Space. The Final Frontier. The endless void filled with worlds, wonders, and the great unknown that can not be completely measured except in our own imagination. It is in this final arena humanity will mature, leaving its Earthen cradle behind and exploring the Solar playground that surrounds them.
Conquering their new environment will not be an easy task for humanity, much less exploring its breadth. But before the human race leaves the home world to settle on other worlds, they will have to deal with one element that has always guided and divided our species — the concept of a Universal God.
Faith has always guided humanity throughout the centuries, whether one holds to the concept of God's existence, or one rejects that in favor of nothing at all. Religion affects billions of people on planet Earth, and to the dismay of some atheists, science has not reduced the plausibility of God's existence but has rather increased it.
Debate on our origins is already ranging in American classrooms across the nation, with teachers preparing themselves to counter student arguments in class. Even in Vietnam, many citizens seem eager to view scientific evidence supporting a Universal Deity, despite the government's official policy against faith via torture.
Faith holds a very distinct role in many people's lives, and it would be silly to expect a venture into the cosmos to persuade the masses to abandon their beliefs of God (as well as the text that surrounds him). Rather than unifying humanity in a common belief system, space may encourage the spread of various beliefs throughout the galaxy as denominations claim worlds or regions as their "promise land."
Although space will probably increase the fervor amongst the religious, it will also pose new problems for them as well. Importing certain foods (such as meats, wines and bread) may be difficult around the holidays, especially if your planet is unable to support or grow the necessary items. And what if your religion demands you pray towards a certain city on Earth? This would be difficult to achieve on a daily basis in micro gravity, let alone on a world millions or billions of kilometers away from our home world.
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Article comments
1 - duane
Darnell, it seems a little contradictory to expect that the science and scientists that you so clearly disrespect will someday enable mankind to settle the cosmos. You expect miracles from them but don't give them credit for knowing what they're doing when it comes to biology.
The Collapse of Evolution? Wishful thinking.
2 - Walrus
But before the human race leaves the home world to settle on other worlds, they will have to deal with one element that has always guided and divided our species â€" the concept of a Universal God.
I somehow doubt that it's high on NASA's list of priorities to resolve these issues before continuing. Not that they aren't worth thinking about, but if we do cast ourselves out into space as colonizers, it will be in the same state of confusion that we live in now.