Sin & Forgiveness Are Smoke & Mirrors

I live in an RV with my dog Cooper. It's an experience, if you've never done it: living in an RV with an animal. I've never been so intimately familiar with the smacky-sucky-sounds, the yeasty-musky-smells, and Twister-esque yoga positions of dog grooming that all pretzelize the animal until it's nose and tongue-tip are at least 4 inches inside it's own anus. Let's say it will test your patience. And that's the point.

It "tests your patience". In other words, it tests the extent to which I can remain in a calm and mindful state. Why is this situation testing my patience? Why not my strength? Or my resolve? Or my hand-to-hand combat skills in a dogfight? Why, indeed....that answer is easy. It is my Patience that is tested because I have already accepted that Cooper can't help himself. It's who he is. How he was made.

I'm not mad at Cooper- just irritated and distracted that he is helplessly subject to those needs at moments when it's inconvenient for me. But that's my problem, not his. It's also my responsibility, not his. AND, it's my choice, not his. I require him to live in here with me. So, all that comes with that is my choice. What sense would it make to acquire Cooper, place him with me in a particular space, set the rules by which is he exists in this space that is not natural to him, and then hold him to a standard that is about my comfort, not his...even getting angry or emotional with him if he can't automatically fall in with me in my place with my rules in my time.

So my response to Cooper in frustrating moments is not anger. It's understanding. It's patience.

Let's flip that around.

The Annunaki created a worker species on planet Earth. They took them to a particular place, set rules that governed their existence in that place, provided for all their needs, and then reacted with surprise and dismay when their creation reverted to their primal urges and instincts and needs. In the annals of the heavens, the Annunaki, by their own apparent organization, hierarchy, division of responsibility, and their very words, operate far more akin to a corporate entity than a divine priesthood or religious organization. Humanity was created to solve a labor dispute, not as a benevolent act of love. We were introduced to perform certain functions. To provide a service for our creators. To relieve a previous workforce that had, well, had enough.

That the Annunaki mostly act in love and light and are known for their goodness, is not, all by itself, proof that their ambitions on Earth are equally good. Indeed, all earlier civilizations that interacted with these gods long before the Hebrews- the Sumerians, the Akkadians, and the Babylonians- all agree that Mankind's genesis was for a far more practical purpose- even the purpose of profit or self-preservation on the part of the Annunaki.

The Annunaki destroyed humans already at least once. Enlil practically walked the planet with a permanent resting Dirty-Harry face, in case any punk felt lucky. They did not shy away from violence, suffering, pain, or heartbreak. Nor did they shy away from doling it out. Just ask Pharoah. Enlil demanded action of him even while Enki hardened his heart to promote his demise. Good cop, bad cop. The Annunaki were good. They were fair. They were calculating and shrewd. They were determined and ALWAYS efficient. But they weren't always kind. And that part wasn't always predictable.

Bringing Adamu and his Eve to Eden in their city of Erridu wasn't so much a father bringing home a son, or a man bringing home a friend. It really was more like bringing the family dog in from the backyard to live inside for a while. And the outcome, to anyone that has ever had kids, was predictable.

Little brother Enki wants little Spot to stay inside forever. Spot gets on big brother Enlil's nerves. Anu tolerates it because he has other shit to do. Then, Spot crapped all over the carpet. Enlil freaked out, Anu put his foot down, and out goes Spot. Enki makes a blanket for Spot and takes it to him out in the backyard. I can imagine Anu finally getting involved before the holy roof on the holy house raises. His sons would be firmly reminded that, at the end of the day, Spot's job was to produce results in the labor force. Anu wasn't concerned with pets in the house. A father's priorities are always different.

Point being, the Annunaki weren't necessarily MAD at Adamu and Eve. They just didn't want crap on the carpet and the messy distractions that came with it. They knew and understood our nature. There was not the expectation that we could do different, except perhaps on the part of Enki. There was NOT an automatic recoil response from, in general, what we call "sin". There, instead, was surprise, dismay, punishment, and...then, consequences and problem-solving. Adjustments. Tweaks. Tests. More adjustments. Some adjustments took the form of assistance. And THAT is where the Biblical theology of this breaks down.

Divine response to its opposite would be absolute, according to this theology. Good cannot tolerate evil. It is fundamentally opposed to it. Light and darkness cannot coexist. Therefore, the succession of unfolding events described above WOULD END AT PUNISHMENT. Punishment is, in that vein, the storm that restores the balance: justice. The offense is balanced by the divine outburst. Assistance is consequences removed. Without consequences, the divine outburst is castrated, punishment is meaningless, and the offense would remain. BUT, the gods remained engaged. Some say that God's love for humanity was the fulfillment of his righteous judgement, because he IS love.

