The Selective Dissonance of Hateful Gods
The Logical and Moral Incongruency of Holiness and Hatred
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Gods are fickle.
Why does it seem that religion can be used to justify most any view that us mortal beings hold?
How can these same views be vehemently defended by some and just as righteously opposed by others? Sometimes by individuals who by all rights actually share the same religion?
Is it truly the will of the Gods (whichever God you prescribe to) to sow these seeds of confusion and discord?
Or is something else going on?
In a prior article, I laid out the basic building blocks of what I refer to as the Improvement Axiom. It is a humble attempt to provide a simple but powerful roadmap for the human condition. It is depicted below:
It consists of two axes, one a measure of quality, as defined by a feeling of connectedness or resonance, and the other a measure of creative vs consumptive intent. Combined, this framework can help organize a broad range of actions and events.
For example, if one were to ask what God represents, there are two identifiers that are broadly shared amongst most, if not all, of the world’s religions: God as both the Creator and the Supreme Being(s).
God as the Creator.
Read another way, God is off-the-charts creative. Typically credited with creating the universe around us, God is, almost as a logical extension, as incomprehensible as the size and scale of the universe itself. In representing maximum theoretical creativity, our concept of God is a humble attempt to articulate a level of creative intent that, by definition, is more expansive than what human consciousness can grasp. Thus, God represents the theoretical and conceptual upper limit of creative intent.
God as the Supreme Being(s).
In other words, God is that which supercedes all else. As a concept, God underlies all that exists and all that occurs, encompassing and driving a vast network of invisible threads and forces. As innumerous as there are leaves on trees or blades of grass in the fields, this vast network of events and entities all draw their source from the concept of God. Again, God is our best effort to articulate the vastness and complexity of the forces around us and to make sense of all the possible relationships at play. Thus, God represents the theoretical and conceptual upper limit of connectedness or quality.
Thus, if one were to map the concept of God on the Improvement Axiom, for many who prescribe to the concept of God(s), it might look something like this:
So how does this explain the apparent fickleness of our Gods? What is driving these persistent issues of religious dissonance and discord that face humanity?
The key lies in that which we individually feel is resonant and creative.
For those that hold loathing, distaste or hatred in their hearts, then a hateful God would indeed be the most resonant with their desires. This concept of God “speaks” on a very fundamental level to those individuals who share a deep-seated detestation for a specific group or individual. Thus, in their mind, this is completely consistent with their worldview of what God should represent, i.e. a Supreme Being of the highest degree of connectedness.
In addition, for those that feel this resonance, it is also logical that they may spiritually, emotionally and, in some extreme cases, mortally commit themselves to what they feel is a greater cause. In their worldview, supporting the will of this God and creating an environment where this God can flourish is the highest creative intent possible.
Combine these two variables and one can begin to see why supporters of these hateful Gods see their Gods as off-the-charts Supreme and Creative.
In their mind, there is perfect congruency between the concept of God and their own condition.
But here is the fundamental issue. What hatred ultimately reaps is, in fact, the polar opposite of connectedness and creativity. In seeking to maximize their distance from the targets of their hatred either by isolation or by violence, the hateful are creating tangible rifts in the fabric of humanity. In seeking to strengthen their own condition by worsening the conditions of others, they, by definition, are consuming the resources, livelihoods and, in worst cases, the lives of others for their own gratification.
This is the source of the supreme dissonance created by Hateful Gods. Those who believe they stand apart from others may find supreme resonance with Hateful Gods but, in their isolation and selective segmentation of humanity, they, in actuality, are directly opposed to the true conceptual upper limits of quality and creativity.
As expansive as the universe is and as innumerous as the blades of grass are, true consistency with that which is a Supreme Creator would hold evident that all of humanity, including all of its imperfections, disparate conditions and differing worldviews, is captured within this universal concept of God.
It is on this basis, this fundamental truth, that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. made his statement above. Hatred severs. Love connects.
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Next Story (Part One in the Quality Works Resonance Series): An Inquiry into a Lego Star Wars Dinosaur
