- Chapter 30
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Chapter 30
"It's certainly an interesting experiment, sir," the angel said. God, in the Event Room to check on progress, had asked for an opinion. God liked to get opinions, but the angel didn't like to give them.
The two of them watched the enormous bank of monitors that scanned the activities and points of interest in North Carolina. The views of Lucifer's legions racing around causing trouble in all sorts of ways was fascinating—just as the aftermaths of earthquakes, hurricanes and bad train wrecks could be fascinating.
God raised an eyebrow and smiled slyly. "Oh, come now. Just `interesting'? You can say more than that."
But I'm not sure that I should, the angel thought. However, what God asked for, God got. "I simply wonder why you would choose to reveal yourself after all the trouble you've taken to hide the obvious signs of your handiwork. If you value both belief and your people's free choice, why reveal yourself now?"
God chuckled. "I suspected that had crossed your mind."
He didn't say anything else, and the angel looked at him expectantly.
"You want my reasons?"
The angel nodded. "If you don't mind."
God said, "You assume humanity will take the existence of Hell as proof of the existence of Heaven."
The angel nodded.
"That would be a logical assumption—but humans are anything but logical, and belief is not a thing that can be reached by logic anyway. They see proof of Hell, and so a good many of them will believe in Hell. In evil."
"Not all?"
"Certainly not. If there are people who believe, in spite of all evidence, that the world is flat or that televangelists work for me, there will be people who believe, in spite of all evidence, that Hell really isn't there."
"What about the rest?"
God sighed. "Some will believe, of course. But some won't. When they see proof of evil, but no obvious signs of counteracting good, what then will force them to believe in Heaven? In any case, evil is so much easier to believe in than good, for it is so much easier to do and to see."
"You don't think you've . . . er . . . stacked the deck, then?"
God laughed outright. "Anaraphel—I always stack the deck! I play to win—and I can only win when every soul I have created is fulfilled and challenged and joyous. That's my game . . . my goal. But to use your metaphor, I've decided to play a different variation for a while."
Back | Next
Contents
Framed
- Chapter 30
Back | Next
Contents
Chapter 30
"It's certainly an interesting experiment, sir," the angel said. God, in the Event Room to check on progress, had asked for an opinion. God liked to get opinions, but the angel didn't like to give them.
The two of them watched the enormous bank of monitors that scanned the activities and points of interest in North Carolina. The views of Lucifer's legions racing around causing trouble in all sorts of ways was fascinating—just as the aftermaths of earthquakes, hurricanes and bad train wrecks could be fascinating.
God raised an eyebrow and smiled slyly. "Oh, come now. Just `interesting'? You can say more than that."
But I'm not sure that I should, the angel thought. However, what God asked for, God got. "I simply wonder why you would choose to reveal yourself after all the trouble you've taken to hide the obvious signs of your handiwork. If you value both belief and your people's free choice, why reveal yourself now?"
God chuckled. "I suspected that had crossed your mind."
He didn't say anything else, and the angel looked at him expectantly.
"You want my reasons?"
The angel nodded. "If you don't mind."
God said, "You assume humanity will take the existence of Hell as proof of the existence of Heaven."
The angel nodded.
"That would be a logical assumption—but humans are anything but logical, and belief is not a thing that can be reached by logic anyway. They see proof of Hell, and so a good many of them will believe in Hell. In evil."
"Not all?"
"Certainly not. If there are people who believe, in spite of all evidence, that the world is flat or that televangelists work for me, there will be people who believe, in spite of all evidence, that Hell really isn't there."
"What about the rest?"
God sighed. "Some will believe, of course. But some won't. When they see proof of evil, but no obvious signs of counteracting good, what then will force them to believe in Heaven? In any case, evil is so much easier to believe in than good, for it is so much easier to do and to see."
"You don't think you've . . . er . . . stacked the deck, then?"
God laughed outright. "Anaraphel—I always stack the deck! I play to win—and I can only win when every soul I have created is fulfilled and challenged and joyous. That's my game . . . my goal. But to use your metaphor, I've decided to play a different variation for a while."
Back | Next
Contents
Framed