THE ORIGIN OF RELIGION - BEN'S BLOG

Why Did Religions Develop?

6/4/2023

Religion has developed for a variety of reasons throughout human history, and the precise reasons can vary depending on the specific religion and cultural context. Here are a few general reasons why religions have developed:
1.     To explain the world: Many religions have developed as a way to make sense of the world and its mysteries. They offer explanations for things like natural disasters, illness, death, and other aspects of human existence that may seem inexplicable or frightening.
2.     To provide a sense of community: Religion has often been a way for people to come together in a shared belief system and form a sense of community. This can be especially important in times of hardship or difficulty, as people may turn to their religion for comfort and support.
3.     To provide moral guidance: Many religions offer a set of moral or ethical guidelines for how people should live their lives. These guidelines can help people navigate difficult ethical dilemmas and make choices that are in line with their values.
4.     To provide a sense of purpose: Religion can provide people with a sense of purpose or meaning in life. It may offer a vision of what life is ultimately about and what the individual's role in the world is.
5.     To address spiritual needs: Many people feel a sense of spiritual longing or connection to something greater than themselves. Religion can offer a way to explore and fulfill these spiritual needs.
These are just a few of the reasons why religions have developed. It's worth noting that religion has played different roles in different societies and cultures throughout history, and its importance and function can vary widely depending on the context.
While religious explanations may provide comfort, meaning, and a sense of community for many people, they are often based on faith and cannot be tested or verified in the same way that scientific explanations can. For these reasons, scientific explanations are often considered superior when it comes to understanding and explaining the natural world.

The Fight Against Superstition

4/2/2023

I think that it is not enough just to be an atheist, agnostic, skeptic or any other kind of non-believer, in a world where religious zealots try to implement their dogmas on all of us. We must actively fight ignorance and superstitions to make this a better world.

There are many closet non-believers, fence sitters and people who have doubts about their religion, who should join our ranks. We must reach them! That is the reason I wrote my book “Why You Won’t Go to Hell.” It is intended to give you the ammunition you need when debating believers or use it as a gift to people you know. Give it to someone who could benefit from it. It is available as an e-book, paper-back or hardcover on Amazon and many other outlets, as mentioned on my website.

You might be surprised how many closeted non-believers and doubters there are who would welcome this kind of information. I wrote this book because I felt there was a need for such a book, avoiding academic language as much as possible, so that the average person would read it. I also intend to fight against not only religions’ attempts to force their beliefs and lifestyles on all of us and to have religious organizations pay taxes, like we all have to, but also to discredit all superstitious activities such as those practiced by astrologists and psychics. The book also is a new perspective based on the latest findings in archaeology, anthropology, neuroscience and DNA research. I hope you do not regard this as blatant self-promotion or spam. Please join the fight against ignorance.

Evolution Is A Proven Science

4/2/2023

Evolution is considered a proven scientific theory based on a vast body of empirical evidence and scientific research from multiple fields such as biology, genetics, geology, and paleontology. The theory of evolution explains how organisms change and diversify over time through natural selection, genetic variation, and other mechanisms.
The evidence for evolution comes from many sources, including the fossil record, comparative anatomy, molecular biology, biogeography, and observations of natural selection in action. The similarities and differences in the genetic code of living organisms also provide strong evidence for evolution and common ancestry.
While there is ongoing scientific debate and refinement of the theory of evolution, the overwhelming consensus among scientists is that it provides the best explanation for the diversity of life on Earth. Evolution has been tested and validated through multiple lines of evidence and has practical applications in fields such as medicine, agriculture, and conservation.
The theory of evolution is a well-supported scientific explanation for how species have changed over time and diversified into the many forms of life we see today. The theory of evolution is based on a vast body of scientific evidence, including the fossil record, comparative anatomy, genetics, biogeography, and observations of natural selection in action.
The evidence for evolution is overwhelming, and the theory has been repeatedly tested and refined over time. While there are still questions and debates among scientists regarding specific details and mechanisms of evolution, the vast majority of the scientific community agrees that the theory of evolution provides the best explanation for the diversity of life on Earth.
Therefore, from a scientific perspective, the theory of evolution is considered to be true based on the evidence available.

