justnick's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It's an entry about the bible! Bet you didn't see THAT one coming... I've been getting a little update crazy lately, I know. But I had to write a short reflective piece for some Liberal Arts class I have, and I think I probably went a different way with it than the rest of the class. Yes, I submitted it like this. If the teacher has a sense of humour, it shouldn't be a problem, but if he wanted something serious or remotely analytical, then I just might be in trouble. Anyway, if you've never read the book of Job, this won't do very much for you. Or if you liked it, for that matter. Anyway, there's a super brief Cliff's notes summary out there somewhere if you want to put any of this into context. Oh, and I'm well aware that posting homework is both highly unorthodox and potentially boring as shit. But I genuinely thought it was vaguely amusing that I gave this to a teacher. Hopefully you agree. If not, it doesn't particularly bother me. Google always sends me a few new readers every time I put the word lesbian in an entry, and yesterday did not dissapoint. I'm taking out my student number and contact info, because some of you might be stalkers. O_o The book of Job, assumedly, is meant to serve as a cautionary tale. The question of why bad things happen to good people is one that everyone asks themselves from time to time. The book of Job serves to tell us that a mere mortal can never truly understand the scope of God�s justice, and by the very act of trying, we are questioning the Almighty, and therefore deserve whatever we get. Cyclical logic, while just about ubiquitous in the Bible, is not something I agree with, no matter how beautiful the language in which it is presented may be. My main disagreement with the principles presented in the book of Job is in the basic premise. Why would an almighty being, capable of creating all that is and ever shall be, feel the need to prove himself to anyone at all, let alone his greatest enemy? Satan has already been soundly defeated in battle, but still God seems to feel the need to prove he is the stronger by tormenting poor old Job. This suggests insecurity and vanity on the part of the Almighty, which to me is at best ludicrous and at worst alarming. Certainly would explain a lot, though. And what would the purpose of this bet have been, anyway? There is no wager other than the life, possessions, well-being, and faith of Job himself. If I was going to make a bet in which an innocent man had to suffer immeasurably, I would like to think it would take a little more than the possible satisfaction of knowing I was right to get me to agree to the whole thing. And through all of Job�s unmerited sufferings, his best friends are right there at his side to tell him that he probably deserved it. If the Almighty was such a benevolent force, worthy of such blind faith and adoration, it seems to me that he wouldn�t be the type to stand idly by while his greatest enemy robs and torments one of his most humble and devoted followers for no particular reason. Any God who would enter into a bet with Satan simply to prove a point would have to have a very slight opinion on the value of human life, or else have sociopathic tenancies. And personally, I don�t think an all knowing, seeing, and forgiving God would place such little importance on his (supposedly) finest creation. It�s far too reminiscent of two testosterone-driven men arm-wrestling for my tastes. And frankly, I�m sure Job would have preferred it had they simply done so in the first place, and left him out of it. Or just whipped them out and measured, and gotten the whole thing over with before Job had to Lose all his collectibles. Everyone who refers to God as a �she� probably never read the book of Job. The nature poems, as beautiful as they are, simply try to make it clear that mortal man cannot begin to comprehend the vastness, beauty, and complexity of the universe itself, never mind its Creator. Once again, this stinks of egotism to me. I do not think that any God or Creator would be subject to such a mortal flaw as bravado, no matter how grand his creation. Job, in the end, repents his doubts, acknowledges the justice of God, and gets all of his stuff back, with double the property. Nothing like a good bribe to inspire faith in your followers, after all. To me, this is just as disturbing as the bet itself. The only way God is willing to give Job his possessions and property back is when he acknowledges that the sufferings he endured, because of a bet, were perfectly just. And to me, a bet is not justice. If it was, we would flip a coin at murder trials. In the end, the book of Job is a wonderfully written piece of literature which hammers home the very same question that the story of the fall does: do as you�re told, and don�t ask any questions, because God might just be screwing with you. END So that's that. My apologies if that was super boring, but chances are if you're still here you either enjoyed it or were bored to begin with and have nothing better to do. So you're welcome. Excelsior. 5:03 p.m. - 2006-02-03 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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