"Cowardice asks the question...is it safe? Expediency asks the question...is it politic? Vanity asks the question...is it popular? But conscience asks the question...is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but one must take it because it is right." ~Dr. Martin Luther King

Wednesday 4 April 2012

Adam,Noah, and that Lot

Last night I had one of my sleepless nights. My thoughts wandered all over the place.

A word  came unbidden to my mind.

 I hadn't heard it in years and it's one of my favorites.

"Pusillanimous"   The Merriam Webster dictionary defines it ;

" lacking in courage  and resolution, marked by contemptible timidity".

On the heels of it came another word; "antediluvian"

I really love that one. It means "before the flood " as in Noah and The  Ark.

I don't know a lot about the Old Testament. Catholic  faith   is  more or less  based on the Teachings of Christ.

There were the parables and  a few miracles thrown in  for a firm foundation and the Song of Solomon for wisdom.

We did touch on a few Old Testament stories like David and Goliath.  There was a while, I  used the story of Adam and Eve as a conversation starter.

There they were in the Garden of Eden with everything going for; them. All they could ever need or desire was provided. But the Lord put a tree there and a serpent and forbade them to eat the fruit. 

They did anyway. When The Lord came to find them where they were hiding, what did Adam say?

"The woman  made me do it.It was all her fault"

The Lord created the woman to be Adam's companion. He thought his male handiwork was pretty neat so he made a female as well.

What does the story tell us about Adam? He was nothing but a big useless hunk of clay after all and he should cover his nakedness.

The forbidden fruit got the pair of them thrown out of The Garden of Eden and we've been sinners ever since. Eve was punished more for her part in the debacle by the pain of childbirth.

Last night, my thoughts drifted on to Noah and The Ark; how The Lord told him to build it and take on board, a pair of each animal species because the Lord was going to send a flood to destroy the world; except for Noah and his family so the great experiment could start again afresh after forty days and forty nights.

The Lord must have been pretty aggravated.

Obviously The Lord was once again having serious doubts about his creation.

Another time was when The Lord told Lot to take his wife and leave Sodom and Gomorrah because The Lord was planning to hurl down some pretty serious fire and brimstone and destroy the lot once again.

He warned Lot and his wife not to look back or something terrible would happen.

Sure enough, as the story goes, Lot's wife couldn't contain her curiosity. She looked back and was turned into an instant pillar of salt.

Wouldn't you know? The woman again doing what she was told not to and suffering the ultimate penalty.

About then, it occurred to me, how many times The Lord had decided his human creation was so awful, there was only one solution and that was to wipe out the lot and start all over again.

Before I drifted off to sleep, I was thinking, if The Lord himself couldn't get it right the first time and numerous times after and he was all-powerful, what chance does a mere mortal have?

But he kept on trying.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

You are quite right. Dawe should have listened to Mr. Mar. Then we wold never have been in this bloody mess.

Anonymous said...

Judging by the religious examples in this post, the apt response is, "Omigod!". You're now quoting Old Testament Biblical references to bolster your 'scorched Earth' attitudes?!

Beware of lightning bolts.

Anonymous said...

12:14 PM
Where did you park your sense of humour ?

Anonymous said...

Legends don't need to show a sense of humour all the time.

Anonymous said...

It's never parked, 12:51. In fact, I find this blog a constant source of chuckles.

Anonymous said...

Lovely, well-crafted post.. Timothy Findlay did an excellent job of showing human tendencies in " Not Wanted On Board ". Even the members of Noah's family were typical of the rest of us. So your analogy is perfect.

Anonymous said...

I hate to even try and frame this question. Is there even a slim chance that enough councillors will refuse the possible four positions now apparently being offered so that the process is revealed for the farce it is?

Anonymous said...

Mayor Dawe, Councillor Thompson and Councillor Humphreyes should not delude themselves that this behaviour will translate into either respect or votes. The ACC is laughing all the way to the bank and will field their own candidates who might even remove Ballard and Gaertner. And Aurora voters are certainly not filled with respect. Winter is over, people are getting out and talking. The game's a' foot. All this for a fake crisis. Wonder how Dawe would deal with one he had not created out of smoke and mirrors. One can't legislate against arrogance and stupidity.

Anonymous said...

To 6:44PM
Heard on the streets...stop the presses...

The one from OZ will also be a candidate in the next election.

Public opinion says he has the votes to get elected.

Anonymous said...

A "fake crisis" created by Dawe?! Now, who is deluding themself?!

Anonymous said...

!2:14 PM and 1:03 PM
You are an easy read. There is no humour. I see anger, malice and a fairly sharp wit that is always an effort to belittle or mock. You are over-educated, under-employed and may even have run unsuccessfully for an elected position. Probably fairly decent over all, but motor-mouth is a serious problem. You enjoy visits to the Blogs because there is no need to engage with others. It suits your hit-and-run style.