Bury My Heart with Aaron’s God
First Edition
A one act play
by Mark Leo Collins
Copyright 2010 by Mark Leo Collins
Smashwords Edition 2011
ISBN-13: 978-0-9832040-0-8
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WARNING: Contains scenes of extreme violence
This work of fiction is based in part on passages from the Old Testament. The title owes a debt to Dee Brown’s book Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee.
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Table of Contents
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Are they praising Moses’ God or Aaron’s God?
1. Pope Benedict XVI, dedicating the Sagrada Familia Church in Barcelona, 11/7/10: "This is the great task before us: to show everyone that God is a God of peace not of violence, of freedom not of coercion, of harmony not of discord.”
2. Jehovah’s Witnesses: “Shun what Jehovah hates”: “Violence” (among other things). “What Does the Bible Really Teach?” Copyright 2005, Jehovah’s Witnesses, p. 122.
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Dramatis personae
Moses’ twelve foot Sword of the Lord God
Balaam, prophet of Midia
Heaps of burning bodies
A lieutenant under the command of Moses
-His young daughter Rachel
Moses: Identical twin brother of Aaron. Claims to hear God’s voice on Mount Hor
Aaron: Claims to hear The Most High’s voice on Mount Hor
A narrator
A throng of twelve Jewish commoners
Midianite women and children
N.B.: In this edition, most stage directions have been subsumed into the Narrator’s speech. In this way, the reader does not skip over critical details.
Scene I: Near a bonfire outside the camp of the Israelites
Sword of the Lord God: Thus saith the Lord!
Narrator: The crowd shudders and murmurs. It looks up from the heap of burning bodies of the men of Midia, and sees the sword of the Lord God hurl itself high into the air and impale the living bodies of the Midianite prophet Balaam and their five kings…As a live man is tossed onto the fire, screams break the silence.
(Enter Moses’ lieutenant and Aaron.)
Narrator: The muscular lieutenant struggles mightily to dislodge the Lord’s sword from the bones of the kings and the prophet Balaam, and gives up.
Aaron: Kind Sir, the Most High allows us to kill animals - His creation - for food, but He condemns killing them for sport as unworthy of human beings, His highest creation. Is the Most High God just a sportsman that He should order us to shed the blood of innocent people?
Lieutenant: The innocent Midianites? The un-circumcised dogs and their false prophet ate un-clean meats.
Aaron: How dare you claim that one of the Most High’s creations is unclean! Did I not explain that God said to cook our pork thoroughly?
Lieutenant: Yes, you did, but none of us will dare disobey God’s commandment not to eat pork.
Aaron: How come I enjoy pork and shellfish at every opportunity and yet suffer no punishment or illness? In fact, of all men, I am the most blessed by God, even more than my brother.
Lieutenant: I don’t know. It’s a mystery.
Aaron: Really? Why do you refuse to accept the mountain of evidence that my brother is wrong? The Most High said, “Aaron, thy brother misleads your people by cycles of intimidation and flattery…Tell them to gird up their loins like men and oppose him.”
Lieutenant: Never, he talks and walks with God. You oppose him.
Aaron: I do and am blessed for it. Why?
Lieutenant: I don’t know. It’s a mystery.
Aaron: There you go again. Your god is too mysterious to be credible. The Most High said, “Aaron, your brother fights with Me. He harkens to no voice but the mad, controlling preacher in his head.”
Lieutenant: Blasphemy! (Pointing at the bonfire) These dogs deserve death because they’ve done God a great wrong, as your brother says. (Stokes the flames.)
Narrator: A scrawny, mangy dog of Midia passes by. The lieutenant kicks him and Aaron picks him up, hugs him, and begins petting him.
Aaron: (backs away from the screaming fire with obvious disgust) What wrong did they do? One of our men abducted a Midianite woman, took her to his tent, and my overzealous grandson Phineas speared them in the act. And for that, a crime by a Jew against a Midianite, and both already capitally punished, we slaughter the rest of these innocent people?
Narrator: Screams are heard, as another live soldier is tossed onto the fire.
Aaron: (grimacing) By what logic?
Lieutenant: It’s a mystery.
