Science inexorably continues to test and overrule conventional wisdom, often based on old wive’s tales, the selective musings from the Bible, and the patriarchal foolishness of old men with or without the collars and hats of churches. Credible and incredible discoveries are made every day and night. Albert Einstein, the creator of E=mc2, once remarked: “You can live as if nothing is a miracle, or as if everything is a miracle.”
Discovery is the most thrilling aspect of science. We must continue to test a never-ending stream of hypotheses about the mysteries of the universe, the mysteries of human and animal genetics, and the mysteries of deadly diseases still not controlled. This how we solve problems and change directions taken by human beings.
In the September 2014 issue of Smithsonian is a wondrous article by Douglas Preston titled “The 9,000-Year-Old Man Speaks.” In 1996 two college students strolling along the shores of the Columbia River near Kennewick, Washington discovered a very old-looking human skull. The local police notified James Chatters, a local archeologist. He and the coroner went to the scene and found an almost complete human skeleton. A stone spear point was embedded in the hipbone. Was this a murder? Carbon dating proved the skeleton was over 9,000 years old. His skeleton looked like he was an ancestor of Moriori people who live in the Chatham Islands off New Zealand. But he also could be an Ainu who live in the northern islands of Japan. That has not been solved–yet.

Living Today, He Could Have Had A 100 MPH Fastball

From just pieces of bone, modern anthropologists can scientifically create a very complex human being. Named Kennewick Man (KW Man) by his examiners, they found he was 5 feet seven inches tall, weighed about 160, was right-handed, and died around 40 years of age. Muscles leave marks on bones. KW Man had a very well developed right shoulder and arm from throwing his spear thousands of times. His left leg was stronger than his right. As an old left-handed pitcher, I know my right leg was stronger than my left. KW Man could have been the Nolan Ryan of his day.
He made his own spear points because his left hand and fingers were more developed than his right from holding rocks he split by hitting with his right hand. His leg bones, with growths caused by immersion in cold water, revealed he had often hunted fish, spearing them in the river shallows. Five never-healed broken ribs on his right side said this guy might have been a very tough EXTREME.
Bone growth around the spear point in his hipbone said he had suffered the injury when he was between 15 and 20 years old. Entering the bone at a downward arc of 29 degrees, the spear just missed his abdominal cavity. Did it happen during a war, a murder attempt, a fight over a chick? Evidently that’s beyond science–yet.
The food we eat and the liquids we drink leave chemical signatures for today’s anthropologists. KW’s  river grave is 300 miles from the sea, but he did not eat any of the animals that lived in that area. For the last half of his lifetime he ate seals, sea lions, and fish. The water he drank came from cold glacial meltwaters. This fact is still puzzling to his examiners. Did he travel to Alaska? They haven’t figured that out–yet.
The Army Corps of Engineers still controls the skeleton of KW Man and have so far refused the taking of bone and teeth for DNA and chemical analysis. A lone tooth could reveal what he ate and drank as a child, thus revealing his homeland. A tooth could reveal his DNA and might reveal what he died from. It could reveal he had an Xq28 gene. Get with it, Corps!

Excellent Chance One Of The Twelve Christian Apostles Was Gay

Since man lived in caves, and at least another 1500 gay species roamed the earth, about 5 to 8 percent of species are homosexual. Science has determined that.  One of the Christian Apostles? Highly possible.  Over 400 American Roman Catholic bishops are members of the very conservative council of American bishops. At least a dozen could be gay. According to research by Anne Fausto-Sterling, an expert in biology and gender development, one in 1,666 children is born with neither XX or XY chromosomes–a base for determining gender. Some girls are born who want to be boys. Some boys are born wanting to be girls. About one in 1,000 such births get immediate surgery to correct the “mistake.” A few are born with both sets of genitalia. Another mistake. That complicates matters.  Remember that Bible verse about God checking the child in the womb? Well, maybe He was too busy watching  football games to determine which side was praying the most for a touchdown.

