A fifth grader knows more about the world we live in than the adults of 30 A.D.

A fifth (5th) grader today knows more about the world we live than a mature adult in 30 A.D. and in fact, a fifth (5th) grader today knows more about mathematics, language, biology, science, space science, history and etcetera, than the primitive men who wrote the Old or New Testament.

Yet two thousand years later, there are millions upon millions of people in the Scientific Age who think these ancient primitive men of the Bronze and Iron Age, knew more how and why the world came into being, than scientists of today—2000 years later.

Science has given us jet airlines, luxury cruise liners, submarines, space ships, skyscrapers, modern homes, cars, trucks, modern medicine—the list seems endless.

What does science say? Science says, we don't know but let's find out. If science is criticized for being wrong, science says, let's make sure we got it right. Science likes criticism, and says if we find better information, then we'll be glad to review and up-date our knowledge base and go with the new information. Science says, if we don't know something, we are okay with that.

"There is a related claim that atheists and scientists generally are arrogant. This is rather ironic. The truth is, is that when scientists don't know something, like "Why did the universe come into being" or "How did the first self-replicating molecules first form on earth", they tend to admit it. Pretending to know things you do not know is a profound liability in science. You get punished for this rather quickly for this." —Sam Harris

What does religion say? We know the ultimate truth. We have the ultimate answer. We don't need scientific studies that other scientists can replicate. We have the answer to some of the biggest questions, "Who made the universe", and "Why are we here?". The religious claim to have the answer and abhor criticism. They don't want more information, they don't like questions and they don't like criticism.

 "Pretending to know things you do not know is the lifeblood of faith-based religion. This is really one of the profound ironies of religious discourse. And the frequency with which you can hear religious people praise themselves for their humility while tacitly claiming to know things about cosmology and physics and chemistry and paleontology, that no scientist knows." —Sam Harris

The people who wrote the Bible did not even know the earth was round or that it circled the earth. They had no idea that our solar system is about half way from the center of the Milky Way galaxy. They didn't k now our galaxy is 100,000 light years in diameter. They didn't even know what light speed means. Yet the religious of the past and of today claim they know the truth about the origin of our entire universe.

Can you see the problem with this line of thinking? The thinking that coming from a position of certainty (and certainty which is based on no evidence) is simply intellectual suicide.

Which is the converstation starter and which is the conversation stopper?

Science is always open to new possibilities. Science is searching for the ways things work. If science does not know, it's okay. Science says this is not problem, we can live with not knowing the answer.

Religion is not open to new possibilities, they have found the ultimate truth. They know. Which is the conversation starter and which is the conversation stopper?

Which makes it more exciting to be alive? We don't know, let's explore, let's discover. Or is the attitude of we know, we found it, we know—is this the best attitude to have? If you know, what is there to discover?

For the religious, it's really not that special to be here, right? We know the ultimate truth, been there, done that. We look forward to dying, for that better life. This secret death wish of religions is a very disgusting way to live your life.

Sam Harris quote.

“We are offending people (religious believers) but we are also telling them that it’s wrong to be offended.

Physicists aren’t offended when their view of physics is disproved or challenged, this is not the way rational minds operate when they are really trying to get at what’s true in the world.

Religions purport to be representing reality and yet there’s this peevish and tribal and ultimately dangerous reflective response to having these ideas challenged and I think we’re pointing to the total liability of that.”

–Sam Harris, 30 September 2007.

Iron Age thinking or Scientific Age thinking.

Iron Age thinking or Scientific Age thinking. Is it really that difficult of a choice?