Religion and Moby Dick

Religion and Moby Dick

Job was a man of the purest faith. When the world shunned God, Job's faith never declined. Job was a wealthy, handsome man with a beautiful wife and a vast amount of property. At some point in time, Satan made a bet with God that if Job situation was changed, his faith would quickly falter. On this note, God took Job's wealth, his property, his family, and his wife. When times were at their worst, God gave Job pus welts on Job's face, taking his looks. Job's faith, however, did not falter, instead it becamestronger. Job passed the test. God then healed Job, gave him more land, greater wealth , and a better wife. Job was baffled, he wondered the purpose behind his fall and rise. When he asked God this, God replied: "...Because I'm God." That was answer enough.

On an opposite note, Jonah was a man whom God called upon to become a prophet. Jonah refused because he didn't desire a life of servitude. Knowing that he had committed an ultimate sin, Jonah fled to the ocean, risking hundreds of crew members' lives, believing that God would not be able to follow. In the sea, Jonah was swallowed by God in the form of a whale In the whale's belly, he repented and prayed for forgiveness. He was spit up by the whale upon dry land and all was forgiven.

Man fears God. God created all life and all matter, he maintained it, and he can very easily take it back. Man realizes this, and those of the purest faith must pay a lifetime of homage and servitude. At least this is the key behind all God-believing religions. In a part of the Hindu faith, there is a God called Shiva. He is believed to be the "restorer and destroyer of worlds." Shiva is one of the most temperamental gods of any faith, he'll destroy the world on a simple whim. At one time, he even cut off his son's head and turned it into an Elephant face. One example of the type of faith Shiva requires is found in the story of a man who desired power more than anything. In order to obtain this power, he had to get sacred weapons created by Shiva. He began a deep meditation to obtain the weapons. This went on until his meditation clouded the heavens and angered Shiva himself.