Religions tell awful tales (Introduction)

by David Turell @, Saturday, April 16, 2022, 01:31 (713 days ago)

Like lightning was God's way of punishing or warning:

https://www.realclearscience.com/blog/2022/04/16/benjamin_franklins_greatest_invention....

"Franklin didn't want electricity to remain in the realm of parlor tricks and circus acts, as was common at the time. He wanted to make it useful for the common man. As biographer Walter Isaacson noted in Burns' documentary, Franklin joked that the repeated electrical shocks he endured during his studies were useful for 'making a vain person humble’. But surely there was more that could be done...

"Franklin noted that those electrical shocks looked remarkably similar to lightning, which at the time was shrouded in superstition – seen as weapon of divine retribution from God. Franklin, on the other hand, hypothesized that lightning was just electricity.

***

"Franklin and William flew a kite attached to hemp twine with a metal key at the end as a thunderstorm approached, seeking not to have the kite struck by lightning (a common misconception), but to show that the air during a thunderstorm becomes electrified, which would then transfer a charge through the twine to the metal key at the bottom. Indeed as the storm came closer, Franklin saw the twine's strands stand on end, and the key would send off mild electric shocks when he touched it. As rain started pouring, sparks flew off the key. Franklin was elated.

"Now he had a way of putting his knowledge about electricity to work! Lightning was a deadly risk at the time. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of churches – often the tallest buildings in most areas – had been struck by lightning, and many bell ringers killed when shocked. There was even an incident in Italy in which a building containing gunpowder was struck, starting a huge fire which killed hundreds. Franklin's solution was the lightning rod. It worked wonderfully.

***

"While most people hailed the lightning rod as a lifesaver, some religious leaders objected that Franklin was attempting to interfere with one of God’s most effective methods of punishing sinners, to which he replied, "Surely the thunder of Heaven is no more supernatural than the rain, hail, or sunshine of Heaven, against the inconvenience of which we guard by roofs and shades without scruple.'"

Comment: Sometimes religions are just superstitions. They are invented by humans and contain human errors about God. Study nature and science. See the designs that require a mind's ingenuity, and then make a decision if you wish.

RSS Feed of thread
powered by my little forum