Lesser Prophets

Why is it that the God of the revealed religions speaks so seldom, fails
to avail Himself of the opportunity to affirm or to correct the
directions taken by the successors of the Founders of His handful of
Great Religions?

This question, in my estimation, is a fundamental one, opening the door
to the consideration of a number of facets of observable human fact and
belief. A survey of terrestrial history quickly illumines the existence
of many shamanic, charismatic figures and permits the postulation that
it is definition and creed alone that elevate some to superior status.

The survival of the fittest, the constant dark thread of contention
through much of the history of Earth has led to the insistence on the
superiority and the supreme goodness of the successful competitor. Moses
is described as confronting the magicians of Pharaoh, Jesus as living at
the same time as other impressive men of magic and Muhammad as opposing
poets and prophets (male and female).

Once the believers have gained some sort of ascendency, their worldview
has tended to mold the shamanic personalities of succeeding generations.
Accepted these are the lesser prophets and saints that adorn the pages
of hagiography. Rejected they are the heretics denounced by orthodox
leadership. The individuals themselves live lives influenced by the
paradigms available and recorded in ways conforming to such models of
sanctity and satanic activity.

A great tragedy of monotheistic religion has been its appeal to an
intolerant mindset, where often the rare and broadminded one is a person
capable of enduring the existence of those deemed misguided and wrong.
The widespread attitude that belief and articulation of sentiments
considered at variance to an imposed body of doctrines is a capital
offence calls into question the utility of monotheistic religion on this
planet.

Also highly problematic have been the upheavals caused by the innovators
or the fulfillers of spiritual traditions. One role assumed more often
than many unaware of the full sweep of human history may realize has
been that of personalizing prophecies of an end time. Thus, the
Nineteenth Century, for example, displayed the influence of mahdis
(Islamic promised ones of the end time) causing wars in Nigeria, the
Sudan and Iran, while Joseph Smith gave a turbulant birth to Mormonism
in America and Jesus's brother shook the foundations of late Qing
Dynasty China in a so called Great Peace that claimed millions of lives.

The history of New Religious Movements and the Occult can amplify the
record of the unusual, but hardly unique personalities possessing
allegedly supernatural abilities. Alexandra David-Neel's description of
her journey through Tibet, Peter Brent's GODMEN OF INDIA, Joscelyn
Godwin's THE THEOSOPHICAL ENLIGHTENMENT and Baldwin Spencer and F.J.
Gillen's portrayal of the magical might of Aborigines in Australia
suggest the scope a fuller and more definitive treatment could assume.

Belief often transcends reality. An individual, whether an adherent of
the Twentieth Century prophet Edgar Cayce or of one of the branches of
Christianity (whether or not this is derived from Martin Luther) has a
worldview likely excluding the potency and often the benificence of most
of the spectrum of such impressive spiritual people as those referred to
in the above paragraph.

Internally, those acquiring the reins of power within a religion often
formalize a supernatural support. Thusly, the papacy has come to embody
an inspired infallibility within the largest Christian denomination, a
divine seal of approval likewise asserted by the Baha'i supreme council.
After Muhammad's passing, the Caliphs and Imams were seen as portals to
divinely illumined guidance, and in their absence the understandings and
explanations of the Learned assist spiritual awareness.

Highly problematic in the monotheistic religions has been the use made
of revealed text, capable of vast and varied perceptions, as a pillar of
power at the expense of popular well-being, social tranquility and a
widespread acceptance of harmonious acceptance of diversity of opinions.

It is not inevitable that text considered sacred must be interpreted
literally in a belittling, confrontational and exclusivist manner, and
too often insecure leaderships have done precisely that, calling thereby
into question the validity and usefulness of religion, or at least
monotheistic religion.

Seeking to look from the context of such a religion, one might suggest
an answer to the question inspiring this essay is that God does indeed
provide inspired insight to affirm and correct what successive
generations have done with His Revelation, and that He does not assure
the success of those humans voicing such reasonable insight.

The human brain is explained as comprising ancient animal reflexes and
more recent higher rationality. The newer portion has very often been
employed to articulate justification for behaving according to the
older. Assertions of the inevitability or natural competitive creed of
the current dominant human culture may be understood thusly.

One of the evolutionary failures hitherto of the human species has been
the extent to which highly contentious individuals have succeeded in
dominating the species and imposing conflict and disharmony,
notwithstanding the presence and capacity for more co-operative and
globally beneficial perception on the part of many of those imposed
upon.

"God" evidentally has allowed really outrageous historical events, many
of them done in His name. In an historical era that has propelled human
confrontational capacity to the level of species suicide, the question
of the age remains can "God" inspire or human evolution achieve that
transcendence to co-operative, global understanding conducive, if not
essential, for the long term survivability of humanity.

Michael McKenny, June 17, 2006 C.E.


Solarguard USA



Solarguard Homepage