Tuesday, October 23, 2007
You learn something new every day
The Judeo-Christian tradition has not ever been my preferred form of faith, but it has always been a curiosity. Being that I grew up with no formal education of the Old and New Testaments, I developed the generic understanding of their god shared by many of my peers, i.e. Old Testament God=Fire and Brimstone, New Testament God=Doves and Rainbows. Recently, I asked a Jewish friend about the spiritual implications of another friend's past behaviors and what his chances are of receiving salvation, as this particular gent had recently rediscovered his love for Jesus. She shared some surprising and educational insights that changed my perspective on the matter somewhat.
My preferred version of Jehovah has always been the fiery, punishing god described in stories like that of Sodom and Gomorrah or the golden cow idol. That God makes sense to me, as it only seems logical that a patriarchal, monotheist deity would be much like a supernatural father figure, doling out discipline when his children got out of line, rewarding or praising them when they did well. In the case of an almighty creator figure, discipline could escalate to the point that wiping said children from the face of the Earth becomes a viable option. If you're the creator of all things, there really is no reason to take any sass or backtalk.
What I neglected to factor into my base understanding was that the Old Testament clearly states that YHWH issued warnings, sometimes several of them, and gave the people in question various opportunities to change their behaviors before finally dropping the big hammer of holy justice down on their collective heads. These warnings are important, because they serve as a measure of the patience displayed by the Old Testament's deity. He wasn't acting out like a 6-years old who wants a piece of candy, he was being fatherly and offering up chances for forgiveness. Things only got ugly when warnings went unheeded, which makes sense. What really got me thinking was the connection between Revelations, which is the New Testament, with the acts of Jehovah as described in the Old Testament.
Revelation had always seemed out of place to me, as it contrasted drastically with Jesus' "God loves you unconditionally" doctrine, but in reality, it fits seamlessly with the Biblical accounts of YHWH's past behavior. My ignorance of Judeo-Christian history led me to believe that God had gone from fire and brimstone disciplinarian to touchy-feely enabler, when in reality, his nature as described by the Bible has not changed at all, only his follower’s perception of said nature has really shifted. Honestly, it's embarrassing to be this ignorant of what constitutes the most significant component of my cultural history, but in the end, I am not a believer, and I was raised by parents with little or no interest in spirituality, so I haven't ever been adequately motivated to pursue an education in the matter. At the same time, I feel like I should have at least an accurate, basic understanding of what the monotheists presently piloting humanity's latest social Hindenburg are on about. At present, it is obvious to me that I do not and that this ignorance is to my detriment.
Monotheists make wars, enact policies, and direct whole societies according to their spiritual beliefs. They believe that their god guides them, watches over them, and loves them. Not having an understanding of their "why" leaves non-believers like me wondering "wtf" at times, whereas a little knowledge could go a long way toward understanding their rationalizations. I may not believe what they believe, but I am certainly subjected to their beliefs every day of my life (in the form of social norms, government legislation, etc), so it would certainly benefit me to know more about their lineage and traditions. As far as I'm concerned, it's all details and distractions leading people away from the core principles at the heart of every form of faith, but it is those details and distractions that lead to planes crashing into the sides of buildings and wars that claims thousands of lives, so it is probably a good idea to pay attention and get educated. Too bad they're not all pseudo-Buddhists/generalized spiritualists…things would be so much simpler for me. :)
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