An odd question has been bothering me lately, due to a past-life regression experience that falls outside the realm of belief.
The question is: What if when men first fell on their knees begging for mercy from an invisible god, it wasn't god they were begging for mercy from.
By way of full disclosure I should admit up front that I'm a deist, with heavy leanings toward Dionysus/Bacchus. I don't subscribe to the angry god who will punish you philosophy. Sometimes I feel like I was born into the wrong time period, for the lack of like-minded souls. I feel in my heart that organized religion today is used as a tool in the hands of the powerful to control weaker men. So I start with a point of view here.
Whether we like to admit it or not history tells us that both Christianity and Islam were brought to their original followers by the sword. In Western Europe the Gauls, Saxons, Celts, and Picts were forced by the Romans to put aside their old tribal gods or forsake their lives. Later came the crusades and inquisitions to seal the deal. Gratefully, Christianity seems to have taken a gentler turn since it's conquest of the Americas.
Islam, likewise, was taken through Persia and elsewhere by the sword. There are still some followers who would continue this conversion process, though they are certainly not the mainstream at this time. Neither religion likes to admit this, but the history is what it is.
It seems it was this way in the Abrahamic faiths (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) from the very beginning. When Moses comes down from the mountain with his tablets, the Commandments, he gets angry because his followers have fallen back to the old ways. He then tells them that "god says" to go kill everyone in the village, because they are heathens.
27 And he said unto them: 'Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel: Put ye every man his sword upon his thigh, and go to and fro from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour.'
28 And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses; and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men.
So, apparently, yes, when men first fell to their knees begging for mercy it wasn't really god they were kneeling in submission to. It was men playing god.
Over 50 percent of the world now follows one of these faiths born of violence. If their leadership were to again tell them "god says kill the heathens" do you think they would?
5 comments:
I certainly agree with this. And the answer to the question at the end is...yes they would and in fact do.
Yeah, I think that they would kill in the name of their god. I mean look at what their entire system is based upon which is the opinion of some men that lived thousands of years ago.
Regarding Deism, I once thought that it was the religion I should follow but then I found myself having to fit things into the system just like any other religion and I finally had to ask myself what the point was. I found that in the end it was a waste of time for me.
Anyway, I like your posts, very unique and thought provoking.
Thanks :) I say deism, because I believe there is an eternal consciousness, but I don't think that consciousness is truly knowable to humans in their current form. It seems from the evidence that god does not intervene in the business of men very often, if ever. I really do lean toward Dionysus, though.
I don't think it's the religion that makes the violence though. I think the violence was already there and the religion just becomes a convenient excuse and justification for what they already wanted to do anyway. What's the old saying: For every action, there are two reasons, a good reason and the real reason.
Eva: I think you're right when it comes to the leadership. The followers have been convinced that the very key to heaven is blind faith and that the world they live in is ruled by some mythological being called Satan - so it's not worth saving. It's that mechanism that scares me. The control some "shepherds" have over their flock is downright shocking.
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