Thursday, 23 May 2013
Are You Trapped In God’s Love Triangle? By Rudolf Ogoo Okonkwo
Columnist:
Correct Me If I Am Right By Rudolf Okonkwo
Before Prince Charles, Princess Diana and Camilla Parker Bowles; before Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston and Angelina Jolie; before Woody Allen, Mia Farrow and Soon-Yi Previn, there were Abraham, Sarah and Hagar.
Typically people in the Bible do not behave like real human beings. But Abraham, Sarah and Hagar did. Together they created the first love triangle with far reaching implications that continued till this day.
According to the Bible, following the failure of God’s Plan A – Adam and Eve, and Plan B, Noah, God chose Abraham; a descendant of Noah’s son Shem for Plan C. God must have known that He chose trouble. Abraham’s trouble became synonymous with God’s trouble; then. And now.
Abraham was married to Sarah who was barren when God made a covenant with him. God’s covenant was that he would make a great nation out of Abraham. The problem was that Abraham did not have any child. Sarah thus approached Abraham and offered him her Egyptian handmaid Hagar and asked him to sleep with her so that he could have a baby. Abraham slept with Hagar and she had a baby named Ishmael.
Ishmael was 14 years old when Sarah had a baby named Isaac. Sarah became jealous of Hagar. She ordered Abraham to send her and Ishmael away so that they could not share in Abraham’s inheritance. Abraham was distressed by what Sarah said. He asked God for advice. God told Abraham to do what his wife said, informing him that Isaac would be the seed on which his nation would be built but also reassuring him that Ishmael would lead a nation too because he was also from Abraham.
Abraham gave Hagar and Ishmael water and bread and sent them away. As Abraham watched Hagar and Ishmael walk away, he knew they faced death in the wilderness as soon as they ran out of water and food.
This became a critical point in the Biblical world. Hagar wept. Sarah ranted. And Abraham grieved.
But Hagar and Ishmael did not die. When their water and food ran out, Ishmael called on God who sent His angel to them. The angel confirmed to Hagar that Ishmael would make a great nation. The angel made a well of water to appear. Hagar and Ishmael thrived and eventually Hagar got Ishmael a wife from Egypt.
From Sarah and Isaac came Jacob, the father of Judaism. And from Ishmael came Muhammad, the father of Islam.
Of course, Jesus traced his lineage back to Abraham. Christians make claim to Abraham’s covenant with God.
And so the three major Abrahamic religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam emerged from one particular love triangle.
The fight between Sarah and Hagar continued. In the Jewish-Muslim divide is this fight. In the Christian-Arab divide is this fight too. To a large extent, the 9/11 terrorist attack is a continuation of this fight. And so is the raging Boko Haram carnage in Northern Nigeria.
In “The Woman Who Named God,” Charlotte Gordon described Abraham as “more like an Updike character than an ancient as he stands at his tent, torn between duty and desire, his love for one woman and his responsibility to another, and tormented by faith in a God whose motivations he doesn’t always understand.” Beyond the myths, Abraham is seen as another man battling normal emotions. Others see him as one completely obedient to God.
In some historical viewpoint, Sarah is seen as a good wife who wanted her husband to be happy. She is also seen as a jealous wife who pushed away her husband’s child. Some Muslims have not forgiven her for that. Some Jews following Sarah’s thinking still insist that the children of Ishmael are not inheritors of God’s promises to Abraham.
Hagar is seen as a slave who was used and dumped. In other viewpoints, she is seen as a single woman who struggled to make it in spite of all odds. Some Muslims, children of Ishmael have not forgiven the treatment meted out to Hagar.
In this love triangle comes several questions. What is the true line of inheritance? What is a family? What kind of sexual encounter is right? Why did Abraham ask Sarah to lie to Pharaoh? Why did Sarah offer Hagar to Abraham? Why did Hagar mock Sarah? Who and who are children of Abraham? Who is not? Could one be child of God without being a child of Abraham?
Abraham loved two women. God asked him to choose one. What would have happened had Abraham ignored God and let Hagar live with him and raise their Ishmael together with Isaac?
Some scholars believe that Abraham’s second wife, Keturah, is Hagar. She returned after the death of Sarah.
When Abraham died at the age of 175, Ishmael and Isaac travelled to Hebron to bury him. Reconciliation came at Abraham’s death. The same cannot be said of the three religions that originated from him.
