Curiously enough, the musings I'm about to commit to writing were inspired by a TV show rather than a philosophical treatise or a religious text: after watching the latest finale of ABC's "Lost", the thoughts just came pouring out of me, demanding to be perpetuated and divulged.
(NB: if you're not familiar with this series, don't worry. Its particulars are quite irrelevant to this whole topic, and all you need to know is that choice vs. destiny is one of the most persistent themes on the show, very likely motivating its overarching frame narrative.)
So, here goes:
Interestingly enough, the Abrahamaic creation myth presents the freedom to choose as a negative concept. It's what makes Adam and Eve drop out of the Master Plan, makes them act in ways that are not in line with what the deity had in mind. There's a strong correllation between indeterministic freedom and cosmic evil insinuated within the text. The conclusion of A&E's banishment even goes so far as to divulge the deity's motivation for driving them away: through the acquisition of knowledge (or individual consciousness), the first couple poses a threat to the deity by becoming just like him - independent and capable of acting on their own, contrary to what others might intend for them. In fact, the whole point of their expulsion is to keep them from becoming full-fledged deities in their own right, by denying them the fruit from the tree of life.
Now, I believe that this particular myth pre-dates Hebrew monotheism, and that YHVH addresses a pantheon here rather than to talk to himself. If we contrast it with other Middle Eastern mythologies of that day, we find a certain overlap as far as the gods' desire to keep Man out of the club is concerned. Still, this is one of the most important text within the context of Abrahamaic monotheism, and infused with levels of meaning that are way more significant than most literalists will grasp.
So, is the ability to choose essentially characterized as a bad thing in those writings? The answer seems easy: yes. Cosmic evil (or sin) is deviation from the deterministic path the Deity has set out in the master plan, and punishable by harsh sanctions that are downright atrocious. The "good" thing to do is to follow orders without hesitation or question, to basically use one's ability to choose to shackle oneself back into the confines of the cosmic order no matter what. Basically, the "godly" person is supposed to act as if he wasn't free at all, and to always do as he is told. (Even if that means killing every defenseless woman and child in the Promised Land, so that YHVH won't have to fear potential apostates among his followers.)
And yet, there's Jesus. Now, the New Testament is hardly consistent in its portrayal of the supposed messiach, with the synoptic gospels differring significantly from the gospel of John, for example. But one thing that does stand out is Jesus's refusal to act in an authoritarian manner.
His temptation in the desert revolves around his refusal to embrace power, his decision to reject a position of supreme authority.
The beatitudes, likewise, do not revolve around adherence to the law, but a deeper understanding of the motivation behind the law. Jesus freely does away with rules and regulations that stand in the way of humanitarian conduct, and even goes so far as to criticize his audience for being in accordance with the scriptures (in the case of laws dealing with divorce, for example).
In short, Jesus is just as much of a proponent of freedom as the serpent (whose Hebrew name adds up to the same numerical value as the term "messiah", interestingly).
It would probably too far-fetched to call Jesus a "trickster figure", a disruptor of cosmic order. But it's still interesting to note that he does not promote the kind of authoritarian determinism that infuses most of the "Old Testament".
So, is it possible that what could be called "cosmic evil" is actually good? Imagine a world where mankind had never reached the state of individual consciousness that could be called "knowledge of good and evil". A world where everything is in line with the "natural purpose". A world without culture, without music, without philosophy, without medicine. A world, in short, that didn't contain any concept of freedom, but just Divine providence.
Scary, isn't it?
(NB: if you're not familiar with this series, don't worry. Its particulars are quite irrelevant to this whole topic, and all you need to know is that choice vs. destiny is one of the most persistent themes on the show, very likely motivating its overarching frame narrative.)
So, here goes:
Interestingly enough, the Abrahamaic creation myth presents the freedom to choose as a negative concept. It's what makes Adam and Eve drop out of the Master Plan, makes them act in ways that are not in line with what the deity had in mind. There's a strong correllation between indeterministic freedom and cosmic evil insinuated within the text. The conclusion of A&E's banishment even goes so far as to divulge the deity's motivation for driving them away: through the acquisition of knowledge (or individual consciousness), the first couple poses a threat to the deity by becoming just like him - independent and capable of acting on their own, contrary to what others might intend for them. In fact, the whole point of their expulsion is to keep them from becoming full-fledged deities in their own right, by denying them the fruit from the tree of life.
Now, I believe that this particular myth pre-dates Hebrew monotheism, and that YHVH addresses a pantheon here rather than to talk to himself. If we contrast it with other Middle Eastern mythologies of that day, we find a certain overlap as far as the gods' desire to keep Man out of the club is concerned. Still, this is one of the most important text within the context of Abrahamaic monotheism, and infused with levels of meaning that are way more significant than most literalists will grasp.
So, is the ability to choose essentially characterized as a bad thing in those writings? The answer seems easy: yes. Cosmic evil (or sin) is deviation from the deterministic path the Deity has set out in the master plan, and punishable by harsh sanctions that are downright atrocious. The "good" thing to do is to follow orders without hesitation or question, to basically use one's ability to choose to shackle oneself back into the confines of the cosmic order no matter what. Basically, the "godly" person is supposed to act as if he wasn't free at all, and to always do as he is told. (Even if that means killing every defenseless woman and child in the Promised Land, so that YHVH won't have to fear potential apostates among his followers.)
And yet, there's Jesus. Now, the New Testament is hardly consistent in its portrayal of the supposed messiach, with the synoptic gospels differring significantly from the gospel of John, for example. But one thing that does stand out is Jesus's refusal to act in an authoritarian manner.
His temptation in the desert revolves around his refusal to embrace power, his decision to reject a position of supreme authority.
The beatitudes, likewise, do not revolve around adherence to the law, but a deeper understanding of the motivation behind the law. Jesus freely does away with rules and regulations that stand in the way of humanitarian conduct, and even goes so far as to criticize his audience for being in accordance with the scriptures (in the case of laws dealing with divorce, for example).
In short, Jesus is just as much of a proponent of freedom as the serpent (whose Hebrew name adds up to the same numerical value as the term "messiah", interestingly).
It would probably too far-fetched to call Jesus a "trickster figure", a disruptor of cosmic order. But it's still interesting to note that he does not promote the kind of authoritarian determinism that infuses most of the "Old Testament".
So, is it possible that what could be called "cosmic evil" is actually good? Imagine a world where mankind had never reached the state of individual consciousness that could be called "knowledge of good and evil". A world where everything is in line with the "natural purpose". A world without culture, without music, without philosophy, without medicine. A world, in short, that didn't contain any concept of freedom, but just Divine providence.
Scary, isn't it?
