Kurt Lewin address: influence, power, religion, and the mechanisms of social control

Journal of Social Issues, Spring, 1999

But in those earlier times, it must have been quite a challenge for the sage to convince that shepherd and others that such a Being exists, and exists with these characteristics. It becomes more understandable if we realize that really there is not just one sage, but that this sage, in fact, continues in one form or another over many hundreds of years. The sage and his future "collaborators," in fact, develop a series of stories, which are modified in retelling over many years and which then support the nature of such a Deity. Indeed, it turns out that these collectively form a book or series of books, which come from no less than the Deity Himself. The establishment of this omnipotent authority is developed over and over again, including convincing stories of miracles, beginning with the creation of the world itself. His omnipresence and omniscience is also demonstrated time and again. Much of what is in our holy books today, it seems, was first transmitted orally, over many generations, over many centuries. The religion attributed to Abraham, which is central to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, is said by biblical scholars to have its origins in the 20th Century, BCE,(3) but it appears that it was not written down until twelve centuries later (Armstrong, 1993). As these were transmitted, they were modified to fit the period and the political situation of that period (Kelman & Hamilton, 1989, p. 58) and honed to serve their purposes. Some stories and dicta were added and some were lost, or edited out, in the retelling. Recent studies of ancient works, such as the Dead Sea Scrolls, show how the words and stories of that day appear to have been inherited and modified from previous works of the past, and were remodified in future works that we know today (Vermes, 1997). These are the works of an innumerable series of writers and editors. Why and how were these earlier works modified? The book that we know as the Bible becomes more meaningful in these terms. As Kelman and Hamilton (1989) point out, "The Bible can be conceived as a book of norms: a historical window into the 'oughts' and 'ought nots' of long ago cultures in what was then the crossroads of the world" (p. 58).

We would go somewhat further and also see the Bible, among its many other qualities, as a magnificent, convincing preparatory or stage-setting mechanism, designed to demonstrate and establish God's bases of power and to thereby provide an elaborate and often effective mechanism for social control.(4) These prescriptions and proscriptions of various behaviors, and the power behind them, is amplified and emphasized over the years by other writings, sermons, works of literature and art. Let us look at some examples and see if they can be considered in this way.

Social Power Strategies in Holy Works

In the Holy Works, to help people to accept the existence of the Superior Being, the sages presented Him in terms, and drawing on analogies, that people could understand. Of course, the Supreme Being would have to be male, since in that era, the more powerful persons in almost every social situation, with very few exceptions, would be male. Powerful kings were a part of the life of that day, as well as subsequently, and God was then represented as an all-powerful king, sometimes benevolent, sometimes vengeful, but expecting complete and unquestioned obedience. A more gentle conception presents God as shepherd and humanity as His flock. Implied in such a relationship is a lack of real consent by the members of the flock, but yet unquestioned obedience to even the slightest suggestion by the Shepherd. The flock exists through the activity of the Shepherd, who guides them, provides sustenance, prods them if they do not follow. Without Him, the flock would collapse into an unprotected mass of dispersed individuals (Foucault, 1981, as cited in Hindess, 1996, p. 118).