Mechanisms of Social Control - 6
Unquestioning obedience in the "binding" story.
The "binding" story, which has such an important place in the holy Jewish New Year services, can also be seen as a preparatory device for a basis of power (Genesis 22). Abraham is commanded by the Lord to take his beloved son, Isaac, to a mountain where he is to be sacrificed to the Lord. Abraham misleads his son, brings him with a donkey and firewood to the designated location, binds Isaac and is about to drive his knife into Isaac when his hand is stopped by an angel of the Lord. Abraham has passed the test, and as a reward for his unquestioning obedience, his acceptance of the ultimate legitimate power of God, Abraham and his descendants will be God's chosen people, with all of the rewards which that implies. If one obeys without question the legitimate power of the Lord and has faith in His ultimate wisdom, then one not only can avoid extreme punishment, but can anticipate enormous rewards. But by being chosen, Abraham and his descendants also incurred a lasting obligation "to do and obey all that the Lord hath spoken" without exception and without question (legitimate power of reciprocity). Thus "binding" refers not only to the physical binding of Isaac, but to the resulting "binding" of Jewish people to the Lord, with an obligation of unquestioning obedience, establishing the Lord's extreme legitimate power, legitimate power of position and reciprocity, but still backed by coercive and reward power.
We might note that the binding account is also represented in the Koran, but with Ishmael, Abraham's other son and the ancestor of the Arabs, taking the place of Isaac. There is one difference, however, in that Ishmael is made aware of his being sacrificed and attempts to assist Abraham in this deed of obedience.
Rejection of Reasoning and Informational Power
Also reflected in religions is their emphasis on legitimate and ultimate expert power of the Deity, as compared to informational power. For the former, adherence and complete acceptance of the literal word of God and the Bible is an absolute necessity.(6) St. Paul argued for "justification by faith," accepting the word without question, for even "God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom" (I Corinthians 1.25). If there is discussion, it is not so much in terms of what is ultimately moral per se, but in terms of what God and the Bible really mean by a particular passage. Suppose we congratulate an orthodox traditional Jew on the wisdom of his ancestors, who in biblical times proscribed the eating of pork products and shellfish. After all, it is only relatively recently that careful scientific research has become aware of trichinosis and other diseases that in a hot Middle East climate, without refrigeration, can lead to serious illness and death. Our biblical ancestors were able to determine this through their wisdom and careful observations. We might be startled to find that, rather than receiving appreciation or gratitude, our congratulations will more likely meet with rejection and even indignation: The reason we don't eat pork or shellfish is simply because it is stated in the Torah that such food is forbidden, an "abomination": No further reason is necessary. Indeed, it could even be argued that we are not forbidden to eat pork in order to avoid a deadly disease that we now know as trichinosis; rather trichinosis might be the severe punishment that is visited on the person who violates religious law by eating meat that is ritually unclean.(7)
The concern by fundamentalists that the literal words be accepted (legitimate and expert power) seems clear. Once we speak in terms of
informational power - expecting rational reasons why an act is required or forbidden - then we also allow the adherent to question that and other proscriptions and requirements. Since today we have refrigeration, the acceptor of informational power may say, we can now safely eat pork and shellfish. And as further items are questioned, the adherent's ultimate faith might be undermined. For fundamentalists - Jew, Christian, or Moslem - it is important therefore that every word in the Holy Work, both the historical facts and the various dicta, be accepted as literally true and not to be questioned. There is an interesting parallel here to the military officers who feel that they cannot trust soldiers to be influenced by explanations, informational power, but instead insist on unquestioned reliance on expert and legitimate power. Such acts as saluting a superior officer in addition to emphasizing obedience to the word of military law begin to have the appearance of ritualized behavior. Ritual, of course, plays a very important role in most religions. Common ritual gives the adherent a sense mutual identity with others in their religious community, with the security and satisfaction which that implies. But one might see one important function of ritual as the establishment of the legitimate power of religious law.
To be sure, even among traditionalists, as among various Protestant sects of the Christian church, there is active discussion of the meaning of the words of the Bible or other Holy Works. The Jewish Talmud includes millions of words of such discussion, and the Talmud is actively reviewed in disputations with thousands of Talmudic scholars to this very day. But, I believe it is fair to say, that much of this discussion focuses not on what is inherently appropriate or moral behavior, but what did the Lord really mean by these words, and how can one comply with them precisely under changing social and environmental conditions.
Go to Part 7