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There are people who say that the world came into existence by chance, without a Creator who caused it and formed it. I wonder how any rational being in a normal state of mind can entertain such a notion. If one holding such a opinion would hear a person expressing a similar view in regard to a water-wheel that revolves in order to irrigate a portion of a field or garden -- and were to say that he thinks it had been set up without any intention on the part of a mechanic who labored to put it together and adjust it, using all his tools to obtain this useful result -- the hearer would wonder, be exceedingly astonished, and think the man who made such a statement extremely foolish. He would promptly charge him with lying, and would reject his assertion.

Now, if such a statement is rejected in regard to a small and insignificant wheel, the fashioning of which requires but little contrivance and which serves for the improvement of but a small portion of the earth, how can anyone permit himself to harbor such a thought concerning the immense sphere that encompasses the whole earth with all the creatures on it; which exhibits a wisdom so great that the minds of all living creatures, the intellects of all rational mortals, cannot comprehend it; which is appointed for the benefit of the whole earth and all its inhabitants - how can one say that it came into existence without a wise and mighty designer purposing and conceiving it? Whatever takes place without purpose shows, as is well known, no trace of wisdom or power.

Do you not realize that if ink were poured out accidentally on a blank sheet of paper, it would be impossible that proper writing should result, legible lines such as are written with a pen? If a person brought us a fair copy of script that could only have been written with a pen, and said that ink had been spilt on paper and these written characters have come of themselves, we would charge him to his face with falsehood, for we would feel certain that this result could not have happened without an intelligent person's purposeful action to produce it. Since this appears to us an impossibility in the case of characters whose form is conventional, how can one assert that something far finer in its art, and which manifests in its fashioning a subtlety infinitely beyond our comprehension, could have happened without the purpose, power and wisdom of a wise and mighty designer?

How could anyone say that the universe came into existence on its own, seeing that everywhere we look we see signs of such inconceivably profound wisdom? How wondrous is the wisdom and design in the human body, how wondrous the arrangement of its limbs and organs, as all doctors and surgeons attest. How is it possible to say, with regard to such a wondrous machine, that it came into existence on its own without a purposeful designer? If anyone would claim that a watch had just come into existence on its own, he would be considered insane.

There's the well known story of the atheist who comes to Rabbi Akiva. "Who created the world?", he asks. R. Akiva answers, "The Holy One, blessed be He." The atheist replies, "Show me proof." R. Akiva says, "Come back to me tomorrow and I shall prove it to you."

When the man returns the following day, R. Akiva begins by asking, "What is that you are wearing?" "A piece of clothing, "the atheist replies." And who made it?" R. Akiva continues. "The weaver", he replies. "Show me proof", R. Akiva demands. "But how can I show you proof if it isn't already obvious to you that it is the work of the weaver?"

With this R. Akiva says, "Have you not heard what your own lips have spoken? Isn't it obvious to you that the Holy One has created this world? Doesn't the clothing testify to the weaver; the house and the door to a builder and a carpenter? Just so does the world testify to the One who made it."

Imagine a human being born with a fully developed intellect. We can't imagine his great astonishment upon seeing, suddenly, the heavens and their hosts, the earth and all that is upon it. What would this man's answer be to our question: Did the world that he is seeing now for the first time come into existence on its own, without any conscious intent, or is it the work of a wise Creator? Behold, without a doubt, after contemplating for a moment, he would respond that all this was made with wondrous wisdom and extremely subtle order (fine-tuning).

We find this concept expressed in any number places in our classical literature. The Psalmist said, "The heavens declare the glory of G-d" (Psalms 19:2). (According the Duties of the Heart 2:5) this is also the meaning of Job's words when he declared, "From my flesh, I will see G-d."(Job 19:26) (The Psalmist saw proof of G-d's existence in the magnitude of the universe. Job was saying that the very fact that something as wonderful as his body could exist demonstrates that it is the work of a wise Creator.) In view of all this it is therefore extremely puzzling, a great enigma: How could some of the greatest philosophers who ever lived have concluded that the world was brought into existence by chance?

The resolution of this puzzle can be found in the Torah. The Torah reveals something profound about human psychology when it commands, "Do not take bribes, for bribery blinds the eyes of the wise." (Deuteronomy 16:19).

What is bribery? In legal terms, the smallest amount necessary to constitute a bribe is a "shaveh prutah" (not much more than a penny). This negative commandment, to never take a bribe, is directed not only at a judge, but at every man, even the wisest of men, even the most righteous, even Moses himself. Yes, if it could be imagined, even if Moses would take the tiniest bribe, a prutah, his perception of reality would be distorted; he would be incapable of bringing forth a just ruling.

We must therefore say that it is a psychological law: A person's will or desire (to gain some benefit) influences his mind (his ability to think straight). Of course, it depends how strong the desire and how resolute the mind. A small desire will not exert much influence on a great mind, whereas on a lesser mind it will. A powerful desire (for gain) will exert even more influence. One thing is certain: no matter how minuscule, a desire for gain will always have some affect. Even the tiniest desire can cause the greatest mind to waver a fraction.