Aaron: There you go again.
Lieutenant: I don’t know. I don’t need to know. I don’t care!
Narrator: The stench of the fire is overwhelming Aaron.
Aaron (leading the man farther away from the fire): Did God not create the Midianites and other Gentiles too?
Lieutenant: Yes, to convert this desert into productive land so that we could annihilate them and take the Holy Land that God promised His chosen people.
Aaron: Listen to yourself! Does that make any sense?
Lieutenant: Yes, of course, perfect sense.
Aaron: My good man, we’ve slaughtered God’s handiwork for mere sport. How low can we sink? Or would you eat the Midianites?
Lieutenant: Of course not. I’d sooner eat a dog.
Aaron: (backs further away from the lieutenant and begins to feed the dog) Are we the chosen people?
Lieutenant: Of course we are!
Aaron: Is God a man that he would flatter you thus? If we’re so special, why do we so easily fall for flattery?
Lieutenant: We’ve never done so! And never will!
Aaron: Do you believe that you can make God Almighty change His mind with prayers?
Lieutenant: Yes, your brother affirms it.
Aaron: I’m sorry to be so unkind, but every time he flatters, you fall for it.
Lieutenant: Never!
Narrator: A man is about to toss another soldier of Midia onto the bonfire.
Aaron: Stop!
Narrator: A man drops the body before Aaron and sprints off.
Aaron: (kneels down, puts the dog down, cradles the young man) Oh, my God - no! Look, look at the gores on his legs. The other day this young man was nearly killed saving me from a pack of wild boars…(cries) And this is how we repay his kindness…I don’t even know his name.
Lieutenant: What difference does it make? (Wrests him from Aaron’s embrace and hurls him onto the fire.)
Aaron: (picks up the dog, stands up, tears streaming down his face) How can you be so cruel? What could this kind young man have done to deserve this?
Lieutenant: He and his people worshipped idols.
Aaron: So did we. Why did we not teach them the ways of the Most High?
Lieutenant: Because God ordered us to kill the men and enslave the young girls.
Aaron: Enslave the young girls? How can you so abuse God’s creation, our equals?
Lieutenant: Equals? Even we Jews are not equals – there is a God-given hierarchy. They are Gentile dogs. Enslaving them is not abuse. What are we supposed to do with them? Fatherless, these girls will die if left on their own.
Aaron: Even death by starvation is less cruel than slavery. Why not take them as servants, pay them a living wage, and let them leave with impunity? And never impose yourselves on them!
Lieutenant: (laughing) You’re mad. Why else take slave girls? Why stoke God’s incessant anger? God is already furious that we spared the male children and the women who have known men.
Aaron: Is God an intemperate man that He should succumb to fury?
Lieutenant: God works in mysterious ways.
Aaron: (Pointing at the bonfire) This brave young man, these good men, our brethren-
Lieutenant: They are not our fellows!
Aaron: The Most High says that all peoples are brethren. All were created equal by Him. We are born equal and we die equal.
Lieutenant: Our brethren are fellow Jews. Your brother says, “Thou shall not kill refers only to other Jews.” God orders us to kill Gentiles.
Aaron: Surely, you’re mistaken. The loving Creator of all…orders us to kill His creation?
Lieutenant: Indeed, by God’s will we kill Gentiles as beasts.
Aaron: As beasts to be eaten?
Lieutenant: No, they are too unclean to eat.
Aaron: Again, you insult the Most High’s creation with such charges.
Lieutenant: No, you insult His chosen people.
Aaron: Is God a man that He would show such favoritism? No. He offers His wisdom as insightful guides to blissful, God-like living.
Lieutenant: Remember the golden calf? We’re still terribly undisciplined. Your brother’s God is just the medicine we need. Stern discipline! We must follow God’s commands…I am a soldier. I must live and die by commands.
Aaron: Is God a weak man that He craves followers, as addicts do drugs?
Lieutenant: God works in mysterious ways.
Aaron: There you go again.
Lieutenant: Now you insult God’s majesty.
Aaron: No. Every word you utter insults the Most High’s majesty. The Most High God is infinitely above mere mortals.