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Gedanken Experiment

2/26/2023

Gedanken Experiment
I love the philosophical method of a “gedanken experiment’ which is A thought experiment whereby a hypothetical situation in which a hypothesis, theory, or principle is laid out for the purpose of thinking through its consequences. After studying the latest hypothesis in cosmology and related subjects here is my latest thought experiment and I will try to explain my thinking to you and hope you will comment on my wild ideas with constructive criticism and suggestions.
The smallest particle is a vibrating, one dimensional string. It size is incredible small but it cannot be zero. (Could it possibly be the Planck constant of 6.55x 10 ^-34 m?} Its vibration is the temperature. The lowest vibration is very close to minus 273.15 degrees Celsius (zero degrees Kelvin}, but can also not be zero and if there is an upper limit it is incredibly high. Since vibration takes time, we have now the 4 dimensions. The single particle dimension, the two vibrational dimensions which together create space and the time dimension, because vibrating takes time. Since negative vibrating is not possible in reality, but only in mathematics, it explains why time is one-directional and not reversible.
The three dimensions needed for the vibrating one dimensional string we call Space. For very high vibration (high temperature) we need very little space for one vibration cycle. For a very low ones we need a lot of space per cycle. Since the Universe is cooling from very high temperature at a minimum size to a cold temperature (entropy?) it must expand and probably does not stop until the temperature is close to minus 273.15 degree Celsius (zero degrees Kelvin) at an enormous size. If the universe is a closed system then the energy is constant throughout the whole process, so the temperature can get very, very low but cannot be zero. Energy cannot be created nor destroyed.
I have to leave it to our smart astronomers, cosmologists and mathematicians to come up with actual experiments to prove or disprove any of the above. Afterall it is their research so far, which gave me the ideas expressed above. Now let me hear from you and what you think.

What Thiests Think That Atheists Think

1/14/2023

It is annoying to what Theist think Atheist are thinking. According to many Theist comments Atheists are advocating that something comes from nothing. It shows that Theists don’t understand what “nothing” means. If “nothing” exists than it is something and not “nothing”. It is the Theists which promote “creationism” and that by definition means magically creating some thing from nothing by something called a “god” who comes from where? The Atheist position is based on a scientific fact the First Law of Thermodynamics, ”the law of conservation of energy, adapted for thermodynamic processes. A simple formulation is: the total energy remains constant, although it may be converted from one form to another. Another common phrasing is that "energy can neither be created nor destroyed". This implies that energy is eternal. Some Theist therefor propose that energy is ‘God’ and thus god always existed. I like to point out that energy is not intelligent nor aware and not magic. It cannot make decisions as a god is supposed to be able to.
Now let us look at another misunderstanding that Atheism is a religion, similar to other religions so Theists can make a demand that asking Atheist for proof that god does not exist is equal to our demand that asks them for proof of god.. Religion is a belief without any real evidence. Atheism is a NON-belief in the Theists’ claim. A non-belief cannot be a belief, that is illogical. Let me give you an example showing how irrational that request is: John believes Superman is real and you don’t believe John. John demands that you prove that Superman does not exists and if you fail to do so John concludes that therefore Superman exists. Get how illogical that is?
So please understand that if Theists keep insisting that Atheist think that something can come from nothing and that Atheistm is a religion we automatically not take you seriously and dismiss your reasoning. Please stop thinking what you think Atheist think.

Happy New Year

1/2/2023

Well, we have completed another circumnavigation around the sun. Who knows what the next one will bring as we continue to circle our star year after year. The future doesn’t seem too rosy, with war, climate change and overpopulation on the horizon. Being optimistic, I can see a more stable political world after Russia loses the war and becomes a third world country. Hopefully, the world will become more united to fight climate change and overpopulation. Birth control should become widely available without the interference of religious factions.

Statistics have shown an encouraging trend that the world is slowly becoming more secular. In Canada, 34.6 percent of the population is non-theistic. There is hope that this will mitigate the conflicts that arise because of religious intolerance. Strict separation between church and state is, hopefully, a goal of many future policymakers.