What we know for sure is that the real Abraham came out of a sophisticated Sumerian culture of over 4000 years ago that gave us writing, art and the sailboat. He was an educated man from a successful family who was seeking greatness. He traveled along the most advanced centers of the ancient world of his time and did what every Sumerian immigrant would have done.
It was over 1000 years after Abraham’s death that his story was recorded in the palace of King Solomon. Imagine recording your grandfather’s story some 1000 years from now. How much of what really happened can anyone capture? How much of the story would be embellishment?
Biblical scholars believe that the story of Abraham as recorded in Genesis emerged from 6th and 5th century literary ideas. It aimed at reassuring Israelites in exile that despite the destruction of Jerusalem, there is hope. Historically, the 2nd millennium history of Canaan has nothing in common with the stories in Genesis. What the story of Abraham did was to translate the concept of the Sumerian personal god into a creator-personal god of a people. The new god was non-human but yet humanized enough that he needed Abraham.
It is never easy to doubt things. You need to be armed with critical thinking utensils in order to withstand the spell of today’s explanation of yesterday’s questions. The mist of yesterday’s mystery clears with the emergence of a bright morning sun. Whether we believe these characters actually existed or not, Abraham, Sarah and Hagar’s love triangle has continued to define how we see ourselves and how we see others. Theirs was what Rev. John R. Coats called the first soap opera.
In the world of today, those who are not ‘lost in the confusion of their understanding’ are ‘lost in the understanding of their confusion’. Jonathan Swift said that “you cannot reason someone out of a belief they didn’t reason themselves into.” As China and India rise, there is hope that in the next century mankind may experience a world not dominated by those trapped in God’s love triangle. Are you trapped in God’s love triangle?
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Re-Pius is gradually falling over the bridge 1
Submitted by Maituta (not verified) on March 24, 2013 - 09:39.
So fixation with god is not the atheist preoccupation but that of those whose lives and death revolve around fear and expectation of punishment and reward respectively.An atheist who has no fear of death accepts it as the inevitable logic of his mortality.But for those who expect another life after their physical exit,belief in god is their lot.As to suicide,it's nothing but a personal decision to choose the time of one's death which is inevitable,anyway
Re-Pius is gradually falling over the bridge
Submitted by Maituta (not verified) on March 24, 2013 - 09:33.
George,pls tell me between an atheist and a religious apologist who is more obsessed with God?An atheist doesn't believe in the existence of God that is attributed with omniscience and omnipresence.He sees human signature on everything-from culture,morality to religion-attributed to god,as a projection of the human mind and as nothing supernatural.
Pius is gradually falling over the edge
Submitted by George (not verified) on March 23, 2013 - 10:24.
I cannot sincerely say I understand why this man is so much fixated and obsessed with God. Pius, my candid advice to you is to watch it. People like you almost always end up committing suicide.God is too big a being to call to a fight.
Re-what bat Islam ?
Submitted by Maituta (not verified) on March 22, 2013 - 20:54.
MC,u're dead wrong! The difference between Islam and Christianity is merely theoretical.Although each of them differ in fundamental theological principles,they differ in historical trajectories and their socio-cultural views evolved through different political and geographical conditions,yet over the centuries they intersected each other,fighting and scrambling for geopolitical sphere of influence and economic domination.But above all,both are products of the ideas in our heads.That's all they are.
Sadly, We Were All Born Into This Love Triangle
Submitted by Adedayo (not verified) on March 22, 2013 - 06:38.
Rudolf, you didn't disappoint once again. I like your style of reasoning. Religion has caused too much pain and sorrow in this world, which is ironic because that's the exact opposite of what they preach. I'm glad it's slowly dying out.
@MC
Your arguments don't make sense at all. Totally off-point. Rudolf was born a Xtian and is in a good position to write about Xtianity. If u have interest in critique(ing) Islam, send your writeups to SR.
What abt Islam?
Submitted by MC (not verified) on March 21, 2013 - 20:13.
Rudolph, how do you convince us that it's not cowardice i.e. fear of reprisal that causes your failure to, for once, satirize and mock Islam/Koran,just the way you often do Christianity/Bible, irrespective of loads of juicy inspiration that sorround you in today's world where extremists kill, like chicken, your kinsmen in the Northern part of the country? Isn't it time your fellow Igbos, whose main religion you make mockery of, benefitted from your 'rebellious' writing prowess?
I urge you to dare the Boko boys and join the coveted hall of fame of The Fearless. You know na.
This is why on his last misadventure...
