Is God a bully?

     I was at my Mom's a few weeks ago when Jack asked me, "What do you call someone who only fights battles he can win?" I have no idea what led to this (a discussion of Vietnam maybe), but then he answered, "A bully." I started thinking about the Bible with this thought. Did God ever lose a battle? Was there ever a question that He would? He tests Job, smites entire civilizations, sends plagues, and generally does not like disobedience. With all this power can he lose? I think He does. No, not the battles; that is His strong point. He does, however lose a few arguments. I suppose the fact that He is intelligent enough to know when someone else has a better argument and concede is a bit comforting. Besides, who knows what goes on behind the scenes. Maybe He is out there fighting other battles that are unrecorded by people. There could be a book that is not in the accepted cannon about Him losing battles in the heavens. Maybe He does not want His followers to know about his losses.That could reduce their confidence in their protector. It is more important to lose an argument than a battle. In combat the loser comes out angry and hurt; in an argument both parties can end more enlightened.

Lit for Children and Adolescents, fruit, goblins, and serpents

  "At the entrance of a Bayaka village, in the valley of the Congo, Mr. Torday saw a roughly constructed gallows, on which hung a dead dog. He learned that as a notorious thiefwho had been in the habit of making predatory raids among the fowls, the animal had been strung up to serve as a public example" (Frazer Chapter VI page 419).

Tempting Fruit

  We were discussing the poem "Goblin Market" today in another class and there were several people who brought up the story of the forbidden fruit from the Bible. It is a great poem about goblins, young maidens, fruit, and desire. What's not to like? If you would like to read it, the text is online at:
 http://classiclit.about.com/library/bl-etexts/crossetti/bl-crossetti-goblin.htm . In addition, if you really like the story you may also want to read the story Goblin Fruit from  Lips Touch Three Times by Laini Taylor.
 
  Talking about the three stories together gave me a new perspective about the Bible story. There are, of course, very few details in the Bible story. The poem and short story tell about the great want and desire to have what is dangerous or forbidden. The Bible story makes more sense to me now. The idea of Eve going against God's wishes seemed a little odd. I mean, what reason would she have to purposely disobey Him? He was allowing her to live in paradise; her every need was cared for. As we were discussing the Goblin stories I got it. Looking back at Genesis 3 the serpent made her want the fruit. Okay, I knew that, but it did not click until I read the other stories. In this new context I can understand that the serpent evoked a powerful desire in Eve; he made her WANT the fruit. It's so obvious now.

  

    

Job and then some

     I finished Job today; this is the story I was waiting for (I thought). Job was a good and faithful man. How many of those have you read about so far? Anyway, he did not get drunk and naked and ruin the story at the end. He did not betray everyone, go against the laws of god or turn to idols or any of the things the "good guys" seem to do previously. There he was, just being good and enjoying life. Until----God makes a bet about how faithful he is. Great. I will not rehash the story for you knowing you all have a copy of the Bible handy. Here's the thing, I think God making him so miserable and killing his children was a bit harsh. However, that is how Job really came through and not only showed his faith, but found out who his friends really were or should I say weren't. It's a great story about how God reserves the right to test his followers and if they keep the faith, he will reward them. I somehow cannot imagine his replacement children somehow make up for losing the originals, but he seemed happy.
     Beyond what happened, there are some amazing lines in this book. This is truly great writing. One example I liked is, "Hath the rain a father? or who hath begotten the drops of dew?"(Job 38:28). Another earlier quote that got my attention was, "I am a brother to dragons, and a companion to owls"(Job 30:29).
    I admire Job for standing his ground and holding true to his beliefs that not only was he a good person who did not deserve the punishment he was receiving, but also to his religion. How many people would have turned to Baal or some other God or decided there was no God? Even when his peers turned on him he refused to change his mind or lie about what was in his heart.

