Forbidden Knowledge to Empowered Literacy

In a world where information is both power and a tool for control, ancient scriptures and historical practices offer striking insights into the manipulation of knowledge. This essay examines the contradictions in sacred texts and the deliberate suppression of literacy as instruments of control.

Genesis 2:16-17 declares,

"The LORD God commanded the man, saying, from any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”

This command, etched in religious tradition, has long been used to justify limits on the pursuit of knowledge.

In simpler terms, it is stated that: 

"God told Adam and Eve not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil because it would result in death."

Such a framing reduces the complex quest for understanding to a binary of obedience versus fatal consequence.

"Having read over 1000 books in my life, if there were any veracity to this scripture, I would have died a couple decades ago." ~ taskeinc 

This candid remark challenges the literal truth of the biblical warning, emphasizing experience and life lessons over ancient decree.

The scriptures, it is argued, were written by man rather than dictated by a Creator. No divine authority forbade the acquisition of knowledge, yet the narrative suggests that only those who shun it can remain unblemished.

In fact, the notion that malevolent orchestrators could choose to “eat of the forbidden tree of knowledge” implies that power is maintained by those who control access to information, rather than by divine command.

Such interpretations render Genesis 2:16-17 as one among many fabrications in what is dismissively called the "Holy Book." The text, critics argue, is a repository of myths designed to enforce obedience and suppress inquiry.

Barbara Hillary once stated, *

"The Bible is the greater shackle, the greater rape of the Black Mind than Slavery ever was."

Her powerful critique highlights how religious texts have been used to oppress rather than liberate.

Malcolm X observed,

"The media is the most powerful entity on Earth, it can make the innocent guilty and the guilty innocent. The media can make people hate the oppressed and love the oppressors."

His words resonate with the idea that information, or the lack thereof, shapes social realities.

Similarly, MLK noted,

"The media has the power to influence communities; media literacy is important."

Such perspectives underscore the necessity of critical engagement with information in a media-saturated world.

JFK also warned about the dangers inherent in unchecked media, emphasizing "the need for responsible journalism" to counteract manipulation and maintain a just society.

At its core, literacy is defined as the ability to read and write, while illiteracy represents not only an absence of these skills but also the deprivation of the knowledge that empowers individuals.

Historically, restricting access to literacy has been a deliberate strategy to curtail the freedom and rights of marginalized groups, particularly within the African-American community in the United States.

Antebellum slavery was bolstered by slave owners who employed torture, physical, and non-physical methods of dehumanization, one of which was the deliberate suppression of literacy among enslaved people.

Slave owners also controlled even the smallest pieces of personal information—such as age, birth parents, or family origin—in order to erase any sense of individual identity among the enslaved.

Without the ability to read or write, an "ignorant" slave, as viewed by their oppressors, could not question the morality of their condition or access information that might inspire resistance.

Between 1740 and 1867, anti-literacy laws in the United States legally prohibited enslaved, and sometimes free, Black Americans from learning to read or write. Frederick Douglass, who had no formal education, made it his life’s goal to become literate after first learning the alphabet at the age of 12. Slave owners contended that literacy "Would forever unfit him to be a slave; he would at once become unmanageable and of no value to his master.”

In reflecting on these intertwined histories, it becomes evident that the control of knowledge—whether through ancient scripture or enforced illiteracy—has long been a tool for domination.

For further insights into the legacy of literacy and its liberating power, one can explore resources such as:

Reading Partners - https://readingpartners.org/blog/literacy-path-to-freedom-illiteracy

* Barbara Hillary was as American Arctic Explorer, nurse, publisher, adventurer and inspirational speaker