Recently many insisted that it is the nature and philosophy of certain religions that makes the adherents resort to violence. I asked God about that in our latest meeting. Transcript: If you are interested-
Me: But isn’t true that religions are very different from each other regarding their virulence and capacity to generate hatred towards others? It seems to me that the founders of some religions have understood you a little differently, and some have been accused of having injected a fair amount of poison into their founding principles. Leading to continued strife seen even today. Some see it as a threat to civilization as we know it. Isnt this due to the idiosyncrasies of their respective founders?
God: This is another misconception. Let us take the spin given to me by the writers of the Old Testament, the so-called Hebrew bible. I am portrayed as a vengeful, partisan, bloodthirsty, genocidal god, who wants human sacrifices and condones stoning to death for adultery and pre marital sex. And I am basically like a Jewish tribal leader. A horrible one, at that.
Me: Come on- really?
God: hear this passage:
“”You shall acknowledge no God but me. . . . You are destroyed, Israel. . . . The people of Samaria must bear their guilt, because they have rebelled against their God. They will fall by the sword; their little ones will be dashed to the ground, their pregnant women ripped open.” (Hosea 13:4, 9, 16)
Or this:
“Moreover the Lord saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet: Therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the Lord will discover their secret parts.” (Isaiah 3:16–17 )
The Hebrew bible of the Jews puts me down as a warlord, worse than Genghis Khan. When the time comes to have a war with the Cananites, I supposedly order Joshua to kill all men, married women, and children. Even horses and asses are not spared. What can be spared are virgin women and girls, who can be kept as sex slaves.
God shook his head ruefully.
Me: But now the Jews are not like that at all. Surveys in America show that most Jews now are agnostic. Whatever one may say about Israel, it is a secular country with secular laws. The saabath is the sacred duty of all religious Jews. But there is no compulsion there. No beheadings and no fuss at all about adultery and sex. It is one of the most gender-equal societies in the world, not to speak of the scientific temper.
God: Yes. At the present moment in history. Religions change. The new testament that chronicles Jesus is one of the most pacific religious tracts in the world. It was all love and forgiveness. But look at the medieval church- the crusades, millions of heretics burned t the stake. The appalling tortures of the inquisition. A long story of blood bath.
Later too- not a word spoken against the genocide of native Indians and Australians. Tacit collusion with the slave trade of innocent Africans.
Suddenly all becomes quiet and it is all about love and forgiveness again. What happened?
Me: Indeed. What did happen, lord? I mean, Mr. God?
God: History happened. Religions evolve and change according to history and people’s attitudes and not the other way round.
Me: You mean the same process is happening with all religions?
God: Have no doubt.
I ask God a thorny question
