Hi Glenn
You wrote: The Bible, saying nothing about the earlier hominids, leaves the
question
open as to when men became men. Thus, in my mind, it is a matter of
evidence
not of Scripture. So when we look through the anthropological record and
see
things that look for all the world as an altar (and indeed would be
interpreted as an altar were H. sapiens bones found with it) it seems a
bit
ad hoc to then claim that we must interpret the same object differently if
found with Neanderthal than if found with H. sapiens. Why the double
standard?
Don: No double standard. I do feel that just because one is aware of some
power which is greater than our own and may be spiritual in nature, does not
mean that they are the same. I realize that you see action as the means of
understanding. In that I mean, you seem to feel that since Pre-Sapiens had
alters or killed bears or any other gesture of religion, they must be
somehow human. I myself do not define this as humanity. We do know from
written history that our current species has, for some time, been aware of
our sins and this is a major step in the human process. I do realize that
these Pre-Sapiens may also have been aware, and as you said we cannot know.
Perhaps this is why the years of ancestry in Judean faith is so short.
Perhaps they to had no way of going back prior to written or direct verbal
knowledge. They may have then assumed that it started much more recent. On
the other hand they may have been right, but we have not figured out the
point at which the change in behavior or intelligence came. The only thing I
see as a guide is the breath of life. But this is difficult to measure
scientifically and does take some faith.
Frankly, before the advent of writing, we have no idea what gods anyone
worshipped. Some Australian aborigines have a religion involving a
Rainbow
Serpent. That religion goes back at least 9000 years as there are
paintings
of the Rainbow Serpent which date that old. Did they have the same
religious conception as those alive today? No one knows.
My point exactly.
If this doesn't answer the question you mention above, please ask it more
directly.
Barring the finding of a theology book of that era and the incredible luck
in figuring out how to translate it, we would never be able to determine
who
these people are worshipping. Thus you have set a standard which can never
be met and thus you will never be forced to change an opinion in this
area.
But when one sets a standard which is impossible to meet, it is no longer
science but dogma.
Actually Glenn, without standards that are nearly unattainable man would not
have had a reason to do anything, including science. It was trying to
understand the, at that time, impossible that got us to where we are today.
But keep the faith. Others will be willing to search for the evidence.
My pleasure. I hope people learn a wee bit from my posts.
Thanks for the chat.
Don P
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Tue Apr 23 2002 - 18:00:01 EDT