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Examining Sacred Texts Bette U. Kiernan, MFT

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Title: Examining Sacred Texts Bette U. Kiernan, MFT


1
Examining Sacred TextsBette U. Kiernan, MFT
  • MIT 6
  • Media in Transition International Conference
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • Stone and Papyrus
  • Storage and Transmission
  • April 24-26, 2009

2
EXAMINING SACRED TEXTSBette U. Kiernan
  • Bible and Koran creation stories for modern
    civilization
  • Most influential texts portray models for
    brutality
  • Both also contain messages of peace
  • Sacred texts lend themselves to new compassionate
    interpretation
  • A New Story will emphasize conjoint lineage of
    Moslems, Christians, Jews
  • Ancient roots of family tree begin in Garden of
    Eden and unfold to the present
  • Broken families can realign

3
Examining Sacred TextsBette U. Kiernan, MFT
  • If Gods actions portrayed through contemporary
    psychological lensdisordered being portrayed
  • Characteristics of DSM IV Narcissistic
    Personality Disorder
  • -grandiose, requires excessive admiration, lacks
    empathy, envious, raging, arrogant, haughty,
    interpersonally exploitive
  • Patterns in ancient texts mirror disturbed
    families and nations
  • Biblical and Koranic images of God and Allah may
    originate from compromised projections
  • God introduced pain in creation when he
    abandoned Adam and Eve Their wound went through
    the families that followed
  • Formed pattern for the development of violent
    civilizations

4
EXAMINING SACRED TEXTSBette U. Kiernan
  • Gods rages, jealousy, lack of empathy lay
    groundwork for progressive pattern of family
    violence
  • Brutal treatment begins with Adam and Eve
  • Core theme of abandonment and rejection
  • Follows Cain, Abel, Jacob, Esau and Moses onto
    outcast society of the Jews
  • Similar rejection of Hagar by Abraham initiates
    Moslem Culture
  • Both cultures major sacred events,Yom Kippur and
    The Hajj center around projection
  • Moslems, Christians and Jews are all subjected to
    ostracism and abuse
  • Holocaust climax of centuries of wounding
    interactions

5
Exploring Sacred TextsBette U. Kiernan
  • Biblical tales culminate in story of Abraham
  • Gods demand that Abraham sacrifice Isaac
    considered child abuse in our times
  • Intention to harm a child psychologically
    disturbing
  • God set Jews scapegoat role in stone by
    commanding a covenant that marked them
  • Ancient threat to wound Isaac continues through
    circumcision
  • Deviance attracts cruelty
  • Family system continues into Islam when Abraham
    rejects Hagar and Ishmael.
  • Continues as Mohammed goes to heaven with Moses
    and Abraham to receive the Koran from Angel
    Gabriel

6
Examining Sacred TextsBette U. Kiernan
  • An integration of cultural stories and personal
    histories creates identities of individuals and
    societies
  • Considering contributions of religion to violence
    essential
  • Worshipping texts that accept violence nurtures
    war-like mentality and significant in the
    creation of terrorists
  • Attention to difference fosters hostility
  • Magnifying points of agreement yields harmony

7
Exploring Sacred TextsBette U. Kiernan
  • A new story can emphasize conjoint family lineage
    of Moslems, Christians and Jews
  • All can proudly claim mutual family history
  • The family tree One branch hold Sunni, Shiite
    and Sufi Moslems another branch carries Jewish,
    Mormon, Christian and Catholic groupings
  • Myriad offshoots expand from each denomination
  • Christianity, Islam and Judaism remain
    essentially linked through mutual scriptural
    heritage

8
Examining Sacred TextsBette U. Kiernan
  • Many pathways to common ground
  • Feature shared prophets and heroes in the Bible
    and the Koran that honor shared respectful
    relationships, reverence for the earth, and
    compassionate care for less fortunate others
  • Mutual heroes transform the pain of abuse to
    creative leadership and a higher social order
  • Psychological means of positive coping rather
    than projection can be encouraged
  • Media processes of all kinds that are available
    in our times can be applied to ancient scriptures
    that are still worshipped
  • Media can shift emphasis in sacred texts and
    thereby influence the creation of a more
    peaceable world

