Once upon a time, God existed, but the universe did not exist. Then God decided to create the universe with a Big Bang. From one point, all the matter and energy of the universe came into existence; and it spread and spread and spread. In fact, the universe is still spreading today. Scientists know this for a fact by observing galaxies.

God is smart. God is not stupid. So God made energy, matter, and the laws of physics in such a way that creatures would evolve on many planets. Thus, God created evolution and uses evolution as a tool to make new species. God does not bother to create every species individually. Why would God work very hard to create countless species individually, when God could create the conditions for species to evolve, then relax and occasionally watch new species develop?

Humans are stupid compared to God. They start off as stupid creatures called babies, and only some adult humans have the ability, desire, and opportunity to become smart. But no matter how hard humans try, they still are stupid compared to God.

Ancient humans had a problem. They did not know very much about how the universe works or the God-given purpose of their existence. To try to solve this problem, some ancient humans wrote books such as the Bible and the Koran. God did not write those books, but some humans lied and said that God wrote those books. One reason that they lied was so that other humans would not feel stupid because, if those other humans knew the truth, they would know that they know very little. People often feel stupid when they admit to themselves that they know very little. Yet before they die, all humans know almost nothing about God, how the universe works, or the God-given purpose their existence.

The irony is that humans are smartest when they admit to themselves what they truly know and what they truly do not know. When humans accept a false religion as true, they often feel and believe that they are smarter than they would be if they did not accept that false religion as true, but they are actually stupider. It is smarter to admit that one does not know something than to believe that a wrong answer is true.

When modern science disagrees with an ancient book such as the Bible or Koran, the odds are that modern science is correct and the ancient book is incorrect. Why? Because reason is a much better guide to true beliefs than faith, and most modern humans understand reality much better than most ancient humans did.

As stupid as humans are today, their ancestors used to be much stupider. Ancient humans did not know that the Earth revolves around the sun, thunder is caused by lightning, earthquakes are caused by shifts in tectonic plates, and most species that exist today evolved from other species. But then some relatively smart humans invented something called science. They thought, Hey, instead of believing whatever bullshit our ancestors believed, let’s study the universe and do experiments. If what we believe agrees with the universe, we will keep on believing it; and if what we believe does not agree with the universe, we will change our beliefs until they do agree with the universe.

Using science, humans have gotten much smarter. They have discovered great truths, invented wonderful materials and machines, cured diseases, and fed millions of hungry people. If humans keep on basing all their beliefs and actions on science more and more, they are likely to be much more sane, good, and happy in the future. Who knows? Maybe someday God will come out of hiding and say to all humans, “Well done, my children. I knew that somewhere, somehow (when I created the universe), that very sane, good, and happy creatures would evolve. You have learned and chosen as I wished. Let us rejoice together forever!”

The End