Thursday, December 30, 2004
CREDO Part Seven
What or when was the turning point when the human species crossed the line to become the most dangerous creatures on the planet?
There were two major defining points.
First, was when the concept of a "god" was invented and became an accepted entity.
This invention did several things.
It allowed humans to declare and accept their superiority over all living creatures. While not all gods looked or were perceived to look like humans, most were given some human characteristics.
Also, a "god" is a perfect excuse to blame any number of happenstances. When the harvest was good, it was god's blessing. When the harvest was bad, it was his wrath.
With this in mind, god could be blamed for any number of pathetic controlling elements. The most clever humans either spoke to the gods or else convinced the masses that they spoke for him. Using this device, humans spread their own laws and preferences as "god's laws," giving them the highest authority.
But perhaps most important, god was an explanation. If there is a "god," then that being must have preceded us in the universal sceme of things and likely, in fact, put us (humans) here. It only follows that if he put us here, he put us here for a reason, along with everything else.
This "god" actually created humans in his OWN likeness! First man, then from the man came woman. God loved his little creations SO much that he put them in a beautiful garden. All would have lived happily ever after if he would have left it at that. Unfortunately, this god likes to fool around with his creations. He tempted them by forbidding them to partake in some action or activity of his choosing. These humans just couldn't say "no" to temptation. Of course, god already knew this because he not only created us and all of our imperfections, but he also knows EVERYTHING (including EVERYTHING in advance!). Kind of makes you wonder why he bothered to pick up the book at all, since he already knew the ending.
So the humans let him down and he had to punish them. This sometimes all-loving, sometimes all-wrathful god (certainly all-ego, all the time) had to do what a god had to do. The stroies go on and on from there.
The point is that the whole concept of the god that is known and worshiped today as the "christian god" implodes on itself by it's very dynamics!
The second stumbling point for the human race was originally necessary to some degree. If survival is the essence of life, some sort of protection or safety is needed. Clever man began creating weapons... weapons to defend himself against predators.
Unfortunately, with that ability to out-think his fellow creatures, also came greed, lust for power, etc. Soon, he realized that weapons for defense could be just as effective as weapons for offense, not just against other creatures, but against others of his own species as well. If Neanderthal "A" has a big rock that he's been bashing in heads with, Neanderthal "B" had to find a bigger rock!
As human passions grew, so did his jealousies, lusts and desire for power. Weapons grew with them. Whoever had the biggest, most efficient, most deadly weapon won the game. From rock to spear, to arrow, to gun, to bomb, to missle.
Buy hey, who cares who and how many died and for whatever cause? There was god to sort the whole mess out in the end.
There were two major defining points.
First, was when the concept of a "god" was invented and became an accepted entity.
This invention did several things.
It allowed humans to declare and accept their superiority over all living creatures. While not all gods looked or were perceived to look like humans, most were given some human characteristics.
Also, a "god" is a perfect excuse to blame any number of happenstances. When the harvest was good, it was god's blessing. When the harvest was bad, it was his wrath.
With this in mind, god could be blamed for any number of pathetic controlling elements. The most clever humans either spoke to the gods or else convinced the masses that they spoke for him. Using this device, humans spread their own laws and preferences as "god's laws," giving them the highest authority.
But perhaps most important, god was an explanation. If there is a "god," then that being must have preceded us in the universal sceme of things and likely, in fact, put us (humans) here. It only follows that if he put us here, he put us here for a reason, along with everything else.
This "god" actually created humans in his OWN likeness! First man, then from the man came woman. God loved his little creations SO much that he put them in a beautiful garden. All would have lived happily ever after if he would have left it at that. Unfortunately, this god likes to fool around with his creations. He tempted them by forbidding them to partake in some action or activity of his choosing. These humans just couldn't say "no" to temptation. Of course, god already knew this because he not only created us and all of our imperfections, but he also knows EVERYTHING (including EVERYTHING in advance!). Kind of makes you wonder why he bothered to pick up the book at all, since he already knew the ending.
So the humans let him down and he had to punish them. This sometimes all-loving, sometimes all-wrathful god (certainly all-ego, all the time) had to do what a god had to do. The stroies go on and on from there.
The point is that the whole concept of the god that is known and worshiped today as the "christian god" implodes on itself by it's very dynamics!
The second stumbling point for the human race was originally necessary to some degree. If survival is the essence of life, some sort of protection or safety is needed. Clever man began creating weapons... weapons to defend himself against predators.
Unfortunately, with that ability to out-think his fellow creatures, also came greed, lust for power, etc. Soon, he realized that weapons for defense could be just as effective as weapons for offense, not just against other creatures, but against others of his own species as well. If Neanderthal "A" has a big rock that he's been bashing in heads with, Neanderthal "B" had to find a bigger rock!
As human passions grew, so did his jealousies, lusts and desire for power. Weapons grew with them. Whoever had the biggest, most efficient, most deadly weapon won the game. From rock to spear, to arrow, to gun, to bomb, to missle.
Buy hey, who cares who and how many died and for whatever cause? There was god to sort the whole mess out in the end.
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I think man started to become the most dangerous animal on the planet the first time he used a rock (or whatever) as a tool, no doubt to kill something to eat. As soon as his belly was full, he had time to stargaze and think about other shit. And here we are.
i agree with gordon...
and i always thought it was just so convenient to use god as an excuse for so many things... makes it so we don't have to take responsibility for our own actions... or find an explanation for things....
and i always thought it was just so convenient to use god as an excuse for so many things... makes it so we don't have to take responsibility for our own actions... or find an explanation for things....
