As this unknown messenger (Malachi) wrestled with these realities of history, however, a crack began to appear in his tribal mentality. Modern readers need to realize that the world seemed very small to ancient people. Most of them had never been to the sea. They had no idea what lay beyond their coasts or the boundaries formed by mighty rivers or even mountain ranges. They were certain that the earth was the center of the universe, that the sun rotated around the earth and that the God who lived above the sky had the chosen people in the center of the divine gaze. They believed that this God controlled the weather, their sicknesses and the plight of the chosen people in history. They had no understanding of either the size of this planet or the vastness of the universe. They viewed life from the center of their limited self-consciousness. The whole world revolved around their lives and they believed that all of their behavior, whether it was liturgical and ethical, was judged only on how it pleased God and how God responded to it.
It seems there are still those with this primitive mind set. As well those who believe they can step outside of science and create other worlds in another divine universe and reign as Gods & Godesses...
Meanwhile, other mortals equally intelligent, moral, honourable and charitable, except they do not accept the teaching that special signs, oaths and undergarments are the demands of a "God" who/that bestows life on all without favour or prejudice, these nonMormons cannot hope for this paradisiacal glory; imagined though it is... Where is the consistancy here?
Roger
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