The Last Supper: The Communion of World Religions

The “Villain” and “Decent” in religious stories

       Throughout all the heroic legends, the birth of a hero must through the brutal hurt by the villain. In other words, justice can only be highlighted when evil has shown. Also in religious myths, this rule is also shown in different world religions.

       Whether it is Islam or Buddhism, the founders Muhammad and Jesus were brutally persecuted by society. After that, they insisted on their beliefs and became gods. Interestingly, in Hindi mythology, a demon named Vibhishana, the younger brother of Ravana betrayed the demon and indirectly killed the demon. Betrayal always seems as against morality in a broad sense. But in Vibhishana’s story, his series of so-called “immoral” behaviors can be accepted and understood.

       One of our group members stated: “I believe that the duality between the two characters is very interesting because it allows for subjective responses about Judas and Vibhishana’s actions rather than objectivity. But more importantly, they prove the importance of individuality and discerning generalizations from outliers. In this case, Judas acts the generalization of betrayal and Vibhishana acts as the outlier of betrayal. This is because while betrayal may have a negative connotation (generalization/Judas), identifying the reasoning and motivations behind a character’s betrayal helps provide more insight into what teachings mythologies are trying to preach (outlier/Vibhishana).” (RELS 200, D2L Discussion III)

       The Joker in Gotham vented to the persecution in life. This action indirectly created Batman and also made him the biggest villain in Gotham City. The Batman, who represents justice, also used his own way to oppose the persecution and turned into a hero who stands on the opposite side of the Joker.

       On October 1, 2014, in Nanhoro-Cho, Hokkaido, Japan, 17-year-old high school girl Tomoko killed her mother and grandmother and completed a series of activities such as cleaning the scene and hiding corpses with her sister. This case was initially treated as a burglary or kidnapping. After further understanding, the police discovered that Tomoko had been brutally beaten and abused by his mother and grandmother since childhood. Finally one night she took a kitchen knife, killed her mother and grandmother. Eventually, under the appeal of many people and organizations, her adult sister was sentenced to 3 years in prison, suspended for 5 years. Tomoko, a minor, was eventually sentenced to transfer to the juvenile control office.

       In this case, Tomoko was punished for murder. But recalling the injuries she had suffered, several times when she called the police and was not taken squarely. Who should pay for the permanent damage to her body and mind? Who should execute the justice she needs?

       Recall the two different betrayals of Judas and Vibhishana. It makes me think that will evil be always standing on the opposite side of good? What is the definition of so-called evil, and where are the boundaries of evil? Who should decide these standards?

God is human, or God is personified

       Shakyamuni who was born as a prince, Muhammad who worked hard to preach, Christ who had the last supper with the twelve Apostles and so on. When speaking of the greatest commonality of all religions, it must be the human nature that coincides with the founders of these religions.

       What is God? What is God like? Must they be a human-form? As a person who has not really seen God, I can only imagine it from religious stories and ancient paintings. The gods in the story all appear in the human form. The few gods who have become animals or plants also have human characteristics, such as speaking, thinking, and spreading beliefs.

       Christ ate at the same table with his twelve disciples at the Last Supper, even the betrayer, highlighted his kindness and approachability. Jesus and Lord Krishna, who washed the feet of believers, were like humble friends and devotees. This kind of humanity narrows the distance between mankind and God. Let us admire more of these gods who possess powerful power and could rule everything like an emperor.

       Regarding the necessity for God to possess humanity, a member of our group explained, “The human form also allows for an easier understanding/connection to other humans because we tend to favor similarities amongst one another rather than differences. This is why most friendships are usually based on similar interests. This is also why personification is extremely important in modern-day media but also in most mythologies. The increased relatability allows for a higher chance that other humans can heed the human ideals that are represented by other entities. ” (RELS 200, D2L Discussion III)

To conclude:

       In fact, we can think of more similarities between various religions. In terms of origin, the origins of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism are all concentrated in the Middle East region. Buddhism has also distinguished Mahayana and Hinayana for thousands of years. It is interesting to think about whether various religious teachings were somehow influenced or “borrowed” from others when they were written. It’s like different people explain whether black coffee tastes better or coffee with milk is better.

       Putting it into real life, killing a person is definitely evil in a broad sense,  but in Tomoko’s case, it is perceptually difficult to distinguish the right or wrong of such killing, and it is also difficult to determine whether Tomoko is really guilty or not. The personification of religious gods is like compiling the truths in life into children’s stories, helping people better understand the “should” and “should not” from various perspectives in life. Religion may or may not, be able to help believers get the most happiness in their short lives under the right circumstances, or judge the best suitable choice. On the basis of not hurting others, there is no absolute right or wrong in the world.

       Finally, I hope everyone can find the cup of coffee that best suits their tastes.

 

References:

RELS 200 D2L Discussion III

Harris, B., Zucker, S., & Hohensee, N. (2015, August 9). The Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci (article). Retrieved July 27, 2020, from https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/early-europe-and-colonial-americas/renaissance-art-europe-ap/a/leonardo-last-supper

Muhammad. (2020, July 08). Retrieved July 27, 2020, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad

南幌町家族殺害事件. (2019, September 13). Retrieved July 27, 2020, from https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%8D%97%E5%B9%8C%E7%94%BA%E5%AE%B6%E6%97%8F%E6%AE%BA%E5%AE%B3%E4%BA%8B%E4%BB%B6