After Job comes Proverbs, but I think I want that as a separate blog entry, so I will leave you with the best part of Ecclesiastes as performed by The Birds. The song has been stuck in my head all day, so I thought I would share it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WB6jhbtDUZE&feature=related

theodicy the unauthorized version and the literature version

    
The kind of personal story that has nothing to do with reading the Bible as we agreed to do:

    This is a subject I thought about a lot at one time in my life. I was in high school (yes, they had high school back then too) and a baby I used to babysit died. One week before her first birthday her family had a party for her because one of her family members was going to be away the next week (on business I think). She had a heart condition which was actually getting better. She had been to the children's hospital for surgery and had a scar down the full length of her chest to show for it. They thought she was going to be okay and have a normal life. I got the job babysitting her because I knew infant and child CPR. The night of her party she somehow fell out of her high chair. She was fine for a while, a few hours if I remember correctly. Then she started to have problems. There was a huge controversy over who was at fault for her death and I believe there was a lawsuit. None of this mattered to me. All I could think about was that tiny little girl who I took care of, who I danced around the living room with, who used to love it when I played a certain song in the car for was gone forever. How could God do this? Why to her? When I heard the news from my Mother, I hoped she was talking about an older man we knew with the same name. Not that I wanted him dead either; not at all. The thing was, he was older, he had a life and kids and grandkids and she was just starting. I questioned many things including my faith then. Someone, I wish I could remember who, said something to me at that funeral that helped bring at least a bit of peace to my heart. She said, "When babies die, God is the first to shed a tear". I remembered that again a couple years ago when I lost my own baby girl who was still growing inside me.
     Maybe sometimes that is true. Maybe God cannot help everyone all the time. Perhaps there are things outside his control. And maybe sometimes it is better that way and we cannot see it from our perspective. That seems terrible to say I suppose. I guess if you are going to believe in God, then you must believe there is a purpose for things that happen both good and bad. At this point, I don't know what to believe. I know many of you think people who believe are fools, and many think the same of those who do not. Either way, I apologize (a little) for the unapproved personal view into my heart. Usually, I refuse to share any thoughts of faith with anyone. In my family, these issues are kept quiet, and I think it works even better outside my family. I truly hope I have not offended anyone. If there is a problem, please let me know and I will promptly delete this post with no bad feelings.

The literature version
    God must take the innocent with the guilty sometimes because they are children of those who would spread evil ways to his chosen people. This is a bit like weeding a garden. Yes, the tender leaves of the weeds are small and harmless now, but what will they grow into?
    Why does God allow things like disease etc to afflict the innocent? Maybe this happens so that people can appreciate each other and value life and health.
     Why can things like the holocaust happen when God is so powerful? Perhaps he allows evil to spread sometimes to test the true faith of his believers. What happened after the 9/11 tragedy? Many returned to flying flags and going to church.
     God constantly takes things away from his people because they do not appreciate his gifts. Moses, for example, was not allowed to enter the promised land. Remember, God allows bad things to happen while he watches. Sometimes it just makes a better story. This is what happened to the Egyptians; God sent plagues so that the chosen people could have stories to tell their children. They had evidence of God's power and wrath and because He freed them, they had stories of his caring.
    Thank you to the Bible authors for allowing so much room for interpretation. At least with that I can come up with some sort of answer and feel that maybe I have a chance of not being completely wrong.

from the news

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2010/10/19/digitized-dead-sea-scrolls-to-be-available-online/?hpt=C1

The Dead Sea Scrolls are going to be online soon. The link will take you to the story on CNN

Bible Arguments

  I saw the assignment about arguments on Russel's blog. Thank you so much for the notes, Russel. I have not really been out and about much to argue with anyone, but I will try this week; stay tuned. Until then, here are a few I have had during the past few weeks.

   I have had a few "arguments" about the Bible since beginning this class. The one with my mother was great; please see my previous blogs for details. The biggest argument I have had pertains to details. People do not seem to want to discuss concepts as much as what happened and who was involved. I had a large disagreement with a family member who had Cain and Able mixed up. He still does not believe me (I did not have my Bible with me or my Kindle for that matter). I doubt he would listen even if I showed it to him in black and white. It is the oddest thing; when someone decides they know something about the Bible, especially if they have any faith at all, that is just the way it is. They will stand their ground no matter what. No wonder they started writing down the Bible stories; everyone was probably arguing about the stories.

