the Himalayan mountains are the result of the dynamics of continental drifts or that there was an Antarctic continent beneath an ice cap which contained coal awaiting man's discovery and the determination of how it could be. Perhaps it would benefit religions, as it does man and other forms of life, to be reborn in the next generation without the prejudices and affirmatives of the past.

It is interesting to reflect on the fact that most religions are individual oriented. Even those with social compassion’s, as those on a Mahayana raft crossing to Nirvana, are concerned at the individual level. The concepts of concern for future generations did not seem to take root as a major pillar of religious purpose. This being the bicentennial year makes it appropriate to pause at that point in time when the Declaration of Independence was created. The work of Jefferson, (ref. 25) Adams and their peers reflect a genuine concern for future generations and a belief in the creature man himself. These are religious convictions on the part of men often rebellious to church doctrine and what they considered hypocrisy of their day. To what extent were they influenced by the Protestant ethic?

Moral judgments are a part of most religious beliefs. Tolerance like wisdom and faith is not served to us on a platter. Society needs moral standards, particularly during the period of an individuals social immaturity. Moralistic judgments, particularly by inference to changes of appearance are often exercises in futility. Societies behavior does not follow a rigid pattern. Hair and skirt length have oscillated for ages. Less frivolous behavior also varies. Bronowski in the Ascent of Man, as Jefferson in the domain of governments placed confidence in the fundamental nature of man, so long as man is free to express himself.

Since the child is created from the genetic codes of his parents, the thought can then be inverted and said that the parent lives via the offspring, the parents have no control of which genes are used but they are none the less theirs. Generations overlap generation which permits knowledge and beliefs to be passed on in a personal sense. Those without biological off-springs contributed in many cases more significantly to subsequent generations. All contribute directly or indirectly to the pool of human knowledge and the physical and social environment passed on. In a sense this is a form of reincarnation with ones own conscience having kept the Karma grade card each carries to the nothingness of Nirvana. By the end, the baton has been passed and conscientious happiness or regret as we know it is a transient thing.

Man will probably ponder these issues for as long as he exists. For a creature that persistently pursues answers, there will always be another question. Unfortunately we players never know the end of the story. Perhaps the creator, if one exists, is also pondering the outcome, our humble projections are like voyages of fantasy.

Postscript

This paper dated 03-25-1976 was submitted early, due to heavy load at work, the class was vulnerable to being dropped. The paper was a surprise to the teacher as it was submitted ahead of her agenda. She gave it a quick glance flipping to the references. The look on her face gave forewarning of, "What does Louis & Clark have to do with Religion?" I gave an inner sigh of resignation and said, "If it doesn't satisfy your criteria, then just give it a flunking grade." Thus it was a complete surprise to see the grade and accompanying note: "100+ Did you ever consider publishing?"

This really was a shock, a most pleasant surprise, considering her initial reactions. But it was a real surprise because I'd recently been told, after turning in material for a Technical Proposal, “….your a damn good engineer but your certainly not a writer, we'll need to give this stuff to someone who can write it so others can understand it.......” Over the years I'd become accustom to such "encouraging" remarks and was thus convinced of it's truth. At times we humans feel compelled to communicate our thoughts to others, thus though not convinced I could write it was nice to have received an unexpected pat on the back for having tried to do justice to her class assignment.

Bibliography

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01	Man's Emerging Mind	N Berrill	Fawcett	1955
02	A History of Western Philosophy	B Russell	Simon & Schuster	1945
03	Prehistoric Religion	E James	Bames & Noble	1957
04	An Account of Egypt	Herodotus	Collier	1938
05	The Vikings	J Brondsted	Pelican	1968
06	Germany	Tacitus	Collier	1938
07	Journals of Lewis &Clark	Lewis & Clark	Houghton Mifflin	1953
08	Anthropology	Ember	Pretice Hall	1973
09	Seed to Civilization	C Heister	Freeman	1973
10	The Beginings of Religion	E James	Hutchinson Univ	1945
11	The Face of the Ancient Orient	S Moscati	Anchor
12	From Stonehenge to Modem Cosmology	F Hoyle	Freeman	1971
13	Wane of the Middle Ages	J Huizinga	Anchor
14	Journeys to Diverse Places	A Pare	Collier	1938
15	100 Great Thinkers	J Green	Simon & Schuster	1964
16	History of the Modem World	R Palma	Knopf	1971
17	100 Great Scientists	J Greem	Simon & Schuster	1964
18	The Origines of Modem Science	H Butterfield	Mac Millan	1957
19	The Puritan Dilemma	E Morgan	Little Brown	1958
20	Voyage of the Beagle	Darwin	Collier	1938
21	Relativity & Cosmology	W Kaufmann	Harper & Row	1973
22	Worlds & Antiworlds	Alfren	Freeman	1972
23	Mans Religions	Noss	MacMillan	1969
24	The Psycohology of Consciensness	R Omstein	Freeman	1972
25	Thomas Jefferson	Broodie	Bantam,	1975