Chief Seattle’s Speech
Beautiful and wise, but never said by Chief Seattle. Though widely misattributed to the Duwamish chief, these words were actually written by a screenwriter named Ted Perry, who composed them for a 1972 documentary about ecology, called Home. For details, check out
Desiderata
Although widely (and incorrectly) known as having been found at Old Saint Paul’s Church of Baltimore in 1692, the prose poem Desiderata (Latin: “desired things”) was actually composed in 1927 by American writer Max Ehrmann (1872–1945). The source of the confusion was its use some time around the year 1959 in a compilation of devotional materials by the Reverend Frederick Kates, rector of Saint Paul’s Church in Baltimore, Maryland. The compilation included the church’s name and foundation date: “Old Saint Paul’s Church, Baltimore A.D. 1692.”
Existence of an Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnibenevolent Being (God)
The fact that huge numbers of essentially innocent people suffer enormous pain is sufficient evidence to disprove this idea. For example, approximately six million children starve to death each year. If an omnipotent, omniscient, omnibenevolent being existed, it would, by definition, prevent this from occurring.