Sep 16 2008
By His Mighty Hand, Part III
Your arm is endued with power; your hand is strong, your right hand exalted. (Psalms 89:13)
A couple years ago I attended a lecture on the “neurobehavioral asymmetry in chimpanzees.” As we are discovering, other primates show a preference for the right hand. Certainly, the difference is not as pronounced, but it is there. By showing a right-hand bias, does the Bible tell us something about the supposed supernatural realm? Or does it instead hint at the biological origins of belief? You can guess what my response would be.
Biblical references to the hand/arm of its god pertain to the issue of dominance. As mentioned previously, primates (chimpanzees and especially human beings), use their arms a lot. To hurt, to comfort, to build and destroy. In his book on the biological roots of religion, Pascal Boyer notes, “A chimpanzee’s basic political tools are threat and appeasement, and the signals provided by nature are quite varied.” (28)
When a chimpanzee raises its arms above its head — look out. Arms are potentially dangerous. As a football fan I have noticed that many a player will raise his arms after scoring or making a play that show domination of the opponent. Or maybe he will flex his arms in a display of biceps. Yeah, I’m powerful.
Is there any metaphorical muscle-flexing in the literature and creeds of contemporary religions? Yes and hell yes.
The Church of the Latter Day Saints has this prophecy as part of its creed: They await the coming of “one mighty and strong who will set in order the house of god.” (29) No, they don’t await the coming of the “one loving and truthful” nor the one “honest and fair.”
And in the Bible we find numerous references to power as it pertains to a “spiritual” hierarchy.
For example, the early Christian church had some difficulties explaining how Jesus, the supposed son of their god, and somehow part of that god himself, could have had an earthly teacher in John the Baptist. Why would a god need tutoring? They resolve the issue with verses such as these:
The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Christ. John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. (Luke 3:15-16)
And, He must become greater; I must become less. (John 3:30)
Relevantly, when the Bible stories tell of the execution and ascension of the Christian hero, they use expressions like this one:
But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God. (Luke 22:69)
Yes, the invisible, most high alpha is mighty. So accept your relatively submissive position.
Hands and arms equated with power? Only an ape with an arboreal ancestry, and a shoulder ball-joint because of it, would emphasize and equate the action of an arm and power. I doubt that prophets of a super-advanced race of dolphins would have coined these lines:
“Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven. [bold mine] (Matthew 26:64)
He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: “What have you done?” (Daniel 4:35)
For he says: ” ‘By the strength of my hand I have done this, and by my wisdom, because I have understanding. I removed the boundaries of nations, I plundered their treasures; like a mighty one I subdued their kings. (Isaiah 10:13)
I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and a mighty arm in anger and fury and great wrath. I will strike down those who live in this city-both men and animals-and they will die of a terrible plague. (Jeremiah 21:5-6)
With your hand you drove out the nations and planted our fathers; you crushed the peoples and made our fathers flourish. (Psalms 44:2)
You know that because of the wars waged against my father David from all sides, he could not build a temple for the Name of the LORD his God until the LORD put his enemies under his feet. (1 Kings 5:3)
The LORD’s hand was against them until he had completely eliminated them from the camp. (Deuteronomy 2:15)
Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and with mighty acts of judgment I will bring out my divisions, my people the Israelites. (Exodus 7:4)
Your right hand, O LORD, was majestic in power. Your right hand, O LORD, shattered the enemy. (Exodus 15:6)
So I will stretch out my hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders that I will perform among them. (Exodus 3:20)
Do not worship any other gods or bow down to them, serve them or sacrifice to them. But the LORD, who brought you up out of Egypt with mighty power and outstretched arm, is the one you must worship. To him you shall bow down and to him offer sacrifices.
(2 Kings 17:35-36)
Dare I conclude that it seems the Bible god was created in an ape’s image?
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(28) Boyer, P. Religion Explained: The Evolutionary Origins of Religious Thought, Basic Books, New York, 2001, p.24
(29) Krakauer, J., Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith, Knopf Publishing Group, New York, 2004.
