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Breaching Borders and invisibly adversarial: A Case of Theodicy

  • Writer: Yusuf Danesi
    Yusuf Danesi
  • Apr 13, 2020
  • 6 min read

Updated: Jul 1, 2023

Border awareness started to pervade mediaeval (5th to the 15th century) Europe as movement of people became restricted. By the end of the 16th century, Jews were expelled from most of Western and Central Europe. From the middle of the 15th century, Africa was devastated and depopulated by Europe. Whereas obligatory national passports were introduced in most European countries by the end of the eighteenth century, the nineteenth century became marked by racism, which ‘nationalists’ employed to justify their animosity towards ‘outsiders’, whom they regarded as threats to their national security and ways of life. It was therefore not surprising that immigration controls were tightened, and passports reintroduced by the 1920s. Today, even refuges for asylum-seekers are disappearing, while preference is for refugees to be deported and asylum claims dismissed. Unfortunately, the right of unfettered movement is no longer one of four freedoms distinguishing liberty from slavery. Unable to relocate to the West until I became a family man, I would, after most Sunday Church services, stop over with my family at the Onipanu wet market, where live chickens were slaughtered by vendors for purchase by me. I trust that for the vendors and residents of Onipanu and its environs, the market represents an important way of life that is not easily replaced. I have learned that wet markets are culturally significant and are often popular tourist destinations. Beyond culture and history, China’s wildlife-farming industry for consumption, which includes species such as wild boar, ducks, snakes, and bamboo rats, is valued at US$74 billion, and employs more than 14 million people. I do not have absolute proofs that the new coronavirus originated in a live-animal market in Wuhan, but scientists suspect that the virus passed to humans from bats via pangolins, a small ant-eating mammal whose scales are highly prized in traditional Chinese medicine. It is suggested too that some of the earliest COVID-19 infections were found in people who had exposure to Wuhan’s seafood market, which is usually characterized by bat, snake, civet and other wildlife sales. However, some are of the view that bats were not sold at the Wuhan market though may have infected live chickens or other animals sold there. Since 31 December 2019 till now (13 April 2020), 1 807 308 cases of COVID-19 have been reported, including 113 513 deaths. Whereas there have been 14 522 cases reported from Africa, 789 have resulted in deaths. Of the 323 cases reported from Nigeria, home to Onipanu, 10 have resulted in deaths. COVID-19 is impacting us in various ways, while its rapid outbreak defies all borders and presents an alarming health crisis that we all are contending with. In addition to the human impact, there is also a significant commercial impact being felt globally, e.g. job losses (global tourism, travel and hospitality companies closing), financial hardships, poor physical and mental (traumatic stress, confusion and anger) well-being, etc. We are also aware of how stress and anxiety from the COVID-19 impact is leading to increased alcohol consumption and high incidences of domestic and family violence. COVID-19 has variously been described as the invisible enemy and rightly so, because it invades the body through the eyes, nose, and mouth and spreads from person-to-person within 6 feet via respiratory droplets. The virus hijacks cells and attacks the lungs and causes pneumonia in its victims. Little wonder therefore that over half of the world's population has been ordered to stay indoors and observe social distancing because of this invisible enemy. It is interesting too that some international researchers are working round the clock to strip COVID-19 of its invisibility by creating a moving digital replica of the virus. They believe that through simulation via a supercomputer, scientific accuracy could be achieved down to the microbe’s individual atoms. It remains to be seen how COVID-19’s structural vulnerabilities can be revealed through visualizing its behaviour. Intriguingly, the ‘religious world’ seems to be capitalizing on the global vulnerability by laying claim to what they know not. For example, some have claimed that the coronavirus is divine punishment, i.e. God unleashing his prophetic vengeance upon mankind, as described in the Bible. Others have also claimed that the virus is an antecedent to Armageddon, as revealed in the Book of Revelation. So, how do we truly and sincerely, link the coronavirus to God? I tend to agree with Pope Francis, who submits that the coronavirus pandemic is not God's judgment on humanity, but His call on everyone to judge what is most important to us and resolve to act accordingly from now on. In Genesis 1: 26 – 28, we see how God created man in His image and gave him dominion over the earth, the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground. Back in the day when there were no borders, and the whole world spoke just one language, people wanted to build themselves a city, with a tower that would have reached to the heavens (Genesis 11:1-9). And at some point, God was grieved that He had made man on the earth, and His heart was filled with pain (Genesis 6: 6). God saw that every inclination of the thoughts of man’s heart was only evil all the time (vs. 5). From Deuteronomy 30:15-17, we have two choices (with outcomes) - to love God, obey Him and keep his commands, which will result in life and prosperity, OR to be disobedient thereby resulting in death and destruction. In Leviticus 11, God commands that of all the animals that live on land, we must not eat the camel, the hyrax, the rabbit, and the pig. As a matter of fact, God commands that we must not even touch their carcasses because they are unclean for us. Of all the creatures living in the water of the seas and the streams, God says we are to regard as unclean those that do not have fins and scales. Equally, God commands that we must not eat the eagle, the vulture, the black vulture, the red kite, any kind of black kite, any kind of raven, the horned owl, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk, the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl, the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey, the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe and the bat. Regarding insects, God commands us not to eat all flying insects that walk on all fours except those that have jointed legs for hopping on the ground, e.g. any kind of locust, katydid, cricket or grasshopper. Of the animals that move along the ground, God commands that we must not eat the weasel, the rat, any kind of great lizard, the gecko, the monitor lizard, the wall lizard, the skink and the chameleon. We are to regard every creature that moves along the ground as unclean, whether it moves on its belly or walks on all fours or on many feet. If you are tempted to say these rules were written specifically for the Israelites, then see Ephesians 3:6. If further you believe you are at liberty to eat anything (1 Corinthians 8), note that Paul’s conviction is not disrespectful of Leviticus 11. Let us consider Romans 1: 28 Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, He gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.”

Conclusion COVID-19 is humbling, turning the ‘strong, to ‘fearful’ and infecting even powerful leaders anywhere – it knows no borders, it requires no visa, no passport and does not need to seek any asylum. It is an invisible enemy (Ephesians 6:12). Like the tower of babel 'adventure', maybe we think we know more than God. Because we believe the ‘earth is under our control’, our impact on the environment - altering biophysical environments and ecosystems, biodiversity, and natural resources, including global warming, environmental degradation, mass extinction and biodiversity loss, ecological crisis, and ecological collapse - would make God regret having created us! Maybe we created livestock and can eat everything – after all, who is God to tell us what to eat and what not to eat? Because God has entrusted the earth to us, it does not mean we should claim equality with Him – even our Lord Jesus Christ did not consider equality with God something to be used to his advantage (Philippians 2:6). We cannot blame God for COVID-19, because we are reaping what we have sown (Galatians 6:7; Leviticus 11). God is loving and kind, and Christ has paid the price for our lawlessness. However, today, we have two choices - Deuteronomy 30:15-17.



 
 
 

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