Violent God

I just read Nahum, a small book in the Hebrew Bible. It's part of what is known as the Book of the Twelve or the "minor" prophets depending on tradition (though the latter certainly has a horrible connotation). At any rate, the book describes the God of Israel, the one true God of all creation, reveling in the destruction of Ninevah, capital city of Assyria who was more or less the powerhouse of the 7th century BCE.

I am bothered by this image of God.

I don't like a God who revels in destruction and death and killing. It seems like a maladjusted child who builds her blocks only so she can knock them all down, marveling at her own power. Worse, a little boy who raises an ant farm only to then kill them, watching them squirm. Why? Shouldn't God be more civilized, more evolved than a bloodlustful warrior who delights in the pain of a temporary enemy?

I struggle to find answers that make me feel better. I wonder if maybe the Hebrews were imposing their own views onto God. They sought revenge and so God was a vengeful warrior. After all, they were a pre-modern, unenlightened people whose surrounding neighbors all abided by a warring worldview. War was what they knew. It's no wonder they had a violent image of God, the poor dopes.

That almost works.

Except, am I any different? Am I denying God could be violent because my bias is to be against violence? So who am I to say my bias is better than the Hebrews? Am I more evolved or are they closer to the simple truth?

Music: and Dance

I know I tend to be in the minority here, but when I'm listening to music, I rarely pay attention to the lyrics. I may learn some of them (or what they sound like to me) so I can sing along. By and large though, they just aren't important to me. Music, however, is.

I love singing along with music when I'm mowing the lawn or driving or working in my office. I'm not very good. I'm not being falsely modest, either. I have my moments and some songs I can actually sing on key, but I'm no musician. But I do it and I enjoy it because singing reminds me of the Great Dance we're all part of all the time. Stay with me and get your mind blown.

The earth rotates one full revolution in a day, right? (Duh) Well, in order to do that we're rotating on an axis at roughly 1,000mph. OK, But the Earth is also orbiting the sun at a rate of somewhere in the neighborhood of 66,000mph! Now our solar system is moving toward the general region of the star Vega at around 43,000mph (relative to our galactic neighbors). Our entire Galaxy is rotating on an axis (just like the earth does) and our sun has to move at about 483,000mph to make stay on course. Keep in mind that the galaxy is moving toward the constellation Virgo (represent!) at a rate estimated at 1.3 million mph!

Now think of our poor moon revolving and orbiting around the earth, the other planets in our solar system and all of their moons, not to mention the innumerable stars with planets who have moons. All of this movement and motion, all balanced by inertia & gravity. I can picture some of it in my head like those cursed tea cups at carnivals and theme parks. Spinning, rotating, revolving. I add more and more levels in my head and look from 100ft. up. It's a dance.

All this light and darkness, birth and death in a beautiful dance that carries us all away at a thousand miles per second. So I listen to the music and I sing and I'm carried away in the Great Dance.