9
THE NEW STORY
  • Biblical and Koranic Heroes transform emotional
    pain into creative leadership
  • Attention on shared wisdom teachings in sacred
    texts
  • Conjoint family history for Moslems, Christians
    and Jews evokes mutual pride
  • New sacred rituals revolve around acts of
    compassion
  • A sustainable vision of a peaceful and united
    humanity needs to be shared among people, across
    time and generations

10
The Old Story
  • Biblical God and Koranic Allah model destruction
    of others for emotional management
  • Scapegoating acceptable means for problem solving
  • Enemies used as receptacles for projection of
    unwanted feelings
  • Most solemn sacred holidays for Jews and Moslems,
    Yom Kippur and The Hajj, emerged from ritualized
    projection
  • Underlying character disordered behaviors in
    Genesis families

11
A Message From the Angel Gabriel
  • In the beginning, God created heaven and earth.
    He separated light from darkness and made day and
    night. The land he split from seas. Plants and
    trees grew seeds, flowers and fruits. He
    positioned the sun, moon and stars in the
    heavens. Next he generated sea creatures, birds
    and animals. But he created Man and Woman in his
    own image. After his creation, God rested and
    blessed and hallowed that day.
  • The first man he named Adam, and his wife called
    Eve. God made them good and commanded them to
    obey his rules and let them live in the Garden of
    Eden.
  • But Adam and Eve broke Gods commandment and ate
    forbidden fruit. God shamed then and cast them
    out of the Garden.
  • Adam and Eves tears carried to their children
    and to their childrens children. When God
    separated their actions into good and bad, he
    created a problem. Men and women have light and
    dark sides, so they were not able to live up to
    Gods expectations.

12
A Message from the Angel Gabriel
  • Thus their families carried the wound that that
    came from Gods rejection of Adam and Eve. Rage
    and sadness followed Cain, Abel, Jacob, Esau,
    Sarah, Abraham, Hagar, Joseph, Ishmael, Mohammed,
    Jesus and others across ages.
  • The Islamic peoples began when Abraham rejected
    Hagar, the mother of his first son, Ishmael, and
    sent her away. Just as when God banished Adam and
    Eve, she grieved in the wilderness until Angel
    Gabriel comforted her.
  • Abraham lasts. We carry Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
    within us.
  • Mohammed went to heaven with Moses and Abraham
    and received the Koran, the word of Allah, from
    Angel Gabriel. Gabriel was always with the
    peoples of God and Allah and brought them the
    important messages. The great angel helped Daniel
    interpret dreams. Mohammed learned that Allah,
    like God, gave severe punishments.
  • Rage and hurt are in the peoples of Abraham.
    Across eons, into our times, wounds from the
    beginning in the Garden of Eden, erupted into
    into discord and wars and climaxed in The
    Holocaust. Germans murdered millions of Jews and
    others who did not match their expectations.
  • Now peoples of Israel and Palestine direct their
    ancient pain against each other. Like the
    Biblical siblings who fought over blessings and
    birthrights, they fight over lands. As they do,
    their violence adds new scars to those who dwell
    in troubled regions and it spreads across the
    world.
  • Gabriel, the mediator between heaven and earth,
    is bringing new messages that it is time to
    reconcile. He is whispering into the ears of
    Israelis, Palestinians and others to make music
    together in orchestras, play together in camps,
    and meet to discuss visions for peace.

13
  • Gabriel points that apparent differences between
    the peoples of Abraham, upon a closer look,
    reveals their likeness. All revere teachings of
    Moses, David, Joseph and other prophets. They
    realize that just as Joseph fostered healing in
    his family, his story still teaches us a pathway
    to compassionate relationship. Discordant
    relationships can realign.
  • Their holidays of Christmas, Chanukah, and
    Islamic New Year are in the month of December.
  • They show reverence for God and Allah by keeping
    their heads covered.
  • Now our ways of life are changing. Angel Gabriel
    enfolds all peoples in the warmth and comfort of
    giant wings to comfort them.
  • He warns that the world is threatened, and that
    the families must join together. Through mutual
    compassion for their shared wounds, the time is
    here to create a newer, gentler world.
  • Gabriel announces, Collect the kindest words of
    God and Allah and focus upon the peace bearers
    actions. Combine them into a book that guides and
    heals.

14
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