The Sunday Mail
Shingai Rukwata Ndoro Chiseling the Debris
THE column remains of chiseling theological debris (husks) to reach the gem (kernel) by de-constructing scriptures. This week begins a series about “God”! Without doubt, the worst human ills and vices of discrimination, hatred and grotesque brutalities in various forms like racism, slavery, violence, colonialism, inquisition, crusades, apartheid, Nazism, sexism and Dark Ages tyranny have been under a motive force, authority and tutelage of the Abrahamic God.
How?
Racism, colonialism and apartheid were intensely defended in the name of Christian values and its purported civilising role. Why? What are Christian values? Are they better than humanistic values?
According to Gnostics, Hebrew Scriptures are a human construct by some scribes whose records of the condition of life and humanity should be read symbolically, figuratively and allegorically. Religious literalists consider the scriptures as products of a human hand under the active instruction of a personal divine force without evidence.
If we focus on Genesis 2 and 3, the divine figure is anthropomorphic in the sense that it feels, talks and acts like a human being.
Ordinarily, an Abrahamic divine figure is a power considered to have three inter-related qualities, omniscient (knowing everything or all-knowing), omnipresent (present everywhere at the same time or all-present) and omnipotent (having great power and influence or all-powerful).
Genesis 2 and 3 divine figure is different from that of Genesis 1. In chapter 2, the divine figure created humanity to be slaves for tilling the land (Genesis 2:5c) while at the same time made them to be socially-conditioned and ignorant automatons (Genesis 2:16-17) devoid of consciousness or awareness (Genesis 3:7)
If it is an all-knowing divine figure, it would not have created humanity since it knew the future that human beings will violate its prohibition order (Genesis 2:17, 3:6).
This means the divine figure is mundane and sought to control everything while demanding absolute attention, reverence and unquestioning compliance, obedience and submission.
This shows that this is not an all-knowing power. Instead it’s full of vulnerabilities, insecurities, fragilities and fears.
Is this not the definition of a narcissist or schizophrenic personality?
This particular divine figure physically walked in the garden (Genesis 3:8a) looking for the mythical Adam and Eve who had hidden from him.
This means it cannot have been an omnipresent power as it was found at a particular time and space.
To walk at a particular time and space means one can’t be everywhere at the same time and needed legs to walk.
Is this not indicative that the divine figure was a human figure?
The quality of love and compassion literally assumed of the divine figure is violated when the same divine figure conducted itself as a tyrant and domineering power which exercised unrestrained anger, harshness, vengeance and cruelty in cursing human beings (Genesis 3:14-19) for having been assisted to discover transformative, liberating and experiential knowledge through a guide.
Liberating and experiential knowledge is not dogmatic, doctrinal or about the recital of statements.
A “curse” (Greek “katara” #2671, Hebrew “arar” #779) has been defined as 1) a fervent wish, prayer or a solemn utterance intended to invoke a supernatural power to inflict harm or punishment on someone, 2) a cause of harm or misery, 3) an offensive word pronouncement to express anger or annoyance.” (Oxford Dictionary)
This divine figure is an archetype of a human being and is the same forall Abrahamic (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) faiths.
Can this be a loving, compassionate, caring and kind divine figure be the same that eternally curse as exemplified in Genesis 2 and 3 as well as the subsequent scriptures?
Apart from imposing compulsory ignorance (Genesis 2:17), this is the same divine figure that gives absolute and unquestioned instructions to his followers to kill all unmarried pregnant women (Genesis 38:24), kill infants of non-followers (2 Samuel 12:14), kill police, fire fighters and others who work on the seventh day (Exodus 31:15), kill uncircumcised males (Exodus 4:24-25), kill any person who commits adultery (Leviticus 20:9), kill free thinkers (Leviticus 24:16), kill all residents of any city home to non-followers and kill all non-virgins (Deuteronomy 22:13-21), mass murder all those he hates (Deuteronomy 7:16), commit genocide (Deuteronomy 20:16-17, 1 Samuel 15:3, Ezekiel 9:5-7), kill any raped girl (Deuteronomy 22:23-24) and then created the warped superiority and dominance of Jews (Exodus 34:10; 34:12-13, Deuteronomy 7:1-2, 5-6; 28:10; Isaiah 60:10-12).
What kind of a moral force is humanity relating with?
This is the same divine figure that killed all first borns (Exodus 12:29), created evil (Isaiah 46:7), brought strife and a sword in families (Matthew 10:34), demanded absolute obedience and tested Abraham by asking him to kill his son and had a bet with the Devil about Jacob, himself a perfect and righteous man (Job 1).
This divine figure accepts human sacrifices (Genesis 22:2, Judges 11:39) and is so angry and vindictive that a supposedly historical Jesus is to have been killed to placate the anger against a purported original transgression constructed around blaming and hatred of women (Genesis 3:16).
Genesis 2 and 3 male divine figure is that of Abrahamic faiths and it seeks appeasement, fervent pleading (prayers) and demands absolute and unquestioning submission, compliance and subservience.
Through the authorities of these faiths, there are threats of damnation, torture and burning on a daily basis.
Is this how we can allow our energies to sustain and nourish a healthy and balanced life?
For Gnostics, this vengeful Abrahamic God is a motive force of vices and frailties.
Humanly, its repellant biographical nature makes followers to sink into hatred, negativity, wickedness, “violence, destruction and alienation.”
Are conditions of ignorance, discrimination, threats, coercion, hate and violence human constructed or they are divinely motivated, instructed, exemplified and justified?
Next week “Is Mwari and Abrahamic God the same?”
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