The Land and Genocide

I am intrigued by the notion of reading the bible from perspectives that are different from those one typically hears in Sunday School or Wednesday night bible study. This time it’s about the Exodus account. We learned in class that Dykstra suggests that Exodus should be read (in the US at least) from the perspective of the Egyptians rather than from the Israelites; from that perspective we are privileged people who are concerned primarily with empire building. Under this construct, empire has to do with exploitation, control, dominance, colonization, displacement of indigenous people, and cultural arrogance and global military power. From that perspective it seems that we, as a nation in general, are empire builders in terms of land, finances, social policy, politics, and yes, even religion and spirituality. Our history is rife with examples of the truth of these concepts.
Another item that I find equally intriguing is Robert Warriors’ "A Native American Perspective: Canaanites, Cowboys, and Indians," in Sugirtharajah, Voices from the Margin. He submits that as the Israelite exodus from Egypt and entry into the Promised Land overlooks the Canaanite perspective. If one views the story as a Native American, one might identify more closely with the Canaanites who were pushed out of the land that they populated. In addition, the stories also tell of the commanded genocide of a people. The Israelite’s obedience meant the complete annihilation of a nation. As I had recent conversations about this story, I was captivated by the thoughts ranging from “Well they were told to make the destruction complete and they didn’t obey” to “can you believe that, what do you think God was thinking?”
I am also captivated by pop culture and the fact that, in this case TV, wrestles with the ideas of genocide as well. I’m a fan of the new Battle Star Galactica, where humans are at war with a race of machines (the Cylons) that they created. The machines evolved and now look like the very humans they are trying to eliminate because humans do not appreciate all that they have and don’t deserve to remain in power. With humanity on the run towards this mystical, mythical planet called earth, the humans discover an opportunity to wipe out the entire race once and for all. I saw parallels in the genocide thinking, that one race has to be completely obliterated for the salvation of another. Stay tuned.