The Old Testament: Ezra II – Ancient Fear Mongering Swaying Public Policy

Posted on May 20, 2013 by virgowriter

I remember walking home from dinner in March of 2003.  Along the way, I passed a bar, on whose TV President Bush was addressing the nation.  I rushed home.  Although I’d missed the beginning, I got the gist: we were going to war with Iraq (just as the weeks prior had suggested, with the administration doing everything it could to make Iraq look like it was cultivating weapons of mass destruction).  The UN Security Council (and perhaps a lot of US citizens) had been swayed. The evidence seemed to be scant, but that didn’t stop the war machine from gearing up.  On that night, a declaration was made, and I was among a minority of people who felt this was all wrong.  I’d felt that the case against this country (and its horrible dictator) was not made well enough.  The sentiment against the Middle East was too high post-9/11, and so many people were looking for revenge.  Soon, the news would broadcast the bombs falling.

In the years since that declaration of war against Iraq, people have picked apart the Bush administration’s case for war.  Common informed opinions discuss how the level of fear mongering swayed popular sentiment in favor of the president.  As The Book of Ezra demonstrates, this type of fear mongering has been around for quite some time.

Not everyone is happy with Cyrus, former King of Persia, removing the shackles from the Israelites, and they go out of their way to change the new king’s mind—in a subtle way, of course, for who wants to be the one to tell the king he’s wrong?

A minority voice approaches Xerxes (who’s taken over for Cyrus) and warns of Israel’s progress rebuilding Jerusalem.  Since these people want nothing more than to hold Israel down, they convince the king that these people will strengthen, and before you know it, they’ll stop paying taxes (4:13).  Since nothing gets people attention quite like the thought of losing money, work on Jerusalem is halted (4:24).

During Darius’ rule (who leads after Xerxes), Israeli prophets push for work to resume on Jerusalem.  This draws attention from the local governor, who wants to know who these people think they are, resuming work without permission.  They let him know that God said so, as did former king Cyrus.  This governor, Tattenai, writes to the king, asking if the records can be verified. He figured this was the official way to show how wrong these upstart Israelis were.

King Darius finds Cyrus’ records and he orders the work to resume unimpeded, with the result of non-compliance being death (6:11).  The restoration of the Temple is finished (6:15).

Always nice to see the means with which people try and thwart progress backfire on those who would try and keep others down.

But the fledging recently-restored Israel, is not free from the use of fear as a means to control.  Led by Ezra, who was dispatched in good faith by king Artaxerxes (who also respects religious differences, telling Ezra and his people to follow their own God (7:25-26)), The Israelites need to get their house in order.  This means they need to crack down on some of the long-standing rules.  One of which being not inter-marrying.

In fact, Ezra is so troubled by so much inter-marriage when he arrives in Jerusalem that he calls and assembly, at which he chastises the people for this, and they grasp the problem.  But how to fix this, given their families, including the children?  Expel the foreigners (10:11). Again, fear is used to make things happen.  Instead of finding a way to bring former outsiders into the religious fold, they are forced to obey the ancient law for fear of what will happen if not.

This tricky process takes about two months to resolve (10:16-17), but not without some people disagreeing (10:15).  Seems a harsh way to rebuild a community—expelling family.  For a people who were granted a return to their land and way of life based on religious tolerance, they sure find a quick way to flex their own intolerance.  Sure, their past suggests that they ALWAYS get into trouble when they intermarry (or otherwise tolerate other cultures), but how about giving things a chance? Looks like they were too scared to try.  The sad part is so few of them showed any sadness over extricating themselves from their families. Or at least, so few admitted to it.  Perhaps if they had they would have been able to keep families together and find a way to work things out.

Next up: Nehemiah, “a man of action.”  Or so my Bible edition calls him.

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The Old Testament: Ezra I – Religious Tolerance

Posted on May 17, 2013 by virgowriter

When I was in elementary school, a new family moved to my street.  They were from India.  Because kids don’t always react to differences well, the daughter—who was in my kindergarten class—was not welcomed by my peers easily.  Because I was—among other things—an impressionable kid, I wasn’t sure how to react to her.  It didn’t help that she dressed in colorful saris and wore the red dot on her forehead. I was confused, although my parents were unfazed.

She joined my carpool, although some of the other kids were uneasy about this, which rubbed off on me.  I don’t remember the circumstances, but some question arose as to whether she needed a ride on a particular day (there was a delayed start or a field trip of some kind).  In any event, because there was a question about whether she needed a ride, I said she didn’t. She did.  That day at school, she never showed.  I shrugged, although I was nervous: I realized that it was my fault she wasn’t there.  When I got home, my parents asked why I’d said that she didn’t needed a ride when she did.  She’d felt being an outcast and her exclusion from the carpool confirmed that she’d been unwanted.  I apologized, and as I did (in probably that half-hearted way that kids do when they don’t really understand what they’ve done), I saw her as a person for the first time, someone who had feelings just like me.

