Does the Christian "Domination Mandate" Have Any Limits


 At the perfect moment an article appeared today, written by a prominent Christian, about the "Dominion Mandate." This, of course, refers to the scriptural passages Genesis 1:28 and Matthew 28:19. In these passages we learn God blessed mankind and instructed them to be fruitful, multiple on the earth and subdue it. Man is to have dominion over the fish in the sea, the birds in the air and all other living things on earth.

A critical analysis of these passages would start with whether this God, or any god, ever said or wrote this. Since there is no evidence outside of religion, the only reasonable conclusion is the mandate was  written by male humans and the idea passed down from before writing was mastered. It was an idea that came from human self-interest. Human benefited from eating animals and using them as beasts of burden. Looking at the issue from self-interest, it would have seemed like this is the way it was always supposed to be. If any of us would have been alive in prehistory, we may well have agreed.  

From ancient human reasoning that humans are to have dominion over everything else on earth it is a short jump to conclude certain humans are to have dominion over other humans. The Bible authors had Jesus short circuit or qualify this argument by claiming that sometimes Jesus was humble but sometimes was the opposite claiming dominion over other humans. They sometimes portrayed the humble Jesus by saying he washed the feet of others. Of course, this was not all Jesus all the time. Other writers had Jesus telling off his mother, using a bull whip on money changers in the temple and telling listeners to shape up because his god was returning any day and would punish them for their sins.

These two Jesuses gave Christians the choice of being either one. Predictably, the largest part of Jesus' followers, Christians, liked the dominion Jesus. They especially liked dominion over other humans. The link laments this entry of Christians into politics and the passion to dominate political enemies. 

The dominion opportunity was grasped onto by opponents of abortion. Protesters shouting prayers outside of clinics and politicians promising to dominate women who want abortions are part of the group that choose the dominion Jesus.

The Biblical gift of self-serving dominion over fish, birds and women who need abortions has no limits so far as I can tell.   

Comments

  1. Matt NoahNovember 16, 2022 at 9:39 AM

    Since you somehow brought abortion into the last line of your essay, I would like to point out that currently 14 States have no so-called right to kill unborn babies. Those 14 States are free, free at last, from the scourge of child sacrifice. The abortionists have fled.

    As Christ said, it would be better that person not to have been born than to harm one hair of the head of a child. But even if one does, their is forgiveness from Jesus Christ, for those who repent and sin no more.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Maybe the "Original Sin" Should be Reassigned

Image
We can all agree most Catholic priests are fine people and not guilty of sexual abuse. What Catholics must face, however, it that their church harbors executives who are dishonest . There is an incredible story about the Argentine Bishop Zanchetta. The Pope worked with him in Argentina and they are considered friends. Around 2015 Zanchetta sent nude pictures of himself and they began circulating world wide. He also was too friendly with young seminarians and some left because of him.  Three different officials say they made formal complaints to the Vatican about Zanchetta between 2015 and 2017. Yet, in 2018, the Vatican claimed it was unaware of any complaints about Zanchetta. This might be a good time to repeat the Catholic hierarchy claims to have the sole authority handed down from Jesus to what the faith stands for. It condemns as sinners those who practice birth control, have abortions and gay sexual relationships. Handing the hierarchy this responsibility would make som
Read more

The Religious Capitol Invaders May Yet Win

Image
So much about U.S. society and religion can be learned from the Civil War and what happened afterwards. After its defeat, the South started a myth about the unethical soldiers from the North. The South fought for principles of God and states rights. The North did not. It was the South, this propaganda told the country, that had the high moral ground.  The Capitol invaders, encouraged by Trump, swallowed the myth that Biden's election was stolen. Thus, they think they held and still hold the high moral ground. This was reinforced by the cross and prayers during the invasion. Even with Trump is gone, we will see political opportunists like Senators Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley stroking crowds and feeding the same lies as Trump. Like "the South will rise again" these gullible followers will talk of victory over the unclean. After the Civil War the South rallied around the phrase, Lost Cause. For decades, and maybe to this day, there are ceremonies remembering fallen martyrs, Re
Read more

Father Frank Pavone, the Ultimate Crook

Image
Recently, the Vatican defrocked Frank Pavone. His diehard fans are outraged. This is because he cleverly manipulated his fans and the press all the while living well from donations and, apparently, abusing some women. By making abortion the "sin" of the century, and himself the main opposition to this one sin, he himself could get away with any sin he pleased.  As the link points out, Pavone was the perfect priest for the Trump era. Trump is so self-important laws have no role in his life. He felt accountable to no one. Women were there to be had. Pavone and Trump are interchangeable.  Pavone was very successful raising money. In his mind, abortion was so important in Catholic beliefs and he was so important in anti-abortion the money he raised opposing it was his to do with what he liked. The Catholic Church, the brand name he used to raise this money, thought the money belonged to it. When he gave the Vatican the bird, it gave him walking papers. With polls showing the majo
Read more