Divine Retribution

Posted by Harsh Nevatia Nov 17, 2006

After having understood the extent of the universe, the ancient seers of the Vedic period began to look upon the cosmic order as divine. The key word is order. In the Riga Veda the word ‘ritu’ is used for the order which encompasses the movements of the stars and planets and the accompanying effects. Today ‘ritu’ is used specifically for season. The pagan deities, who were earlier supreme, became subservient to the cosmic order. These pagan deities, Sun, Moon, Thunder, Sea etc., were over a time anthropomorphized and this is where Divine Retribution originated.

Lightning strikes one hut killing its occupants and not harming the neighboring one. The common man at that time could not believe that the God of Thunder (Indra in Hindu mythology, Zeus in the Greek form) was playing a game of chance or was creating havoc without intent or reason. Hence the deceased must have done something wrong to have incurred divine wrath. In this way every natural calamity became an act of divine retribution. Divine retribution is not limited to Hinduism nor is it limited to monotheistic religions. Zeus was one trigger-happy deity. The destruction of the Tower of Babel in the Old Testament was an incident of divine retribution. In all religions humans face some kind of judgment after death, which is again divine retribution.

Even though today the cause of natural calamities is well understood, including their inherent chance nature, the concept of divine retribution is so firmly ensconced that it is difficult to dislodge. The major drawback of divine retribution is that certain persons or groups considered themselves as representatives of God, and therefore took on the function of divine retribution. The Spanish Inquisition, the Salem Witch Hunts, Hitler’s gas chambers and the Ku Klux Klan are examples of the lowest levels humanity has stooped to in the name of divine retribution. Some even say that the War against Terror is nothing but a usurpation of divine retribution.

Whether we believe in God having an anthropomorphic form or only an anthropomorphic character, the function of divine retribution has overshadowed God’s other glories. Divine retribution is no longer acting as a deterrent. It is my personal belief that all religions must move away from the concept of a God whose function is to judge humanity and towards the more cosmic nature of the Divine.