Atheists, if life turns to chemicals, where did they come from?

Question

Many Atheists suggested that when dies, it returns to the Earth.

I have no disagreement, but that is not a complete answer. It just leads to more questions such as where the earth came from, where the solar system came from, where "mind" came from.

Now, I expect ignorance to shine wrecklessly and I'm to be accused of being a Christian, which is a normal "go to answer" for an Atheist, but other areas of life exist, but, then you'd have to be open to those areas.

BTW, as a Buddhist, it might shock to know you Budda was not a god.

Sorry, when "one" dies, first sentence needed correcting.

I know some of you spend more time on petty spelling mistakes then trying to answer a question.

reverend, where thats exploding star come from? You just answer with a need for another question

Answer 1

Couldn't get the answers you wanted from the version of this question (http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AptUZcjXTlJgLRG3xPt3wijsy6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20070927110106AAJ7edD ) from a few minutes ago, eh? Same answers this time around.

BTW You do understand that Buddhists are atheists, right?

Answer 2

Why are you saying atheists say it returns to the earth? Many buddhists are scientifically literate and could tell you the same thing. I have close personal friends in that position.

More questions. Where did the Earth come from, how did the solar system form - mind, ok so evolutionary questions about sentience and then stellar accretion - all in one answer?

Do you really want to learn anything or do you want to just argue from personal ignorance (I don't understand A therefore A cannot be explained by science)

The answers are out there if you want them. If you really want to know where the earth and solar system came from, ask in astronomy.

If you want to know about the mind, get a book on neurobiology and start coming to terms with the rather loose concept of sentience and consciousness and accept that not all of it is understood - yet.

Scientists don't have all the answers but they have a hell of a lot. Its always the ones who know the least who are saying 'Mankind will never know such and such'

Answer 3

I do not know where lifestyles started or how. I don't even understand if the entire life on earth started out on this planet or was once transplanted from every other planet. I wouldn't have beliefs unsupported by means of proof on this matter, both. But if I needed to place a gamble on what is going to ultimately be found out to be the location where lifestyles on the earth originated, i would choose black people who smoke. They are high energy environments which are chemically elaborate and have wide ranging chemical and energy gradients that put an almost infinite quantity of unique micro environments in close proximity to each other. And they're beyond the attain of damaging ultraviolet light from the sun. And latest observations have discovered that these undersea volcanic vents are still crawling with numerous and designated life varieties that are thoroughly supported by using the vent. I would be inclined to place up a hundred dollars for 2 to 1 odds on that possibility with some hope of dwelling lengthy enough to acquire. -- Regards, John Popelish

Answer 4

You assume that everything in existence must come from somewhere. What evidence do you have to back up such a claim? Cannot some things have not beginning?

Even if everything has an origin, must we know what this origin is? Why does it matter to us?

Personally, I do not care how many years old the Earth might be. Millions, billions, it's all the same to me. I was never there and will not likely be able to travel back to that time period. I can search for clues if I am curious, but I see no need to make this question an important part of my life.

I am more concerned with where I am now and where I will be tomorrow.

Answer 5

All the elements in the entire universe have *always* existed. They were not "created" by a magical, supernatural being. This includes all of the chemicals and elements that make up our physical bodies.

And as for how everything came to be in the form it is now, how the "big bang" happened, which started the ball rolling, we don't know yet. We're sorry we're not psychic and can answer every single question you have about "where'd this come from " and "where'd that come from". Just because we don't know yet doesn't mean we're going to start making stuff up to fill in the gaps. If *that's* what you want then talk to creationists.

(BTW- The posters above me are right. Your attitude is certainly not the attitude you expect from a Buddhist.)

Answer 6

1.) The first chemicals were formed by the Big Bang, which converted energy directly into matter (see Special Relativity) and created hydrogen, helium, and lithium. 14.7 Billion years ago and nobody really knows where the original energy came from.

2.) The first elements were scattered throughout the early universe, forming vast clouds. Because the elements had mass, they were susceptible to gravity, were mutually attracted to one another and formed gigantic balls of gas. The gas clouds were further condensed until the pressures and temperatures became so intense that nuclear fusion occurred. These were the first proto-stars.

3.) During the life-span of the first stars, nuclear fusion created still heavier elements, up to iron. When these stars consumed the available fuel, they exploded and sprayed all their matter out into the universe, where it cooled, mixed with more hydroge, helium, and lithium and repeated the cycle -- condensing, igniting, forming more elements by fusion, and exploding. Sometimes, if a star is large enough, when it explodes it will become a super nova. The elements heavier than iron are formed within supernovas.

4.) Our Sun is a third or fourth generation medium sized star which contains an iron core because it contains elements created within in the previous generations of stars.

5.) All of the elements on Earth were created either inside the cores of earlier stars or within their super novas. As usual, they are held together by mutual gravitation.

6.) So, we can conclude that all the chemical elements in the universe were created by one of four methods:
a.) Hydrogen and traces of helium and lithium were created by the Big Bang.
b.) Most elements up to iron were formed in the cores of medium sized stars.
c.) Elements heavier than iron were created in the super novas of gigantic stars.
d.) Elements heavier than uranium are created by mankind in nuclear reactors, particle accelerators, and other exotic technologies.

It is essentially true that all the chemical elements in the universe, including those that make up our human bodies, were created within the hearts of stars which existed long, long ago.

Answer 7

Energy is what makes up everything, not chemicals. We are energy and when we die this energy passes on to something else. This energy is limitless in form.

One of the laws of the universe is that matter and energy can't be created nor destroyed. There is always the same amount of energy in the universe at all times. But this energy can be changed in form. Matter can be changed into energy. The world's most famous scientist, Albert Einstein, created the mathematical formula that explains this. It is:
E = m c 2

Answer 8

There is no short answer to an entire first semester astrophysics course to really give you a full explanation.

But...it is more reasonable to say that the matter was always here in some form than it is to say that a god was always here in some form AND he created the matter out of nothing.

Religion claims the matter came from nothing, not science.

Answer 9

The short answer is: the earth came from the exploding remains of a long-dead star.

As far as "mind" goes, you're assuming the existence of something without any evidence to warrant that assumption. All evidence points to our consciousness being a manifestation of processes of the phyiscal brain -- that's why people suffer dramatic shifts in awareness or personality due to chemical imbalances, brain injuries, etc. There's nothing in the scientific lexicon suggesting some substance called "mind" that exists independently of the physical brain.

If you're asking what happened before the Big Bang? It actually is OK to say, "We don't know yet" in answer to that question; and there really is no compelling reason to name our ignorance "GODIDIT"....

Answer 10

Particles released by the Big Bang cooled and then formed light elements, mostly hydrogen, which formed stars, which became supernovae, which formed heavier elements through nucleosynthesis. And that's where the chemicals came from.

I'm sorry if some atheists have offended you, but you might want to take the issue up with them personally rather than being rude to the rest of us, whose only crime was taking the time to answer your question.