Critical Reflection on reading Genesis 12 from Contesting Context.

 

A A critical reflection on reading and doing church from contest context (Reading Genesis Chapter 12 : 20)

 Genesis 12 – 1 :6

In this reading, God gave instruction to Abram to leave everything behind and go to Canaan where he will make great nation, make his name great and be a blessing. However, Abram did not obey, he took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all his possessions and people they had acquired from Haran. He arrived in Canaan and traveled through the land to find out that there are Canaanites living on this land. God also appeared on this land and said “To your offspring, I will give this land”. From Chapter 11, Sarai is said to be childless or barren, how can God give him such blessing knowing that Abram’s wife cannot conceive, a loophole in the text.

 

Reference to context: We believe that missionaries arrived on our lands because our ancestors believed that it is a fulfillment to a prophecy by a fearless Goddess (Nafanua). Christian God was introduced and our Indigenous Gods and Goddess fades. Christian missionaries arrived and introduced their Christian God to us, it is that Christian God that our Nation is suffering, and it was those Christian teachings that converted people to think like colonizers. Our ancestors fought, bleed and cried on this land so their children can have a peaceful and enjoyable life however Christian missionaries used their Christian God in their Christian teachings to manipulate Indigenous minds and take over their lands and its people. As mentioned in the text, God appeared on the land, we did not know how he appeared on this land because it is not in the text, the same God that was never seen nor was heard on our lands, but our people still accepted it.

 

Continue to verse 10, how can he leave the land when there was famine, he should be there with the people looking for alternatives to save the land from famine or ask his God to bless the land but instead he went to Egypt. In Verse 13, Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.  In verse 16, He treated Abram well for her sake and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels. He lied to the Egyptians and Pharaoh to acquire what was not his, he gave away his wife for wealth. How can someone who was favored by God go against Christian teachings or it seems like God allowed all this happen because he favored Abram.

 

Reference to context: Firstly, Polygamy was allowed in my context, politicians were allowed to have as many wives as they want but our people enjoyed it because they see it as a blessing, in the sense of producing more guardians of fanua (land) and moana (ocean), we never ever considered this a sin. Secondly, Poula (traditional dance) was done only during nighttime, this practice allows female to perform seductive, dirty, indecent dancing towards a male audience to entertain them and to find them husband. However Christian teachings came in and banned this from our practice, saying that this is a sin, and one husband should have one wife and no female should dance like it. It raises a question, why didn’t this God favor our people on this basis, yet he favors the missionaries and their teachings. Again, it all goes back to this Abram’s God and privileges he made for his own people who believe and introduced him while making Indigenous people suffering. He allowed Abram to give away his wife and provide other opportunities for him to find another wife but how come he did not allow our people to enjoy their own traditional values and beliefs. Rooting from the church, they judge people because of sin they do against the church when in fact, it was never a sin until the Christian God was introduced by missionaries.

 

In verse 17, But the Lord inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Abram’s wife Sarai and continue reading until the last verse 20: Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram to his men, and they sent him on his way, with his wife and everything he had. I am surprised and cannot believe this God. Firstly, Abram was a prevaricator and instead of inflicting a serious disease upon him and his wife for being liars, God inflicted on Pharaoh. Pharaoh is the victim here; he was not aware of the situation because of what he was told yet he was being punished by God. He also loses some of his wealth to Abram, he left Egypt acquiring what was not his or even work for it. It seems like God enjoyed watching his servant achieved all this at the expense, loss and hurtful of others, he did not prioritize Canaanites on the lands, he did not bless the land, he blessed Abram despite his infirmity, drawbacks, and faults.

 

Reference to context: Our people accepted Christian teachings and a Christian God and even though we are following and practiced their teachings to this day, people are still suffering silently. There is an oratory proverb that you will often hear from Samoans “e vaavaalua le talalelei male aganuu” meaning culture and Christianity are like two canoes paddling together side by the side, and the other canoe cannot paddle unless the other one is by his side. This is what most Samoans believes however, I do not support this, to an extent that even I, do not want to belong to a Christian Church anymore. God favored missionary teachings and make our people suffered therefore our cultures and traditions cannot go hand in hand with Christianity because Christianity is just another culture just like Theology to me is just another occupation. They are here to make a change and try to convert and influence the minds of indigenous people and after, the indigenous community will suffer its consequences. I am hoping that this reading will help make a change in the indigenous community’s mind and have it as a reminder that our ancestors and forefathers of our lands shed their blood so we can enjoy this land and not accepting Christian teachings and a Christian God so they can come and steal what was never once belong to them using God’s name. Missionaries as foreigners and colonizers drew stratagem and commoditize our valuable treasures and since this Christian God cannot favor us, I hope that my Tagaloa will forgive them for the great damage they had done to my people and our land.