Ciphers
The only place left to hide is in the open.
“For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen – being understood by the things that are made – even His eternal power and Godhead – so that they are without excuse.” – the Apostle
“in the dream there were tiles with letters on them – like the ones you use for Scrabble – and we were supposed to pick them up and put them in some kind of order on the wall – and it was going to have a message – but then the girl in the dream was telling me – these are not what they seem, they have a hidden meaning – if you just look at them as letters they will have one meaning – but if you know the key – you can read a much deeper meaning.” – from “The Chronicles of a fool.”
In truth – everything is written in ciphers, “that seeing they may see, and not perceive, and hearing they may hear, and not understand.” – from “Who was Mark?”
And, that being the case – you begin to wonder when “great thinkers” like Stephen Hawking are warning us that we should not talk to aliens if they happen to show up – “If aliens ever visit us, I think the outcome would be much as when Christopher Columbus first landed in America, which didn’t turn out very well for the Native Americans,” – and renowned Neo-Darwinists like Richard Dawkins suggest that life on Earth was seeded by the very aliens Hawking warns us against.
According to Dawkins
The aliens of Hawking
Who brought Earth its life
Must be intelligent
Though Hawking warns
Should they come a knockin’
Was it Dawkins or Hawking?
Who warned, “have some sense!”
And, “don’t speak to them!”
But my question becomes
Is it Hawking or Dawkins
We must reverence?
- The Fool
Perhaps this was Darwin’s greatest downfall – he really only saw the surface and in his simplistic observations he failed to recognize the immense complexity that lay just beyond the boundaries of his sight – an encrypted masterpiece that defies a sensible response from either Dawkins or Hawking.
And so they go walking about in the Emperor’s new clothes – disdaining and mocking all criticism – and scorning those who in their intellectual penury have the audacity to point out that they are walking around naked.
Never mind the facts – they have powerful advocates and protectors – but if you listen carefully to the discourse taking place in the public square – you will eventually conclude – by the sheer volume of the broadcast – that the core issue is summed up in these words from the Ancient Texts.
“who hath believed our report?”
To this end each persuasion and the advocates of each point of view line up their own expert witnesses – and the almost endless and futile interrogations and depositions commence – at times reaching a markedly carnival atmosphere – save for the rack, and being drawn and quartered, and the Iron Maiden. Indeed, this controversy and its resultant conflicts – which throughout history have quickly escalated from debate to debauchery – and from premise to persecution – remains at the center – “are we created a little lesser than the angels for a time and a season?” – or are we “the spawn of an irreverent and random – though somewhat miraculous visitation – eons being what they are – happenstance and accident of the highest order?”
You really must ask yourself what you personally believe in. Surely something in this wonder of an experience that we call life is “provable.” – And, perhaps something is.
Pythagoras was a Greek mathematician, and like so many “facts” in our records – it is disputed as to whether or not he originated the theory attributed to him – something called “The Pythagorean Theorem” . If you have ever been to school you may have heard of it.
The theorem itself – whether from Pythagoras or not, goes something like this. “The area of the square of the hypotenuse of a right triangle is equal to the sum of the areas of its squared sides.” The mathematical equation that expresses this is that if “a” and “b” are the sides of a right triangle – and “c” is the hypotenuse – then a² + b² = c². There are 367 separate proofs to date – making the Pythagorean Theory one of the most supportable “truths” in our collective understanding – and few except the grossly uneducated or outright fools would deny it. It is an accepted truth that has been part of our understanding for nearly 2540 years.
One of the proofs is attributed to the 20th President of the United States – James A. Garfield. (not to be confused with the Garfield you all know and love.)
So, if there is a theorem with such a vast volume of proof – surely this, unlike Darwinism – is something we can trust.
The obvious question arises – are there other truths? Certainly there are – but as we step into the realm of the “provable” we leave the shore – and we set our bark on troubled seas.
And trouble often brings unexpected results.
Take Buckminster Fuller as an example – twice expelled from Harvard – who decided to embark on “an experiment, to find what a single individual could contribute to changing the world and benefiting humanity.”
Coining the phrase “Spaceship Earth” he set out to see if one person’s contribution and influence was significant – and then he left his indelible mark.
