My wife asks the best questions. Recently, on our way to Costco,
she looked at me and asked: "What do you believe? Did God create
man or did man create God?" My reply, after a few moments was
"Yes." This, as you may suspect was followed by, "Yes, what?"
And I shared my belief that thousands of years ago people in
different locations and cultures asked the initial and perhaps,
existential question: "How did I get here, and what am I
supposed to do while I'm here?" From this essential question a
countless array of answers were developed. The Mesopotamians,
Hindus and selected Chinese sects preceded the Egyptians and
Hebrews, and each developed creation stories and codes of
conduct. They deliberately chose, I believe, to attribute the
call for the highest morals, values and ethics to an often
distant and unknowable god. The god would be invested with
creative and destructive powers and would rule life and nature,
birth and death. Each religious group developed symbols and
ceremonies to please or appease the god;