But from the human side, the monotheistic version implies that humans can control the situation by being good (i.e. working to please the gods, get rewards, and avoid punishment)
Christianity certainly doesn't: thinking you can control God by being good is, well, gosh, there was a whole Reformation about that.
Judaism, or at least the Old Testament, has more of a tradition of calling on God -- but even then it's not so much of being able to control God by being Good, as God being a just judge who will find in the favour of the innocent. When the Psalmist calls on God, he's not trying to control or invoke God by being good, he's asking God to recognise his goodness. Important difference that: when two parties go to court, is the wronged one trying to control the judge by having been wronged? Or are they simply asking to court to recognise the justic eof the situation.
I know about Islam even less, but my impression is that a Muslim would laugh at the very idea of trying to control Allah, or change his mind in any way. Allah is sovereign and does whatever he wants, and we humans must simply accept that and obey -- very much like you describe the pantheistic response.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2008-02-10 05:50 pm (UTC)Christianity certainly doesn't: thinking you can control God by being good is, well, gosh, there was a whole Reformation about that.
Judaism, or at least the Old Testament, has more of a tradition of calling on God -- but even then it's not so much of being able to control God by being Good, as God being a just judge who will find in the favour of the innocent. When the Psalmist calls on God, he's not trying to control or invoke God by being good, he's asking God to recognise his goodness. Important difference that: when two parties go to court, is the wronged one trying to control the judge by having been wronged? Or are they simply asking to court to recognise the justic eof the situation.
I know about Islam even less, but my impression is that a Muslim would laugh at the very idea of trying to control Allah, or change his mind in any way. Allah is sovereign and does whatever he wants, and we humans must simply accept that and obey -- very much like you describe the pantheistic response.