Posted by
James Biga on Friday, October 20, 2006 10:48:14 AM
Genesis 3
4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
5 for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
- KJV
Ye shall be as gods. This is the origin of all mans problems. Every -ism man has founded since then can find its initiative in this verse in the Bible. Man has had a twofold battle: Man's relationship to God, Man's desire to be God. Communism, Socialism, Fascism, Humanism, and many other -ism's, at the very least, attempt to negate the importance of an omniscient being. In the case of Communism and Humanism, they deny this being's very existence. Man is his own god. If there is no God, there is no soul, there is no afterlife, and there is no reason for personal sacrifice or personal gain.
The problem with this way of thinking is that it is inherent to human beings that something take its place. It could be the individual, which conflicts with many -ism's, or it could be a "higher powered" state. Something within the human animal makes it impossible to deny that there is something higher than itself that must be respected and served. This in itself conflicts with the desire to be one's own god. To see man as god is to deny a natural inherent feeling of purpose. If mankind and this world is an accident there is no purpose to any of it. This creates consternation for the reason I already mentioned. A man who tries to prove himself a god spends his life going in circles. The proof he seeks is never found. At the end, he has wasted the gift and opportunity of life for nothing. Not a good thing to realize on a deathbed. Unfortunately, he has affected others who will find out the same way.
Handing the godhead title to the state solves the "higher powered" problem. This is something outside of the individual that he can "see" and be part of. Instead of claiming one's self as a god, let someone else fill that role. Subservience is easier when the master is not one's self. It also takes away decision making and any sense of responsibility. The problem here lies with the fact that it is still a human that is acting in the god role. The fallibility of human nature creates confusion and chaos and will eventually lead to megalomania which, as we have seen, is destructive. In the previous century we have seen what can happen when man takes on the role of god: Tojo, Hitler, Lenin, Stalin, Minh, Mao, Amin, and other smaller level "gods" are prime examples of man's capabilities when given this authority. Man's desire, pride, greed, and lust lead to despotism and murder.
The incontinence of man makes it impossible to create a society of peace without the hammer of death. Because there is no soul or afterlife, peace on earth must be maintained through force. Even among the humanists there are differences in opinion about who is right. The answer, the strongest. If you speak out, you're killed. If you protest, you are killed. If you dare revolt, you and your followers are killed. This answer makes perfect sense if there is no omniscient God. Life is of little or no purpose if we are all one big accident. Despite popular opinion, more people have been murdered in the fight to eliminate the need of an omnipotent God than murdered in the name of God. The previous century took care of that.
The serpent is still among us. It is still trying to convince us that we are more than we actually are. It justifies all of our actions as well as our reactions and inactions. It claims bad is good and good is bad. It fills in our doubts and questions with humanity. Logic nor reason play in the serpents realm. A man's pride leads him to this destruction. Misguided self-importance suppresses his soul and inherent knowledge. Meanwhile the serpent smiles.