Growth in secularism is a consequence of the increasing literacy of the world’s population. It is a slow process, but we must realize that literacy is a very, very recent phenomenon. A couple of hundred years ago, no one but a very small percentage of the population could read or write, people relied on their religious leaders and they had to judge whether what their leaders told them was the truth. Even now, we lack the education needed to judge the decisions made by our leaders but it is slowly improving. In the recent past, there were only a few individual thinkers or philosophers and they were often in danger if they did not agree with the ruling class.

Today, even if literacy has become widespread, the great majority of the population does not read or study enough to understand our physical reality, with the result that people are influenced by their leaders without using critical mental abilities to make sound judgments. Belief in superstition and the supernatural is still rampant. Critical thinking is the missing link with most people. We must make that a big part of our education system so that people can judge the value of the things they are told.

Science is the only way to discover reality, but it is an ongoing process, which we use to make progress in real knowledge. Philosophy is not science, but it often points us in the direction we should explore. The enemy of real science is pseudoscience, which is used by people who are trying to distort real science to suit their preconceived ideas, using scientific jargon to deceive people who do not have the background to judge the veracity of claims. Trying to ‘prove’ the supernatural exists is a favourite ploy used, especially, by those with a religious agenda. I hope that, soon, but perhaps in the next generation or two, this ploy will be understood for what it is.

At the present, the natural material world represents reality. Attempts by religious adherents to prove the existence of an alternate supernatural world have failed miserably. For more than a hundred years, researchers have been trying to prove the existence of a supernatural realm by means provided via telepathy, astrology, alchemy, occultism, ufology, creationism and many more, but real verifiable proof of the existence of the supernatural has not been established. Time after time science has contradicted and corrected many supernatural speculations. The earth is not the center of the universe anymore. What was considered magic is now known to be tricks of very clever people who know how to deceive the gullible public.

Hopefully, with more literacy and the application of critical thinking, we will advance to a level where most people can see through all the pseudoscience to face our physical reality. It will be a better world. I hope you will forgive my rambling and get some idea why I think the future might not be as bleak as many are anticipating.

The Andrews Clan, Jan.01,2023. Ben with three children, 5 grandchildren, 2 great grandchildren and spouses!

Near Death Experience (NDE)

11/25/2022

A Dutch study published in The Lancet, a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal and one of the oldest of its kind and the world's highest-impact academic journal, reported on an investigation into the phenomenon called Near Death Experience (NDE). All patients examined were supposedly clinically dead. When resuscitated, only 18%. recounted an NDE. According to the paper, NDE was mostly experienced by people under 60 years of age. The patients with already some memory loss reported fewer NDE experiences.

The cause of NDE is still not finally established. Cultural influences are obvious. NDE experiences followed closely the cultural and religious environments where the patients came from. Expectations also played a role.

Out Of Body (OBE) experiences, floating up and looking down, were common. Neuro-scientific evidence tentatively concludes that OBEs happen in relation to NDE cases and, for example, in sleep paralysis, which can occur in individuals, during REM sleep.
In research, it has also been demonstrated that OBEs can be induced artificially by stimulating the right temporoparietal junction (TPJ) which gets info from the thalamus, which updates consciousness, sleep and alertness, also from the limbic system which regulates emotion, behavior, motivation, the senses and long-term memory. Thus no matter how real the experience feels, it seems to be explainable in neuroscientific terms. Another factor is the apparent reunion with the already deceased which is influenced by cultural expectations such as believing about loved ones in the afterlife ready to greet them. Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s patients are known to have hallucinations involving ghosts and relatives in a familiar home setting. These have been linked in pallidotomy lesion surgery. The vision of a tunnel with a bright light occurs when the visual field gradually fails and the brain interprets the faulty messages it is getting.

Another frequently reported phenomenon is the feeling of euphoria and spiritual experience and dissociation, having one’s attention and emotions detached from the environment. This can also be generated with the use of recreational drugs such as ketamine which acts upon N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors. Dopamine and opioids are also known to trigger euphoria after extreme and traumatic events. It has been suggested by some neuroscientists that perhaps we could administer ketamine to dying people in severe stress and anxiety to help create a feeling of euphoria and peace.