Whatever...there is zero...ZERO...evidence in the action narratives of the Patriarchy that suggests that God loves humanity at all. AT ALL. Likes and/or Dislikes? Yep. Tolerates? For sure. Abandons? Never. Sticks with? 100%. Possibly kill the entire planet at any moment? Yep, that, too. Enlil and Enki, together or individually, never asked even to be worshipped until the Hebrews wouldn't stop worshipping other gods. Distraction. They never insisted on monotheistic worship until the Law of Moses. Not until Deuteronomy do we hear a direct command from Enki to "love YHWH and Elohim (literally, "us and myself") with all your heart, soul, and strength". Up to then, they were satisfied with obedience, respect, balance, peace, and progress. Problem-Solving. Even their act of murdering the entire planet at least once through cataclysm wasn't, in itself, an act of hatred or dislike. It was utilitarian. Why do I say that? Because a reset immediately followed.

They worked it through, time and time again. It happened that way. The proof is every religious or literary work ever devoted to these gods. The proof is the fact that we are still existing as a species.

This does not describe divine perfection and priestly justice. This describes corporate efficiency and problem-solving...and perhaps overzealous C-suite execs becoming too involved with HR. In this view, the "sin" we imagine that we commit, isn't necessarily "evil". It may just be "inefficient" or "ill-timed" or "not supported by research" or "too risky" or "not profitable" or "bad for the brand". If you have ever worked in a franchise business, then all of this will sound familiar.

And, just as a young child might naturally interpret their own behavior as "very bad" when they observe the surprise and exclamation of their parents, I feel as though humanity has pushed expected godly reactions to human behaviors into either one of two hemispheres: "Wrong/Evil/Hell"and "Right/Good/Heaven". We have created a zero sum game. If a thing is good, it's all good. If it ceases to be good, then it is automatically evil. Black and white with no gray. Light and dark. Our theology has taught us this. Reinforced it with Bible-thumping emphasis, despite millennia of examples to the contrary in the book.

Our theology is wrong. Just as our creators' natural state is Mindfulness and not Love, their concern with our behavior is about Distraction and not Evil. Sure, there is a lot of overlap. I get that. But the point is undiluted by the spillover. It is within this very dilemma that we see the roots of our theology's error: all sins are 100% NOT equal. But all distractions are. Distraction IS a zero sum game. Multi-taskers aside, human focus is a particular challenge and whatever occupies your mind other than your point of focus is distraction. You're either focused on it or you aren't.

While we're talking about distractions, what is its cost? We're told the wages of sin is death. Theological. I do not now nor have I ever observed that to be true in a literal sense here in this world. What are the wages of distraction? A loss of time, I would suggest. Frustration. Forgetfulness. Slumber.

At this point, let's look at theological reactions. The reaction to both "Wrong/Evil/Hell" and "Right/Good/Heaven" is permanent. Eternal. Absolute. BUT what is the gods' actual reaction to Sin/Distractions in the Bible? It appears to be: Consequences and Problem-Solving. That's quite a difference between what we say the Bible says and what it ACTUALLY says and what we think the characters do versus what they ACTUALLY do. But there it is. It's what happened.

So where does FORGIVENESS come into play? Unless, you're a theologian, it doesn't, really. Our gods have always been able and willing to coexist with evil and suffering to some degree. And they have always tolerated a great deal of evil in their creation. To our many distractions, their response- beyond the initial surprise and exclamation- has always been understanding, acceptance, patience, and assistance even as we suffer in consequences.

• "Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who have sinned against us."

• "Loose the cords of mistakes binding us as we release strands we hold of others’ guilt."

Patience. Problem-solving. Untying mistakes and dropping strands of guilt. Take a breath. Breathe. Not everything is so God-Damn important. In these times particularly, we could all use a reminder that everything is a process and we are all in it together. Give yourself patience. Give yourself understanding. Give yourself permission to fail. Accept the consequences when you do. Never stop problem-solving. Never stop reaching. We're here and we see you.

So, after all, Sin & Forgiveness are really just smoke & mirrors created by humanity. You can label behaviors "sin" if you choose, the only harm being the weight of the perspective itself. And, you can solve this weight through "forgiveness", sure. They are tidy concepts for a simplistic system of thought. The true danger of sin is Distraction, not evil. Without theological sin, there is then only the need for patience. Remember who you are. Live free of distraction. Show patience.

May we be patient and understanding of those who distract us, even as You have been patient and understanding of our distractions."