The essence of the Biblical story

Did you know that we often miss the depth of the message in the Biblical myth of creation? We do, because many prefer to stay at the literal level of the story.

In religion, a myth is not a lie. It is a story that is told to convey the deeper truth of a message. The Genesis myth was born in an oral tradition. Storytelling was an art that required holding the attention of the listeners. One understands, then, that such stories were often filled with much frill and lace and fancy trim. This is why they make such cute children’s stories.

Now brace yourselves for this. The depth of the story goes way beyond activities for various days. In truth, the focus was never on days. However, in a story telling tradition, it held the mind of the hearer when such expressions were heard to say, “And on the first day ... .” One begins to listen for the accounts concerning the other days.

What then is the essence of the story? What really is the story about?

The story is about an attempted response to the universal questions that human beings have always asked. Questions concerning the problem of pain, suffering, evil, and so on.

THE CONCEPT

The concept of The Fall seeks to locate sin as the progenitor in all manifestations of broken relationships. While the notion of sin is theological, it bears much value and truth in understanding the troubles of the world.

The essence of the Biblical story is that sin has distorted humanity’s relationship with God, each other, and the environment. We find, then, that we are constantly struggling to fix social systems in terms of the political, economic, and religious. This is true personally, communally, nationally, and internationally.

Regardless of how one may understand the God of this story, the point is that, when relationships are right with God, all other relationships are wholesome.

We have departed from comfortably accepting the naked truth of ourselves. Like Adam and Eve, we have become ashamed of self. Not because of an apple. But instead because, in our becoming, we have decided to blame others, shun responsibility for our own actions, and manipulate systems in service of our selfishness and greed.

The problem of sin is real, whether you are religious, atheist, agnostic, or deist, etcetera. The human condition is fraught with struggles around power, survival, dominance. The weak often gets caught in the power dynamics of the stronger. Taiwan is just a bystander who, like Ukraine, is caught in the crosshairs of geopolitical tantrums while the weaker one in the middle suffers whatever comes.

While there is the ever-tempting choice to blame the devil, another approach is understanding that, whenever we make selfish choices, our relationships are harmed. Selfishness and greed are consequences of sin. Human beings blame each other. Nations blame each other. The strong oppress the weak. And people suffer.

Are people finding the ‘God way’ in different ways? Why are some seemingly atheistic people godlier than some theists? And why are some non-religious folks closer to the ideals of wholesome relationships marked by love, compassion, empathy, and justice, than some religious folks?

Jesus, called Christ, indeed mirrors the ideal for a right way of living in wholesome ways of being with the political, economic, and religious. The ‘Body of Christ’ presents a metaphor for reconciled people whose relationships are flowing with a right energy, so that all relationships are informed by love and just ways of being.

But how do we accomplish these wonderful things when religious organisations have also been a force for evil, injustice, and the holocaust of slavery? We seek the way of the Jesus Movement that lived the prophetic call to peace, love, and justice.

It is when we live human rights and justice for all, regardless of religious or non-religious ‘doctrines’ that our better humanity shines through. It is when the ‘Christ way’ supersedes our cherished political, tribal, and philosophical positions, that we will make choices and decisions that serve the good of all.

To stay, then, with a talking serpent and blame the devil is to miss that disobedience is at the root of humanity’s challenges. It evades the deeper truths concerning our duty to be stewards of environmental justice.

No week should pass when a school misses an opportunity to teach children that duty of care to each other and to the environment. But, in many places, ‘God talk’ has become a tool of fear and control. Many are pre-occupied with tribal approaches in denominational teachings. God’s children are envious of each other’s sacrifice. They, too, attempt to hide from God. However, they end up hiding from the truth concerning self and the wonderful goodness of the garden. They end up hiding from the mystical tree of life that is for the healing of the nations! This divine energy source for all, which brings positive and healing vibrations, is denied as the ego is centred and the demise of self and community are engendered.

The Genesis myth of creation was never a scientific statement! To limit it to literal interpretation is to miss the depth of its message concerning the goodness of creation and the potential for reconciliation.

What will you keep focus on then? Will you be trying to figure out how Cain found a wife, or how God, who neither slumbers nor sleeps, needed to rest? Or will you emancipate yourselves from doctrinal slavery and enter into the joy of reconciled relationships where people realise deeper ways of being with Holy Other, self, others, and yes, the environment that continues to birth, replenish, and sustain this garden of life?

Father Sean Major-Campbell is an Anglican priest and advocate for human rights. seanmajorcampbell@yahoo.com