In conclusion, it is becoming clear that NDEs are a natural phenomenon and not a trip to the afterlife and back, nor can they be used as proof that an afterlife exists. However, sensational papers and books claiming that an afterlife exists will always be very popular by believers who cannot face the

Science and Foodlaws in Holy Books

9/19/2022

Science, Food Laws and Hygiene Laws in the Holy Books

Christians and Muslims, when asked for proof of their claim that God or Allah exists, often point out that the Bible and Qur’an describe food and hygiene “laws” or “commandments” which were purported to be preventive measures that might help to avoid poisoning and illness. In ancient times, when knowledge of bacteria and viruses was nonexistent, codifying medical knowledge in the holy texts seemed like a good idea.

Since the holy books were written quite recently, compared to the thousands of years of existence of humans and their ancestors and progenitors, it is reasonable to ask why god waited so long before divulging such important, life-saving information. It seems logical that the writers of such laws and commandments simply recorded what people had learned from past-experience and that they wrote down the accumulated knowledge of that time. Some food “laws” have been found on tablets and archaeological evidence which pre-date the construction of the holy texts. Why did God wait so long to incorporate such important knowledge in the holy books?

I have included below a Harvard.edu. paper that addresses this conundrum. The biblical food laws, as it turns out, are fascinating.

Anthropologist Milgrom noted that the pig, in particular, was widely reviled throughout the ancient Near East. He cites an Assyrian tablet dated in the sixth year of the reign of Sargon that reads: "The pig is unholy.. bespattering his backside, making the streets smell, polluting the houses. The pig is not fit for a temple, lacks sense, is not allowed to tread on pavements, [and is] an abomination to all the gods."

Scolar Harris extends this cost/benefit analysis to the Bible's list of birds prohibited as food. He writes, "Unless they were close to starvation and nothing else was available, the Israelites were well advised not to waste their time trying to catch eagles, ospreys, sea gulls, and the like, supposing they were inclined to dine on creatures that consist of little more than skin, feathers, and indestructible gizzards in the first place”.

As far as the Astronomical science is concerned, people of those days had observed the sky for thousands of years and since they were as intelligent as we are they had quite a bit of astronomical science already and this knowledge is recorded in the holy texts. I noted for example that it was claimed that gravity was discovered, because some stars were attached with chains. This reflected the fact that stars in constellations were seemingly connected because they always kept the same distance from each other. They saw the sky as a two dimensional surface and did not realize yet the stars were in a three dimensional space so that two stars in a constellation might be at very different distances from the earth. The writings in the Qu'ran were simply a reflection of the knowledge and speculations of the time.

In conclusion we can safely assume that these laws were not heavenly received but simply reflected the accumulated knowledge at the time of writing. Further reading is recommended.
https://dash.harvard.edu/bitstream/handle/1/8846735/wwilkenfeld.html?sequence=2&isAllowed=y

Abiogenesis: Was Homo Sapiens Created by God or Chance

8/6/2022

The scientific community has overwhelmingly accepted evolution. Theists, believing in an intelligent designer, insist that, because of the seemingly “irreducible complexity” of many different life forms, only an intelligent designer (god) could have produced such a variety of lifeforms in their present configurations. For theists, this “irreducible complexity” is sufficient evidence to assert that their preferred deity must exist.

Non-believers, at least non-believers in Judeo-Christian mythologies (Christians, Muslims and Jews of various descriptions) argue that evolution does not show intelligent design because of the many imperfections that all lifeforms exhibit. The non-believers question why any deity, with the powers of creation at its disposal, would have built-in such imperfections in nearly every species on earth at the time that each species was created by the deity. Why not simply make each unit (each species, genome and individual) perfect from the outset? Why bother to include imperfections during the initial design and creation of each species? Once a species-specific template was established, would it not be easier to replicate additional individuals without such imperfections? Why bother with imperfections at all?

Theists claim that abiogenesis, the process whereby inorganic substances undergo transformation from non-life to life, is caused by pure chance. Theists claim that abiogenesis is untenable because of the immense improbability of its occurrence.

Thus, a divide has opened up between non-believers and theists, with the former claiming abiogenesis as the original process leading to life forms and the latter claiming that only a deity with supernatural creative abilities could have created life forms. One or the other must have the correct assumption and these explanations are mutually exclusive.

