Because there is such a preoccupation with what is called ‘the bottom line' in our culture (so much so that every other concern is subordinated) I thought it might be good to encapsulate Yahweh religion using this familiar terminology.
To make my example I am going to bring to mind three fines imposed by Yahweh as examples of how, in spite of that priority concern for the bottom line that is usually given precedence, there are times when it really is more cost effective and sensible over the long term to pay up on Yahweh's fines (rather than being stubborn about it, in the interests of saving money, only to wind up losing your shirt, your pants, and yes, even your underwear, shoes and socks in that deal if you should, say, decide to play that ‘Pharaoh' game with Yahweh. That will just wind up getting more fines added on, more and more of those extremely expensive fines imposed by Yahweh, and in the end, when it finally gets extra scary (I would suppose) and people grudgingly agree to pay their fines like they were supposed to in the first place, it would be true that they would be wishing they had not been so ridiculously stupid as to not have paid that fine when the tab wasn't jacked up so high.
Now let us assume a worst case scenario - Bush and his administration get locked into that ever more humiliating, and ever more costly, rebellious Pharaoh thing with Yahweh. You know I don't like worst case scenarios, although I have to accept that people must get what they deserve. In a situation like this it might make more sense to speak to the business community, people who might not know a thing about Yahweh, but who do understand the bottom line, and when they consider that paying a fine while it is still small, rather than doing the Pharaoh thing with Yahweh and jacking up the price, is really the most sensible and cost effective solution, they might reign in politicians. It really is that simple. Maybe, given their understanding of this concept, and their coming enlightenment on the meaning of the term ‘Yahweh', it might be possible that they could intervene to reign in humiliated politicians locked in a ruinous combat with Yahweh. Some help from preachers wouldn't hurt either...
You see, I wasn't born yesterday, and I know human nature well enough to know that a human being really would waste a planet, or even an entire nation, just to avoid that inevitable humiliation and the loss of face. And that is a really worthless stupid reason to waste a planet, as far as I am concerned. If business leaders and church leaders can see things that way, as I am sure they will, they could save everyone else a lot of extra extra bad pain by reigning in those politicians, who really, will finally listen to business even if they won't listen to anyone else (including churches and yes, even Yahweh is less likely to be listened than business leaders, or so I suspect).
Now as an example of what I mean by fines you can consider the following items that will both have to be paid for and have systems and structures put in place to implement policy decisions in the real world, which involves politicians (understandably those politicians will not want to cooperate in being humiliated by being forced to follow Yahweh's policies, and, also understandably, I am less than thrilled about the idea of politicians playing Pharaoh with Yahweh, and spreading all that devastation and ruin around the planet, simply because politicians have egos.
1. After that livestock is dead, world agriculture will need to be propped up, and 2. food must be available to humanity around the world, becoming that one thing that does not need to be subject to that strict religion of pure, pure capitalism. You would want to do this, not just because it is the nice thing to do, but also because you don't want to try that one yourself, being real poor and expensively ruined, hungry, living surrounded by fierce competitors in a place filled with violence, and so on and so on....It would be more cost effective to pay the fine and pick up those who suffered the direct effects of that livestock kill off by losing their jobs, by supporting agriculture in a more direct way, and setting up the required distribution systems so that Yahweh will not have to see anyone going hungry here. Period. Its cheaper that way. Trust me. When peace comes just think of the savings on all that military hardware needed to deal with all that violence, as just one example of the kind of peace dividend we could expect if we followed Yahweh policies on this planet. We will have to start because it is the right thing to do. And, as well, I am not looking forward to living with you people after you ruin yourselves with that Pharaoh thing, and then spend the next years tearing out each others throats for whatever scraps remain. For this reason as well, a very personal reason, I urge the sensible option of surrender to Yahweh, promptly when Yahweh demands it, and I suggest prompt and cooperative implementation of the Yahweh policies. (Its cheaper that way, keep that in mind).
3. When the United Nations decided to create the state of Israel, the result was the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people whose ancestors had been living there for the last couple of thousand years. This policy of tossing a nation out of their ancestral home so as to clear space to create a new nation is not something I ever want to see again, but it has happened and now justice must be done, and once again, that will cost money. When the religious right starts calling the creation of Israel a divine miracle they are clearly ignoring the blatant injustice of what took place, and they certainly are not walking a mile in Palestinian shoes before they show such cruel insensitivity. As well they are simply taking prophecies predicting the return from Babylonian exile and interpreting as it suits them today. It might suit them, but this kind of blatant injustice is not something Yahweh wishes to be associated with, and there really isn't much to glorify God in a situation like that (unless Christians would like to graciously give up their homes and their lands, you know, and live in poverty, surrounded by violence, but doing so with the spirit of joyous sacrifice, because it was all so very divine - could happen, but it doesn't sound very likely does it?) Once again 'the peace process' proves to be nothing substantial at all (because that would cost money and affect the bottom line - real peace costs money). The only possible peaceful solution to the obvious injustice in this situation is the creation of a Palestinian state, completely independent, and, if Israel would like the chance to survive, and get some peace, the International community, who were involved in the injustice, should pay their fines and thus bring economic independence and the kind of peace that can only come that way, to the Palestinian nation. I would want to see a strict accounting of the money, so that it is not siphoned off by any crooked Palestinians at the top, but rather does what such a sum of money should do, creates a stronger nation that what would have existed before, in which all Palestinians have a share, thus genuinely making peace possible, something that is never going to happen now. Once again I will point out to you that paying the fine in this case is the most cost effective solution over the long term, not just for peace in the world, and in the Middle East, but also for those who will be glad they paid the smaller fine and did not do the Pharaoh thing with Yahweh, and jack up the price.
These are practical examples of what I mean, and, as I said, because I have no intention of spending years living with you people among the rubble, as you tear each other to pieces in your ruined poverty, exactly the kind of worthless disaster you would bring down upon your own heads, by not listening to Yahweh and not paying your fines when Yahweh tells you to pay them.