Credited with “discovering” the word “synergy”, Fuller began to set the pearls of his keen observation before us – with perhaps his crown jewel – the evidence of which you need turn perhaps a single page to discover or in some cases, simply turn your head and view the city skyline to observe – the geodesic dome – shining forth as a beacon of progress and promise.
Texas Stadium – “Epcot” at Walt Disney World – The Montreal Biosphere – and countless other manifestations of his concept came into being – delighting and intriguing those that had a first-hand experience of the unique design.
But some argue that Fuller’s greatest gift was in his ability to express and define our common ground – whether the sacred geometry of triangular structures that would rake the heavens and find counterparts in the atomic sub-particle – or a keen understanding that when individuals contribute their full available potential in league with their like-minded and like-motivated constituents – then the product of their cooperation vastly overshadows the mere sum of their collective contributions – resulting in a dynamic that he expressed as “synergy” – an observable phenomenon – and a manifestation of which an entire generation could acknowledge by uttering a single name – “The Beatles”.
After all is said and done – our communication rests on one distinct element – common ground. And that takes us back to discovering basic truths – if indeed – there are any.
“For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” – a man accused of having a devil
Perhaps the best approach is the clinical – try sowing thistle and see if you get alfalfa.
For the skeptic the better approach may be to test the law of gravity – “that any object released above the surface of the Earth will fall with an acceleration of 10.8 m/sec² until the acceleration of gravity and the resistance of the air on the object become equal reaching what is called terminal velocity” (for a human being in free fall a speed of approximately 120 mph.)
You can test it yourself from any high-rise structure, abatement, or precipice – simply step off.
Your chances of conducting the research more than once are nil – providing you have chosen a sufficient height from which to conduct your research – (although amazingly enough there have been exceptions.)
So what does it all mean?
Maybe the best way to approach the subject is to repeat the question and “ask”, if the Pythagorean Theory is provable – then it is safe to say it is true – and if it is true – are there other truths?
The general answer is that our science books are filled with established truths – and here is where the present rub comes in. Neo-Darwinists would have us believe that these proven facts extend to the theory of evolution being “proven” – a mere starting point for Richard – who, once again employing his superior intellect and using the “truth” of Neo-Darwinism as a “given” – extrapolates, and under the glare of this immutable and harsh reality – declares that “God is a myth.” – in fact, he uses his premise of the “truth” of evolutionary theory to take things a step further and state, “The God of the Old Testament is arguable the most unpleasant character in all fiction: Jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.” – Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion, 31.
Answering such a diatribe based on Dawkins’ “truths” that he holds so dear is not only exasperating, but probably futile.
“Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou be like unto him.” – the Old Testament
Let me, or should I say – humor me while I point out what I consider to be the flaw in Dawkins’ conclusions. His beloved “truth” is based on a completely natural world in which, “The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference.” – Dawkins
In the natural world lions kill and eat their prey – and if you apply the “truth” of Neo-Darwinism consistently and objectively – then humans employing the same tactics for their survival cannot be judged with a different standard of weights and measures.
Richard, in claiming some kind of moral high ground is simply patronizing us. In a natural world ruled by the “truth” of natural selection – concepts such as justice, benevolence, and mercy don’t exist – except as ploys to secure an individual’s or a group’s survival and dominance.
In fact – the God of the Old Testament as described by Richard would not only be a primary and formidable adversary in such a game – but he would be the most likely character to be found ruling the hood – almost the kind of character that you would expect Richard to not only laud – but to embrace, if for no other reason than for his own safety.
If you shine the “light” of the “truth” of Neo-Darwinism – that’s all you get.
Paradoxically, in his recent call for the arrest and prosecution of the Pope for covering up “crimes against humanity” in the form of an opinion he wrote suggesting that the Church protect itself from litigation surrounding their ongoing abuse scandal – Richard was appealing to our “higher selves” or our “better nature” – calling on us to stand up and be counted for supporting the rule of law – concepts and ideas that are very much – at least in the laws of Western Civilization – based on the commandments of Richard’s fictitious God of the Old Testament.
When we discover such inconsistencies in the application of the “truths” of Neo-Darwinism – then perhaps it is prudent to heed the words of another voice with whom Richard has little in common.
“A house divided against itself shall not stand.” – Jesus of Nazareth
If Richard’s “truth” is really “the truth” – as sure as Pythagoras – then “let us eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die.”
