Reading how Armstrong describes those who were exiled was
very interesting and thought provoking. One can define exile as “the state or a period of forced absence from one's country
or home” (www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exile)
but Armstrong goes into depth to describe that in times of distress and
difficulty many people “turn more readily to myth than to rational forms of
faith” (pg 82). To force someone to leave their home, abode, residence; where
they formed so many memories was torn away from them as they were forced to
leave ones country. Armstrong delves further into the psychology of exile and
attaching to a myth in times of crisis and upheaval, by stating “myth can
penetrate deeper than cerebral discourse and touch the obscure cause of
distress in the farthest reaches of our being.” (pg. 82) Such profound thoughts
strengthen the readers understanding of what it was like for the Judahites when
they got exiled. Feeling spiritually
dislocated, exiles “can feel cast adrift and lost in a universe that has
suddenly become alien..” (pg 82) It was very interesting how at that time those
who still wished to worship God couldn’t fathom contacting Yahweh spiritually in
an alien land. The way that we pray today would be quite foreign to the Judeans
at the time. The interior spirituality was something new the Judeans would
learn after being exiled.
Medina,
ReplyDeleteI would like to hear more of your thoughts on as to why you feel that the way we pray is different to that of the ancient Judeans. I agree they are vastly different, but I do think that the concept of praying to God wherever you are at with the expectation He will hear you is a concept they grasped.I think when you look at the revelation God gave to Ezekiel showed that concept. We can also look at biblical figures such as Daniel, Nehemiah, and even Abraham who were in a far and distant land and prayed with the expectation of God hearing their words.