Okay, God. I am back. Thanks for allowing Faux News to continue the interview. When these interviews hit the mainstream media, we will be really famous!
Silence
Yes, forgive me. You already are famous.
But I still have a lot of questions, and here is my first one: Man was created in your image, right?
Silence
Okay, “human beings were created….” I need to be more sensitive here, “politically correct,” as they say, but being created in your image is what it says in the Bible– Genesis 1:26-27 and a bunch of other places in the Bible too. So if man–I mean, if humans are created in your image, doesn’t that imply that you look like us? What I mean is that if we look like you, then wouldn’t it figure that you look like us? So I have a check list that I am going to go over, and really all I need is a yes or no answer: First, do you have two eyes?
Silence
Nose?
Silence
Two ears?
Silence
Mouth?
Silence
Two arms, hands, and five fingers each?
Silence
Legs, feet, toes?
Silence
And here is a sensitive one: skin color. We humans tend to have problems accepting people with a different skin color. And are you really a “he” and not a “she” or even an “it.” And why is that? And how tall are you anyway? I could keep going….
Silence
God, why aren’t you answering any of these questions on my check list? I know your patience is wearing thin but….
Silence
What do you mean that I am missing the whole point?
Silence
You mean that I have it backwards? That man–I mean humans— came up with the idea of how you look based on how we look? In other words it’s vice versa?
Silence
Okay, I understand that these questions sound like I am a skeptic, but do not take it personally. Do not think for a moment that I do not believe in you and trust you. Sure, I have had my doubts every now and then, especially when I do not hear from you for a period of time. I get antsy. I know that you are busy with a lot of things, lots of calls to answer, and it could be a bandwidth issue, but still. Hey, I am talking to you right now, and that is good enough for me. Count me as a believer. How you look is really not an issue.
But I would not mind asking, if you don’t mind: if you do not look like us, then whom do you look like?
Silence
What do you mean that I just fail to get it? Yes, I know that you created the universe about 15 billion years ago and that there are trillions and trillions of stars and planets and that the Earth is just one small spec of sand in an endless desert, a drop of water in a vast ocean…I know that there are lots of things we will never understand and are not supposed to understand.
Silence
Why do you say that we humans on Earth are incredibly planet-centered and small-minded by thinking that we are the only intelligent life in the universe and that all the other stuff you did is for naught? That we think we are the center of everything? Of course we respect all the hard work you have done and we are grateful for it. On a clear night away from city lights there is nothing better than gazing up at all your handiwork.
Silence
Okay, maybe saying we humans are examples of “intelligent life” is an overstatement, but still we have somewhat advanced brains, and we can’t help asking all these questions about why. Why is life the way it is? Why do we die? Is there life after death? Why do awful things happen to good people? Why is evil alive and well on this planet …?
Silence
No, God, I am not really complaining. The fact is I love it here. As I think I have told you, I think you did a really good job; and while maybe the planet Earth is not as perfect as it might be, I can’t think of another world I would rather live in. In fact I would go as far as to say that if everything were perfect here, it would be pretty boring. I am just trying to get more information for our readers. There are a lot of readers who ask these questions and would love to hear the answers.
Silence
Yes, you are right, God, we humans have been asking these questions from time immemorial. But are there no answers? No definitive ones?
Silence
So what you are saying is that this is the nature of life as we humans know and experience it. There are definitive answers, but these answers are beyond our capacity as human beings on the planet Earth to understand fully. When we humans try to make these answers definitive, it often just confuses things and leads to bad things happening like religious intolerance and hatred of people who do not believe the same thing I believe or someone else happens to believe? I get that.
Silence
Thank you, God, for your thoughtful answer; and yes, I know that this does not get me off the hook. I should not give up. I should not keep trying. I should keep asking these important questions because, as you say, it is part of being human. And I really appreciate it when you say that you aren’t holding this against me. And as you suggest I should keep my eye on the ball as to the clues you have given us along the way and still give us humans. These clues will be the subject of my next interview.
Love is the answer.
So is silence the answer?
Sorry to be so serious but…
I got silence when I was a junior at Davidson and I was going through a hard time.
I eventually got into psychotherapy which turned things around over quite a long time.
Belief in a God that is a personal god is not possible for me. I am a skeptic of most of
Christian beliefs. I am an active elder in our church. I argue in our Sunday school class, but
I don’t try to broad cast my beliefs outside that circle. Our class was once called the ” heretic class”
which I can identify with.
Tank you Chaplain. Spot on as you Brits say.
So is silence the answer?
Sorry to be so serious but…
I got silence when I was a junior at Davidson and I was going through a hard time.
I eventually got into psychotherapy which turned things around over quite a long time.
Belief in a God that is a personal god is not possible for me. I am a skeptic of most of
Christian beliefs. I am an active elder in our church. I argue in our Sunday school class, but
I don’t try to broad cast my beliefs outside that circle. Our class was once called the ” heretic class”
which I can identify with.
Sam,
Thanks for the thoughtful comment. We are pretty similar on this one….