Something dreadful seems to have happened to God between the time of Abraham and the time of Moses. The difference in time cannot have been more than about five hundred years at most - a time frame we have been copiously assured would be only as a "blink" in the eyes of God.

The God of Abraham was undoubtedly a powerful God who dealt in a very forthright manner with those he considered to be corrupt, as witness the utter destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 18 and 19. But he also was mild and approachable, and at times even showed himself in human form, such as when he accepted Abraham’s invitation to visit his tent and have dinner. At this visit God gave paternal and benevolent family advice to the patriarchs and promised Abraham that he’d have a son at the age of 99 years.

Compare this to a few hundred years later when Moses met a very different God in the Burning Bush at Horeb. Moses is warned to keep his distance and show reverence, and he is so terrified by this being that he is afraid to even raise his eyes and look at him.

But the unsociable mood Moses met at Horeb was nothing in comparison to other matters connected with this being who had already set ten terrible plagues on the people of Egypt, most of whom were surely innocent of any wrongdoing against the Hebrews. The Nile was turned to blood and the land infested by locusts. Then the Lord sent the Angel of Death to kill all the first born sons of the Egyptians. Surely at least the children did not merit a sentence of death for nothing?

Unfortunately, these incidents have been used time and again to ground the dangerous theology of election which has had such dire consequences in the history of all three of the major religions of the desert, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Each in their own way have at the heart of their belief that they are uniquely and specially chosen. The consequences of this kind of thinking have never been so dire as today.

The powerful God of the Exodus from Egypt we still hear of frequently from many a pulpit. But where has the approachable, mild and familiar God of Abraham gone? And, more to the point, how can these two utterly opposed set of characteristics be reconciled in the same individual? And if they can’t be reconciled what does that tell us?

For centuries this almost schizophrenic contrast has caused serious difficulties for people, both within and outside of Judaism and Christianity. Many have gone so far as to state openly that these two images could not be the same individual. Marcion in the third century of our era even denied that the God of the Old Testament was the Creator.

Everything in nature serves a purpose or else it gradually fades away and is eliminated. Many valid and spurious claims have been made for religion. At best it’s been maintained that religious belief gives hope, consolation, enlightenment, and inspiration and upholds the moral fiber of society.

But all of these very worthy states could be guaranteed by a very different set of presuppositions, and at less cost. We must ask do the foundational beliefs we accept empower us or make us dependent? Additionally, the fear many people have of God and judgment must surely negate the majority of the positive effects religious beliefs are claimed to bestow. If we pay a price of disempowerment and fear in order to feel taken care of, we drink from a poisoned chalice indeed.

The tenacity with which so many hold on to images of an all-powerful and angry God shows that there is something far deeper to all of this than meets the eye: that we have a deeply ingrained need responding to an even deeper sense of powerlessness and insecurity and guilt. In fact, the need is so deep a trait in human history that it can be best described as a lust for gods.

This gives us a remarkable insight into our origins, and explains a lot of the burdens under which we labor in our efforts to evolve spiritually and why we often find it so appallingly difficult. When we look at the radical contrast between the God of Abraham and the God of Moses we are opening a very large window indeed into understanding where we come from and what we need to do to advance in power. I will continue to investigate these questions in articles that follow in the next few months.

For a longer version of this article, go to Miceal Ledwith's website at hamburgeruniverse.com

Dr. Miceal Ledwith, L.Ph., L.D., D.D., LL.D. (h.c.) has been a Professor of Theology and University President of MaynoothCollege in Ireland, a member of the Vatican’s International Theological Commission, and has lectured extensively throughout Europe and North America. He has been a long-time member of the Ramtha School of Ancient Wisdom.