Many Ways to Bribe God

An answer was thought to have been found by the endlessly creative human mind. We will bribe God.

This was the driving force for organized religions all over the world for hundreds of centuries. First was the intense study of astronomy. Including observations of the paths of the sun, moon, planets, and stars. "The answers are in the stars." "Wise Men" studied the stars.

These studies then caused the organization of societies. Organized to build huge monolithic monuments in many places to be used as calendars. The Egyptians wanted to predict the annual floods of the Nile River. The Maya created a calendar that is still more accurate than the one in use today. The arrangement of the pyramids of the Aztecs. The Medicine Wheels of North America were built. As were the monumental calendars of Europe like Stonehenge, England.

Those early astronomers sought answers. They wanted to be able to foretell, predict accurately, the equinoxes. They wanted to predict eclipses of the sun and moon. The religious leaders could then use the natural phenomena. Use them to reinforce a belief in their “power” to talk to God. Use them to demand their payoffs for their intercession skills.

The power of such efforts to create a common oral ethos is still reflected today in our literature of adventure stories. The hero uses a celestial event to overawe "the natives" to get favors. Of course, no one ever admits to being "the natives".

I think a similar process was employed in medieval Europe to construct the great cathedrals. Their use as places of worship have a similar effect, overawe "the natives". That effect is to reinforce their apparent power to talk to God.

A cathedral as a tool for control of the masses is pure genius. A cathedral lasts for centuries. For the leadership, it gives and keeps on giving. Another part of the phenomena of building the great cathedrals was the concept we call monument building, another way to seek immortality. Even the stone carvers put their names in inconspicuous places.

In other words, there is a common, general recognition of facts. The fact that plain old simple individual prayer does not seem to have any effect.

God does not seem to be listening. God does not do what we want Him to do.

So the “leaders” attempt to go one step farther and try a bribe. Humans want to believe God is like us. We would take a bribe if it is big enough. A bribe will work with God.

We'll build this special place for Him.

Surprise! Bribes do not work, because God cannot be bribed. If He could be bribed, He would not be God. To ignore humans is God-like. God is God.

(c) Copyright 2006: George Wallace recently published a book on religion which lashes out at nearly all of the comfortable ideas about God, the trappings of organized religion, and the priesthood. His pithy comments and suggestions for a return to a God-centered personal religion will interest everyone. This article may be freely reprinted so long as all copyright attributions, and the full content of this resource box are included. www.OhGodIsThatYou.com

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