The Baha'i Studies Listserv I just completed the following chapter to my Unities Model<http://unities.bahaifaith.info/> book. It is undoubtedly the strangest thing I have ever written. Theistic Panspermia(tm)
I will begin this chapter with a caution. I am a sociologist and, therefore, a social or human scientist, not a biologist, a paleontologist, or a physical anthropologist. Theistic panspermia<http://www.bahaistudies.net/asma/directed_panspermia.pdf> is my view that life may develop or evolve, according to the Will of God, after being intentionally deposited by extraterrestrials (or perhaps by beings from earth's past). This model is my personal, unauthoritative attempt to understand certain Bahá?í texts. Scriptural statements on origins and extraterrestrial life are, to my understanding, prophecies. They should not be confused with scientific theories or empirically based explanations. There are many prophecies recorded in the Bahá?í Sacred Texts. Given that their full implications may only be understood in retrospect, and disclosed to humanity by a Prophet in the future, too much speculation on possible outcomes is, in my view, a pointless waste of time. Furthermore, perhaps as illustrated by this statement from Bahá?u?lláh on extraterrestrial life, prophecies are not testable hypotheses. One thought, which came to me during my meditations, is that life on many celestial bodies, whether as advanced civilizations or interplanetary bases, might be cloaked, underground, or even transdimensional. Thou hast, moreover, asked Me concerning the nature of the celestial spheres. To comprehend their nature, it would be necessary to inquire into the meaning of the allusions that have been made in the Books of old to the celestial spheres and the heavens, and to discover the character of their relationship to this physical world, and the influence which they exert upon it. Every heart is filled with wonder at so bewildering a theme, and every mind is perplexed by its mystery. God, alone, can fathom its import.... Consider, moreover, the manifold divergencies that have resulted from the theories propounded by these men. Know thou that every fixed star hath its own planets, and every planet its own creatures, whose number no man can compute. Bahá?u?lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá?u?lláh. Pages 162-163. Regarding the passage on p. 163 of the "Gleanings": The creatures which Bahá?u?lláh states to be found on every planet cannot be considered to be necessarily similar or different from human beings on this earth. Bahá?u?lláh does not specifically state whether such creatures are like or unlike us. He simply refers to the fact that there are creatures on every planet. It remains for science to discover one day the exact nature of these creatures. >From a letter, dated February 9, 1937, written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to >an individual Bahá?í, Lights of Guidance: A Bahá?í Reference >File<http://www.bahaistudies.net/compilations/hornby_lights_guidance.pdf>. >Number 1581. One of the major problems, in my opinion, with conversations on unidentified flying objects and extraterrestrials has been a tendency toward political epistemology (or knowledge). Instead of keeping the focus of investigation on the recorded and oral histories of eyewitness observers, the emphasis has sometimes been placed upon government revelations and alleged coverups. This political epistemology is also a kind of political reductionism. As government and military elites establish themselves as the standards of truth, knowledge is reduced to the affairs of state. Perhaps certain beings are protecting and guiding this planet or even preparing to genetically repair the beings on earth following a global cataclysm: Colonel S is a retired Colonel from the US Air Force. He went to Stanford business school where he studied management. In the 1950's part of his responsibilities included maintaining the inventory of nuclear weapons owned by the US federal government, and accompanying security teams checking out the security of these nuclear weapons. Many reports kept coming in that UFO's were seen at various nuclear storage facilities and some of the manufacturing plants. He has seen UFO's many times, and was present when there was a fly-over by UFO's in 1952 over the Capital Building of the US federal government. At that incident he recalls seeing nine illuminated disc-type craft. He also tells of at least two occasions when UFO's destroyed nuclear weapons headed out to space, one heading to the moon to be detonated for tests. Advanced Technologies and UFO's<http://flash1.gravlab.com/biblefirst/57.htm>. A 57-page report produced by Dr. Steven Greer was received in May 2001. Retrieved on January 3, 2012. The aliens [in abduction cases] ... perform physical experiments, take tissue samples for further genetic manipulation and attempt physical alteration of their subjects. The reason for Immersing both children and adults in vats of liquid is unknown. Typical Alien Abduction: The Alien Abduction Process<http://aliensandchildren.org/TypicalAlienAbduction.htm>. Retrieved on January 3, 2012. Some planets, I would suggest, may serve as divine laboratories of life. Civilizations develop, reach maturity through the struggles of adolescence, and, following "cycles of great events," leave behind their home worlds to join God's other creatures throughout the universe. The artifacts of those cycles are then destroyed, and the genetically engineered seeds of new entities are planted by certain beings. We are asked, by the Best Beloved, to "entirely disregard" all of the "conflicting tales and traditions." However, we have been provided, through the gift of divine Revelation, with some wonderful hints about earth's past: And now regarding thy question, "How is it that no records are to be found concerning the Prophets that have preceded Adam, the Father of