My studies in Progressive Christianity have led me to write articles about how inequality is a part of the ‘human predicament’ and how Jesus, as a prophet deeply schooled in the traditions of the Hebrew Bible saw ‘Empire’ as a fundamental characteristic of humanity alienated from the God worshipped by the Jews, who he referred to as ‘Father.
And I’ve assembled quite extensive evidence that society is becoming more unequal along with corresponding assertions that humanity should be striving to create a fairer and less unequal society. I’ve recognised the natural phenomena of hierarchy and pecking order among other ‘social’ species, but argued that as the only known self-reflectively conscious species, we humans have a duty to our planet not only to save it and ourselves from destruction, but also to use our capabilities to do better than simply encourage ‘the law of the jungle’.
But then, reading The Hidden Half by Michael Blatland, I learned about the Marbled Crayfish (marmorkrebs) and in particular some research published in 2008 and it pulled me up with a shock. A group of German biologists discovered that the marbled crayfish produced genetically identical offspring since they had no need of their eggs being fertilised by a mate. Using this discovery, they conducted an experiment in which batches of identical offspring were bred to maturity in identical, hermetically controlled environments. Nevertheless, Blatland explains, although ‘they were genetically identical, in a world where everything was as far as possible identical, and they were chalk and cheese. One crayfish, for example, grew to be twenty times the weight of another.
The visible differences [were] stunning, and size [was] only the first. Every single marmorkrebs of several hundred studied had a unique pattern of marbled markings. There were visible, physical differences in their sensory organs, differences in internal organs, differences too in how they moved and rested: some sat under shelter, others lay on their backs. Another big variation was lifespan, which ranged from 437 to 910 days. … There were more differences in how they socialized. Brought together in one tank, they soon fell into hierarchies, some submissive, some dominant. Some were solitary, others liked a crowd.’
So, this is causing me to reconsider just what it is that we are doing by setting out to resist ‘Empire’ in all its forms. I already understand from my studies of complexity that randomness and uncertainty are characteristics of the physical world, but I had no idea that diversity and inequality were fundamental to the very development of life in all its forms. Does that mean that what we are called to is “respect and compassion” rather than “the removal of inequality”?
In Luke 13:1-5 the evangelist writes, “At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. He asked them, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them—do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.”
Could that, perhaps, be Jesus saying, “stuff happens, and everybody needs a fundamental change of mindset”?
The more I study, the more I conclude that the mystery of existence far outweighs any certainty that we may have,
