[All of the members of our Board of Governors believe that astrology is a Benevolent Design of a Benevolent Providence. As such, and in honor of the 2001st birthday of our Savior, we are writing this link to help those of you who have similar beliefs to have more reasons to believe.]
December 23, 2001
How appropriate the term MOTHER EARTH is! On Earth, we are blessed with an abundant amount of fertile soil from which a huge variety of trees, plants and vegetation can and do grow. The surface of the Earth is filled with fertile soil and almost none of the Earth's soil is TOXIC.
Have you ever wondered what Earth would be like if it had only TOXIC SOIL and no fertile soil? It sure wouldn't be good old Mother Earth. Obviously, if Earth had only toxic soil, it would not have apple trees or orange trees or any kind of trees. And we would not have wheat, corn, asparagus or any other grains or vegetables to eat.
If all of Earth's soil were toxic, then Earth would be like Mars. Mars has only TOXIC SOIL and no sign of life.
That's right - the soil on Mars is toxic! Martian soil is highly toxic. Scientists do not want the public to know this but the fact is that in 1976, when NASA's spacecraft Viking I landed on Mars, it discovered that Mars has highly toxic soil. Scientists worldwide were hoping to find signs of life on Mars but instead Viking I found extreme temperatures, lack of water and highly toxic soil. NASA's scientists were so surprised and disappointed by the finding of toxic soil that NASA never mentioned this fact in any of its news releases. (NASA's scientists did not keep it a secret from other scientists because they revealed this in their lengthy "scientific reports." But they did not mention it in news releases, which is what gets sent to the news media for dissemination to the public.)
But the fact that Mars has toxic soil should not have surprised anyone. If we think about it, it should have been obvious that Mars would have toxic soil because it is next to impossible for any planet to have fertile soil. There are an infinite number of routes for a planet to end up with toxic soil but it is nearly impossible for a planet to develop and form fertile soil. In order for there to be fertile soil, you need a perfect balance of organic and inorganic compounds, living organisms, water and absorbed gases. (In addition, for truly good farmland, you also need a bed of clay or limestone under the soil to prevent rainwater from draining away so much of the mineral and organic components that it would result in changing the composition of the soil and turn fertile soil into arid soil. On Mother Earth, there is a vast amount of fertile soil that sit on top of a bed of clay or limestone. For example, almost the whole of England sits on a huge block of limestone.)
Let us repeat one part of what we just wrote:
In order for there to be fertile soil, you need a perfect balance of organic and inorganic compounds, living organisms, water and absorbed gases.
The "perfect balance" is so hard to achieve that the odds against the formation of vast amounts of fertile soil on any planet is so astronomical that it is essentially impossible. It is so inconceivable for any planet to be covered with fertile soil the way Earth is that the only possible explanation is that a Benevolent Providence blessed Earth in this way.
So if you believe that God created Earth and you wish to see signs to confirm your belief and boost your faith, you need to look no further than the ground. Earth is miraculous because its soil possesses the unique characteristics needed to be the abode of life.
But God did not stop with just giving us fertile soil - He gave us a variety of trees, plants and vegetation that provide for many of our crucial needs. In fact, two of humankind's most monumental discoveries and achievements are dependent upon things that grow from the soil. They are fire and the wheel.
Fire: We could not have discovered or utilized fire if there were no trees or brushes. Humankind simply could not have built or sustained a fire without things that grew from the ground such as wood.
The Wheel: All of the early wheels that our Stone Age ancestors made were made from wood, which comes from trees that grow from the soil. For thousands of years, humankind depended on wooden wheels to fulfill many of its needs.
Every scientist agrees that the discovery and mastery of fire and the building and use of the wheel were essential to humankind's development and helped to lead us out of the Stone Age and into the dawn of civilization. Without the wheel and fire, humankind would have stayed in the Stone Age. But without trees that grow from the soil, there would have been no fire or wheels.
You might be thinking that without the fertile soil of the Earth, we would still be in the Stone Age. But it is even more dramatic than that.
Without the fertile soil of the Earth, there would be no human life at all.
Our ancestors could not have survived without the food that grows from the ground. But Mother Earth provides humankind with more than just food, it gives us a special form of food we can store and save for another day, another week, or even another year. It is nothing short of miraculous that the Earth provides us with wheat, rice, oats and other grains that can be stored and preserved so we can save it and eat it years after we harvest them (so long as we keep them dry). If there were no such storable foods, we would have had to obtain new foods at least every several days. That would have been really tough to do so there is no question that storable foods helped our ancestors to survive.
So God gave us not just the fertile soil, but the things we needed to grow from the soil.
What grows from the Earth have not only been crucial to our survival and early development, it has also helped bring in the modern age of technology and science! The whole of technology depends on electricity and we could not have electricity if it were not for a plant that grows from the soil of Mother Earth.
Without the rubber tree, we would have no way to insulate electrical wiring. (Even today, we cannot make synthetic rubber without some real rubber.) If there had been no way for us to insulate electrical wiring, we could not have harnessed electricity. No light bulbs; no refrigerators; no televisions or computers. Where would technology be without the rubber tree and electricity?
So the next time anyone says to you that there is no evidence of the presence of God, you should ask the person to look at the ground.
If we wish to find evidence of Providence, we just have to open our eyes. The Earth's fertile soil and the plants, trees and vegetation that grow from it are wonderful gifts from Providence.
Merry Christmas to all of you.