A Lot of Questions
Have you ever felt that you wanted to completely consume a book, lingering over pages, soaking in the lessons, and generally just wanting to absorb everything in it? That is where I am with Dominion by Tom Holland. I like history and this book has lots of it with added depth as Holland provides copious details that seem to make the centuries come alive. His assertion that Christianity has informed much of western culture is bold, yet he backs it with historical references. This did make it difficult to narrow my focus.
As I was reading, I was struck with how it reminded me Jordan Peterson’s book, Maps of Meaning. Both authors went into great detail to work out the meaning of life in relation to belief, and in particular related to Christianity. Yet, while neither author professed to being Christian, both acknowledges that they have been formed by Christianity[1]. Peterson went so far as to recommend that people learn from and follow the teachings of Jesus[2]. Where the men differed was in their focus and approach. Peterson is a psychologist and professor. Holland is an historian and author.
While this book was dense, the area that drew me was his discussion regarding how people who were Jewish were marginalized and prohibited from becoming citizens in various Christian dominated realms. I’ve often wondered why Jews have been so despised.
- Was it because “they” crucified Jesus?
Christian are taught that all of us are responsible for the suffering and death of Jesus as He submitted to it for each person.
“for our sake and for our salvation He was crucified under
Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day.”
Portion of the Nicene Creed that dated back to approximately 381AD[3].
- Is it because the Old Testament of the Bible recounts the many times God was displeased with His chosen people because of their sinfulness in worshipping idols?
The Old Testament is sometimes difficult to read. Not because of all the names of kings and descendants but because it is full of violence and people turning away from God, the laments of Jeremiah as he spoke God’s word to a people who would not turn away from sin, the line up of kings who did not do right in the eyes of the Lord. I think of David, having Bathsheba’s husband killed so David could take her for himself (2 Samuel 11), Solomon who was so gifted in wisdom, yet he also became wealthy and disobeyed God by taking foreign women as wives. (1Kings 11), Hezekiah who started out as a king who was very faithful to God but after God healed him of a deathly illness and offered him more years of life, he moved away from God. (2 Kings 18-20).
- Did they forget that Jesus was Jewish? He taught in the synagogue and held to many customs of his day. I have a lot of respect for people who are faithful Jews. Even with that, I pray that they get to know and believe in Jesus sooner than later. One of the most humbling times I had in college was when one of our Jewish friends accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior.
- Is it because the Bible refers to the descendants of David as the chosen people? Is it that causes people of other religions and nationalities to push them down?
- A thought that keeps coming back to me, though, is that many Jewish people were educated and financially successful[4]. Could it be plausible that, people didn’t like Jewish people because they were financially and professionally successful, thus prompting people in power to stop them from becoming a threat to their power.
Even with all those questions, people who are Jewish are not the only ones cast off. Throughout history groups of people have been hostile to migrants and people who looked, spoke, and sounded different for centuries. Putting up walls to keep people out has been going on since the beginnings of civilization[5]. In The Identity Trap, author Yascha Mounk voiced a possible remedy that well-meaning people have used to seek to rectify the disparities of discrimination by forming identity groups. People could function and even thrive within the bounds of their group. Perhaps those individuals were responding from a sense of right that has been taught to Christians worldwide. Yet, Mounk was worried that even though the identity groups where meant to support people of similar backgrounds and races, they also could further isolate people within those groups. I agree with Mounk that identity synthesis can be a political trap that makes it more difficult to maintain a diverse society where those living within can build mutual trust and respect for one another[6].
While Christian thought and principles have had a great impact on the western world, Holland says the culture in the United States today is more about politics not between Christians and people of other faiths, but between different factions of Christians[7]. My often-simplistic view says that if Christians really tried to live a life that honors the person the faith was named after, there would be fewer wars, less violence, and little evil. There are pockets of people working together, but I think we will have to wait until Jesus returns to see it fully practiced.
[1] FRDH Podcast with Michael Goldfarb, “Tom Holland On Dominion: Christianity and the Western Mind,” Nov. 2, 2019, 4 Minutes.