And let’s not patronize one another with what by definition must be abandoned as myth and conjecture in the light of Richard’s “truth” – “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance” – these are mere illusions mocking the simple – and let us brace ourselves for those who will rise up and secure their own survival – and their chosen destiny – expecting no quarter – for no quarter will be given.
After being handed such “pitiless indifference” – you may – like many who have accepted Richard’s “truth” wonder if it is really so – “is life even worth living?”
Based on the creed of the Neo-Darwinist – the answer for far too many would; in all probability – be a resounding “no!”
The list of candidates for what most of us would consider “lives that are not worth living” is perhaps better left to your imagination. Suffice it to say that what has for centuries been considered a grievous crime is making steady progress in being accepted in our atheistic modern world – that is – that “lives that are not worth living” can, and in some cases, should be terminated – mercifully of course – it is a solution known as euthanasia.
The Hippocratic oath forbid a doctor to participate in such a things, “I will give no deadly medicine to any one if asked, nor suggest any such counsel” – from The Hippocratic Oath – 400 B.C.
Perhaps more than anything else – as we go quietly into the night with A Clockwork Orange’s Alex and his druges stalking our sanctuaries – perhaps the one truth we may want to discover is indeed, “is life worth living?”
Richard seems to think that believing in those proscribed emotions of love and faith turn us into pitiful mindless dupes who universally fail to experience life and its true meaning – but then, if what Richard believes is the “truth” is in fact the truth – then life has no meaning – no, what we are seeking is some transcendent understanding – something greater than genetic immortality – and where do we look for such truth – is there any evidence whatsoever? – is it hidden – the cipher and the algorithm – or is he really right? – and when we die – nothing.
If such transcendent truth does exist we need evidence.
“For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom.” – the Apostle Paul
We may go about it in the same manner as any other form of research – what we need is a starting point – a theory – and then we need to test it to see if it is, in fact, true.
Theory – “Having faith in God and being filled with His love enables humans to act in extraordinary ways.” – an idea stated by the Apostle Peter which is found in the New Testament book bearing his name, “charity shall cover the multitude of sins.”
Before we present a single observation of this theory in practice – let me challenge Richard and his “truth.”
In the natural world you will seldom find the gazelle herd inviting the lion that has just killed and eaten one of their number for a sleep over. For the natural man, such an idea is foolishness – and so it is as it should be – according to Richard, “Blindness to suffering is an inherent consequence of natural selection. Nature is neither kind nor cruel but indifferent.” – No lions at gazelle sleep overs.
Hold that thought.
On October 2, 2006 Charles Carl Roberts IV walked into a one-room schoolhouse in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania and took ten girls ages 6-13 hostage. In the nightmare that followed, (remember now, there is, according to Richard nothing either “kind or cruel” in what you are about to hear) – two of the young girls being held hostage – Marian and Barbie Fisher, 13 and 11, realizing that their captor intended to kill them – stepped forward and requested that he take their lives and spare their classmates. Roberts murdered five of the girls, and seriously wounded five others, before turning the gun on himself. The nation and the world were stunned by this, according to Richard – “neither good nor bad” – but nearly indescribable terror. But the act of love of two minor children is not the final chapter of this unimaginable event – “really just nature being indifferent” – Richard might say – no, the community and the families of the slain and seriously injured called for the forgiveness of the killer – “He had a mother and a wife and a soul and now he’s standing before a just God.” But then these amazing people took their loving response to an even more incredible level – visiting Roberts’ widow, parents, and in-laws – visits in which it has been reported that one Amish man held the sobbing father of Carl in his arms – comforting him for more than an hour.
The West Nickel Mine schoolhouse has been torn down – and the new schoolhouse? – mercifully placed in a new location – the New Hope School stands.
And the challenge to the “truth” of the atheist and Neo-Darwinist Richard Dawkins – who believes that “There is no such thing as a Christian child.”
Richard – please shine the “light” of your “truth” – show us how your “truth” empowers human beings in such acts of love and faith – and mercy – bring us your multitudes whose lives have been given meaning by your preaching that “God is a myth” – and that there is “no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference.”
Show us the missionaries of your “truth” who are this very day giving their lives to alleviate the suffering of the impoverished and the hungry – or picking up those who are dying on the street and taking them to a clean bed of compassion to spend their final hours.
O’ Richard – please show us one example of how your “truth” can transform one single life – and as you do – I charge you to remember Marian Fisher – a Christian child.