The Old Man at the Forked Road.

Essay discussing mankind's free will, God's great strength, and the nature of the afterlife.

I'm not a very religious man, in terms of ceremonies and rituals. However, despite my blasphemous nature, I still hold love for the most High God, King of Kings, Maker and Destroyer. Yet in this new era of modernity, men have begun the slow decline into hedonism, atheism, and secular liberalism. In this new era, men arrogantly act like God is a mere figment of our imagination. I will not argue for the existence of God. Countless priests have come and gone before me. If you need me to make the case, then you shall have to come for another day. Instead, I will discuss and argue for the nature of God, in my limited, mortal manner.

I write these words now, not to combat men of straw, but to rather address the arguments against God's nature and working which have been presented to me by my peers. Answering them now, countering them, and presenting the alternatives in which I see God's wisdom, is my purpose. Sharing this work, is my attempt at offering support to like-minded individuals. For those of you who do not question God's motives, but rather seek to engage in logical, sane debate, then I welcome you to at least give this a read. Perhaps your mechanical minds will be more functional than mine will be. But enough disclaimer, let us begin.

God has been criticized (laughably so) to be a most cruel and malicious deity. The root of this, lies in three points: Free Will, Omnipotence, and Damnation. Free will, the agent in which men are capable of ruling themselves to the manner in which they see fit, is lauded as a falsehood. The modern man decries that they posses no free will. For if they did, man shall be capable of great Evil. And to be a creation of God, he must be of perfect design. Free Will, as it is, would be the source of all of Mankind's Evil.

The Second criticism, is in the concept of God being Omnipotent, or all powerful. To the Modern man, God in all his power and knowledge would be capable of stopping Evil. Capable, even to create Paradise on Earth. To do otherwise, to permit the existence of Evil, and to let Mankind suffer is a sign of either weakness or maliciousness.

The third criticism, lays in Mankind's uncertain fate in the Heavens and Hells that exist beyond the physical realm. Men fear the fires of Hell, and seek the means to avoid it's choking Brimstone. The argument these men spout, is that God's punishment of the wicked is cruel, and his reward arbitrary. To them, living in the modern world forces them to be Evil, to be cruel, and to be unjust towards their fellow man. That, to even survive in this physical world is to be a fate most cruel, as men have no control over their birth and station. So following this, whatever Good or Evil done in life, was never up to them, and the afterlife a joke to those who come.

Now that we've established the common arguments, let us focus on the first. Free will. Man cries lie and foul when told they are the master of themselves. As stated, they see not but falsehood in the idea that men can choose Good or Evil. But here is why free will is God's gift to Man; in our capacity to do great Evil, so to is our capability to do great Good. The only means of doing Evil is in the hands of once Good men. When God gifted us the ability of Free will, it is in the ultimate test of our moral code and character.

Let us expand upon this notion. Free will is the ultimate test of a man's moral code and character, due to the fact he lives in a mortal and physical world. God is blasphemously called cruel, for this act. But this action is the only mean in which man rises above the lowly beast. The Lion gorges, not for sadism's sake, but to live. The Snake poisons, not out of malice, but for protection. Even the Tom cat that plays with his prey is not evil. It cannot comprehend no other action as Good. If man had no free will, we would be no better than beasts. Evil done Freely, is but the downfall of men. Good, is but the actions done Freely by Holy men.

The second case, is God's Omnipotence, and ability to act. Evil litters the very Earth, growing and slithering into the Hearts of Men. But just as Evil is so Freely done by men, the Modern man begs and cries for God to end the misery, and bring forth Paradise to the Earth. In their thinking, they see this as the actions of a cruel, malicious deity, or one that deserves no worship. To them, there should exist no state in which men can choose, and he must only do Good. Such is the nature of things, such is the failings of Modern man. But, I know perhaps the wisdom of God's actions.

