Is it time for a new religion or do we just need a reboot for the old ones?
Many of us who have read the Old Testament and have come across the “eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth” idea have labeled it barbaric. And it is. Knocking out the eye of another person, then having her knock out your eye, is brutal, senseless and cruel. Why would something like that be in the “Good Book”.
Actually, it is in the second book of the Old Testament in a chapter titled ‘Laws’. Or Mishpatim in Hebrew.
The other night I joined a conversation about this very topic. The leader of the discussion, a wise man who had studied deeply into this subject, brought out several different books to support what he was about to say. He provided solid evidence that the framers of this document never had the literal meaning of eye for an eye in mind, but rather a monetary payment to be made to the victim of the crime.
After all, he said, how can one eye exactly match another for its importance to the second person. Is the eye of a trained surgeon equal to the eye of a brick layer? This is not to say one profession is better than the next, but rather one uses his eye more critically, obviously the surgeon. He then went on to offer still yet more proofs. The one I found most interesting was that the original Hebrew had it “an eye under an eye”. Interesting because if you use the ancient science of gematria, ‘under’ means next in line, and if you transpose the letters in the word eye you get the word for money, or silver. Showing this money idea was being written about in the “esoteric’ way.
Therefore, he said, that was one proof, certainly not one which would hold up in court, but along with several others it clearly stated his case. He also said to his knowledge, never in any court he knew of had the literal meaning ever been applied. (Operational words here are “that he knew of”.)
All of this was rather interesting but what did it mean? Was there something the ancient Hebrews knew that we no longer know? Obviously times were different — brutality, though on a smaller level was justified to a place where today it would certainly not be. Human relations as far as respect for others and the punishments that accrued for breaking the rules, have been modulated today to an entirely different standard. The Holy Books that were written in this case, over 3 thousand years ago, need to be modified. They need if you will, to be updated, rebooted, edited for modernisms and to comply with our current standards of punishment.
This is certainly not to disparage Religion. For many of us it still works, but others of us claim it tends to get in the way. When we lose the spirituality of it, religion is just another word for ‘tribe’ or tribal. “I am this, you are that and never the twain shall meet” has been the mantra for thousands of years. No one can deny that religion has caused more deaths and damage than all our wars put together and, that we seem to be addicted to the institution and its results.
Our political problems will not get solved by the government. Nor will organizations feed and clothe people on a necessary scale. Those earning mega millions of dollars for the most part have no desire to stop this earning and give it all back to make a better world. What is the answer, if there is one at all?
There never is only one answer to anything. But a starting point might be the new religion of spirit. One that has no churches or mosques, one that does not demand you attend set services and one that places no middle man/woman, between you and your maker. What it does do is to put the onus on each one of us to act accordingly. We all know right from wrong. We all understand community. Look at what disaster brings out in all of us. On a food line after the hurricane no one asks what are your politics, no one refuses help from a person of a different ethnic or religious group. People become people when others need help.
There is no short term solution. Most of us will never live to see it. Probably not our children either, but perhaps their children and generations to come.
Once we realize that our current ideas are definitely not working, perhaps it’s time to offer up some new ideas. Incorporate everyone, listen before you speak, weigh opinions based on their merit not on who offered them, and most of all in our new religion, keep an open mind.
Now bring on the new ideas…The more radical the better!
