A Survivor's Guide to Eternity(12)
“Where are we?”
“Definitely somewhere in the UK. Home Counties I’m guessing, but I’ve only been here a day longer than you.”
“Right, that means you’ll leave a day before me, presupposing everything you say is true.”
“Well if it wasn’t true it would be one amazing pointless story. Christ knows I wish it wasn’t true. I’ve been through numerous transitions and it doesn’t get any easier. Worst of all is not knowing what sort of revelation one is looking for, and beyond that, what would happen if I had it.”
“Could it be some sort of eternal sin thing? I was a bit religious and loosely held some beliefs along those lines.”
“I don’t think so, although I wouldn’t rule anything out. I was not religious at all. That’s the difference between us right there. Maybe you were praying to the wrong one? Got to the gates of heaven and Shiva was there instead of St Peter. That would be a shock if you’d spent your life believing in Christ,” announced the fox.
“Yeah, wouldn’t it be. In retrospect, it might have been more beneficial spending my time watching Animal Planet and National Geographic.”
“Are you a Christian, a Muslim, Hindu? What did you believe in?”
“I was Christian, Church of England. Not fanatical, but a regular church goer.”
“Was?” enquired the fox.
“Well I’m dead aren’t I? Anyway, I honestly don’t know. Church of the living tortoise? I don’t think so. Turning me into a reptile wasn’t the best way to ensure continued loyalty.”
“I’m with you on that one. How religious were you?”
“Not massively but I was swayed by social pressure and conformity. I liked to have that comforting belief that there was something out there much bigger than me that I could hold out a hand to and ask for help. Now I can do that in reality, it turns out to be a fox ten times my size.”
“I personally find it a little odd to worship something that’s completely impossible to verify scientifically? Even if there had been proof, I wouldn’t have been a follower.”
“Even if it was proven? Why not?”
“Well, let’s assume for argument’s sake that there’s a god. We then have to consider the possibility that its nature is either good or bad, or even a mix of good or bad just like the mortals on Earth.”
“Why bad? How can there be a bad natured god?”
“It’s just for the purpose of the argument. Would you agree that if it was a bad natured god then you wouldn’t worship it?”
“For sure.”
“Me too. How would you feel though, if it was a mix of good and bad and its actions one way or another, were dependent upon its moods or prejudices?”
“Well off the top of my head, I wouldn’t feel comfortable about that either. What would make him, or her different from regular people?”
“The power and omnipotence, of course.”
“Of course, power. Power which could be used for good or evil,” replied Ed, getting more and more engaged in the conversation, almost forgetting he was talking to a large, brown fox in an underground lair.
“Exactly. I certainly wouldn’t want to worship such a god. You could be praised one day yet scolded the next for the very same action.”
“I guess you’re right. But what if he was good, but without any powers?”
“Well maybe there’d be some people willing to entrust their hopes of wellbeing to an impotent god, but I wouldn’t be one of them.”
“Me neither.”
“This leaves us with the ideal candidate for worship, an all-powerful and good-natured god.”
“Indeed.”
“I don’t see any evidence of it though; did you in your lifetime?”
Ed paused for thought, the moist scales on his head catching some penetrating flecks of sunlight glinting down into the lair as the day slipped into night.
“Well, not especially, to be honest.”
“Me neither. If there was such a god then how could he stand by and watch tsunamis and earthquakes destroy people’s lives? Isn’t that an argument that no such god exists?”
“Maybe.”
“On the other hand, if he caused it to happen, then he’d be evil in nature. Or, if he observed it but was unable to stop it, then that’s complete impotence. If he caused it and then chooses a select group of people to save then that’s even worse. What other options are there? Maybe he didn’t notice it at all?”
“Well, put like that, it’s hard to think of any other scenarios.”
“Exactly! I just can’t see a counter argument against it, apart from one that requires brainwashing, emotional irrationality and enforced doctrines. Whichever angle you come at it from, I cannot personally see a reason to be a worshipper.”