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Rated: 18+ · Short Story · Satire · #1636104
Report of explorer 21 on the dead planet earth.
                                                                        Encounter With a Dead Planet
                                                            Psycho-historian's Report on Earth Religion

         Archaeological and historical evidence  of the activities of earthlings indicates an almost global preoccupation with various forms of religion. A

review of approximately seven thousand years of earth's historical artefacts and records suggests that earthlings were sphere worshipers. Religion

was the primary occupation of a substantial number of the elite citizens of both the ruling and peasant class. It was the most effective psychological

and economical control used to direct the behaviour of all classes of the population.

      Huge stone spheres have been found in the jungles of the Amazon. They are so old there no records have been found explaining their origin or

method of construction. Thousands of smaller spheres have been found in waste pits and the crumbling architecture of their temples. The spheres

were of such variation in size and even shape that it was difficult to determine how they had become objects of worship. It was equally difficult to

determine how the religion evolved. We believe the origin of the religion was among the ancient hunting tribes. Apparently the necessity of developing

accurate rock throwing techniques to kill animals for food resulted in a constant preoccupation with the stone sphere.

    When the hunting tribes first encountered agricultural societies they also discovered alcohol.  In the throes of drunken debauchery they killed

most of the farmers, stole their food and ran off with their girl children. Raiding the unarmed agricultural settlements was easy and soon became a

source of amusement. It was so amusing that in the interludes between raids handling and throwing spheres became a sport. This sport soon

became institutionalised in the form of contests where the best rock throwers would compete for booty by throwing rocks at each other. Over time

their constant preoccupation with the spheres resulted in the concept of a religion. Of course they destroyed the female goddesses of the agricultural

societies and replaced them with the bloody, raping, human sacrificing sphere gods. Losers of their booty (no pun intended) contests

were sacrificed.

      As their sphere worship evolved the club was added to hit the thrown sphere and if they couldn't hit it then they hit whoever threw

it.  Over the centuries all sorts of sticks, clubs, hammers, hooks and nets were added and the size and even shape of the spheres they worshiped

changed until there were literally dozens of varieties. Their worship services ranged from the very affected ceremonies of the genteel to the orgiastic

spectacles of Mesoamerica where they tore out the still beating hearts of their sacrifices. There was a brief period of competition with a peace

religion around the decline of the Roman empire but they killed the founder and the practice of his followers soon corrupted  to the point where it was

no longer competition but actively supported sphere worship. The number of sphere worshipers is incalculable but it can be established with certainty

it was in the billions. The remains of great temples still exist all over the planet and the practice can be traced from ancient Egypt, China, Greece,

Rome and the Americas. Eventually the spheres were given the general name of Ball. Ball worship was incorporated into the minority religions and

became the central theme of many practices. Devotees gave vast sums of personal wealth to the development of more and more grand temples. The

general population of worshipers was gradually replaced by living gods, experts at the games who represented the masses. These gods were given

unlimited privilege, access to virgins and great personal wealth.  The sphere worship eventually came to symbolise the concept of war as a sport.

    Almost as popular as Ball, war replaced many of the functions of Ball. It was far more lucrative and useful for supporting the privileged

classes. It kept the lower classes so busy they did not have time for social and economical development. War virtually eliminated lower class

competition for resources and made them even easier to manipulate. Combined with Ball worship it was the perfect strategy for maintaining the upper

class in opulent luxury indefinitely. It is interesting that  during the wars the combatants from all sides would take time outs to worship Ball. They

finally exterminated themselves when in their puIrsuit of war and Ball worship the produced so much pollution that the plankton of the oceans died.

They destroyed the land based plant and animal life with pesticides  that killed the bees, they burned the forests and and poisoned the soil with

genetically altered trees that produced toxins. By the time they realised what they had done it was too late. As they destroyed the agricultural

societies of their prehistory  they destroyed the oxygen producing organisms of the planet. They destroyed their own existence with killing, raping,

pollution, greed and the worship of Ball.
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