This is exemplified by a story found in the Talmud: Rabbi Yishmael bar Yossi had a land tenant who used to bring him fruits from his (Yishmael's) orchard every Friday before Shabbat. Once, he came on a Thursday. R. Yishmael asked him: "What's changed this week?" "I have a court case this week", he answered. "Since I was coming to town anyway, I thought I would bring you your fruits." Yishmael refused to take the fruits (even though they were his). "I am disqualified from judging your case. "Two other rabbis sat and began to hear the land tenant's case. Yishmael sat (on the sidelines) watching. At every turn in the discussion, Yishmael felt himself wanting to give advice to his land tenant. "If only he would say this now... if only he would say this..."After the case was decided, he exclaimed, "O that the spirit of those who take bribes would explode. I refused to take what was rightfully mine (and I still couldn't help being biased and wanting to see him come out winning). How much more those who actually take what it is not theirs.

It is known that the sages (of the Talmud) were angelic in terms of their expanded consciousness and saintly character. We nevertheless see that the smallest degree of bias could cause them to incline away from the truth. How much more so the rest of us who are sunken in the desires of this world. The desire for gain literally bribes us, saying, "Hey, look, the world is free to do with as you please. "How powerful this bias is! How easily it distorts our perception and blinds us! For when a person has "bought into" a certain bias, he is incapable of recognizing any truth that flies in the face of that bias. As far as that truth is concerned, he might just as well be in a drunken stupor. He doesn't recognize its existence.

Now, of course, we shouldn't be astonished that so many great philosophers had difficulty believing that the world was created by a Purposeful Creator. Their minds were surely great, but their desire to gain benefit from the pleasures of this world overcame their ability to think straight. Such a powerful bias can divert a person's mind to the point that he can say two plus two does not equal four, but five. A person cannot judge whether something is true unless his mind is free from any distorting influence vis-a-vis the thing he wishes to judge. On the contrary, if recognizing a particular truth in any way contradicts a bias that a person has bought into, no amount of intellect, even the intellect of a great person, can remove or overcome that bias.

We learn from this that the foundations of true faith are simple and unquestionable for anyone who isn't an idiot. It is simply impossible to doubt their veracity. This is only true, however, on the condition that one does not allow oneself to be bribed. One must be disinterested in and free from the desires and allures of this world, and his own personal desires (for gain).

If so, the root of God-denial lies not in the distortion of the intellect in and of itself. It lies in the heart, i.e., in one's desire to gain benefit (from this world), which distorts and blinds the intellect.

It is clear now why the Torah commands, "Do not stray after your hearts..." (Deuteronomy 15:39), concerning which the sages commented, "Do not follow after the heart's desire to deny G-d" (Sifri Shlach 15:70). A person is obligated to subdue and sublimate his desires (for personal gain), because this is the only way his intellect will be free of any blinding influence. He will then automatically recognize the truth of the existence of a Creator. This is what Rabbi Akiva meant when he said that the world attests to the Holy One, blessed be He, who created it.

God-denial really has no place in a person's mind. Its place, if man allows it to exist there, is the heart; in a person's desire for gain. And if one would be careful not to allow his desires to overcome him, he could never come to deny G-d's existence or attribute reality to any form of idolatry. It is a sign that one's desires have grown out of proportion if one is incapable of understanding this simple truth.

And the commandment to believe in G-d? It is a commandment not to allow one's desires to overcome his intellect so that he will automatically come to believe. In other words, there is no need to struggle to believe. One must simply remove the obstacles that stand in the way of believing. It will then come naturally, of itself.

ON the other hand (sometimes I think Jews have the gift of blind people; they also think with their hands). On the other hand we have "memes" ... something worth googling when you have a chance. Example of "memes" might be all sorts of religions and beliefs.

From Wikopedia: The term "meme" (pronounced meem) was used in 1976 by Richard Dawkins to mean a replicator of cultural information which one mind transmits (verbally or by demonstration) to another mind. Dawkins said, Examples of memes are tunes, ideas, catch-phrases, clothes fashions, ways of making pots or of building arches. Other examples include god, concepts, ideas, theories, opinions, beliefs, practices, habits, dances and moods which propagate within a culture. Thus a meme is a self-propagating unit of cultural evolution analogous to the gene (the unit of genetic information).

Proponents argue that memes have, as their fundamental property, evolution via natural selection in a way very similar to Charles Darwin's ideas concerning biological evolution, on the premise that replication, mutation, survival and competition influence them. For example, while one idea may become extinct, others will survive, spread and mutate — for better or for worse — through modification.

Some meme theorists contend that memes most beneficial to their hosts will not necessarily survive; rather, memes that are the most effective replicators spread best, which allows for the possibility that successful memes might prove detrimental to their hosts.

Ultimately, it's all relative. A story goes that a man prays to G-d. G-d appears and the man says, "L-rd, our billions of years are your one second. Our billions of dollars are merely a penny for you. Could you grant me a penny?" G-d smiles, says "Certainly, back in a second," and disappears.