Government 1A Week 15 Isaiah’s Job

Prompt: Can the Remnant in one historical era become the majority later? Why or why not?

In Albert Jay Nock’s essay Isaiah’s Job Nock explains the theory of Remnants, and how philosophy can be passed down family lines for generations. In the essay a man named Isaiah is confronted by God. This God tells Isaiah to spread the word of his divinity and all that. But he also tells Isaiah that people will be skeptical, and that he must offer out the message gently and wait for the Remnants (the small quantity of people eager to believe) to find him on their own.

God tells Isaiah over time that small group of Remnants will transform into a large group, and as more and more years pass eventually they will become the majority. The small group of remnants will have children, and they will pass the message to those children. Those children will pass the message down through their children, and it will keep going until the message is a normal household belief. Much like how Christianity once was small and muted, and since the time of Jesus has obviously gained a much larger following.

Something the essay doesn’t touch on is what happens if the children of those original Remnants are themselves skeptical of their parents beliefs. What tends to happen in todays world is people want undeniable proof, and as science evolves faith tends to slow down. People move on from the past and into the future, so completely depending on word of mouth from past generations to grow a belief is extremely risky. But this is a work of faith, so we’re supposed to assume that this “God” talking with Isaiah is actually a holy deity. We aren’t supposed to ask any questions or do anything to gain a better understanding of this being, instead we’re ordered to do the equivalent of signing a contract without reading the fine print. So yes, the Remnants of one historical era can become the majority. But sooner or later fact grows stronger than faith, and a religion must adapt and change over time if they want to keep that title of majority.