Lieutenant: Thus we fear His power.
Aaron: Is the Most High a lowly, abusive tyrant that you should fear Him? Is the Most High a lowly, ignoble man that He would take revenge?
Lieutenant: Oh, so God forgives all wrongs, does He?
Aaron: Forgive what? Is God a man like my brother that He would get upset at our wrong-doing? If so, He must be in a constant state of fury.
Lieutenant: He is…If He didn’t become furious and punish us, why would anyone do what’s right?
Aaron: Because it’s right.
Lieutenant: Right! I hadn’t thought of that.
Aaron: Because wrongdoing spreads misery like the plague. Because, as the Most High said, being God-like gives man a long, noble and happy life.
Lieutenant: Blasphemy! How can we imitate God?
Aaron: A man cannot become God, but he is happy - and so are his fellows - to the degree that he acts like the Most High.
Lieutenant: He is happy to the degree that he follows God’s commands.
Aaron: My brother’s commands.
Lieutenant: Discipline - straight from the mouth of God!
Aaron: My good man, test his all-too-human words and you will find them wanting. If you learn just one thing, know that the Most High is infinitely superior to any man, my tempestuous brother included.
Lieutenant: We crave his disciplinary drugs…We like what your brother says. He makes us feel important.
Aaron: Yes, he beats you down and then picks you up with flattery. He loves to control your minds.
Lieutenant: And you don’t?
Aaron: My good man, do I cite God’s mysterious ways whenever the evidence argues otherwise? Or issue commands and threaten you for disobeying?
Lieutenant: No, you’re gentle, so your mind-control is more subtle. You use evidence and reason.
Aaron: Listen to yourself! Evidence and reason as mind-control techniques?
Lieutenant: Yes, indeed.
Aaron: What have I gained?
Lieutenant: Nothing yet. But you’re trying to control us.
Aaron: For the good of all, I tell you the truth.
Lieutenant: Your version of the truth. What you say makes no sense. How can we love the Gentiles? We are light; they are darkness.
Aaron: The Most High, with His supreme intelligence, taught us how to love the Gentiles as ourselves. With generosity and kindness -
Lieutenant: Hah!
Aaron: In the fullness of time, the Gentiles will adopt the superior ways of the Most High. Peace and prosperity will rule without end. In your way – in my brother’s way – there will be endless cycles of violence.
Lieutenant: The way of nature. God’s way.
Aaron: Oh, so now the Most High’s a nature spirit?
Lieutenant: No of course not. That’s just a mysterious coincidence.
Aaron: There you go again.
Lieutenant: Your ways are too gradual and too risky. We follow God’s orders. We’ve nearly taken the entire Holy Land by force and we’ll hold it by force forever.
Aaron: Sorry - our descendents will assuredly lose this unholy land. After we’ve been refused sanctuary in “the land of the free and the home of the brave,” and we’ve been slaughtered like sheep by the millions, Gentiles will grudgingly deed us a plot of this blood-soaked land so small it could barely hold all of the bodies of murdered Jews.
Lieutenant: (Grasping the hilt of the Lord’s sword) Nonsense. We’ll never surrender to anyone without a bloody fight. Your brother promises otherwise.
Aaron: Empty promises. The Most High said, “Aaron, thy brother’s way is that of vengeful, bloodthirsty men, who cannot see what’s in their own best interests.”
Lieutenant: That is why we need God’s revelation.
Aaron: Finally. We agree on something. Now test the competing claims to revelation to see who has scrambled the message of the Most High. Such an exalted Being would not demand worship. He gives lovingly of His infinite knowledge so that His highest creation can enjoy a God-like happiness.
Lieutenant: Blasphemy!
Aaron: As much happiness as man might reasonably achieve.
Lieutenant: We are God’s soldiers. Because we’re sinful, we can’t be happy. Thus, God fills our lives with suffering like that miserable cur in your arms.
Aaron: This dog will never suffer again if I can help it…Can a dog sin?
Lieutenant: This filthy cur of Midia? No doubt.
