GOD: It always comes back to that, doesn’t it? Whose beliefs are the truest, whose practices are the most pious, and most of all, whose version of God is the most accurate? My answer to you can only be this: as in all other things relating to humanity, there is a common thread that unites you all. In very basic terms, there is truth in all of your world’s religions.
KEVIN: So that’s it, then? Your answer is a vague and useless vindication of all things divine? Shiva, Yahweh, Bismillah, it’s all the same, right? Looks like the countless scores of quibbling religious denominations and sects have been fighting over nothing all along. Gold stars for everybody!
GOD: One of the most tragic constants in human history is your talent for oversimplification.
KEVIN: Forgive me, but aren’t you the one claiming that all roads lead to a single path? Isn’t that an oversimplification?
GOD: More like a simple statement of the facts. That’s not to say that all roads are as direct or straightforward as others, but none of them are entirely devoid of direction. Those people who would oversimplify, however, are often the ones who have the easiest time justifying violence and hatred in the name of God. It was never my intention that diversity would lead to such division.
KEVIN: Division is one of the things we do best. It’s a rule of nature. The truth is, humans strive on segregation, and resentment, and prejudice.
By default, we’re sectioned off by continents–but beyond that point, the rest of our divisions are voluntary. Within those huge masses of land that we call continents, we draw borders for individual countries. Some countries get along with each other and form international councils, while most others just sulk in the corner by themselves and mutter threats. Within our countries, we have states, and counties, and cities. And despite all of that propagandized nationalism and cultural identity bullshit, citizens of a country make plenty of reasons to hate each other when it comes to polarizing entities like partisan politics or professional sports. All of that national unity stuff melts away when you’re too busy bitching about the opposing party or screaming death threats at the visiting team. It’s all just fuel for pointless rivalry.
The divisions flow from top to bottom and permeate pretty much every aspect of our lives. I’m not trying to sound like a pseudo-socialist here, but humanity has more diversity than it knows what to do with it. Different skin colors, ethnic origins, governmental philosophies, religious doctrines, sexual orientation–there’s a wealth of reasons to senselessly hate each other. We are all self-transcending beings crammed into a common living space, so it’s inevitable that disagreements would arise. And what better way is there to win an argument than to kill everybody who contradicts you? I’m still trying to decide whether suicide bombers are stubborn brutes who refuse to change with the times, or if they’re actually the next step in human evolution.
GOD: A little fatalistic, don’t you think?
KEVIN: If I were you, I’d worry less about one guy’s pessimism and focus more on the fact that people are blowing themselves up to impress you. How do you reconcile your claims of caring about the world with your apparent lack of intervention?
GOD: As senseless as this will sound to you, humanity has all of the necessary tools that it needs to live in peace.
KEVIN: What am I, a deist? Do you expect me to accept that as an adequate answer?
GOD: You fault me for my lack of intervention?
KEVIN: Of course.
GOD: Just a moment ago, you told me that God should let His children live their own lives.
KEVIN: In an ideal universe, even the most aloof and irresponsible deity would take at least some measures to stop his children from hating and killing each other.
GOD: The funny thing about ideals is that they can differ so greatly depending on the dreamer. Sometimes, not even the dreamer himself can agree with his own ideals.
Posted by KZ on 11/22/05
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