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on March 21, 2013 - 19:55.
This is why on his last misadventure on the Holy Bible, he was advised by many that you can't be a Jss1 pupil and expect to comprehend and handle the rigours & complexities of Sss3 advanced maths & physics. It's not possible!
Thankfully, earlier comments have again advised and made corrections to guide you & your gullible supporters here. Also be aware that Bokoharam is against any belief (including atheism & agnosticism) they consider not to be in line with their warped-brand of islam.
Rudolfu once again if you don't have the time/energy to seek the truth then look for something else to do instead of edging towards blasphemy. Palm wine tapping won't be a bad idea!!
@Olusegun Olaleye
Submitted by agbelero on March 21, 2013 - 16:09.
Why abuse Pius in the process of praising Dr. Damage's article. Is this a Yoruba problem? run your brother down without just cause. Where is the rubbish in Pius article? And it's not all the time that Dr. Damages make sense, he sometimes express opinion that not everybody agree with, just like Pius once in a while. To destroy ones work with a sweeping brush shows lack of decency and disrespect. I am not Pius spokesperson, but I find your outburst uncultured.
christpsychosis
Submitted by FreeThinker (not verified) on March 21, 2013 - 15:22.
A religion that stood by and watch over 15 million black Africans ferried across the atlantic in the worst inhuman condition is not fit of reference. A religion that granted the spanish invaders to massacre half the population of ancient Mayans belongs in the past. A religion that preaches hatred for your enemies, fire to burn fellow human beings that has different view points from yours its inhuman. Christians are bunch of schizophrenics suffering from christpsychosis.
Well done again, Dr. Damages.
Submitted by mathelize on March 21, 2013 - 13:58.
Another thought provoking article from one and only Dr. Njankiri Damages.
This is a well researched piece, not the rubbish, kick out siddon look, by Pius Adesanmi. Pius has lost his dignity. I don't read his useless articles anymore. Being a prof doesn't mean one is intelligent. Writing is nothing compared to scientific researches that change lives.
Rudolf, please continue to enlighten dumb africans that there's no afterlife and no punishments when they die. They should concentrate on what they can achieve in this present world, not an imaginary afterlife.
NO PARADISE, NO HELL! Think critically, work hard, say bullshit to all religions and enjoy your lives - Dumb black people!
You can call me any names - idiots
Olusegun Olaleye
You are too great a writer.
Submitted by Linus (not verified) on March 21, 2013 - 12:27.
Your raft of writings really typify the major reason why you write: '..to change the mind of men and to repaint the pictures of things.' I laud the panache with which all your articlrs are crafted.
You don't interpret the bible
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on March 21, 2013 - 11:50.
You don't interpret the bible just by head knowledge. You need the Author of the Bible( The Holy Spirit of God) to help you interpret the bible properly.
Rudolf may be a good writer but when it comes to interpreting the bible, he doesn't do a good job. Rudolf, please get to know the Author of the bible personally, it will tranform your writing career.
Reply to CONFUSED
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on March 21, 2013 - 11:07.
Everyone created of God has spirituality and thus religious.U are confused bcos u are ignorant.Ask God 4 enlightenment.
Intrigues
Submitted by Awelu (not verified) on March 21, 2013 - 10:46.
With Abraham, there was incest, then pimping, then threesome. Then his brothers offered his daughters for gays to prevent some hoodlums sleeping his male visitors. If Lot like Sodom, might he be a gay? Abrahamic religions reeks of intrigues and abnormalities.
Understanding the Genesis of the Genius
Submitted by Prince Deji Daniyan (not verified) on March 21, 2013 - 05:59.
Rudolf, Rudolf and Rudolf. How many times did I call you? One of the hallmarks of a genius is being the guy or person who steps out of the box to think of the unthikable. You trickle me with your intellectual ferocity.
I think your next piece should be the application of the Abrahamic love debacle or triangular love story to the formulation or amalgamation of Nigeria as a nation state.
NONSENSE!
Submitted by Sunday (not verified) on March 21, 2013 - 05:17.
Hey Rudolf, I see that you are one of those people who have been completely brain-washed by the white man! Good piece.
Keep on believing that our existence in this world is based on the history of the Jews and the white people in general - there are some of us who do not belong to that school of thought.
I bet that your next piece will try to make that idiotic connection between the Igbos and the Jews. LOL.
The well-worn path, in a different style!
Submitted by MC (not verified) on March 21, 2013 - 01:39.
