Time for a children's story

8/26/2008 | 12:58 PM | Evolved Rationalist

Back in the Stone Age, there lived a group of Thingists. The place where they were living in had lush scenery and mountains that seemingly reached to the skies, while the Thingists lived happily in their caves. One day, the Thingists decided that their caves looked too complicated to have been a product of nature. Their minds couldn’t comprehend how such a thing as a cave could have been formed without a deity. “There must be something higher, something above us. Blessed be the Thing that provided us with such lovely caves to stay in. All hail the Thing, the Maker of the Caves!” one Thingist cried out.

“All hail the Cave Maker!” the other Thingists followed. “Oh, look,” said another Thingist. “These stones are shaped in a pretty interesting way. The Thing that made the caves must have put these stones here for a purpose. This is simply magical. All hail the Thing!” The leader of the Thingists soon began to think “Hey…maybe the Thing put the stones here to help us tell our future. This must be why the stones are here. The destiny of our entire tribe lies in these stones. And the stars! And the trees! Quick, let’s see what the future holds for us!”

The Thingists scrambled to pick up the stones to read their future. One Thingist saw some lines on a huge stone and immediately cried out “People, the lines on these stones are similar to the lines on our palm! Maybe, just maybe, the key to our future was in our palms all along! Oh bless the holy Thing, which gave us the knowledge. Our knowledge is from the holy Thing. All hail the holy Thing!” For the on, the Thingists consulted their palms to read their destiny.

Ten years later, the land was hit by a severe drought. The rivers and lakes started to dry up. All the Thingists assembled in their leaders’ cave to ask his advice.

“Nonsense!” said the leader. Didn’t you see the signs on the stones, the stars and the moon? Didn’t you see your palms? They clearly say that it’ll be a prosperous season soon. Why worry?” The leader continued “Obey the Thing that gave us knowledge. All true knowledge is from the Thing! Why are you doubtful? You don’t need proof to see the holiness of the Thing!” The Thingists returned to their caves.

A few weeks later, the lakes and rivers dried up. There was hardly any water left. During this time, a few people managed to figure out how to dig wells for water. They soon went to their leaders’ cave to tell him the good news.

“Heretics!” yelled the Thingist leader. The drought is a sign of the Thing’s anger because people were faithless and demanded proof! This is what happens when people are doubtful! Do you people dare go against the Thing?”

“Do you want your own people to die? What good will it be to praise an invisible Thing when people will die?” they said. The Thingist leaders’ face was red with anger. He said “So be it. Our lives are put here for a purpose….to serve the Thing! You will all die for going against the knowledge of the Thing! Your knowledge is nothing and useless compared to the Thing’s knowledge.”

The Thingist leader and the High Priests of the Thing tortured them to death. “This is what happens when people go against the Thing! I hope you’ve learnt your lesson!”

Soon, all the water in the land dried up, and the Thingists met their leader with pleas for help. The Thingist leader remembered those he had put to death earlier. He told the people “Yes, there is a way to get out of this, but that knowledge died with them. Now, we’ll die too. I’m sorry.”