The man, with unique faculties – in mind, imagination, felt fear, felt hope, and scholars say – found deification of the terrifying forces in his life as an answer to his need, for help beyond his efforts, for powers beyond his efforts. those who beg And then he prayed to the deities of the Sun, the Storm and the Earthquake, and sacrificed the best for them, to appease their anger.
Man multiplied and flourished, established society; he sought purpose in his life and meaningful godliness; searched for ideals to fight for; valuable targets to wait for, so he created ruling gods with great power and reach, such as Thor, Zeus, and Jupiter; and lesser gods too, and gave them man-like qualities, mountains on which to dwell. Then man developed culture, arts, and myths to inspire traits, with gods assuming human form, some taking human mates and fathering demigod children. Mythologies, valorous deeds, as well as Greco-Roman gods to worship, filled the needs of this humanity.
And then came the Israelites with their concept of a single God, the invisible “Yahweh”, his ten commandments to be kept elevating Man and God. No idols! No murders! Reverence: God; parents; neighbors; life. Hate evil! Be good. Serious these brutal world changes: the Torah; Creation; Noah’s flood; patriarchs; Moses! And Laws for a just nation. But fierce was Yahweh’s wrath if there was transgression, so for pagan idol worship there would be no regression. This is how the centuries passed: the Jews worshiped God, dwelling in their land. The surrounding pagan cultures were able to resist.
Then in other places great teachers arose, who, selflessly pursuing their Life objectives and the Golden Rule, imbued their peoples. In India it was the Buddha – six centuries BC. In China it was Confucius – the next century. Meditation and serenity inspired his devotees. Two great religions arose, over time, from these philosophies.
Meanwhile, all over the world marched the mighty Roman legions, dominating, ruthless, but allowing the conquered regions their own religious rites. But the political restrictions of Rome quickly crushed all threats of revolt through the crucifixions of its leaders. But a revolt was prepared in Israel. And Christ was born and died. And thirty years later, Rome completed the genocide of the Jews at Massada, killing all untaken slaves except for the few who fled and hid in the desert sand and caves.
And the entire western world was under Roman rule and power. Its citizens enjoyed full freedom, but the life of slaves was cruel. Hard work, torture, misery: their lives were of little value. But then hopeful whispers were heard: the birth of a new religion. From newly captured slaves, tales of wonder, from “Life to Come” to those with faith in Jesus Christ and the millennium of him. A man named Paul preached of this Christ – love, faith, charity and the Gospels – testament of Christianity.
This is how the centuries passed, the slaves converted to Christianity, faith their only consolation. But Rome fed the lions with Christians, thirsty for blood in their sport, in their attempt at genocide, as before against the Jews, to abolish the faith of one God. Even so, Christianity grew throughout the Roman empire and beyond. And with the stories of Christ, his sermons and his miracles, and the details of the virgin birth, the beliefs of the Son of God were an inspiring ideology for pagan converts steeped in god mythology on earth. From secret meetings in the first place, through many generations, the story of Christ and his teachings spread through many nations, until finally the emperors of Rome themselves embraced the Christian faith. But then, the story of Christ’s death shifted all the blame – four hundred years earlier – from the Roman rulers – to the group to which his followers plus Christ belonged – the Jews! This is how the basis of pogrom hatred was laid for millennia. From the implants in the minds of children of the idea of ”the Jews killed our Christ”, arose hatred of the Jews, which ran amok throughout the centuries: the crusaders, the Inquisition and the riots of the Holocaust. .
First, Rome became the center of the expansion of Christianity, established rites, canons and doctrinal compendiums, preached the teachings of Christ on his sublime divinity and introduced the trinity Father-Son-and-Spirit, with a changed Commandment: prayer to the statues of Christ and Saints. . But with the growth of the Church, the divisions grew, first the questions and then the complaints. And Luther rose up and led his Protestant Reformation from the mother Catholic Church, effecting the separation. The Pope’s authority was then challenged by the English king, the Separate Church of England, to marry his forbidden bride. But Muhammad of Mecca, in the sixth century AD. C., imagined the Lord God Allah as the only deity in the world, prohibited the murder of girls and the worship of idols; he preached the brotherhood of man, the Islamic precepts, the Koran. Thus began the Muslim faith.
Centuries passed, and man progressed, and Christian power grew. Around the year one thousand three hundred, all of Europe -was: Christian, dead or Jewish- through the sword and the Bible. Then came the Crusades – the Holy Land to be reconquered. Uncontrolled ethnic hatreds were fanned. First, kill every Jew in Europe, unfortunately in his way, then slaughter a million Greeks, then victims of his wrath, albeit all Catholic! Thus the Holy Land was sanctified with the blood of Jews and Muslims who fought and died in vain.
Then two important events occurred in 1492, Spain launched its Inquisition to convert or expel the Jews. A third, several hundred thousand, accepted Catholicism; another third also did, but practiced, in private, Judiasm. The rest, though for centuries they had made Spain their home, fled far and wide, to maintain their religion.
Then also the great New World was discovered, manifold in its generosity, full of simple and naked natives, whose gold was soon taken away. The conversion to Catholicism was rapid, the conquistadores offering their own God, Christ, as a “gift.” A trade -Christ for gold- enslaving the natives being forced into the mine, while their pagan gods were exchanged for the divine Spanish God. But tens of millions of natives, from the germs of the white man, did die, while tons of gold were taken from them, Spain to glorify.
Then the Industrial progress of Man became a “Revolution”, putting an end to the endless work for food, through technical evolution. But Man now lived in cities, less at the mercy of Nature’s whims, and therefore less inclined to pray to “Powers” beyond him. So Man expanded culturally, studied Science and Art, Philosophy, Government – Democracy had its beginning. With the masses seizing power, revolt against the Tsar came, while the worship of “no God” became quite popular.
Then came the 1920s, the “good life” a goal for all, but the pendulum of the economy swung back into a slump. World wars were fought as a leader wanted by conquest to gain fame, and ethnic hatreds were unleashed, upon the defenseless to blame for all the ills of man. But there was no God to stop the Holocaust! Eleven million, six million Jews, children, women, men, lost!
Now, Islamic suicide bombers pose a global threat even to Muslims: Israel constantly harassed; With oil-financed Arab terrorists seeking weapons of mass destruction, the next decade could well be the end of the story!
The knowledge of man now in science grows at a constant rate: atomics, electronics and the conquest of “space”. To deadly enemies like Cancer, Medicine gives a final chase, Then soon our growing knowledge may outrun the mysteries of Life. But what will be the consequence of our “most lethal” race, the spread of ethnic hatreds, against the crowded population of Earth, plus each country’s target, a weapons of mass destruction power base! The religious hatred of Islam sets the world on fire – no place on Earth, no one – is safe: infidel or Muslim; killers embrace their bombs. Shouting “Allah Akbah:” they die, they think, in grace. Pure ethnic rage – uncontrolled – crazy! For “Tolerance”, there is no place! So many crucial elements, and they all need to interact! All factors are increasing – with an accelerating pace, plus the warlike nature of humanity, it seems like a hopeless case! Millions, by murder, famine, war, live and die without a trace! World leaders, indifferent or defenseless – Man, the inhuman race!
Help us, oh God! We are so self destructive!! We need you!