Very interesting essay, John. I have thought that it is significant that Abraham took Isaac to sacrifice without consulting with with Sarah, Isaac’s mother. It is a transgression of the sacred bond of mother and child, as well as husband and wife, and set a precedent that we continue to witness today in our culture. He didn’t tell her, as she would have not let him do so. I’m not conferring with her, the mother becomes conveniently irrelevant to the story and to our collective story. This very act by Abraham has led me to question my faith in Judaism.
Thank you Amy for this is a valuable and insightful comment. This is an aspect of the story that I hadn't considered before. This kind of barbaric disregard for the mother, and motherhood in general, is disturbing to find in a sacred text. We've swept these things under the rug for so long. But if we choose instead to disavow them, and strip them out of our faith, we have to wonder, what will be left of our faith - what will be left of this sacred text - when we are done? Will there be anything more than just a hollow shell and empty rituals? It's a frightening prospect, and for many people, it's probably safer to just not go there. Unfortunately, if we refuse to confront it, I'm afraid we will still find ourselves with a religion that is just a hollow shell.
Amy, I think you allude to a third option, which is to drop this faith and religion business entirely. I've been meaning to write about why I feel that religion - and not just spirituality - is so important for humans to maintain, especially in this modern age. It's long overdue that I write about this. I'll get to it soon. I'm really itching to finish up with this Yahweh series so I can free up some time to write about other things.
Very interesting essay, John. I have thought that it is significant that Abraham took Isaac to sacrifice without consulting with with Sarah, Isaac’s mother. It is a transgression of the sacred bond of mother and child, as well as husband and wife, and set a precedent that we continue to witness today in our culture. He didn’t tell her, as she would have not let him do so. I’m not conferring with her, the mother becomes conveniently irrelevant to the story and to our collective story. This very act by Abraham has led me to question my faith in Judaism.
Thank you Amy for this is a valuable and insightful comment. This is an aspect of the story that I hadn't considered before. This kind of barbaric disregard for the mother, and motherhood in general, is disturbing to find in a sacred text. We've swept these things under the rug for so long. But if we choose instead to disavow them, and strip them out of our faith, we have to wonder, what will be left of our faith - what will be left of this sacred text - when we are done? Will there be anything more than just a hollow shell and empty rituals? It's a frightening prospect, and for many people, it's probably safer to just not go there. Unfortunately, if we refuse to confront it, I'm afraid we will still find ourselves with a religion that is just a hollow shell.
Amy, I think you allude to a third option, which is to drop this faith and religion business entirely. I've been meaning to write about why I feel that religion - and not just spirituality - is so important for humans to maintain, especially in this modern age. It's long overdue that I write about this. I'll get to it soon. I'm really itching to finish up with this Yahweh series so I can free up some time to write about other things.
Yes, it’s quite a challenging dilemma. I look forward to reading your thoughts about the importance of religion.
*”In,” not “I’m”. Sorry for the typo.