The Hubble telescope has recently revealed that the number of observable (!) galaxies in the Universe is ten times previous estimates, dixit Christopher Conselice, University of Nottingham, U.K., in “Sciences et Avenir”, November 2016. There are, in fact, 2,000,000,000,000 (two trillion) galaxies and 400,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 stars, each with at least one planet. That means that up there we have at least 400,000 BILLION BILLION PLANETS ! It is no wonder that non-atheists affirm that all this could not have happened by itself or by some sort of random cosmic physico-chemical quirk or stroke of luck. Who dunnit ? Surely only God could do this ! But we have to wonder WHY He would bother. The believer will repeat “ours not to reason why”, the traditional cop-out. But whether or not we are the only mere seven billion rational beings in the whole Universe, on the only planet in the Universe with any sort of life (on the face of it, pretty incredible suppositions !), it is just too much to swallow that such a Universe, the unbridled expansion of which, moreover, is madly accelerating, has any purpose or meaning. “God” is just too much to believe.
P.S. Even if He did want to give a planet to every dead Mormon, as members of the Church of the Latter Day Saints believe (a belief as silly as their silly rules about underwear), the figures are somewhat disproportionate. Founded 200 years ago, the Mor(m)on Church numbers some 15 million members living today. Membership hit one million 75 years ago. So even if we imagine that since the Church’s beginning as many as another 15 million have died and each been given a planet, that leaves an awful lot of planets which Mormons will never need. What in God’s name are they FOR ?
RIDENDA RELIGIO
