You mean whites? I don't know what race you are Bath...?

One doesn't have to believe in a "higher knowledge" to understand one's own knowledge is partial and lacking. There are many things which aren't known. You don't have to think everything that is known is all that there is to be known! Atheists don't believe that humans know everything, they just don't believe in a god that knows everything either.

The bible was written by people. Yes, God may have instructed people not to do x, y and z in order to keep them safe, but cause and effect is not dificult to determine. How many people need to die after eating too-long-dead meat before you realise it's a bad idea? We were not there when the bible was written, many religious books with common sense could be the documentation of a long oral tradition of education of information learned through trial and error. Most animals have instinct to protect them. In the subversion of instinct brought on my civilisation (which demands we ignore some instincts in order to allow it to run smoothly) we might well have needed to write such instinctual knowledge down before it left us.

I would not say "just do it" to my child because i don't believe it fosters a sense of natural curiosity and a love of learning. I would always explain my requests, so i don't know about that bit. I have to admit i feel a bit saddened with the idea that humanity can only recognise it's own failings under assumed scrutiny by and comparison to some higher being. It makes me think of children who will misbehave as soon as the teacher leaves the room. Some kids (i was one of them) behaved whether the teacher was there or not.

Bx