For theists, the term “irreducible complexity” also means “irreducibly impossible” odds that life could have formed without supernatural intervention. The complexity of biological life forms is unfathomable for theists. They cannot imagine how anything with the complexity of life forms could have evolved, even over billions of years. Instead of examining such complexity, theists take the short route, preferring to believe that complex life forms suddenly “appeared” at a certain defined time, as the innovations of a divine creator. Complex life forms simply appeared, with their imperfections, all at once. For theists, there is no need to explain biological complexity because the “irreducible complexity” was built in at the point when each life form was created. Why look for explanations for such complexity when a ready-made explanation is available? Theists do not want to ‘dig deeper’ into this complexity for fear of discovering that the atheists may be correct.

For atheists, the term “irreducible complexity” is misleading. Complex life forms can be reduced to biochemical algorithms. All life forms are reducible, however complex they may have become. Algorithms can produce enormously complex systems through the process of evolution, provided that there is some potential for errors in replication.

Theists pretend that there are certain traits and features in life forms that cannot be explained by evolutionary processes. Whenever theists encounter complexity, they make no further efforts toward explanation. Complexity is just too much for them. Rather than question how life forms have such complexity and look for explanations, theists throw up their hands and claim that complex life forms are too complex to analyze, that such complexity could not have arisen without some ‘external’ intervention and that, wherever excessive complexity is discovered and explanations for it involve an onerous task of disambiguation, only a deity (or god) can be invoked to explain it. When things get to be too complex for the minds of deists, they abandon science, research and explanations, and the scientific process and “insert” god where it suits them. Many theists abandon scientific explanations even when such scientific explanations are readily available and easy to apply. Theists claim that “gaps” in scientific understanding of evolutionary processes point to a “god” as the only possible explanation for the “gaps” in human understanding. This is the “god of the gaps” philosophy. For theists, when the going gets tough and complex life forms require complex explanations, they prefer to abandon scientific explanation altogether and take the easier route of invoking the workings of an invisible hand. Theists falsely assume that the “gaps” are too large and complex to overcome. Some theists even believe that certain forms of knowledge are beyond human comprehension, again invoking the intervention of their preferred deity, and these theists also believe that the “gaps” in human understanding are real.

Let’s create a “gedanken experiment”. Bear with me. A “gedanken experiment” is a German phrase for the concept of a “though experiment.”

A stool with 3 legs in a triangle does not usually wobble. We can reproduce the same stool 1000 times. Each stool would be able to stand on its own and serve an identical purpose with other 3-legged stools of the same design. Does that mean that each stool is identical to all other stools, when we consider the “anti-wobble” feature? It seems to be the case but when we look a little closer at the stools we discover that, despite their apparent uniformity, individual stools have subtle differences that make them unique. The stools might have approximately the same leg length and, for practical purposes involving their use and application, they are the same. But each stool will vary from others by a micrometer. Do all of the stools all have exactly the same number of molecules? Not likely. They are not 100% identical. In real life we can see the same diversity. Even identical twins are not exactly alike although their differences might be miniscule. We use fingerprints to identify individuals because no fingerprint is the same although we are all products of the same life process.

Another example is that, because of the myriad of ways that ice crystals connect, no snowflake is the same. We can also imagine that this diversity exists on all scales, including at the levels of molecules, atoms or even quarks. We quickly learn that not all stools are created equal. No two stools are “exactly” 100% the same. The mass of each neutron could also vary. Even amino acid molecules are either right- or left-handed. Small differences in every fundamental particle in existence in the universe mean that no two particles are exactly alike. Atheists point out that, if even fundamental particles are each unique, then what purpose would be served by making all individual humans identical? Why do theists insist on uniformity of the human form? What purpose is served by uniformity? What is the point of desiring uniformity of form (what theists really want) when the fundamental particles are themselves unique?

If natural physical laws dictate that nothing is exactly 100% identical, then anything is possible. In nature, evolution has ensured that uniqueness of form is the norm and that apparent uniformity is an illusion. With so many possibilities, atheists assert that this is evidence that the universe is likely teeming with life. Wherever the environment is suitable, abiogenesis is inevitable rather than a chance event. Did abiogenesis arise via physical differences in replication? Is abiogenesis the domain of an intelligent designer? Is abiogenesis inevitable? So we have more than a T/F question. Abiogenesis is caused by 1-Pure Chance, 2- Intelligent Designer or 3-inevitable. Which one seems more logical?