Mankind, or of the kings that lived in the days of those Prophets?" Know thou that the absence of any reference to them is no proof that they did not actually exist. That no records concerning them are now available, should be attributed to their extreme remoteness, as well as to the vast changes which the earth hath undergone since their time.... Witness, therefore, how numerous and far-reaching have been the changes in language, speech, and writing since the days of Adam. How much greater must have been the changes before Him! ... the Manifestations of His Divine glory and the Day Springs of eternal holiness have been sent down from time immemorial .... That the names of some of them are forgotten and the records of their lives lost is to be attributed to the disturbances and changes that have overtaken the world. Mention hath been made in certain books of a deluge which caused all that existed on earth, historical records as well as other things, to be destroyed. Moreover, many cataclysms have occurred which have effaced the traces of many events.... Please God thou wilt turn thine eyes towards the Most Great Revelation, and entirely disregard these conflicting tales and traditions. Bahá?u?lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá?u?lláh. Pages 172-175. ... for the whole universe, whether for the heavens or for men, there are cycles of great events, of important facts and occurrences. When a cycle is ended, a new cycle begins; and the old one, on account of the great events which take place, is completely forgotten, and not a trace or record of it will remain. As you see, we have no records of twenty thousand years ago, although we have before proved by argument that life on this earth is very ancient. It is not one hundred thousand, or two hundred thousand, or one million or two million years old; it is very ancient, and the ancient records and traces are entirely obliterated. ?Abdu?l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions<http://www.bahaistudies.net/ab/saq.html>. Page 160. Whether direct contacts, including transfers of technology, have been made between extraterrestrials and homo sapies, including various governments, may, God willing, be clarified in the future. However, according to ?Abdu?l-Bahá, although this planet has not always existed, living things are not limited to the earth: In the same way the species existing on this earth are phenomenal, for it is established that there was a time when these species did not exist on the surface of the earth. Moreover, the earth has not always existed, but the world of existence has always been, for the universe is not limited to this terrestrial globe. ?Abdu?l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions<http://www.bahaistudies.net/ab/saq.html>. Page 69. In my opinion, perhaps through intentional genetic manipulation by other beings, or even through the importation and planting of life from elsewhere in the universe, the substance or matter of all species or essences have existed, in some form, from the beginning. The similarities between the attributes of different species, such as humans and chimpanzees, may be evidence of the divinely willed unity, or patterning, of existence. The attributes of different species are modified, but species (essences) do not evolve from one another: All beings, whether large or small, were created perfect and complete from the first, but their perfections appear in them by degrees. The organization of God is one; the evolution of existence is one; the divine system is one. Whether they be small or great beings, all are subject to one law and system.... Similarly, the terrestrial globe from the beginning was created with all its elements, substances, minerals, atoms and organisms; but these only appeared by degrees: first the mineral, then the plant, afterward the animal, and finally man. But from the first these kinds and species existed, but were undeveloped in the terrestrial globe, and then appeared only gradually. ?Abdu?l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions<http://www.bahaistudies.net/ab/saq.html>. Page 89. Then it is clear that original matter, which is in the embryonic state, and the mingled and composed elements which were its earliest forms, gradually grew and developed during many ages and cycles, passing from one shape and form to another, until they appeared in this perfection, this system, this organization and this establishment, through the supreme wisdom of God.... ... man's existence on this earth, from the beginning until it reaches this state, form and condition, necessarily lasts a long time, and goes through many degrees until it reaches this condition. But from the beginning of man's existence he is a distinct species. In the same way, the embryo of man in the womb of the mother was at first in a strange form; then this body passes from shape to shape, from state to state, from form to form, until it appears in utmost beauty and perfection. ?Abdu?l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions<http://www.bahaistudies.net/ab/saq.html>. Pages 82-83. As the serpent took refuge under the ground and became a creeping animal, it was no longer in need of feet, so they disappeared; but their traces survive. The principal argument is this: that the existence of traces of members proves that they once existed, and as now they are no longer of service, they have gradually disappeared. Therefore, while the perfect and necessary members have remained, those which are unnecessary have gradually disappeared by the modification of the species, but the traces of them continue. ... the fact that the animal having preceded man is not a proof of the evolution, change and alteration of the species, nor that man was raised from the animal world to the human world. For while the individual appearance of these different beings is certain, it is possible that man came into existence after