[2] Jordan B. Peterson, Maps of Meaning, The Architecture of Belief, (New York, NY, Routledge, 1999), 455.
[3] Williston Walker, A History of the Christian Church, 3rd ed., (New York, NY, Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1970), 118. Nicene Creed, dated about 381 AD.
[4] Tom Holland, Dominion, The Making of the Western Mind,(London, Great Britain, Abacus, 2020), 406.
[5] Holland, 500.
[6] Yascha Mounk, The Identity Trap, A Story of ideas and Power in Our Time, (New York, NY, Penguin Press,2023), 14.
[7] Holland, 515.
About the Author
Diane Tuttle
12 responses to “A Lot of Questions”
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Hi, Diane, thank you for the thought-provoking questions that you asked with regards to why the Jewish were mostly met with discrimination and hatred. I would be asking the same questions of ‘whys’ if I am in that category. The thought that bad things happened as a consequence of our actions is not always so. Maybe it is a way of God refining His people to shine as He wanted to be.
As Holland mentioned, the history of Christianity (which involved the life of Jews) has shaped the way we look at human rights and equality – which includes migration and discrimination. What I wonder is what are some specific applications to modern leadership. Thank you, Diane.
HI Noel, thank you for reading the post and your question. One application to leadership is to see each person in your care as someone who is loved by God and has value. It is incumbent on the leader to work with that person to help her become the leader God knows she can be.
Hi Diane,
How has the historical marginalization of Jewish people within Christian-dominated societies shaped modern interfaith relationships, and what role should Christian leaders play in healing that legacy?
Hi Shela, Sometimes I wonder if people really have views on how Jewish people are/were marginalized, but they may have more distrust for other countries and religions that are more unknown and thus scarier to them. For Christians, I don’t know that it matters if someone is Jewish, Muslim, an atheist, or of any other religion. What matters is if Christians are willing to move beyond fear and actually try to live the words of Jesus and love others as we love ourselves. Thanks for the question.
Hey Diane. I really appreciated your post and your connection to Mounk and identity. What did you find as your most significant takeaway as it related to identity from Holland’s writing?
Hi Daren, My comments on Mounk’s thoughts on identity synthesis related to pushing them on others in an attempt to ‘help’ them. When looking at Holland, I see someone who views Christianity from a secular perspective. For me, the most important takeaway about identity falls into two pieces: much of our identity is formed in our homes through the role of parents, good or bad. The other for me is clinging to how Jesus lived life on earth and how is invited, even challenged, people to do likewise.
Hey Diane,
Antisemitism is something I can never understand. I recently learned that in 1777 New York became the first state in the Western world to grant full citizenship to Jewish people. When you come across history like this—whether in relation to Jewish communities or others who have suffered mistreatment at the hands of “Christians”—what has helped you continue trusting in your faith and finding hope in it?
Hi Elysse, that is a good question. As much as I have a heart for Jewish people who have been marginalized, I also ache for the people from Gaza who are suffering so much, with few if any of them the actual perpetrators of the attack last October. I keep coming back to how Jesus lived and how short I fall from that, making it hard for me to be judge and jury over others. Jesus had hard teachings. I don’t pretend to think I can respond well all the time, especially if it was one of my family members who was harmed.
Hi Diane,
Thanks for your thoughts on Christianity’s complicated relationship to Judiasm. How should Christianity’s previous failures help the church confront blind spots today?
Hi Christy, that is a good question for all of us. It is, in part, what Furedi asked in The War Against The Past. My hope is that we learn from history and work towards not repeating the harmful portions of it.
Good angle to choose Diane. I wonder which aspect of Holland’s book affected you most personally? And/or where does the idea of identity affect you?
Hi Debbie, One poignant takeaway for me is the reminder to continue to learn about the past so that I might better understand the present and not make repeated mistakes in the future. On the author’s idea of identity, I don’t dispute that so much of our culture is formed by Christianity, and I would say Judeo-Christianity. I think this affects me in nearly every aspect of my life. Self-reflection is valuable, but I admit it is not always easy. When I look at my own actions, I ask myself, did I bring someone closer to Jesus today or push them away by my actions? I pray that they get them closer on most days. Thanks for the question.