The Most Enigmatic Enigmas
“New York, N.Y. - December 16, 2013 - A new Harris Poll finds that while a strong majority (74%) of U.S. adults do believe in God, this belief is in decline when compared to previous years as just over four in five (82%) expressed a belief in God in 2005, 2007 and 2009. Also, while majorities also believe in miracles (72%, down from 79% in 2005), heaven (68%, down from 75%), that Jesus is God or the Son of God (68%, down from 72%), the resurrection of Jesus Christ (65%, down from 70%), the survival of the soul after death (64%, down from 69%), the devil, hell (both at 58%, down from 62%) and the Virgin birth (57%, down from 60%), these are all down from previous Harris Polls.
Belief in Darwin's theory of evolution, however, while well below levels recorded for belief in God, miracles and heaven, is up in comparison to 2005 findings (47%, up from 42%).
These are some of the results of The Harris Poll® of 2,250 adults surveyed online between November 13 and 18, 2013 by Harris Interactive.
The survey also finds that 42% of Americans believe in ghosts, 36% each believe in creationism and UFOs, 29% believe in astrology, 26% believe in witches and 24% believe in reincarnation - that they were once another person.”
Ok, so 68% of Americans believe in Heaven. Interestingly, belief in Heaven is strongest in the poorest countries, with few exceptions. I reckon if we have little, and expect little, in life, then it helps to believe life here is not only temporary, but will be better after death.
Most people entering marriage at the alter probably believe their love is everlasting. Actual stats indicate otherwise. Of course we can hardly expect the preacher to orate: “Although we know half the time this to be otherwise, do you two willingly enter into holy matrimony and promise to love each other until death do you part?” And why don’t divorce proceedings end with: “The parting is granted and by what method do you choose death?”
While I can’t prove this with stats, it seems, in general, that the more religious people are, the harder they fight dying. After all, the main reason individuals do not have control over their own dying process is that religious organizations treat death as only something God determines as to when, and that life is divinely precious under any circumstances, no matter how much suffering is involved. In recent years many times the dying person or process is allowed to fudge a little bit. We don’t put them to sleep with an anesthetic, but we finally, at some point, may allow the breathing machine to be turned off and the patient suffocates to death. That way, or so it goes, we didn’t kill the person, God did.
At funerals, the most wailing it seems takes place in those situations where religious beliefs are the strongest. Why would there be wailing that someone, having inherited by birth or marriage, the right religion, is going to heaven? In my inherited religion baptism was by immersion. Maybe I should have prayed aloud upon rising from the water: “God take me right now before I can screw up.”
We can be sarcastic here, as I just was, but none of us can prove there isn’t any Heaven either. Most of those who claim God speaks to them seem a bit pretentious to me. I wish God did speak to me, but then why would God speak only to me and some other chosen few? And why would God use inheritance as the means to spread the right scripture? And why have none of the major prophets in major religions not have authored their Bible? In fact, why doesn’t God Himself author the official bible and why is scripture in major religions so dated to the time period in which it was written, and written by others years after the major prophet is dead? Something seems a tad strange here. Surely God would find a way to speak to all of us in an unmistakable way with directions and rules which are forever true, not historical age-dependent.
Beliefs are a necessary ingredient in life. “Just the facts ma’am, just the facts” is not enough to get us through life. We all believe in a lot of things, some small in significance and others rather important in significance. And yet the more reasonable basis for a belief the easier it is to strongly believe it. At one time humans believed the earth was flat. We could see that with our own eyes. Of course today we don’t think it is flat because strong evidence otherwise surfaced. I understand that a small flat earth contingent still exists and I sometimes feel I have personally met every one of them. Or so it seems.
Praying is another enigmatic aspect of life. I could pray, at age 73, that God not let me die from this or that condition. But then, why would God save me from dying and not some helpless child starving to death in a refugee camp somewhere? I suspect, if God made a speech to all of us, he would ask? “Why have all of you, blessed with so much material wealth via genetic talent, environmental circumstance, or through the help of others, not have used your excess wealth past a reasonable standard of living to help those others most in need?” Wow, what would we say? “Cut the liberal bullshit God, I have earned all of the wealth I have (with Your help) and I have inherited the right religion, and I have dutifully performed the right rituals, and I have taken excellent care of my own family members, and I am so family value oriented that my own kids will inherit most all the wealth I have accumulated, as my family duty dictates. It is your job, God, to take care of the least fortunate. Now hop to it, save me from this condition which is about to kill me.” I doubt most of us talk that way to God, but we do sort of act that way to varying degrees.
What we cannot comprehend is best not to pretend otherwise, which therefore will make us wise beyond our years. We need maybe just stick to basic more evident truths—like the Golden Rule, along with enough is enough with just about anything in life—and by doing this, the maximum number of humans on this planet can achieve contentment with their lives.
