[stomachmonkey]

I believe we evolved.

I also believe that when we die we will evolve to a higher form of existence.

Back when we all lived in tribes we had that one person who was really tuned into the natural world, witch doctor, shaman, high priest etc...

I believe that all people have the ability to communicate with the natural world, some are better at it than others.

Various animals species exhibit an ability to interact with the world, they sense earthquakes coming, storms and other natural dangers.

Migratory birds and marine life use the earths magnetic fields to navigate.

I think our "advances" have limited our natural ability to "hear" the world. TV, radio, satellite communications, noise pollution have all added up to white noise that is drowning out what our natural environment is telling us.

So I don't really believe in "a one true god". I think there is another plane that we ascend, or descend into after we die. Could it be that some of the "gods" that man worshipped in the past were entities from these other planes that we were once capable of communicating with.

Are we their children? Those of you who have kids would agree that you explain things to a 4 year old differently than you explain them to a 14 or 40 year old. You dumb it down to stave off the barrage of "but why".

At the time of Jesus was mankind so juvenile in our development that the explanations of the world were kept to a level that we could comprehend and accept?

We believed in Santa as a kid and even though we grew up and discovered that Santa is not real we still celebrate anyway.

Is this what has happened with religion?

OK, now let's really go crazy.

We all know you can not create or destroy matter, it just changes form. Can't have good without evil, no life without death.

Basically the world maintains balance.

So, could some really bright person work up an equation that calculates the finite number of life forms on the planet, what was the population of humans 20,000 years ago. What was the population of every other lifeform 20,000 years ago.

Can we figure out if the population decline in some lifeforms corresponds 1-1 to the increase in population of other lifeforms?

For example do birds die and come back as people or maybe even cats?

Then there is the whole question of what is a lifeform, is a single cell organism a life form? If so I may need to readdress my position on Roe v. Wade.

What does any of this have to do with the original topic of this thread?

I don't know, my kids woke up early and I started on this while half asleep.

Note to self, stay away from the computer till you have had your coffee.

I need to go find some cool aid.

Scott