Aaron: Is God a cruel man who would make a sinless dog suffer? No, God’s innocent creatures suffer because of our cruelty and you will suffer as long as you’re soldiers. Lay down your cruel arms. Embrace the peoples of this land and love them as yourselves, as the Most High has taught me to teach you.
Lieutenant: You speak falsely of God.
Aaron: So now you will sharpen your swords and thrust them through the bellies of pregnant Midianites? How Godlike is that?
Lieutenant: We will do exactly what God commands.
Aaron: The Most High has taught you exactly how to love others as yourselves. Do it! Have I not also shown you?
Lieutenant: God showed me. Because I wronged your granddaughter, God destroyed my flocks.
Aaron: Come on, your negligence let a common disease kill off your flocks. Is the Most High a lowly man that he would take base revenge?
Lieutenant: Yes, of course. God punishes us with pestilences. And when I repented my sins and prayed for forgiveness, God changed His mind and restored my flocks.
Aaron: Oh, so now a Perfect Being changes His mind. What’s next? Does He play dice or cards?
Lieutenant: You know what I mean.
Aaron: No. I cannot understand a word you’re saying.
Lieutenant: And I cannot understand a word you’re saying.
Aaron: Understand this. The Most High taught us to return good for evil. You did a monstrous evil to my family; so I re-stocked your flocks at twice their former number.
Lieutenant: No matter what, I cannot follow your commands without disobeying God’s.
Aaron: I have no commands! The Most High is not a weak man that He must command mere men to feel important. The Most High’s precepts are for our own good! Follow them and we’ll soon create the blissful Kingdom of Heaven on Earth.
Lieutenant: Your precepts will get us killed in our sleep.
Aaron: Long term, they will let everyone sleep peacefully. Give them a chance. Do not commit these murders!
Lieutenant: We’re surrounded by enemies. We must kill or be killed.
Aaron: If we kill, we will be killed. Forever and ever.
Lieutenant: We must obey God’s commands, not your precepts.
Aaron: Wait a minute…What did God say would happen if you don’t commit these foul crimes in His name?
Lieutenant: Why, nothing.
Aaron: Then don’t do these murders! Wait for instructions from the Most High. Let my brother stew in his anger.
Lieutenant: You deal with him.
Aaron: I’ll change his mind. (Under his breath) Eventually.
Narrator: The lieutenant races away. Aaron breathes a sigh of relief, takes his new pet back to his tent and puts out food and water. He apologizes to his wife, hugs her tightly and kisses her good-bye, and heads slowly up the left face of Mount Hor to confront Moses, who races down the right face.
Scene II (Moses storms into the camp outside the camp)
Moses: Do the boys and the women who’ve known men still breathe?
Lieutenant: Yes, my lord. Aaron delayed us.
Moses: What? Not again! Why doesn’t God punish him?
Lieutenant: (Under his breath) Why does He reward him handsomely? (Aloud) My Lord, I’m surprised He hasn’t. It’s a mystery. I’ll round up the boys.
Moses: (Grasps the hilt of the Lord’s sword and pulls it free effortlessly.) Do. I’ll run the first boy through with this, the Lord’s terrible swift sword.
Lieutenant: Please, allow me to sharpen it, O my good Lord.
Moses: Certainly. Make haste!
Narrator: The man races off with eleven others. Soon, the boys are lined up, tallest from right to left. Hurriedly sharpening the twelve foot sword, the man gashes his hand, gushing blood onto the sword. Impatiently, Moses goes to wrest it. The crowd sees the sword leap high into the air. Moses catches it by and near the hilt, cutting himself, and sprints, running the tallest boy through the guts.
Narrator: The men cheer so loudly they can barely hear.
Moses: (thrusting up his bloody sword) By God’s sword, this holy land is ours!
Narrator: The crowd cheers loudly as it sees the sword leap high into the air before coming to a pinpoint landing, at twelve degrees to the horizontal, in front of Moses, pointing at its next victims. A dozen men run a dozen boys through at a time to ritual cheers from the throngs. After two hundred eighty eight rounds of rapid-fire, ritual killing, the boys’ bodies are quickly dragged through the sand and flung onto the bonfire.
