So, I was driving to work and a few things occurred to me about the subject matter and authors of stories in the bible.

Firstly, there was no separation between politics and religion in ancient times. They were one and the same. Governments, ethnic groups, tribes, etc all were governed by the laws of their religions. Therefore, isn’t it a reasonable assumption that motivation for the stories and traditions set forth in the bible were political in nature?

Politics: The art or science of government or governing, especially the governing of a political entity, such as a nation, and the administration and control of its internal and external affairs.

Consider that the stories of the bible deal almost exclusively with the relationships between peoples and countries and the plight of the Jews. There are not many issues discussed with rest of God’s creations … the systems of nature and the other forms of life. Not to mention, that countries outside of what is now the Middle East are non-existent in the book. And creation outside of the our planet is limited to the concepts of heaven and hell.

Heaven and hell: surely these are abstract concepts that are restricted to the somewhat narrow abilities of the human mind to conceive the scope of the universe beyond what we can experience. These are concepts meant to control minds — to guide people to act in prescribed ways for the benefit of the politics put forth by the authors of the books. The “laws of God” are really the laws of men.

In fact, the whole paradigm of our relationship with God being based on the human family model is excessively simplistic and limited. God is surely greater, larger, more complex, more inclusive and more abstract than what is represented in our mythology.

How can Man possibly be made in the image of God? That assumption is the pinnacle of conceit … expressing that we are the ultimate product of God’s creations? I seriously doubt that. We are advanced and unique … but that is our own judgment of ourselves. Throughout time we continually find that we are just one part of a larger system. We are just clever monkeys.

Most of the bible tends to chronicle the plight of the have-nots. The stories express a need for vindication. The Jews have forever been a people in exile. Why? Who knows — at this point perhaps it is self-fulfilling prophecy.

And if we are to take the bible to heart then it implies that we are all Jewish … all the sons and daughters of Abraham. That idea doesn’t seem feasible at all. It would also imply that the world is and has been lost to hypocrisy and heretics nearly since the beginning. Of course it says we are all lost and the good shepherd is to bring us back into the fold of God. But again … this is politics. It is centered on one group of people desiring to be in control of everyone else.

Almost all religions embody this conflict. Islam is right there at the top, too. I’m much less familiar with details of Islam and so I won’t attempt much commentary on it. However, I have read and heard a good deal that indicates striking similarities between the theologies of Islam and Christianity … and again, much of the difference is a matter of politics.

The point of my line of thought on this: Religious texts and theologies appear to be too incomplete in regards to the greater body of creation outside of our human political concerns to be the unquestionable “word of God.”  Instead, they seem to be more concerned with attempting to place the ideals and policies of one group of people above those of others. These texts appear to be masterpieces of propaganda crafted of a very long period of time.

The ultimate tools for control: fear, uncertainty and faith. Draw the lines between the dots of history and experience. Always ask questions.

I know that the faithful will call me a heretic. I don’t care. We would not have been brought into being with the ability to reason and the need to ask questions if it was wrong. In the end, it may not matter at all as we are likely to simply return to the dust of the universe with no more conscience and consciousness than the wind.