(Hubble)
An image like this contains more inspiration then all religious ideas combined. And better yet, it provides us humans with some much needed humility and inspiration. For any person to think the entire universe was created just for them, after seeing an image like this, should seek professional help.
From the vantage point of our star, the Earth is very insignificant. And our star is even more insignificant when our galaxy is looked at as a whole. Wikipedia has the estimated number of stars in the Milky Way galaxy at 100,000,000,000 to 400,000,000,000 (100-400 billion). However, some estimate the total number to be pushing 100,000,000,000,000 (1 trillion) stars. Such a large range, the actual number probably falls somewhere in the middle.
'The United States Census Bureau' has estimated the human population on Earth to be at 6,795,600,000. If all of the stars in the Milky Way galaxy were dived up evenly with the people on Earth, each person would get about 74 stars (assuming the galaxy has around 500 billion stars). And that is only in our own, single galaxy — take a look at the 'Hubble Deep Field image' again, keeping this in mind.
To say that the number of galaxies in this image is only the tip of the iceberg, is greatly understating it. Modern science estimates the number of galaxies in the known universe to be — at the very least 100 billion, but some estimate it to be at around 500 billion. The 'Hubble Deep-Field image' captures only around 3,000 galaxies, which is nothing compared with the estimated 100,000,000,000 to 500,000,000,000 galaxies that exist within the known-universe.
The majority of people on this planet have tunnel-vision — not caring much about what exists outside of Earth. In-fact many could care less about things outside their own town or country. These are the same people that feel pity for nonbelievers, for not having God as a source of inspiration (oh the irony).
The majority of people on this planet have tunnel-vision — not caring much about what exists outside of Earth. In-fact many could care less about things outside their own town or country. These are the same people that feel pity for nonbelievers, for not having God as a source of inspiration (oh the irony).
While numbers as large as these, describing the stupefyingly large galaxies, and the stars that make them up, seem impossible to grasp. It is trying to comprehend those numbers where the true inspiration lies, and it is the source of the ultimate-humility. Unlike the source of ultimate-arrogance, which is thinking that the entire universe was made just for us.
If God put all those stars there, it was a sin to hide so many of them from us for so long. They are beautiful, mysterious and beyond comprehension.
ReplyDeleteAs an atheist, I have come to realize that I am in the top 5% of the planetary population. For anyone who believes in religion must be less intelligent than I.
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