Between Moses and Elon Musk!

Dr. Jarlath Uche Opara Jarlathuche@gmail.com

I recently read a post on Facebook with the caption “Stop disgracing the power of God”.

The author of the piece tried to compare the power expressed in deliverance, healing and making alive the word of God in people’s lives with the power expressed in technological innovations. He queried and rightly so if the God that is behind these duo are different. He opened his piece with these words *You want to travel to Abuja from Owerri, or from anywhere else to somewhere else of distance, you board a plane, ride a car or train, or ship. People made them. You don’t disappear from your house and appear in your desired location after prayers*

And closed it with these words *How did you get to the point where you see the man who blows air into the crowd to make people fall into hysteria, ecstasy and tears as more powerful than the man who made the car, television, internet and phone all of us, including the one that blows air use*?

From his closing sentence he seemed to be equating the value of human beings with that of technological innovation, which for me sounds very absurd and demeaning to the image of God in human beings.

“So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the sea”( Mark 5.13)

The above shows Jesus’s value on man’ souls over swines by extension things that do not bear his image. The manufacturing of technological devices as important as they are for ease of life, it would be infra dig on the part of anybody to see them on same level of importance with human soul.

Before the advent of such innovations man lived and will still live in their absence. His purpose was not attached to those things. At creation all that would make man achieve his divine purpose of dominance, subduing and being fruitful were made available. Read Gen. 1

If those technological innovations were so important and a do without for man to realise his purpose, it wouldn’t be beyond the power of God to call them forth as he did with the others in Gen1. They are mere anchillary, though necessary and important but not indispensable.

However ingenous and creatively high powered Elon Musk is, no matter the sagacity of the Wright brothers who invented Aeroplane, the deep inspiration of Carl Benz who invented cars, the mental power of Alexander Graham Bell who invented telephone, the mysterious power knowledge of Mark Zuckerberg who invented Facebook and many others who contributed in refining our technological space, it would be a sheer misplacement of power priority comparing them with Moses, Elijah, Elisha etc in them were deposits of “dangerous” power to do the unimaginable which these men of creative ingenuity wouldn’t.

If disappearing according to the author is a sign of power equivalent to casting of demons and making the presence of God felt in people’s lives , witches and wizards disappear with ease too.

I say this in clear terms with no apologies, with no fear of castigation that a man genuinely called by God, with God’s powers genuinely expressive in his life is more powerful than those who invent and creat technological devices. There is power, there is power. Power comes in level, by the way not in the manner and level of Ndaboski power calibration.

I guess the author may be oblivious of other powers that enable some of these technological innovations