Susanna, Witches, and Wallace Stevens

"In the administration of their laws, or customs, which stand in the place of laws, the Calabar people, when other means fail, have recourse to ordeals and oaths. The ordeal is supposed to detect and punish secret crime, which they apprehend abounds amongst them." -Frazer page 336

    The History of Susanna is a heartbreaking story of a woman who is falsely accused, but is saved when God, working through Daniel, proves her innocence. The stories of the Salem Witch Trials came to mind when I read the story. It seems Susanna and the accused witches had the same choices: falsely admit guilt and suffer God's wrath or be executed. The only women allowed to live in Salem were the ones who admitted to being witches. This is interesting since I am sure I read in the Bible witches were not supposed to be allowed to live. I am going to guess that this rule changed in the New Testament. I wonder if they read this story or if it was banned from their cannon of the Bible. If the accused  knew the story they would have at least had hope right up until the end. It is my hope that they did.

     Peter Quince At The Clavier by Wallace Stevens begins with a man playing music and stating the love he feels is like his music. Then he states, "It is like the strain waked in the elders by Susanna" (I line 9).  He describes his love in terms of the feelings the elders had toward Susanna. Interesting. Is this a forbidden love? Does she love him as well; or does she reject him as Susanna rejected the elders? I am not sure if this passionate love he has that, if like the elder's, is beyond his control is really good or really bad. The elders knew they were going against God, but they had no control over themselves. Maybe that is it; maybe it's just this uncontrollable love. This burning passion described with story and music in the poem seems powerful. He leaves in the death of the elders saying, "Of those white elders; but, escaping, Left only Death's ironic scraping" (IV lines 12-13). This leads me to believe his love had been rejected as well, but he cannot seem to stop loving her.
     This is an amazing poem about the story of Susanna, and like all truly great poems and like the Bible, it leaves questions that are not fully answered. Was Susanna accepted back into society? There are places that even being falsely accused she may not be. How did her life turn out? What happened to the families of elders? Why would someone write this story? Is it a warning to men about lusting after other men's wives? It gives lessons about lust and lies. These questions and many more rattle around until I seek answers in the text and in finding none I look elsewhere which generally leads to more questions. Both the story and the poem are amazing works.
     When part of the Bible does not lead me to mysteries, I feel I have not read it closely. I doubt I will ever truly finish the Bible the way I want to. After this speed reading class, I intend to go back and at my leisure read and search out more from the endless mysteries the Bible leaves me with. I have already found more about Enoch and Lilith, but if I am ever going to finish this class I will have to let these infinite threads lie for the time being.

Is God Smiting me? Frye Slave

     My entire family has been sick for over a week now. Thinking back to Biblical times when people were not aware of facts about sickness and germs and all those nasty viruses that crawl around Wilson Hall I can imagine this was even more difficult for them. If I was unable to attribute my illness to the filthy door knobs and desks I have to touch each day I might think God was smiting me. So far I think it is just lack of cleanliness and viruses. If you see me with a package of Lysol wipes scrubbing down every surface within ten feet of me in the next few days, I have not lost my mind; I am just really tired of being sick.
     I did not read much of Frye's book while under the influence of cold/flu products. I figure if it warns not to drive or operate heavy machinery, it fogs the brain way too much to catch anything Frye is saying. Yesterday, I was feeling a bit better so I dove back in. I knew I had to find a strategy to keep my attention and to condense what Frye is saying into a simpler form to study. So, I took notes while I was reading. I used the same format I have for Economics, History, Accounting and Astronomy classes (so I was not always a Lit major). It keeps me going when I hit a point I have trouble with and makes it easier to look back. Frye is not the easiest book to read but it it is worth the time to pick out the main points. Think of it as treasure hunting. Sure, there's gold, but you have to work for it.
     Since I was not reading Frye or the Bible for a couple days, I needed something else to read. I remembered one of the other blogs was raving about what a great book Slave is. So, I decided to pick it up. Some advice before beginning Slave: find a comfy spot, grab a drink and maybe a snack. You will not want to put this book down! The story is amazing!!! I wanted to read faster to find out what was going to happen; it keeps you right on the edge of your seat. The thing is; you also do not want to read faster, because you will find yourself enjoying the story so much! This is an amazing story of faith and love and life. I think the greatest value of reading Salve for the class is the perspective it gives. It shows how and why some people are so passionate about their faith and love. The main character gains insight into some of the Jewish stories by viewing people around him. He has to interact with savages, and supposedly "civilized" people; in doing so he learns a lot about his faith and about people in general. I am trying so hard not to give details because I do not want to ruin the story for anyone. If you have not started this book, just know you have something amazing to look forward to.