In my studies, I've learned God is well beyond human understanding. While I will never know what thoughts and plans crosses God's mind from well beyond space and time, I still ponder things...
I
am sure I am not the only one who reads through the bible and wonders
how the God of the Hebrews, YHWH, be the same loving, forgiving Father
of whom Christs speaks so devotedly. If God loves everyone, why did
hundreds of thousands die in wars because God of the Israelites wanted
it so? How could such a loving Father kill every first born child of the
Egyptians? To make a point?
My
English literature degree helps me see that EVERYTHING is written
by an author's perspective. None of the holy books are a
word-by-word quote from God. In fact, the only item possibly written directly by God (see Exodus) are the
two tablets upon which the 10 commandments are written. Everything else
was written by the hands of mankind, and should be taken with a
grain of salt.
Have
you ever read the "history" of the American Revolution from both the
British and American sides? They are two different stories, even if the
facts are the same. If you look close enough, you will see those
American colonists were - quite literally - TERRORISTS! Yet, in the
American history books, they were heroes...
In the Old Testament, we only see the events from the Jewish perspective. The testimony is skewed to favor them. What would a different perspective reveal?
Take
for example the major events leading to the Passover exodus. To the
Jews, they wanted to see God punish their oppressors in Egypt, thus the
events were recorded from this perspective. What if we stand the event
on its head and take a look from a new perspective. The river waters had
run red (contaminated), frogs escaping the river died on the land,
locus and flies followed... In the natural order of things,
disaster-followed-disaster. Ancient people did not understand health,
bacteria and viruses to the degree we understand today. We do know of
fast moving illnesses that take only a section of our population (ie,
young, elderly, or - in the case of the 1918 flu - only people in their
prime). What if the prior disasters led to an outbreak of illness or
contamination in the water supply?
What
if if the true miracle was that God protected the Jews from that which,
in natural course of events, attacked the others residing in Egypt?
That, at least, would show Love and Mercy of which Christ speaks.
Perhaps
the illness the hit Egypt that night was food-borne. The Israelites
were instructed to slaughter lambs, sprinkle the blood and eat the meat (not any other). Through this, God could have led them away from the disaster that hit the region.
Again,
I don't know anything for certain, but it leads me to wonder what else I
may see though a different perspective. One thing I've found for
certain, story after story... No matter how many times the Isrealites
have turned from God, God has been ever-faithful to His side of the covenant made with Abraham. And God does forgive past transgressions...
Christ
presented a new Covenant in His teachings. Two rules - not several
books of them, both Old Testament and religious dogma of today. Love God; Love each other. In the covenent, we are called to forgive each other's mistakes ("sins") and own own transgressions will be forgiven. Simple and pure. If God is ever-faithful to promises in the Old Testament, I have no doubt Christ is too.
From what I read and understand, Yom Kippur is the Day of Penance/Reconciliation very much like our solemn Sacrament in the Church. We self-examine, discover what is wrong/keeping us from God, go to God, lay it on the table and ask for God's Forgiveness. God then Forgives us of our past transgressions, frees us from what keeps us apart (from God and each other), and enables us to receive God's Blessings during the Jewish year.
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