My Hypothesis of the Origin of Religion

6/26/2022

Geneticists studying the DNA of today’s global population have discovered that Homo sapiens (that’s us!) went nearly extinct sometime between 195,000 and 123,000 years ago. Homo erectus persisted until around 108,000 to 117,000 years ago. For comparison, our own species, homo sapiens, evolved in Africa only about 300,000 years ago. The new dates from Java confirm that Homo erectus overlapped in time with our species - but went extinct before modern humans arrived in southeast Asia, where the last population of Homo erectus is thought to have lived. Since today’s humans show a very low genetic diversity, it is most likely that every human alive today can be traced back to the same small group of survivors of that period. According to the research by Curtis W. Marean, a professor of archaeology at the Arizona State University and the associate director of the Institute of Human Origins, this small group of survivors, perhaps no more than a few hundred individuals, lived along the southern coast of Africa, which was rich in shellfish and edible vegetation. This group of our human ancestors showed remarkable abilities. They recognized that they could change raw material by heating and could execute a long chain of processes to make the tools they needed. These processes were passed on through the next generations. In a 2010 article in Scientific American, Marean explained how anatomically modern humans survived the MIS 6 glacial stage (Marine isotope stages (MIS), marine oxygen-isotope stages, or oxygen isotope stages (OIS), are alternating warm and cool periods in the Earth's paleoclimate, deduced from oxygen isotope data reflecting changes in temperature derived from data from deep sea core samples) 195-123 thousand years ago, a period during which the human population was limited to only a few hundred breeding individuals. During this period, sea levels dropped more than one hundred meters and the sloping South African Agulhas Bank was transformed into a plain on which humans could survive on shellfish and wash-ups from the sea.

They lived on the coast and must have understood the rhythm of the tides since they would gather the shellfish at low tides. Some clever individual might have noticed the connection between the moon cycles and the tides and could predict when it was time to go back to the shore to gather the shellfish. Those astute observers would be important individuals and they would have become leaders of the tribe. This would eventually become the start of the knowledge that there was a connection between heavenly bodies and the happening of events on earth. The observation that the sun and the moon influenced what happened on earth and that that knowledge could be used to predict future happenings evolved into a philosophy of astrology.
Obviously, because of their cognitive abilities, humans looked for such signs in their environment to predict the future. And eventually when they spread out through the world, they learned to predict many events, the changing seasons, weather and even calamities such as floods and other disasters. They wanted to explain why things were happening and invented explanations for events that they did not understand, at least from a modern scientific standpoint. The individuals who could predict some things would not always be correct but one could always blame external forces (various gods) when things didn’t pan out. We find that phenomenon still happening today reflected in the popular phrase among humanists that “It’s God’s Will” when they mock and ridicule religious beliefs.  

During the ages before any written language was invented, “knowledge” was passed on from generation to generation by song and dance and storytellers and shamans would train their offspring or pupils. The experience of eating certain plants, herbs and animals resulted in the knowledge what was beneficial and what was to be avoided (especially some of the herbs). Diseases also were experienced and Homo sapiens learned to avoid some behaviours to minimize their exposure. Despite the poor record-keeping of early Homo sapiens, this knowledge must have evolved in fits and starts and therefore progress was very slow. When finally written down in “recent” times, these rules became the “laws” which have governed the behaviour of our “recent” ancestors, if by “recent” we encompass the last 8000 years, as compared to the previous 100,000 to 200,000 years. Before these “laws” were written down, they could be adapted to new knowledge and experiences. “Laws” now written “in stone” are much more difficult to adapt to new developments and situations. We have had to constantly struggle with people who believe that those written rules, although written by humans, are inspired by “God” and are, therefore, the absolute truth. It will take a long time before all of humanity will overcome this “belief” and realize that we must adapt to the evolving new knowledge.

