Welcome Visitor: Login to the siteJoin the site


Article By: alhain
Religion and spirituality

Tags: Diversity

Genisis means beginnings.

The faith of many millions of Jews, Christians and Muslims around the world has found an inspired root in this one most ancient book. For Christians, the importance of Genesis lies in the many echoes of themes that later build in the law and the prophets, culminating in the life of Christ and in the apostles teaching in the New Testament.

Such themes include the central doctrines of Christianity beginning with the nature and character of Elohim: his omnipotence, his omniscience, his omnipresence, his plural yet one God head, his creation, the fall, (with its explanations of the human predicament,) sin, the law, grace, faith, atonement, covenant agreements, etc...

One lesser recognised, yet obvious theme that I would like to pick up from Genesis is the "glory of diversity". Seen firstly in the whole range of diverse habitats and creatures that Elohim made. Then in the commissioning God gave to Adam when he said in Chapter 1:28, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it;" A paraphrase of Adams commission in the context of Genesis Chapter 1 might read:

"Here is what I have made Adam, Look at how beautiful and ordered it is, yet, know that I have made you in my image and likeness, and so, I want you to go and do your work just like I have. Investigate what I have made, guard its beauty, harness, and cultivate its resources, be creative in your efforts and as you go, know my son that I bless you and want you to be creative just like your heavenly father".

Why did God commission Adam? What was in the mind of God regarding being fruitful, multiplying and subduing the earth?

I believe part of the answer is hinted at in successive chapters. If we turn the pages of Genesis to chapter 11. Babel comes to view. And if we listen for the mind of Elohim we can perceive a portion of his "subduing" plan for mankind in this story.

Genesis 11:1-9

1* Now the whole earth had one language and few words. 2* And as men migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. 3* And they said to one another, "Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly." And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. 4* Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth." 5* 6 And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the sons of men had built. 6* And the LORD said, "Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do; and nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. 7* Come, let us go down, and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one anothers speech." 8* So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. 9* Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.

Gods intervention in Babel centred around mankinds proud refusal to go out across the face of the earth and diversify. It seems that Babel was a threat to Gods plan because mankinds pride and technological prowess had not yet correlated to the cultural diversity he wanted.

Submitted:Apr 24, 2009    Reads: 84    Comments: 0    Likes: 0   

As you grow the questions of your mind takes very different views. Why is god good? The first answer at the infantile level is surely because he has created you, you are still a little ego centered. But suddenly as you roam the lives of the people who care for you you realize the emptiness of what it is to be created. Pretty soon you realize that there is also another who is created just like you, another who for some weird reason is very different than you but made of the same stuff as you are. What is the next question? Who I am? Hard as it might seem the world becomes clear and you are now convinced that the world is not yours at all. Then where is the goodness of god? The goodness of god is not in the goodness of life defined by the self but it is the goodness of all defined for the betterment of one another. God is good because he has placed space between people and all that is of nature. Two people stand aside to support a block just as two parents have different lessons to give to one child. This is where the goodness of life is situated and this is the only place humans can advance to achieve oneness. There is no need to kill the ego or evil inclination but use it for it serves a grander purpose. Your work is to tame it, to make it a companion of arm. What then gives birth to evil? What gives birth to evil is the refusal to acknowledge another as a different being. It is the desire to make it all look as one. And this is the start of humanity downfall. Respect each other opinion, when one believes life to be this let him do so and let everyone have a word to say about how they wish to live. You humans like it when you have power over one another, you always get married to a weak person, your friends most of the time are those you can easily convince or those who believe like you do, parents like their children when they see them having the same mind set as theirs. A parent thinks he has failed if the child grows up to be everything different than he or she. This is the downfall and this is the starting point of your evil on earth. Your oneness doesn't necessarily consist in being emanated from one spirit or one body, your oneness consist in being able to have different point of view but living in a same world. You talk about god as if you knew god better than anyone else, ask a horse and it would tell you what I am, ask a dog and it will say it how it sees me. You are still rejoicing because those cant talk, ask a Christian to talk to a Buddhist and ask him to tell you what he thinks and he will surely let you know that he is madly disappointed and if he had one wish it would be to convince the latter than he is the one with truth. There is no definite form for god, and I have given a name to Moses for me: I AM THAT I AM OR WHICH I AM. Why was it done so? Because Moses understood that his image of god wasn't the absolute and he wisely regarded god has that which man will not fully grasp but wrestle with all his life and prevail if he wills it. Life is changing and always in motion and trough the ages many definitions will be given to what god is perceived as by human beings. This is the glory of god and this is the birth of the: love of one another. Let me ask you son and daughter of mine: forcing someone to eat the food they wish not is love? But you are serving them isn't? Provide different foods and let the people choose. Some of your sacred books talk about a feast at the end of the days with god, yes it is a table where god will be regarded as the void in which human life takes shape and you will come as one that day whether white, black, yellow and blue. What happens when you climb a mountain and reach its peak? There is a void isn't? Yes, climb the mountain and return to share your finding with those who cant climb but do not force it upon them. Scientist, priest, physicist and all those people are constantly climbing mountains but most of them seem to be idolatrous by imposing their views as the sole truth. I have come because you have called and I am here because you are. Now go and share it with the world, welcome those who think differently see the beauty in diversity and mix your differences up to the moment it creates another different thing for both of you. This is life and there will always be a difference among you.


| Email this story Email this Article | Add to reading list


