The World as it Is

Have you ever wondered why human society is so messed up?  Have you ever asked yourself, why, of all the creatures on earth does one, humanity, strive so mightily and completely towards chaos, destruction, unhappiness, and oblivion? Is there a flaw in our design?  Are we insane as a race?  Is there an answer to this problem?

The answer may lie in the Book of Genesis.  This book has been discredited by both secular atheists and religious fundamentalists, both for very different reasons and different motivations, which is unfortunate (and designed that way, I would argue) since it provides a fantastic insight into the central issue which is at the root of all human problems. Genesis describes this central issue as the human desire “ to be gods, knowing good and evil.” Traditional theology sees this as humanity’s original sin, and so it is.  However, it is not sin as we have come to understand it, as a personal bank account of faults and failures which God deliberately keeps track of in order to punish rebellious human beings, which can only be withdrawn by believing a strict religious creed..  It is the reality that some human beings, particularly those given the titles and position in human society have designed, through the manipulation of thoughts, emotions, access to scarce resources, and the beliefs and religious practices of large groups of people,  to create a world system designed to directly benefit the powerful at the expense of the many.  This is what the bible calls “the world” this imaginary system of human society which is always breaking down, blowing up, and causes such misery and unhappiness.  And this is the “world” that Jesus came to destroy, and replace with the Kingdom of God.

This teaching is expressed beautifully in Dostoyevsky’s Grand Inquisitor:

“for the first time it has become possible to think of the happiness of men. Man was created a rebel; and how can rebels be happy?”

For the Inquisitor, Genesis’ statement about the human desire to be gods is rooted in humanity’s rebellious nature, which he claims was the way they were “created.” In other words, the Inquisitor is laying the blame for humanity’s rebellion, its desire to be like god at the feet of God.  And since God designed humans so poorly, they can never be existentially happy; they will always fail and be miserable.  The Inquisitor is ready to fix the flaw in humanity’s design. He concludes that human beings can only be happy if they are kept in a state of childlike obedience to a powerful central authority, who takes on the responsibility of wrestling mightily with the existential problem of human freedom and rebellion.  Going back to the Grand Inquisitor:

“Oh, we shall persuade them that they will only become free when they renounce their freedom to us and submit to us. And shall we be right or shall we be lying? They will be convinced that we are right, for they will remember the horrors of slavery and confusion to which Thy freedom brought them. Freedom, free thought, and science will lead them into such straits and will bring them face to face with such marvels and insoluble mysteries, that some of them, the fierce and rebellious, will destroy themselves, others, rebellious but weak, will destroy one another, while the rest, weak and unhappy, will crawl fawning to our feet and whine to us: “Yes, you were right, you alone possess His mystery, and we come back to you, save us from ourselves!”

While the Inquisitor is blaming God, his statements reveal who is truly to blame: a secret cabal of leaders, like himself, who believe themselves to be gods, who know best what is good and evil and as such have the right to rule in order to ensure the happiness of the human race. 

This is the reason for human misery.  This is the reason for the chaos and unhappiness which plagues our world.  It is this secret cabal of self-appointed gods, who seek to deceive, to control, and to create a mystical world of illusion which will bind humanity to their service, supposedly for “our won good.” And it is this world system that Jesus destroyed.  It is time to claim that victory now.