In all matters physical and mortal, God has left mankind the tools to do what is best by his own reckoning. And just like the child may call the father cruel for his discipline, so do we when judging our most Holy Father. For no Paradise, no luxury, will every be sweeter than the one forged by fire and blood, save for God's own Kingdom. When God sits upon his Heavenly throne, he knows and sees all the souls of the spiritual and physical. No Evil or Good action escapes his watch.

Which leads us back to the notion of God permitting Evil actions in this physical world. When a man tills and plows his field, he is rewarded with the harvest of his labor. When the merchant faces storm, wind, and banditry, he is rewarded with the weight of his strife in Gold. And just as the Craftsman spends years in his workshop, working skin and bone to dust, shall know the fortunes of his craft to sustain him. So when men grow angry or depressed by the labor and strife that permeates this world, they must be reminded it is for their own good. Nothing sacred or divine is to be found in free and easy pleasure. It is the skin and blood of our own actions, that shall herald God's Kingdom on Earth.

So now we must discuss the things which no mortal man has witnessed. Heaven, Limbo, and Hell. The three planes of the spiritual world, forever the domain of the Holy Father. But why does the man grow angered over the spiritual rewards he has earned? To the modern man, nothing seems more arbitrary than the spiritual reward being given to them. Men born in wholesome families, will be more prone towards Heaven. B******s of crooks and villains will know only Hell. And those not even of the faith will know the grey wastes of Limbo. So is the argument given by the Modern man. And so shall I work to dispel this false logic.

When discussing the physical world, en see this as God's punishment, that to be in a world where pain, grief, and death exist, is not the actions of a benevolent God. That Evil is the necessary action to survive and flourish here. But Heaven and Hell are not arbitrary, nor malicious destinations. The poor b*****d from a family of rogues and crooks, may live to be a Paragon of Virtue. The man from a family of Saints will have the potential to be the Antichrist. And the Pagan or Heathen who lives either virtuously or viciously, will find his home in Limbo.

The point to gather is that Good and Evil are not murky, subjective points a man can tread between. When commit Evil (intentional or not) as a Free man, then your sins will weigh you down towards the Brimstone abyss. Committing Good actions (intentional or not) as a Free man, will raise you towards the Light. And for the man who stands above the sea of sin this world has made, committing not but Good in the face of Evil, will sit the closest to God.

I remember first hearing these complaints as a young lad. The arguments I presented were the separated components of the whole. When combined, the statement can best be given as:

"Free Will has no purpose when God knows all, making our Evil and Good actions not of our own. Any action done on either side will be beyond our power, and the afterlife given for these actions are but the most cruel. If God was but a loving deity, he would make the Heavenly afterlife here on Earth, eliminating the very choice of Evil, if he was so powerful."

Three separate points, but as a whole, we are now more prepared to address it as a whole. Let us begin with a thought experiment of my own creation.

Consider yourself, (as you are now) at a road which Forks. To your left, you see the path towards Darkness and Evil. On your right, you see the path of Light and Good. At the middle of these paths sits an Old Man, silent and unresponsive in his repose. It is up to you, to decide which path to take. The Left is the most quick, and efficient road to take, for it commits Evil for personal gain. The Right is the longest, yet peaceful, only difficult for those unaccustomed to Good. The Old Man will make no judgement for you, no suggestion, no advice, and no readily apparent award based on your choice. He waits.

He knows the results of the paths either taken. He knows where each one will lead, and where it will end. What you as the traveler on this road must do, is to decide on which path to take. Take the Right? Or shall you take the Left? It is your choice to make the steps towards the path you choose. Where the modern man fails to understand however, is that even though God is all knowing, and therefore knowing of all Evil and Good, he wishes for you to take the path you decide. A God that makes only one path, one road, does not know the true heart of his Children.

So, when discussing Free will, and the power of God, make no doubts. He sees all, and knows all. He knows the path Men shall take, long before it is taken. But like all travelers, the steps must be taken towards that path. Because even though the Old Man knows the path the traveler takes, does not itself negate the entire journey in which he took.

-J.D.R 7/6/16

Author's Note

I hope to hear some feedback.