Few readers likely to be ensnared by Rudolph's flowery language - a chief element of miracle-while-you-wait pastors, prestidigitators, con-artists playing Spanish Prince, Don Joans etc - may not see where his vehicle of doom is headed, but this subliminal campaign for a Godless universe is not beyond many's ken.There's an ideal manifestation of true wisdom. Julius seeks to advertise 'intellectualism', while rounded illuminatis engage in chivalrous quest to change 'bad' norms. Theist or atheist matters little but campaign and/or indoctrination of the latter could escalate global reign of terror, for humans' scrupples are planted and watered by theism. Rudolph,I'm sure ur children are Christians, note also that some knowledges and opinions should exist only in our minds or within a conclave, for checkered reasons, paramount being to avoid unleashing that monster in men often shackled by belief in a God/god.
Correction
Submitted by Emeka Aku (not verified) on March 20, 2013 - 23:38.
Correction: Ibrahim loved Ishmael but not Hagar. Ibrahim was promised a nation and a land.. A nation here is a special people God can call His own, show Himself to & who are supposed to reveal God to the rest of the worid.That nation failed woefully and God came Himself ( in plan d) to reconcile Himself to the world. That was why the promise was to a particular lineage, not both. God's timing was too long for Ibrahim so he chose to help God but God insisted on His own plan. That s why only one religion is true. That's why only one lineage is entitled to the and of Canaan.
and so
Submitted by gerd meuer (not verified) on March 20, 2013 - 23:31.
that ABATI Okokonwo has no other worries ?
a cheap wordsmith !!!
Prof Penkelemess
A nation= a special epode he can call hs own
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on March 20, 2013 - 23:30.
A nation here is a special people God can call His own, show Himself to & who are supposed to reveal God to the rest of the worid.That nation failed woefully and God came Himself ( in plan d) to reconcile Himself to the world. That was why the promise was to a particular lineage, not both. God's timing was too long for Ibrahim so he chose to help God but God insisted on His own plan. That s why only one religion is true. That's why only one lineage is entitled to the and of Canan.
Nice piece
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on March 20, 2013 - 21:43.
The Bible is a complicated book and needS proper understanding to make sense of it. Thanks Rudolf for the piece. Meet Nigerian singles, jobs, properties, cars for sale online. http://www.planetadvert.com.ng/
RUDULFISM!!!
Submitted by Delasso (not verified) on March 20, 2013 - 19:38.
Well crafted masterpiece!
Religions. Is the root
Submitted by Jimmy Johnson (not verified) on March 20, 2013 - 19:23.
As I read this Obama the leader of the free world is in Jerusalem claiming the Abrahamovic lineage. With missiles know one hand and nuclear buttons at the ready on the other hand to kill the children of Abraham or Is it Abrahamovic as my ipad suggest the world is doomed with religion. How I wish America pray their way to space to get even with the Russians back in the days
This Boy!
Submitted by Sumanguru (not verified) on March 20, 2013 - 17:18.
This Rudolf boy must be something of a genius. How does he think up these stuff? Me, I wonder o!
The confusion in understanding
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on March 20, 2013 - 16:41.
In the world of today, those who are not ‘lost in the confusion of their understanding’ are ‘lost in the understanding of their confusion’.Rudolf has nailed it.
Trapped in God's love triangle
Submitted by Babanmaiduniya (not verified) on March 20, 2013 - 16:02.
Rudolf,Rudolf Rudolf,you again?Striking the hornet's nest as you're delightfully wont to be doing?Anyway,and again this strike is also effective.More grease to your elbow,my friend Rudolf.
Confused
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on March 20, 2013 - 15:16.
What really confused me about the bible is that God promised to make a nation of of Abraham, and he got a housemaid from Egypt. Is that nation not already existing? His wife Sarah is also from somewhere. I wish people can open their senses and leave religions alone.
The Hagaric/Ishmaelic Anger
Submitted by Drudge (not verified) on March 20, 2013 - 14:53.
The anger rages on. That same anger is ragging in Nigeria even as recent as 2 days ago when over 150 Southerners (Christians) were burnt to death as they were about to travel to Aba and Lagos. Now we know why our government cannot do anything other than to condemn and move on.
Only God Understand
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on March 20, 2013 - 14:41.
Rudolf you have said it all.... This your write up is absolutely classic and it is whole truth about the recent happening in the world. God in His infinitely wisdom knows the best and He knows how to end the whole thing. God is always good.
