Can Religions Change? A Hierarchy of Values in Genesis

Abstract

This article examines how a religion can change, and yet remain the same religion. Religious identities persist even if challenged by major cultural and environmental changes when, and if, the values which are truly central are retained. This is the case because central themes serve to organise and to harness any novel additions in such a way that they, too, reinforce the traditional religious identity. Without denying the findings of biblical scholarship that Genesis is a composite work reflecting the efforts of many hands, it is not simply an anthology of bits and pieces indiscriminately thrown together, but a religious statement shaped by skill and planning with central themes in view. The narratives of Genesis, the Cain-Abel story and the mirror image story of Jacob-Esau give us an opportunity of observing reform without loss of religious identity. If any religion is to be understood adequately and studied properly, whether Aboriginal or Testamental, its hierarchy of values must be examined with care and sensitivity to discover what truly are its central religious themes.