One would think, especially today, that we’d be more aware of how people who are different than us actually feel similar, that we’d be tolerant. We’re not.  Often, we don’t realize how closed minded we’re being.  In general, this is a problem.  When the people who are being closed minded are in positions of power, this is a real problem, for lives are affected, beyond merely hurt feelings.

Take our politicians, and in particular someone like House Majority leader Eric Cantor. This conservative senator was on a CNBC program recently (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/05/joe-kernen-cnbc-eric-cantor-gay-marriage_n_3022801.html) and was discussing, among other things, the issue of gay marriage/marriage equality and DOMA being heard by the Supreme Court.  Cantor suggests that part of the problem with this debate is tolerance for different opinions.  He’s against gay marriage, and his answer, as stated in this interview, is due in part to his religious beliefs, which he feels are not be respected.  To this, the male host responds that no one is asking him to marry another guy.  The conversation then quickly turns to the economy.

For people who are against gay marriage specifically and homosexuality in general because they feel, on religious grounds, they are merely following the Bible, they must have skipped The Book of Ezra.  In particular, they must have missed the extraordinary example of religious tolerance set by Cyrus who, although his heart is helped by God, decides that it’s time for the Israelites to be allowed to have their home again, where they can pray to their own God (1:3)—which is different than Cyrus’.  Seems Cyrus has traveled and encountered many different gods and respects what people believe, without foisting HIS beliefs on them.  He even provides the departing Israelites with the means to start over.

Sure, one could say: well, God made him do it, so it’s not much of an example.  But as we’ve seen in the Old Testament, time and time again, what God wants and what people actually do tend to differ.  No, Cyrus made the decision because he respected people for their differences.  He understood that people can do what they want, as long as they don’t cause trouble.

Not everyone is born tolerant.  Some people don’t even realize that their thoughts and actions actually demonstrate intolerance.  This doesn’t make them bad people; rather, people should be judged not for what they know but rather what they are unwilling to learn.

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The Old Testament: 2 Chronicles III – Forbidden Fruit

Posted on May 15, 2013 by virgowriter

We were a Little league family.  My older brother played first base while I mostly played outfield.  Our league—located caddy-corner to Pierce College in Woodland Hills—provided a social network for us, and my parents developed strong ties with some of the other parents of my brother’s teammates.  The adults often got together for sushi and other dining-out experiences parents have.  One of the benefits of this particular cluster of families was that one of them had a daughter that was old enough to watch over the rest of us.  Nothing like a built-in babysitter when four families wanted to have a Saturday night away from the kids. I don’t remember just how happy the daughter was about this, but she was left with six kids in her charge (of which I was the youngest by a couple years). I’m guessing they all the chipped in some cash.

This was during the early 80s (when music was huge in my life), and cable TV (ON TV, specifically) was a big deal.  The house where the kids had gathered had this cable channel, which was especially great for me, because, aside from movies, this cable channel showed Duran Duran’s racier videos for songs such as “Girls on Film.” I didn’t understand why I was shooed away when my favorite band’s videos aired.  When I finally caught one of the videos, I didn’t understand why the topless women were oil wrestling while the band played. Nor did I care.  And why were the other guys so interested?  I didn’t think any of them liked Duran Duran.

ON TV also aired late night “adult” films on Saturdays.

Exercising good judgment, the other kids, who were close to 13 or already there, decided I should play poker on the Apple II C instead of watching—I was, after all, too young and wouldn’t understand.  Plus, I would probably open my mouth to my parents.

Although I had no idea what the fuss was about, I started crying—I hated being excluded, especially when I didn’t understand why.  I also hated the fact that these other kids were telling me what to do.  Turns out, if you cry enough, kids relent.  And so, along with the other kids, I watched, and failed to see what the big deal was.  That’s what they didn’t want me to see? Life went on.

As I’ve read through The Old Testament thus far—particularly 1 and 2 Kings and 1 and 2 chronicles—I can’t help but wonder what all the fuss is about with these other gods, particularly Baal. Much space is devoted to how bad these Gods are, as represented in the high places, incense altars, cast idols to Baal, Asherah poles (which sound oddly similar to what Mr. Costanza’s Festivus poles), but we never really know what all the fuss is about—except some ask for child sacrifice.  That, I understand.

Given that so many people stray from God throughout the Old Testament, I would like to know why.  What was so alluring?  What did those gods offer the people that they thought God didn’t—or was easier than God… whatever.  I’m okay with not understanding, but if I get the chance, I at least want a peek.  And if I don’t I’ll  keep feeling like I’m missing out on something important.

Next: The Book of Ezra.

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