Robert A. Silverstein
New York,USA
On November 13, 2016, The Morung Express, the Eastern Mirror, and the Nagaland Post published an article by Husezo Rhakho titled, “THE TRAGEDY OF DIMINISHING REVERENCE TO GOD”. I want to expand on his article and take it in a direction that naturally leads from what he wisely said.
My Rhakho is upset that those who use WhatsApp and Facebook use God in a frivolous manner. An example he gives is when someone states on line, “'Forward to15 groups or else God will send bad luck to you for 15 years!'” Rhakho states that such messages leave him, “...torn between indignation and amusement....” Shortly after expressing the above, Rhakho states: “God's thoughts are higher than our thoughts. God's ways are higher than our ways. Since when can man – who is but dust – dictate how GOD – THE ONE ENTHRONED IN HEAVEN – would use His power? We have reduced God to such a point that He would seem just like any of us, whose actions are usually directed based on our EMOTIONS. The One who transcends time and space IS USED AS A MEANS TO PROVE A POINT OR TAKE A STAND.... If we pause even for a span of 10 seconds before forwarding or liking such messages, … we would realise the utter foolishness behind the act.” [My emphasis, in capitals, in lines four and five.] I have written a number of articles recently on the topic of the Naga nationalist movement, some of which were published in The Morung Express and the Nagaland Post. I do not intend to get into the details of my arguments here, arguments which try to support my contention that the government of India will never grant a sovereign Naga nation to the Naga people and to pursue the issue, no matter what the consequences, may very well lead to the destruction of the Naga people.
But I do want to address one argument used by some Naga nationalists in support of their contention that they will eventually succeed in getting a sovereign Naga nation. That argument is one that relies on God for support of their position. It is my contention that, if you are going to pursue some goal that, no matter how meritorious , may lead to the destruction of yourself and your people, you have an obligation to be as objective as possible and use facts in as honest a way as possible. There is no room for God in such an argument.
In an article by Kaka Iralu in The Morung Express dated March 16, 2016, titled, “Some Easter Thoughts on Easter 2016,” he quotes words from Isaiah 61:1, which include the words, “to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prisons to those who are bound.” Iralu goes on to argue that these words support his position that the Nagas deserve a sovereign Naga nation. In an article by myself in The Morung Express dated May 10, 2016, titled, “Errors and Omisssions … in The Name of Nationalism,” I argue that Iralu's interpretation of Isaiah 61:1 does not support his position. But I am not interested in addressing that issue again here.
What I am interested in discussing is that Iralu's attempt to use the Old Testament (what Jews like myself call the Hebrew Scriptures, as contrasted to the New Testament, or – to Jews – the Christian Scriptures) is completely inappropriate, but very common, not just by Iralu, but by millions of people throughout the world since the beginning of written history. I will now attempt, with the help of Rhakho's article, to show the error and dishonesty of supporting any position by referencing the Old or New Testament, or any other religious book that is founded on faith.
I want to repeat a section of Rhakho's article already quoted above: “We have reduced God to such a point that He would seem just like any of us, whose actions are usually directed based on emotion. The One who transcends time and space is used [like Iralu tried to do] as a means to prove a point [that the Nagas deserve a sovereign nation] or take a stand.”
It is my contention, as Rhakho states above, that our “actions are usually directed based on emotions.” It is a fact that the issue of Naga nationalism is a very emotional one for all Nagas, and that it is a natural human tendency for Nagas to grasp at any support they can to prove the correctness of their position.
There are a number of Christian bibles, all treating the reader differently. The Holy Bible, published by The Gideons, and found in many hotel rooms, treats the reader like a child or someone who is not familiar with the Christian religion. In the front it has sections like, “HELP IN TIME OF NEED,” and multiple headings under “SUGGESTED READINGS,” such as “PRACTICAL PRECEPTS,” where the reader can learn the chapters and verses explaining, for example, “Christian Home Relationships” and “A Model Wife and Mother.”
But the bible I'm most interested in discussing is the King James Version of The Holy Bible. This bible illustrates how easily it is to misuse the bible, to bend it to confirm any view you have, no matter how erroneous or even evil. In the rear of the bible, it has a word index, titled, “CONCORDANCE To the Holy Scriptures”. The section is over 100 pages long, and has hundreds of words, starting with “ABASE,” and ending with “ZEALOUSLY.” In between those two words, are nearly every imaginable word dealing with topics in the Hebrew and Christian scriptures, from “FREE” to “WAR.”
And under each word are the chapters and verses where these words are used in the bible. There are literally thousands of entries. And I finally come to my main point. Within those thousands of entries, a Naga nationalist, or any other person wanting to take a position on an issue, can find some chapter and verse, with the emotional will to read such chapter and verse in a way suitable to his point of view, that can be cited by that person as supporting his position, whether that view of the chapter and verse is accurate or not, whether it is honestly done or is a lie. One can make the bible say anything you want it to say. There are those who spend their lives trying to understand the bible: the exercise of doing so is called exegesis, and those who do this are still not sure what much of the bible means.
But any person with an agenda, a position that they feel strongly about, can, in complete ignorance or with deliberate knowledge of its error, state that the bible means anything they say it means. The vast majority of readers will either not have the interest or the knowledge to call attention to the errors or lies of the writer.
Those who want to kill, like the IS(the Islamic State), will quote their version of the Koran in support of the killing. Those who want to destroy a certain people, such as the Christian crusaders in the Middle Ages who destroyed thousands of Muslims in the name of the Christian God, those who want to keep land that others may have a valid claim to, such as my Orthodox Jewish brethren on the West Bank of the Jordan River, will quote God to back up their position, no matter how many die, no matter whether their claims lead to a major war. The Chosen People are chosen by God, and therefore they cannot be wrong!
If the Nagas want a sovereign nation, if anyone wants any specific thing that is contested and may lead to violence and hatred, it is best to rely for their arguments on facts and reality, not on faith and delusion.
