Job is "wisdom literature" The aim is towards wisdom, but more so "practical advice" and the Job story explains man's relationship with God. It is serious literature and serious literature is always about moral analysis; however, popular culture is optimistic at all cost, an example is all the hallmark cards you read. Thus serious literature and popular culture are antithetical. Job, if taken at face value, would be about a champion of patience. But in Chapters 3-41 there is no patient Job. He curses God and is very impatient. Religious life is prudential, to "ward off evil," Job wanted safety from the Great God. But his faith was never serine, absolute trust, he did not have. When God appears in the whirlwind, God does not answer any of Job's questions, but rather says, "What do you know? Where were you jack when I created the world?" Job wanted to be vindicated, the suffering he endured was too much, he wanted God wrong and him right. Well, to make a long story short. No one knows nothing of God unless one experiences a theophany. One must first admit one never had a relationship with God. Job was religious because he didn't want God to zap him. Most religious people think along these lines..."If I go to church then God won't zap me." The Job poet attacks deuteronomy. He attacks the belief that, "As long as you are good, God will reward you." This is where he goes against orthodoxy, orthodoxy is danger - "I'm better than you." "I'm in you're out." "I'm good, you're bad." Basically the Job poet attacks deuteronomous, the author of the 5th book. "If you go wicked and worship another God, God will zap you." In the Job Story, his 3 friends represent orthodoxy. They see Job suffering and take it as this, "Since Job is in a bad condition he must have sin." While, the three of them are rich, so they must be good. "I'm fine, if you're not, you are doing something wrong." Job is discrediting deuteronomous, in a way, Job would be considered a heretic. In the end of the story, Job gets his theophany, thus he has a true relationship with God, while all the other orthodoxy fools don't. That is man's true relationship with God. If you have not experienced a theophany, then you know crap whatsoever. You don't know what God is, you are only "conveniently self-deluding" yourselves. Job evolves with no relationship with God to one with God. Anything less than a theophany, somehow we are stuck with alienation, torment, knowing deep down we will not have peace and rest. Another story I will add in is about me. I have not been going to church lately and my mother condemns me for it. I tell her, "I don't believe in religion, but I still believe in God." She goes crazy and starts calling me a devil. As long as I don't go to church with her, she will do nothing for me and Jesus will zap me. How fair is that? I don't understand. I try to communicate with her, she tells me I need religion, I show her the flaws in religion and she still doesn't listen. How do I deal with this problem? Orthodoxy is so dangerous, my mother is so brainwashed.