Lieutenant: (breathless, but excited) Lord, I’ll round up the women who’ve known men.
Moses: Do. Start the line with the most pregnant women.
Lieutenant: (shaking his head, muttering to himself, as he races off) God sure is particular about this sort of thing.
Narrator: The women are quickly lined up. Moses hurries to the extreme right. Again, the crowd sees the sword leap into Moses’ hands, cutting him as before. With God’s sword, he thrusts through the belly of a woman, already in agony, beginning to deliver. Blood spurts everywhere. The men look down. Sounds of the baby’s wailing are silenced by a chopping stroke.
Narrator: The men gasp, look up, and then cheer loudly with raised swords. A dozen men quickly run a dozen women through at a time. After an hundred forty four rounds of killing, the women’s bodies, some disembodied fetuses, and one wailing newborn are swung onto the bonfire with ritual singing. As wood is added, the fire peaks. Moses moves quickly toward the fire, inhales deeply, savoring the sweet aroma, and raises God’s sword.
Moses: Good men, God granted us a great victory! All praise to God! Now divide the sheep, cattle, asses and slave girls into two portions, one to the congregation and one to the men of war. Divide the men of war’s portion into one hundred and forty four portions. Give twelve to the high priest for a massive burnt offering unto God, but first double-check the purity of those girls. I’ll choose my share now. Divide the others among the generals to be portioned to their men. Come. Let’s celebrate with wine, feasting, and song!
Narrator: The crowd cheers as they see the sword leap high into the air, coming to a pinpoint landing in the center, on top of the Most High Altar. Moses retires to his tent with twelve of his slave girls. The next day, Moses staggers hurriedly up the right side of Hor, just as Aaron walks down the left face.
Scene III (Outside the camp, Aaron encounters the lieutenant,
dragging his daughter to the stoning place.)
Lieutenant: Come, good people. This wicked girl has cursed her father!
Narrator: The mob of twelve begins to pick up stones and runs quickly after the man. As they reach the stoning place, Aaron shields the girl with his body.
Aaron: (breathless) In the name of the Most High, stop! Stop this murder!
Lieutenant: Never! I pronounce judgment! I demand the law’s punishment!
Throng: Yeah, let’s do it! Aaron, out of the way, in the name of God!
Aaron: Never! In the name of the Most High, disband this lynch mob immediately.
Throng: Never!
Aaron: (shouting above the crowd) The Most High taught us “due process,” or have you forgotten? (The crowd quiets.) Don’t you dare hurt Rachel. I’ll adopt her and prove she’s an innocent lamb. (To the man, more softly) Did you do unto her as you did unto my granddaughter?
(Rachel nods her head yes and sobs.)
Lieutenant: (shouts, rock raised high in his bloody, crudely bandaged hand) By God’s commandment, this wicked girl is condemned!
Narrator: The lieutenant hurls the first stone toward the girl, hitting Aaron in the head. As Aaron slumps, stones begin to hit the child. Soon both are lying on the ground, bloodied. Dying, Aaron still tries his best to shield the helpless girl.
Aaron: (To the girl) I’m so sorry, Rachel dear. (She clutches him and dies.) (Weakly to the man) You molested Rachel, didn’t you?
Narrator: The man buries his face in his hands, but no one notices.
Aaron: (With as much strength as he could muster) God bless all of you and your seed - forever! (Dies.)
Narrator: Moses arrives in a sprint, breathless, his hands still bloodied.
Moses: Oh, my people, what have you done?
Narrator: We’re nearly deafened by thirty seconds of shrieking by the virgins of Midia, as they are burned alive to please God. Then all we hear is the screaming fire at the altar.
Throng: We carried out your commands, my Lord.
Narrator: The crowd shudders, as the flame itself suddenly dies. Total silence.
Moses: (Cradling his brother, trying to revive him) Oh, what have I done? Oh Aaron, Aaron, Aaron! (Dies.)
Throng: Both of God’s holy messengers suddenly dead. Surely, a sign from God!
Narrator: They stone the man with thrice the force. The people see the sword of the Lord God hurl itself from the altar and nail the man to the ground…
Sword of Lord God: Thus saith the Lord!