the animal.... ...Although it changes in all ways, and grows and develops until it reaches the perfect form, from the beginning it is a special species. We also see in the vegetable kingdom that the original species of the genus do not change and alter, but the form, color and bulk will change and alter, or even progress. ?Abdu?l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions<http://www.bahaistudies.net/ab/saq.html>. Page 86. ... the terrestrial globe from the beginning was created with all its elements, substances, minerals, atoms and organisms; but these only appeared by degrees: first the mineral, then the plant, afterward the animal, and finally man. But from the first these kinds and species existed, but were undeveloped in the terrestrial globe, and then appeared only gradually. For the supreme organization of God, and the universal natural system, surround all beings, and all are subject to this rule. When you consider this universal system, you see that there is not one of the beings which at its coming into existence has reached the limit of perfection. No, they gradually grow and develop, and then attain the degree of perfection. ?Abdu?l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions<http://www.bahaistudies.net/ab/saq.html>. Page 199. The attributes of one or more essences, as in the essence of humanity, are acquired by beings and things throughout their general evolution and their specific development. Because essences are unknowable, scientific explanations of physical and biological origins, or of any other empirically observable object, will inevitably be limited: When we consider beings with the seeing eye, we observe that they are limited to three sorts-that is to say, as a whole they are either mineral, vegetable or animal, each of these three classes containing species. Man is the highest species because he is the possessor of the perfections of all the classes-that is, he has a body which grows and which feels. As well as having the perfections of the mineral, of the vegetable and of the animal, he also possesses an especial excellence which the other beings are without-that is, the intellectual perfections. Therefore, man is the most noble of beings. ?Abdu?l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions<http://www.bahaistudies.net/ab/saq.html>. Page 235. The most noble being on the earth is man. He embraces the animal, vegetable and mineral kingdoms--that is to say, these conditions are contained in him to such an extent that he is the possessor of these conditions and states; he is aware of their mysteries and of the secrets of their existence. ?Abdu?l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions<http://www.bahaistudies.net/ab/saq.html>. Page 158. The purpose of creation is to enable human souls to gather their attributes. Through the processes of evolutionary and fetal development, humanity has acquired its physical attributes from the lower kingdoms of creation. Each of us can now, individually, secure the virtues or qualities we need now, and will require in the world to come, by living our human lives within the spiritual Kingdom (our higher nature): Man is in the highest degree of materiality, and at the beginning of spirituality-that is to say, he is the end of imperfection and the beginning of perfection. ?Abdu?l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions<http://www.bahaistudies.net/ab/saq.html>. Page 235. ... the embryo possesses from the first all perfections, such as the spirit, the mind, the sight, the smell, the taste-in one word, all the powers-but they are not visible and become so only by degrees. Similarly, the terrestrial globe from the beginning was created with all its elements, substances, minerals, atoms and organisms; but these only appeared by degrees: first the mineral, then the plant, afterward the animal, and finally man. But from the first these kinds and species existed, but were undeveloped in the terrestrial globe, and then appeared only gradually. ?Abdu?l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions<http://www.bahaistudies.net/ab/saq.html>. Page 199. He [God], through the direct operation of His unconstrained and sovereign Will, chose to confer upon man the unique distinction and capacity to know Him and to love Him-a capacity that must needs be regarded as the generating impulse and the primary purpose underlying the whole of creation. Bahá?u?lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá?u?lláh<http://www.bahaistudies.net/baha/gwb.pdf>. Page 65. I bear witness, O my God, that Thou hast created me to know Thee and to worship Thee. Bahá?u?lláh, Prayers and Meditations by Bahá?u?lláh<http://www.bahaistudies.net/baha/pm.pdf>. Page 314. All men have been created to carry forward an ever-advancing civilization. The Almighty beareth Me witness: To act like the beasts of the field is unworthy of man. Those virtues that befit his dignity are forbearance, mercy, compassion and loving-kindness towards all the peoples and kindreds of the earth. Bahá?u?lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá?u?lláh<http://www.bahaistudies.net/baha/gwb.pdf>. Page 215. ________________________________ The information contained in this e-mail and any attachments thereto ("e-mail") is sent by the Johnson County Community College ("JCCC") and is intended to be confidential and for the use of only the individual or entity named above. The information may be protected by federal and state privacy and disclosures acts or other legal rules. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, you are notified that retention, dissemination, distribution or copying of this e-mail is strictly prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error please immediately notify JCCC by email reply and immediately and permanently delete this e-mail message and any attachments thereto. 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