Walking past the “Spirit Catcher” sculpture, created by Ron Baird in 1986, now enshrined at the western end of Kempenfelt Bay in the City of Barrie, Ontario, I pondered over its name. It is a wind-catcher in the form of a stylized bird with metal “feathers” that move in the wind. It occurred to me that, in First Nations folklore, the wind was considered to be a spirit. The ‘Great Spirit’ is akin to the concept of a ‘life force,’ analogous to a ‘Supreme Being’ known as Wakan Tanka in Lakota, Gitche Manitou in Algonquian, and a multitude of other names in North American pre-columbian cultures. My musings started a train of thought that has intrigued me ever since.
The wind was a force one could feel, but not see, although one could see what the wind did. It was an invisible force that could not be controlled and was a very mighty force, or spirit, ruling the earth. We find that concept widely spread throughout totally different cultures. The breath, air or wind is considered a life force in old Scandinavian religion, in China as Chi or Qi, and in India as Prana. In Abrahamic religions, it translates into Spirit or Soul. In yoga, nostril breathing is said to balance the Prana. In Denmark, people still open windows when someone dies in a room to let the spirit out. In Ojibwa funeral services, the structure holding the body must be open so the spirit can escape. Even South America’s Mayan religion incorporates various “spirits” of which one of them is “breath.”

When a baby was born, a small part of that spirit "breath" would enter the body and gave the baby life. God breathes life into Adam’s nostrils (Genesis 2:7). When someone died, this small spirit or soul would leave the body and be rejoined the Big Spirit. Babies were therefore not considered to be separate human beings until they took their first breaths. This is still considered to be the case in some cultures.   Aman Shaw, Shan Alam, Malaysia, wrote:  “I am a doctor by profession, and so I will endorse one part of your post. A newborn baby is not considered alive until it draws in its first breath, only then the soul enters the body and it's pronounced a living human being. There are occasions when the newborn baby desists in drawing in its first breath; these are pronounced as stillborns, dead upon delivery. If the product of conception is aborted before 18 weeks, it is called an abortion (no life at all in the baby to begin with). However, if the pregnancy is carried on after the 18th week of gestation and later terminated, it is called childbirth, whether the child is alive or stillborn. And now we come to the pertinent question: is there life in the baby while still in the womb of the mother? An interesting question isn't it? You can see the baby moving about in the ultrasound and there is a heartbeat, so you presume it is a live human being. Nope, it is not considered alive in medical terms until it is delivered and draws in its first breath.”  Some religions have now altered this concept and consider a human embryo to be the start of an independent life. Keep in mind that the opposition to birth control and abortion has little to do with a "moral" principle but rather with a method to create as many followers in the religious tribe as possible.

To infer that air was the life force and "breath" was the soul was a very logical explanation in previous times. The word “spirit” is derived from the Latin word “spiritus” meaning “breath” and “spirare” meaning “breathe”. Consider the fact that breath, spirit, soul and ghost are words essentially meaning the same thing throughout many cultures and history. They are still with us. Ghosts and spirits are still associated with chilly, drafty airflows. In conclusion, using Occam’s razor, (the simplest explanation is likely the correct one), we can state that Spirit and Soul are original concepts, preserved in most cultures from prehistoric times. Air is the life force that sustains our lives through the breaths we take. Indeed without breath, we have only minutes to live. Although “spirit” has been interpreted as a supernatural force, it isn’t. It is the air we breathe, the life force we cannot do without. To the people who state they are not religious but spiritual, we can say, yes, keep breathing because that’s what it means.  Not only native legends or folks traditions connect Breath, Wind, Spirit, and Soul but the Bible refers to this many times as well. The King James version shows this throughout the Old Testament. The "Easy to Read Version" of the Bible, by the World Bible Translation Centre, is still much clearer. You can find it on the internet by consulting www.biblegateway.com.  King James Version of the Bible:
Genesis 2:7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul
Genesis 6:17 And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and everything that is in the earth shall die.
Genesis 7:15 And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life.
Genesis 7:22 All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died
Job 27:3 All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils;
Job 33:4 The spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.
Isaiah 42:5 Thus saith God the Lord, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:
Ezekiel 37:9 Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord God; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.

The term “shaman” is reserved for the leaders who used their knowledge and cunning to impress the rest of their tribes. Shamans were believed to have supernatural powers. They were not “military” leaders; that calls for a different type of leadership. This might explain why we still live with this dual leadership of military (political) leaders and religious leaders. Some of them successfully cooperate but some are in a continual struggle for power, even today. Religious leaders
assume that they have an advantage, claiming the support of a supernatural entity, and try to assert religious privileges as a result.