How many have been killed in His name? From the Crusades, to the Salem Witch Trials, to 9/11, God has been used to jusify more killing than good. Hitler said God was on his side too. And certainly Bush is operating at God's behest. It is why the Founders were so adamant (Godless, Commie Liberals they would be called today) about the separation of Church and State. They saw the dangers of a theocratic power structure, just as we'd witnessed in Iran and Afghanistan in the last 2 decades. Unfortunately, we're beginning to experience that here as well. Let us not forget, we broke free from the God-derived tyranny of King George. The British Crown, at that time, was 'ordained by God', just as the American King George is today.
But somehow you have to account for the things that Jesus taught, because they are contrary to how you depict god as man's creation.
Humans don't have to believe in God to commit atrocities on their fellow humans. Some of the greatest atrocities ever to occur have come from strictly athiestic societies (see communistic Soviet Russia and modern-day China along with North Korea, and you might as well lump Sadam Hussein in there because he is only a Muslim in name).
I would also suggest that it is only when Christians have acted contrary to the teachings of Jesus that they have committed atrocities against their fellow man.
Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers." He taught that we should "turn the other cheek," "go the extra mile," and "love our enemies." He taught that it is contrary to the nature of God and the nature of who God's people should be to increase in jealousies, lust and desire for power. In fact, he said that those who want to be first must be last and the last will be first.
I find it difficult that any human would (as you suggest) create religious "laws" that would be so contrary to how we are naturally inclined. Wouldn't we create religious laws to justify our mistreatment of one another, instead?
Humans don't have to believe in God to commit atrocities on their fellow humans. Some of the greatest atrocities ever to occur have come from strictly athiestic societies (see communistic Soviet Russia and modern-day China along with North Korea, and you might as well lump Sadam Hussein in there because he is only a Muslim in name).
I would also suggest that it is only when Christians have acted contrary to the teachings of Jesus that they have committed atrocities against their fellow man.
Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers." He taught that we should "turn the other cheek," "go the extra mile," and "love our enemies." He taught that it is contrary to the nature of God and the nature of who God's people should be to increase in jealousies, lust and desire for power. In fact, he said that those who want to be first must be last and the last will be first.
I find it difficult that any human would (as you suggest) create religious "laws" that would be so contrary to how we are naturally inclined. Wouldn't we create religious laws to justify our mistreatment of one another, instead?
One last comment. I don't know if you have children or not. I do. I want them to love me. Hopefully they do. But I don't want them to love me because I demand it (even force it, if that were somehow possible). I know that it is much more meaningful if they genuinely love me out of the freedom of their own hearts.
Even if I could make them into some sort of robots who were forced to love me by design, because I somehow was able to make them that way, I'm not sure how good a thing that would be.
I don't know of a single parent who loves their own kids who would feel any differently. Why, then, would we hold God to a more unreasonable standard? St. Augustine said that God created humankind free so that they might freely love him - or freely reject him, but in the end they were free to decide.
You might look at a screwed-up world and say that it would have been better than what we have now, but I've heard the testimony of a whole lot of people who would rather suffer in this life freely than conform to a dictator's agenda through forced bondage. Count me as one of them.
Even if I could make them into some sort of robots who were forced to love me by design, because I somehow was able to make them that way, I'm not sure how good a thing that would be.
I don't know of a single parent who loves their own kids who would feel any differently. Why, then, would we hold God to a more unreasonable standard? St. Augustine said that God created humankind free so that they might freely love him - or freely reject him, but in the end they were free to decide.
You might look at a screwed-up world and say that it would have been better than what we have now, but I've heard the testimony of a whole lot of people who would rather suffer in this life freely than conform to a dictator's agenda through forced bondage. Count me as one of them.
"I find it difficult that any human would (as you suggest) create religious "laws" that would be so contrary to how we are naturally inclined. Wouldn't we create religious laws to justify our mistreatment of one another, instead?"
I would suggest that this has been attempted by Christians, often successfully, all throughout history. People argue that America is a Christian Nation. This is a nation that has made laws allowing the destruction of the native people, slavery, segregation, bans on gay marriage, etc. These laws were most fervently made and held onto the longest in the face of changing societal norms in the most Christian parts of the United States.
So the short answer to your questions is, yes, we would, and we have. And it has generally been those considered "liberal", "godless" or "heretical" who have sought to overturn these laws, thus destroying the fabric of our nation. What is their motivation for wanting to see a more progressive, more tolerant and peaceful society if they don't even believe in God or Jesus?
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I would suggest that this has been attempted by Christians, often successfully, all throughout history. People argue that America is a Christian Nation. This is a nation that has made laws allowing the destruction of the native people, slavery, segregation, bans on gay marriage, etc. These laws were most fervently made and held onto the longest in the face of changing societal norms in the most Christian parts of the United States.
So the short answer to your questions is, yes, we would, and we have. And it has generally been those considered "liberal", "godless" or "heretical" who have sought to overturn these laws, thus destroying the fabric of our nation. What is their motivation for wanting to see a more progressive, more tolerant and peaceful society if they don't even believe in God or Jesus?
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