|
Yahweh as the Eater of Nations
by Constantin von Hoffmeister
14 November 2003
One could argue that the "God" of the Old Testament, Yahweh, is in actuality
an angry desert demon, a deity/idol worshipped by a rabid and self-centered
nomadic cult, hell-bent on genocide and self-preservation against all odds.
This controversial image of Yahweh can certainly be seen in various
biblical accounts.
Yahweh's "chosen people," the Hebrews, are a tribal people and a
sheep-herding community that do not seem to get along with the various other
desert-dwelling tribes in their vicinity. But Yahweh, the personal and
angry demon that he is, always has an ace up his sleeve. This is
particularly noxious when one looks at the path of savage slaughter and
seemingly senseless massacres that the "chosen people" (the Hebrews) leave
in their wake after being told by their "God" what to do with respect to the
burdening presence of a multitude of Gentiles (non-Hebrews).
For example, in Genesis 6:17, Yahweh is in a particularly bad mood when he
says to Noah, "I am about to bring the waters of the flood over the earth to
destroy from under heaven every human being that has the spirit of life;
everything on earth shall perish." Now, this seems like a prime example of
an overreaction. One wonders why Yahweh would create organisms (humans and
"everything on earth" – obviously including plants and animals) capable of
offending him in first place. This is a clear sign of a megalomaniac and
psychotic but omnipotent being that is far from being perfect - an
attribute usually ascribed to Yahweh by the followers of his nefarious
creed, but very much out of control with rage and unlimited/unchecked
power.
One must recall that Yahweh created man in his own image. Why then, one
wonders, does Yahweh have all this pent-up rage against his favorite toy?
There seems to be only one logical answer to this puzzling question: Yahweh
is a joker. Yahweh is a "player" of monumental proportions that likes to
set the rules for his own game, a game that -- in all actuality -- nobody else
is (literally) able to enjoy but himself (exclusively, considering the
supernatural powers that are attributed to him)!
Not only did Yahweh supposedly create man in his own image, he also gave man
the power of doubt. It is no surprise then that man can sometimes hardly
take Yahweh's supposed "divinity" seriously and therefore acts in immoral
and "wicked" ways (from Yahweh's quite subjective perspective, naturally).
God orders Noah to take two of each kind of living creature into the ark to
save them from perishing along with the rest of the world's living beings.
Yahweh wants a clean slate! Apparently, he had had enough of the
civilization that sprang out of his once-benign two creations (Adam and
Eve). Obviously, Yahweh is tired of the first round in the cosmic game that
he himself initiated -- for his own personal pleasure. Hence, Yahweh
initiates a second round to see what the silly humans will come up with next.
In Exodus, the Hebrews blatantly reveal what kind of "chosen people" they
really are. When Yahweh mercilessly slaughters all of the first-born
children in Egypt, he spares only the Hebrews. Not only are the Hebrews
thankful for the actions of their vengeful "God," they also vow to make all
future generations celebrate this heinous act of gratuitous mass murder! As
cult leader Moses says to all the elders of Israel, "It is the Lord's
Passover, for he passed over the houses of Israelites in Egypt when he
struck the Egyptians and spared our houses" (Exodus 12:27). This statement
sums up the hypocritical nature of this maniacal and demon-worshipping
desert tribe.
The Hebrews justify their "God's" wrath against the Egyptians because they
have been unjustly enslaved. It is therefore rather peculiar that nobody
ever seems to be bothered by the fact that the Hebrews themselves have no
problem in owning slaves. Naturally, the Hebrews themselves do not see the
inherent contradiction in their behavior. One must really shake his
head in amazement at the grotesque display of seething hate when one
observes a certain tribe celebrating -- during what it so innocently terms
"Passover" -- the actions of its crazed "God" that resulted in the pointless
deaths of countless innocent lives. Granted, the first-born were Egyptian, but does that make them lesser human beings? Naturally, this question is a rhetorical one.
In 1 Samuel 14:3, the prophet Samuel says to Saul the King (of the Hebrews),
"Go now, fall upon the Amalekites, destroy them, and put their property
under ban. Spare no one; put them all to death, men and women, children and
babes in arms, herds and flocks, camels and donkeys." This statement/order
is almost mind-boggling in its complete and utter disrespect for life in
general. Again, the Hebrews seem to be under an evil spell -- a curse to
commit atrocities to please their bloodthirsty overlord/"God."
Samuel, who is "divinely" inspired, not only tells the Hebrew army (under
the leadership of Saul) to wage war against an actual enemy, but he actually
gives the command to commit genocide against an entire people! Of course,
one has to keep in mind that the notions of an "eye for an eye" and "a tooth
for a tooth" were the common laws of revenge during that time, but Samuel
(under the influence of his demonic mentor) has much more in stock than that
for the unsuspecting Amalekites. He wants them to be wiped off the face of
the earth/desert! Not even soulless mammals, like the poor camels and pack
animals, can escape the seething and irrational wrath of this angry and
deranged (so-called) "God."
The infamous King David uses the following words when singing a song in his
"God's" praise, "You set me free from the people who / challenge me, / and
make me master of nations. / A people I never knew will be my / subjects" (2
Samuel 22:44). As the ruler of the Hebrews, David expresses the will to
power of both himself and his subjects -- a will that is directly imposed
upon them by the "deity" they worship and that compels them to be ever more
engaged in wars of conquest and annihilation.
Apparently, the Hebrews do not only view themselves as the "chosen people"
in the sense that they are more blessed than other peoples, they also see
themselves to be inherently superior to all others. This essential
supremacist stance is the main catalyst for the Hebrews' endless thrive for
the subjugation and destruction of the Gentiles around them. Yahweh, the
blood-thirsty and malicious demon (creator of dust and debris), anointed his
chosen tribe with the mentality of exclusivity, meaning that the Hebrews
feel no obligation to get along with other peoples/tribes they deem
inferior.
CONSTANTINE VON HOFFMEISTER
Bibliography
The Oxford Study Bible. New York: Oxford University Press, 1992.
|