User:Sharonmijares

What is the root of all evil?

What force prompts human beings to destroy other people, nations and our environment—ignoring the results and knowledge gleaned from thousands of years of evolution? Our history reveals that religious, political and economic institutions have continuously conspired to denigrate, demonize and destroy the other, despite the fact that all of the world’s religions teach love and respect for one another, and that our legal institutions were created to assure ethical standards for social relationships.

This brings up the question of evil and how it manifests in the world. Religious history suggests that the Zoroastrian tradition of ancient Iran first introduced the idea of a good and a bad God. The Zoroastrian cosmology was structured around the battle between good and evil, no doubt influenced by the harshness of the land in which they lived. Ahura Mazdah, and the evil god, Ahriman, (also known as Angra Mainyu) were the principle deities. According to this cosmology these forces are pitted against one another in an eternal conflict. This Zoroastrian belief may have had an impact on the later Middle Eastern traditions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

One of the early creation stories in these traditions is that of Lucifer’s (in Arabic: Iblis’) outrage at the creation of the archetypal human being, Adam, formed of matter rather than spirit. Lucifer was against this creation of “the other,” a form unlike his own and yet to be revered. The narrative tells us that it was this prejudice and destructive attitude that lost Lucifer’s place in heaven, and thus, the rendition of the fallen angels. So Lucifer, became known as Satan, the devil—he who would test humanity and prevent human beings from entering heaven if they followed his path.

There have been numerous assumptions and theories of what evil is, but few have seriously looked into the essence of this story and its relationship to prejudice against other creations (anyone who isn’t a member of one’s nation, race, religion and so forth). The root manifestation of evil is any calculated act intended to demean or harm another human being. The inherent gender imbalance found within patriarchal hierarchical systems perpetuates this atrocity. This brings us to the intention of this article, which is: If we are to survive as a human family, we have to become more accountable for our actions and eliminate religious, racial, ethnic and gender prejudice, selfishly motivated political power and economic greed. This effort requires an in-depth examination of the various forces that motivate human behaviors.

The Hopi nation believes that the world was created three times. In each of these eras, humanity had failed to live without violence, greed and lust. The “chosen people” (those who chose to live ethically, conscientiously and compassionately) were preserved, and they entered into the next as it manifested. The Hopi prophesies foretell another ending—but the future is not known in regards to “chosen people”. There has been increasing attention to the Mayan calendar, which ends in 2012. According to a special on the History channel, this ending could also imply a transformation into a new beginning—a new paradigm. Many people believe that women, and the resulting gender balance, will create and be part of this new paradigm.

The patriarchal paradigm was built upon hierarchical principles, the belief that someone always had to be superior to another. Although hierarchy is a natural process in nature, within the human being it appears to motivate evil behaviors; for example, one religion, nation, race, neighbor or gender always has to be superior to another. Since the onset of patriarchy there have been untold acts of prejudice against others who differed in any way. The tendency to dominate has led to the neo-cons’ vision for “full spectrum dominance.” The current emnity between the Middle Eastern religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam endangers the entire world. They fail to recognize their common origin because fundamentalists in each tradition claim dominance of truth over the others. The current movement called The Tent of Abraham is spreading as people gather together honoring Abraham as the founder of these three traditions was also the father of Isaac (Hebrew) and and Ishmail (Arab). He was also the husband of both Sarah (Hebrew) and Hagar (Arab). There is a meeting place.

An examination of these religions reveals that each religion’s founder (for example, Jesus, and Muhammad) evidenced both masculine (idealistic, action-oriented) and feminine (compassionate, receptive and relational) qualities. The problem is that these religions have been unable to fulfill their Prophet’s message because of patriarchal influences. Many of the world’s problems will begin to shift in a positive direction as women continue to take a larger role in both parliament and religious leadership. Women have a natural understanding of relationship. They are able to work with religious and political ideals in a relational manner, and with concern for their effects upon the culture. In fact, humanity’s ideals and visions cannot be realized until there is gender balance in this world. Research indicates there is less governmental corruption (World Bank, 2001) when women are in office, and also that there is more concern for health, welfare and education than on war. Therefore, the future of the human race is dependent upon this paradigmatic shift.

(Sharon G. Mijares, Ph.D. 04:10, 10 February 2007 (UTC))

References:

Joan Chittister, Murshid Saadi Shakur Chishti, Rabbi Arthur Waskow. (2006). The Tent of Abraham: Stories of Hope and Peace for Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Boston: Beacon Press Books.

Sharon G.Mijares,Aliaa Rafea, Rachel Falik, & Jenny Eda Schipper. (2007). The Root of All Evil: An exposition of prejudice, fundamentalism and Gender Imbalance. UK:Imprint Academic.

World Bank. (2001). The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development: The World Bank. (2001). Engendering Development: Through Gender Equality in Rights, Resources, and Voice. New York: Oxford University Press.