Chapter XI

A BIRD’S EYE VIEW OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

The Modern Christian leaders and preachers have to a large extent lost contact with the revelation of God in the Old Testament. The highest they do is to pay lip service to the Old Testament by occasionally including passages of it in their lectionary and by using the Psalms in their worship. Since the Christians themselves have rejected the Old Testament, I shall have to refer briefly to it.

In examining the Old Testament, one discovers that it suffers many defects, interpolations and changes in form, as well as content. These defects are such that there is hardly anyone who accepts the authenticity of the Old Testament as true and exact divine revelations to the holy prophets of Israel. Admitting that the Jews, Christians and the Muslims agree that God really spoke to the Prophets of Old Testament, both external and internal evidences no longer support the views that the records of the Old Testament as we possess it today, constitute the words of God as they were first revealed.

From the history of Israel, we learn that in the time of Nebuchadnezzar the books of Israel were burnt and destroyed. They were rewritten by Ezra and on close examination, there is a good deal of internal evidence to show that the books have been interfered with:

“So Moses the servant of the Lord dies there in the Land of Moab according to the word of the Lord. And he buried him in a valley in the Land of Moab over against Beth-Peor but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day.”    [Deuteronomy 34:5-6]

These verses show clearly that they were composed and added hundred of years after the time of Moses. It does not stand to reason that God ever addressed Moses, saying “Nobody knows about your sepulchre unto this day” since such words cannot be addressed to a living human being.

On reading the Old Testament, one finds many contradictions for example:

“Therefore Micheal the daughter of Saul had no child unto the day of her death.”    [II Samuel 6:23]

“And they give sons of Micheal the daughter of Saul, whom she brought up for Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite.”    [II Samuel 21:8]

The book contradicts itself by describing Micheal as childless in one place and the mother of five sons in anther.

Furthermore, the Old Testament consists of many savage teachings such as the following:

“And when the Lord thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them and utterly destroy them, thou shalt not make covenant with them nor show mercy unto them.”    [Deuteronomy 7:2]

To put to death all one’s enemies after their defeat, not to enter into any understanding with them and to refuse to show any mercy to them are more of the practice and conduct of cruel earthly kings than of any divine teachings. They cannot be attributed to the Beneficent and Merciful God. Certainly such teachings must have been incorporated in the Old Testament after Moses. Such an interpolation has made the holy book become rather foul.

The Old Testament also contains many irrational teachings as can be seen from the following:

“But his wife looked beck from behind him and she became a pillar of salt.”    [Genesis 19:26]

This seems more like magic; it is reminiscent of stories told to children about ghosts and fairies and therefore has no place in the Book of God. The account which the Holy Qur’an has given of this incident is more acceptable since it is devoid of any form of superstitious act or belief:

“She (Lot’s wife) was of those who stayed behind.”    [Qur’an 7:84]

In other words, she was not converted into a pillar of salt or any such thing; rather she refused to go with Lot and sacrificed the love of God for the love of relation.

The Old Testament also defamed many Prophets of God. In Genesis we read:

“And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and two daughters with him, for he feared to dwell in Zoar: and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters. And the first born said unto the younger, Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth. Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him that we may preserve seed of our father. And they made their father drink wine that night: and the first born went in and lay with her father; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose. And it came pass on the morrow, that the first born said unto the younger, Behold I lay yesternight with my father; let us drink wine this night also; and go thou in, and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father. And they made their father drink wine that night also; and the younger arose, and lay with him; and he perceived not when she lay down nor when she arose. Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father.”    [Genesis 19:30-36]

No comment is necessary to this terrible report. Suffice it to say that it offends our sense of morality and decency. But the present Old Testament does not hesitate to attribute this to a prophet. From this we have to conclude that the Old Testament, as we know it today is not the Old Testament revealed to Moses. It must have been composed by Jewish scholars at a time when they had developed hatred for the sons, real or supposed, of Lot, Moab and Ammon. The faith of these Jewish scholars had become so weak, their hearts had become so hardened that to defame Moab and Ammon they did not hesitate to attribute to the Prophet Lot conduct which is reprehensible in the extreme; the attribution of such conducts to any prophet is most revolting and untenable. One wonders if the Christian and the Jewish world today is prepared to accept atrocious practices attributed to the Prophets of God?