The Bible, Sex, And That Rascal Ezekiel

Transgender people (If you don’t know about transgenders, do some homework!) face violence and discrimination every day in our genetic-illiterate and uneducated religious society. In the first four months of 2014 over 100 trans people were murdered because they were transgenders! What kind of stupid animals do we live amongst? Transgender females are particularly victims of hate and violence. Please give me some Bible verses, inspired by God, of course, that promote this hate and violence. The Bible is really up tight about sex–sometimes. A New Yorker cartoon indicates that Heaven has a lot of rules. St. Peter at the Golden Gate is meeting arrivals and says: “Just so you know–the official language of Heaven is Aramaic.” Did God inspire Ezekiel, who spent most of his time looking for bones,  to drop this porno Bible verse (23:20) before innocent ears and eyes: “She lusted after her lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like those of horses.” I wonder if she checked her temperature first. Natural law, you know.
A study of the DNA of 400 gay men in the U.S. found evidence that male sexual orientation is “influenced” by a region on the X chromosome called Xq28. DNA on chromosome 8 also played a role in male sexual orientation. X chromosomes are passed to men from their mothers. A study of family histories of 100 gay men found that homosexuality tends to be inherited. Ten percent of the brothers of gay men were gay themselves, compared to three percent in the general population. Studies are still incomplete. Dr. Quazi Rahman of King’s College London says, “Genetic factors explain 30 to 40% of the variation between people’s sexual orientation. However, we don’t know where these genetic factors are located in the genome. So we need to do ‘gene finding’ studies...to have a better idea where potential genes for sexual orientation may lie.” The Roman Catholic Church has taken the position, supported by Bible verses, that homosexuality is “intrinsically evil.”  The English would use this descriptive noun in response: “Codswallop!”  The Vatican ignored the scientific facts of Copernicus and Galileo for 400 years until Pope John Paul II finally conceded they were right about the earth orbiting around the sun. Let’s hope it won’t take another 400 years for recognition after these sexual puzzles are solved by the science of genetics.

Do You Believe Every Word In The Bible Is Inspired By God?

The most-sold and probably least-read books in the history of the world are the 171 different Bibles written and published over the centuries, with 70 of them being major translations. Over 95% of U.S. households own at least one copy.  Only 60% can name as many as five Commandments. Twelve percent think Joan of Arc was married to the skipper of the ark, Noah. Fifty percent think Sodom and Gomorrah were a married couple. A Gallup Poll revealed that 50% couldn’t name the first book of the Bible. Over 80% thought that the phrase “God helps those who help themselves” is a great Biblical verse. We own about a dozen different Bibles, and have another two dozen books containing maps and detailed explanations of what the verses mean in the Bibles. One-third of Americans believe that every word is literally true, so naturally they must follow all of the following precepts:

• Women must remain silent in church. Nuns and other females may not teach catechism or Sunday school within church boundaries.

• Sex before marriage is a mortal sin.

• Remarriage after an unbiblical divorce is adultery. Adulterers are stoned to death. If you wish to avoid stoning you must divorce new spouses and remarry the old one–or remain celibate for the rest of your life.
• Same-sex orientation is a choice.

• Homosexuals should be stoned to death.

• Do not eat rabbit, shellfish, pork, weasels, scavengers,, reptiles, owls, anything with fins, or scales. Do not eat goat boiled in its mother’s milk.

• Elisha was ridiculed by a group of 42 boys for being bald so he called on God to curse them. God sent two bears out of the nearby woods and the grizzlies killed all 42.

• Jesus was hungry while on the road. He came upon a fig tree but it was barren. He said, “May you never bear fruit again!” The tree immediately died.

• Samuel, in the name of God, ordered King Saul to “Go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have to do: do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.”

Millions of people have used the Bible to justify slavery, the complete suppression of women, racial segregation, the abuse of gays, the gathering of riches, human and animal sacrifice, silly food rules, the banning of contraceptives and abortion, and the abuse of the physically and mentally handicapped. Why would a man who has had his testicles crushed and his penis cut off in an accident be sent to Hell? Should we really stone to death rebellious sons and daughters? Can’t a “crookback,” dwarf, a lame man or woman, or one with a flat nose ever serve as a servant of God? Is it true that a woman going through her menstrual period should not sit down on the floor, sofa, chair, airplane, or bus seat because it would remain “unclean”?

Let’s Dig Up An Apostle And Really Check Him Out

The scientific work conducted by anthropologists on KW Man, even though they have been prevented from getting DNA and other valuable materials so far, amply demonstrates that we can turn a skeleton into an almost breathing man as far as his physical, genetic, and environmental background is concerned. According to various church authorities we know where most of the apostles are buried. Let’s dig them up and use all of the scientific information and techniques we possess to further examine what is in the Bible and other religious teachings. What if we find that among them one is gay and another is transgender? KW Man was  9,000 years old; the apostles are only 2,000. Such a discovery certainly would make the 21st Century more exciting.
If we could just find that ark of Noah’s. On board were two of every animal on Planet Earth and a few human beings saved for the mission. There have been a number of serious questions raised about this enterprise. What did the two very carnivorous lions eat for 40 days?  Did Noah’s crew really watch them?  Why aren’t there any kangaroos in Kansas or  hairy sloths in Central Park?
Recently the largest animal that ever walked the earth was discovered in Patagonia, Argentina. It was a plant-eating titanosaur’s skeleton seven times the size of a Ty Rex or a dozen African elephants. And this one may not have been fully grown. It has been scientifically named Dreadnougthus schrani, named after the huge battleships of the last century. This specimen would have weighed 65 tons, was 85 feet long, had a tail 30 feet long, and a neck 37 feet long. So far we have discovered over eight million species of animals on earth. Two Dreadnoughts might have really overloaded the ark.

Raymond is a former Marine officer and school board superintendent and resides in Detroit Lakes.