Religion and little people from strange planets

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The number of confirmed exoplanets stands at 3,500, of which, scientists believe, at least some are potential Earths, with very similar characteristics. This poses a theological and philosophical conundrum for many religions, especially Christianity, which focuses on mankind and teaches that God created man in his own image, exclusively on our one small planet.

So does God’s creation extend beyond a single planet? If so do the inhabitants of those planets believe in the same God (gods?) as humans do? Does God, as creator of the universe, deny the inhabitants of those distant planets a chance to redeem their sins, and where does it leave people who believe they are chosen of God? Where,too, does it leave Jesus, and are there other versions of Jesus on other planets who died to redeem the sins of the world?

No doubt the leaders of the various Christian sects will come up with interpretations of the scripture that can include the inhabitants of exoplanets, without accepting apostate teachings from barbarian planets.
The priority of most religions has been to expand their wealth and power, and this has, over the span of history, taken precedence over care for others less fortunate than them. The justification for this has been that the situation was the will of God that had to be accpted. The chances are that the religious elders will shrug and go on as usual, not accepting the beliefs of the new-found inhabitants of space – the ability to adapt and survive is enormous. What other non-religious organisations have so ably survived the centuries?

As Carl Sagan commented, “Men may not be the dreams of the gods, but gods are the dreams of men”.

Government aid to fossil fuel projects

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Governments gave 20% more in overseas aid funding to fossil fuel projects over the last two years than to programmes to cut the air pollution they cause, according to an analysis from the Clean Air Fund.

Air pollution kills more people than HIV/Aids, malaria, and tuberculosis combined, but just 1% of global development aid is used to tackle this crisis, the researchers found. (Clean Air Fund)

Mycomment: Maybe the only thing that will correct this situation is if politicians refuse election donations from large polluters. Politicians (some of them anyway) talk a good game about pollution and global warning, but members of both major parties still court oil companies for money. Apparently this counts as “democracy”. Epicurus, if alive, would disagree. Mayb we can only save the planet if politicians were offered a sum of money from federal coffers and told that if they accepted a further cent from corporations they would be barred from all elections going forward. No, it’s not going to happen! But doomsday will happen and it won’t be pretty. We are collectively stupid creatures.

Drug over-doses during covid

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The United States in 2020 saw the highest number of drug overdose deaths on record, “staggering” data from the National Center for Health Statistics showed. 

There were an estimated 93,331 deaths from overdoses last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic, about a 30 percent increase from 2019. This was the biggest jump from year to year since 2016, when the number of drug overdose deaths rose by 11,000, and it surpassed the record of 72,000 in 2019, The Associated Press reports. 

“This is a staggering loss of human life,”Brown University public health researcher Brandon Marshall said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention previously reported an “acceleration” of overdose deaths during the pandemic, with then-CDC Director Robert Redfield saying, “The disruption to daily life due to the COVID-19 pandemic has hit those with substance use disorder hard.”  69,710 of the overdose deaths in 2020 involved opioids. 

“Every one of those people, somebody loved them,” Stanford University professor Keith Humphreys told the Post. “It’s terrifying. It’s the biggest increase in overdose deaths in the history of the United States, and we’re not making progress. It’s really overwhelming.” (Associated Press, The Week 15 Jul 2021)

My comment: I wonder how many of these poor people were vaccinated? Is it fair to assume the answer to be ‘very few’? To be vaccinated, it seems to me, is to implicitly declare ‘I want to live’. To refuse vaccination and overdose indicates indifference to life – other people’s lives as well. (Associated Press and Washington Post)

Extinction of the Komodo dragon?

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Climate change is threatening Komodo Dragons, the Earth’s largest living lizards to still walk the Earth.

A new report from an international biodiversity conservation organization says the fearsome reptiles are edging closer to global extinction.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List, an assessment of the health of tens of thousands of species across the globe, Komodo dragons have gone from “vulnerable” to “endangered.”. Meanwhile, global temperatures and higher sea levels, IUCN says, will reduce the Komodo dragon’s habitat by at least 30% over the next 45 years.

“The idea that these prehistoric animals have moved one step closer to extinction, due in part to climate change is terrifying,” said Dr. Andrew Terry, conservation director of the Zoological Society of London.

Komodo dragons are native to Indonesia and only live in Komodo National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site, as well as the nearby island of Flores.

“While the subpopulation in Komodo National Park is currently stable and well protected, Komodo dragons outside protected areas in Flores are also threatened by significant habitat loss due to ongoing human activities,” the report says. (September 4, Jod Hernandez, Twitter)

My comment: the Komodo dragon is one of hundreds of wildlife species being decimated (or made extinct) by the actions of human beings, with all their
selfishness and focus on money. But at least the more enlightened and caring of them realize what is happening to the climate and support measures to avoid catastrophe. Will they be successful? I, for one, will not be here to see, but haven’t a responsibility to future generations to support climate activism. Am I – are you – doing enough? Almost certainly no.