June 6, 2009, 10:39 am by dc-agape.

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Tales of the Patriarchs (Part 7)

I want to take a particularly close look at the story of how Abram lied to the Pharaoh and as a result two things happened: Abram became enormously rich and the Pharaoh and his entire court suffered terribly for two full years.  I know from a Christian or Jewish point of view this story is about how YHWH protects his people and punishes those who do not worship him.  But this story proves that the protection does not occur, that YHWH’s people rarely trust him, and more troubling is that YHWH punishes unjustly.

After Hyrcanos goes back to the Pharaoh with the news of how beautiful this 70+ year old nomadic woman is, the Pharaoh has to see for himself if this is true.  Well, it turns out that the Pharaoh is also into weather beaten old women, he thinks she is the most beautiful woman he has ever seen and is completely amazed!  Since Abram and Sarai have been lying for the last five years about their relationship (the lie is that they are siblings), the Pharaoh sees nothing wrong with requesting Sarai to be his wife.  He immediately marries her.  That very night Abram cries out to YHWH and begs that the Pharaoh be punished for not knowing that Abram had been lying!  Can you image the audacity?  Instead of tell the truth and trusting YHWH to protect him, Abram has been lying for five years!  When the lie is finally done its damage, then Abram calls upon YHWH. 

Now YHWH does something and punishes an innocent man, who was acting within every acceptable standard ever written.  But to make thing even worse, YHWH punishes everyone in the Pharaoh’s court with the same disease.  To spread the unjustness even further, YHWH punishes anyone who attempts to elevate the court’s pain and suffering.  The unjustness of these actions is atrocious!  There can be no greater evil than what Abram and YHWH have done. 

But it goes further than that.  It takes a full two years before Hyrcanos figures it out what the source of the painful curse is.  So YHWH does not even answer Abram’s prayer for two full years.  When the Pharaoh hears that Abram has been lying for the last seven years…you would think that he would go ballistic.  But instead, he comes with great courtesy and humbleness before Abram.  This is how the Pharaoh approaches the evil that Abram has perpetuated:

1 QapGen Col20 row 26-27 So he called to me and asked, “What have you done to me because of your wife Sarai?  You told me, ‘She is my sister’, yet she was actually your wife!  

The Pharaoh shows no sign of being the most powerful man on earth, as the Pharaohs were.  Instead he is the perfect gentleman to the vile and corrupt Abram.  For years the Pharaoh had been offering gifts and great courtesy to Abram, yet Abram pays him back by lying and asking YHWH to punish the Pharaoh.  In the end, Pharaoh does tell Abram to get out of Egypt, but in the process continues to give Abram many more gifts. 

Abram leaves Egypt, after overstaying his welcome, and heads back to Bethel.  At each of the spots where he worshipped YHWH he stops and repeats the act again, until he reaches Bethel.  But then comes the most ludicrous thing yet.  Abram praise YHWH for the ill-gotten flocks and goods that the Pharaoh gave him during the seven years of living a lie!  YHWH had nothing to do with these stolen goods.  It was the lie that Abram told that provided the shelter and the goodwill of the Pharaoh!  In fact, Abram does not even call upon YHWH until the lie takes a turn for the worst! 

As an Atheist, reading this story without the god-bias, I just cannot see how anyone misses the true evil that is perpetrated in this story.  Lies are told, unjust punishments are doled out, and ill-gotten wealth is retained by the villains of the story – YHWH and Abram! The Pharaoh in this story is blameless, yet he and his court have to pay the heaviest burden of all.  This story caused me great trouble in justifying when I was a Christian, but now that I am an Atheist it proves two things.  First, this story proves that YHWH is a capricious villain and no better than Zeus or Quetzalcoatl.  In fact, I would go so far as to say that both Zeus and Quetzalcoatl were better Gods.  YHWH is just as fictitious as these other supernatural beings.  Second, that the “god bias” deeply twists humanities ability to recognize great acts of evil.

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Posted in Genesis Material, Tales of the Patriarchs, Dead Sea Scroll, Family Values?, Becoming an atheist, Readings | Print | 3 Comments »

June 6, 2009, 7:48 am by dc-agape.

Genesis Chapter 24

In this chapter we are introduced to the traditional style of marriage that the Word of God endorses. Abraham prepares an arranged marriage for his son Isaac.  He does not want his son marrying a Canaanite, today we call this racism.  What is even better is that he requires his chief servant, a slave, to go to Abraham’s relatives of Nahor.  The town of Nahor is in Haran, most likely near where Terah, Abraham’s father settled in Haran.  And we know from Genesis chapter 11 that Terah was an idolater.  So basically, Abraham does not want his son to marry an idolater from Canaan, but instead one from Haran.  If this is not bigotry, what is? Abraham’s sins are racking up, yet all of these are acceptable to YHWH.

Abraham’s slave makes it to Aram Naharaim and stops at a well outside of town.  He prays to YHWH that if a certain sequence of events occurs then this is the woman to marry Isaac.  Well, low and behold, Rebekah comes out to get some water, even before he finishes the prayer.  There are two possibilities that can fit this story.  Either the slave started the pray after seeing Rebekah headed to the well.  Or YHWH started Rebekah headed to the well before the slave started the prayer.  In the first case, it was lucky happenstance that the slave showed up at the right time.  If it was the second case, YHWH was pulling strings with both the slave and with Rebekah before the prayer was answered.  In both cases YHWH eliminated free will!

Rebekah fulfills the prayer and introduces the slave to her parents and brother.  Now the family does not know that this is a slave to their relative Abraham.  All they see is that he has 10 camels and “all kinds of good things from his master.  Rebekah’s brother, Laban, saw the gifts of jewelry that Rebekah had and knew that this was a rich man.  Of course, the family would honor him with everything they had; he was like a passing prince to them, even though he was only a slave to Abraham. 

The slave tells of all the good things that have happened to Abraham, like the theft of Abimelech and the Pharaoh’s cattle.  He continues the story about how an angel would guide him and the prayer he saying when Rebekah showed up at the well.  He tells of how Rebekah fulfills the prayer.  As a dowry, the slave gives Rebekah’s family gold and silver, clothing, and costly gifts.

Boy, have marriages have changed in the last few millennium.  I guess today’s marriages are not acceptable in the eyes of YHWH because of all the changes that have occurred.  Here in the US we certainly don’t have many arranged marriages.  We also don’t have dowries given to the bride’s family!  Worst of all, we let people marry outside of their kinsman!  Rebekah was Isaac’s second-cousin.  No wonder marriages fail!  No wonder TrueChirstian^TM don’t want gay marriage.  If we get much further from YHWH’s desired marriages we might invoke his wraith!

Well Rebekah is given the choice to leave with the slave.  She accepts and they travel back to Negev.  Fortunately, both Isaac and Rebekah are stunningly beautiful…at first glance both are stricken with love!  They get married very shortly after Rebekah arrives and Isaac is comforted from the pain of losing his mother.

Posted in Biblical Marriage, Genesis, Readings | Print | 1 Comment »