| Kasz216 said: Really the bible does tend to give the same narrative of parenthood and the different steps. At first mostly permissive, then the kids get unruly so he has strict rules, get's harsh and authoratarian, then he was neglectful for a bit... eventually he mellows out and accepts his chidren for what they are, reopening the dialogue for communication by being more authorative. |
My view, in this regard, is actually that, irrespective of whether you believe in a god or not, pretty much all religions follow quite closely the pattern of parenthood.
When starting out, it's purely about nurturing - simply keeping the society functioning at all.
Then, as society starts to become a little older, the rules become strict, proscribing a lot of things and prescribing strict punishments for those things. And quite often, those rules are less about preventing them from the bad actions, and instead are focused on preventing them from being in situations where they might do bad things. Like banning a child from sitting close to a fire, or running with scissors. The equivalent would be banning consumption of pork or banning homosexuality.
But as society begins to mature, those rules are gradually relaxed, replaced in stages by advice rather than rule.
Eventually, it is expected that the 'child' (society) reaches the level of maturity necessary to be able to formulate and stick to its own rules. That's how one moves from childhood to adulthood, and it's how a society becomes self-reliant and more logical.
The "parent" in this context can either be "god" or the wise people of society.
In essence, even if you're a devoutly religious christian, it makes sense for you to believe that "God's will" is for humanity to, eventually, not need him, much as a child eventually doesn't need a parent when it becomes an adult. Doesn't mean the end of religion, but it does mean the end of strict adherence to religious rules.
I'd estimate that society is around 16-17 years old in terms of growth from child to adult. It still has a bit of a way to go, but it's beginning to become a lot more independent and logical.
