In this blog we will explore the myths and fact behind the oldest and most mysterious theory ever envisioned by man. The belief of life after death and the human spirit has been a part of human civilization since the dawn of our existence. Though aspects of this theory vary throughout the many different cultures of earth, the basic idea remains the same. People either believe or want to believe that there is life after death. We each celebrate our faith in many different ways, whether it be through wor¬ship, art, or even at times of misery, it seems everyone has a moment where they look up to the sky and pray for something more. Even the very foundation of human civiliza¬tion as it exists today, is built on religion. For many of us, faith is the only fuel we have left that drives us, but in a world based solely on physics, and what can and cannot be proven, the magic of it all is now tainted by science. There has never been a discovery of any real solid evidence to prove this theory to be true... Or has there? As scientists look deeper into our genetics, they find answers that only lead to more questions, and discover clues that may one day solve the most complex puzzle ever created, the human body.
We have become so dependent on our beliefs, that religion is practically a way of life for many humans. We build statues to honor the gods we believe to exist, churches to worship them, and develop daily rituals to please them. Wars are fought, cities are built, and massive organizations are grown, all from faith. Even the vary capital of the American Nation was inspired by ancient Egyptian structures, where religion was law. The goddess known in Egyptian times as Venus was named after the planet, which would draw the shape of a perfect pentacle (five pointed star) across the sky every eight years. This is how the Greeks decided to schedule their annual Olympic games, and still today we follow the half cycles of Venus for our modern day Olympics. Religion plays such an important role in our world today, and yet the proof of its exis¬tence is still lost somewhere between folklore and reality.
Today’s advanced technologies have helped to reach scientific peeks to which man had previously thought impossible. Scientists now have the capability to map out our entire gene sequence, which was done in the Human Genome Research project completed in 2003. Here we find that man's closest relative the chimpanzee, actually differs more to us genetically than physically. Where they are similar to us in physical traits, the vary structure that makes all living organisms who they are separates us by two chromosomes. Chimpanzees, Gorillas, and Orangutans all possess 48 chromo¬somes (24 pairs from each parent) where humans only have 46. Which would almost contradict with the theory of evolution that we evolved from these animals? This has been the fuel that feeds the long standing controversial feud between the church and science for many years. But as scientists commenced further research, they discovered something unprecedented. They found that humans do in fact have those two extra chromosomes. At some point in time during our transitional change from ape to man, something caused that extra chromosome to fuse with another. Scientists now believe that it is this mysterious phenomenon that may be responsible for our individuality.
For thousands of years scholars and artists alike have depicted a similar image of what these beings of the other side would look like. Details very between cultures but many claim them to appear as beautiful man-like creatures possessing characteristics of both sexes, with massive bird-like wings, and golden halos hovering above their heads. These creatures are called angels, and though they are spoke of lightly today, many people believe them to exist. Some have even claimed to be able to see these angelic creatures, as their own death draws near. There have even been reported sittings. Though most believe these near death experiences to be a hallucination, as a result of the brain loosing oxygen as the body temporarily shuts down, there are others who think differently. With the advanced technology we pos¬sess today, we can now peer so deep into the human body that we can actually see the closest thing we have to a soul. Scientists can now detect and locate where most of our bio electric energy dwells, and guess where that is... In our heads. Humans actually have halos.
For many, the only thing that separates religion and science are their views of how the world began, but if you look at it from a different point of view they are actu¬ally both very much alike. With religion comes power, many people need something to believe in to live out their lives peacefully. They also need something to fear in order to feel obligated to the rules of that particular belief system, which in turn gives them purpose. The same goes with science. People believe in it, because many of the theo¬ries have been proven, and with proof comes serenity, and understanding. Creating new possibilities, new rules, new fears, and with fear comes power. Ironic is the fact that it is the very same thing that every man craves, which separates us all; power, our power, the power that created us. Where did it come from, and how does it work? These are the questions that men go to war over.
The answer to the question of whether or not humans truly possess a soul may not be answered in our life time, if ever. Still, people continue to search, discover¬ing clues that only lead to more questions. Hollywood creates movies and TV shows exploiting these discoveries, which may forever remain in the sci-fi category, rather than non-fiction. Humanity will never stop searching, even if the answer is never found. And believers will never stop praying, even if science could prove religion to be obsolete. The reason why is because believing, and questioning beliefs are all apart of human nature. We worship Gods and search for answers because it gives us something to do, it gives us purpose. It is our personal beliefs that make us who we are. So if the ques¬tion is whether or not we have a soul, than I guess the answer is up to you.
RESOURCE
The National Human Genome Research Institute- www.genome.gov
http://www.gate.net/~rwms/EvoEvidence.html