If the Old Testament, as it is today, is accepted by the Christians as a divine revelation from God, the question one would like to ask is, what spiritual benefit can accrue from the atrocious teachings of such a book which seems to have become mutilated and has been changed out of recognition from its original form. To regard a book which has suffered in this way as the very word of God is to invite ridicule against God and religion; one wonders what faith or trust can such a book inspire in its readers. These defects of the Old Testament clearly point to the need of a perfect book which should be free form these defects for the guidance of man and that book is the Holy Qur’an.

Conclusion:

The Christians ought to make a critical study of their faith.  In this book I have made a critical examination of the doctrines of Modern Christianity.  This examination has led me to the conclusion that the dogmas of the Trinity, the Divinity of Jesus, the Divine Sonship, the Original Sin and Atonement are neither, rational, nor in conformity with the teachings of Jesus.

These dogmas came into being after Jesus and were due to Pagan influence. They show that Christianity had departed considerably from religious teachings of Jesus. It is these dogmas that have created the anti-religious movements which have taken root in Russia and many other European countries. The views of these movements are based on a misconception of the nature of religion. Their three chief objections to religion are:

       1.         That religion helps in the maintenance of the present social system which has borne the fruit of Capitalism with a consequent crushing of the aspirations of he poor.

       2.         That it helps the people subject to superstition and thus hinders the advancement of science.

       3.         That it teaches them to pray for their needs instead of working for them and thus it makes them indolent.

This attitude to religion is spreading fast among Western educated and West orientated Nigerians. Yet, Nigerians by nature are religious people. Today a change is imperceptibly overtaking Nigeria, the old order is disintegrating and a new one is however yet to come. We Nigerians look to Europe for inspirations and ideals. But to any the social and political structures of the West are crumbling. Should we Nigerians take the pattern of the house that we want to build in post-war Nigeria from the structures that are sagging as a result of their violation of eternal laws.

The West built its powers and prestige on Nationalism and Laissez faire industrial capitalism which led to imperialistic exploitation and imperialistic wars. Its structure of a spurious democracy was shattered by Fascism and Communism. Shall we worship the state or racial and territorial nationalism putting patriotism in place of God? Shall we worship the dialectical materialism of the Communists which makes life as a regimentation for production and distribution? “Man is a worshipping animal, he creates gods and makes idols which he worships so long as they appear to grant him favors, but he shatters them when they do not serve his purpose”.

The materialistic West lost all faith in the true God of justice and humanity and installed other gods in His stead, but these wishful creations would give it no abiding satisfaction. These gods are impelling their votaries to invent world-destroying weapons that could wipe away all of humanity during a few hours. Life in these nations is becoming cramped, distorted and perverted. For instance, on my recent visit to America, I was surprised to see how unsettled and unhappy the American people are. I could not believe what I saw and heard in America. The Afro-Americans in America hated the whites and the whites detested the Afro-Americans in America. This leads to suspicious agitation among all the different sections of American population. No body seems to know what life is meant for. Man is at war with himself, with others and with his entire environment. Shall we borrow any life-giving panacea from this vast asylum of violent lunatics? Shall we follow the recipes of the physicians who have not been able to heal themselves? Nigeria is on the crossroads of either accepting the religious ways of life or adopting the unreligious ways of life of Europe.

During the Colonial Era, with the help of organized European Missionaries in Nigeria, many Christian religious leaders were hostile to Islam and presented Islam as a religion of barbarians. Some Christians even prayed and left no stone unturned in their efforts to replace Islam with Christianity.