Marcus.
Open your eyes.
Marcus: Where am I?
You are about 27,000 light-years from Earth in the Sagittarius constellation,
on the outskirts of globular cluster NGC-6440,
discovered by human beings
200 and 32 years ago.
Turn around for a moment
and look up
There's single-celled life in the oceans of that planet up there.
Life there will eventually become multicellular and terrestrial.
Like on Earth,
over 99% of the species there will go extinct before one
finally makes it to where we are standing right now, on their moon.
If I didn't want it that way,
then I would not have made it that way.
Like a precious metal or jewel, for something to have value, it must be
finite.
Nothing unlimited is precious,
including life.
Sabrina, open your eyes.
Sabrina: What's...
Sabrina: ...happening?
Look at the horizon.
You are about to see the sunrise of a red hypergiant,
and even though we're far from it, the scorched, desert world you're standing upon is 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
Nothing lives here,
yet there are countless such places strewn about the universe like little motes of dust.
Though this entire world is but a mote of dust, so, too,
is that red hypergiant when compared to the galaxy it calls home.
And though that red hypergiant is but a mote of dust,
so, too, is that entire
galaxy, when compared to the cloud of galaxies in this tiny corner of the universe.
I did not author such massive scale and variety for one type of people to think one type of way
Samuel, open your eyes.
I brought you to this place at random.
We're in a galaxy far from the Milky Way.
You did not know this place existed until you saw it.
Space travels faster than the light that passes through it.
As galaxies move farther apart, their light will eventually cease to reach each other,
thus future civilizations, born long after Earth has disintegrated,
will know nothing of other galaxies.
They'll know a universe of darkness,
but you, an organism born billions of years in their past,
totally shrouded by time,
have seen the beauty of a universe they will never know.
I am the Lord your God™
Throughout your lives I have watched your actions, heard your words, felt your emotions.
Sabrina, you were raised as a Muslim and have been a devout follower of Islam throughout your entire life.
Please, rise.
Marcus, you are a Christian, and though you aren't always steadfast, your faith grew as you got older, and when you died you were firm in your belief.
Please,
rise.
Samuel.
You were an atheist who was never convinced of my existence from the moment
you first heard about me right up until your death.
Why have I gathered you three, of all people, here together after your deaths?
You see, I was thinking of building a bar right over there, and I wanted to see what would happen when a Muslim a Christian and an atheist walked into it.
[laughter]
Yeah, who wants to trade places with the atheist?
You heard me.
Look, your lives come with consequences, and you will be judged,
but, just this once,
let us see if you're willing to trade places with this non-believer.
Just step forward and raise your hand.
Any takers?
I see.
Very well.
Samuel.
I like you.
Be at peace.
[Mr. Darkmatter I don't feel so good]
You two on the other hand. Oh boy, do I have some words for you two.
Get up!
That's your first problem. You think I want you kneeling before me?
What's worse: that you think I'm a monster, or that you don't realize you think I'm a monster?
Why would I want people worshipping me? Is that what you would want out of your lives?
Do you prefer equal, loving relationships, or for people to grovel before you with fear and reverence?
Because, let me tell you, that gets old really fast.
Every dictator who foolishly desired such power ended up being some of the loneliest people to ever live.
Christians, Muslims, there's billions of you now.
Billions! And you have so much fear.
"God-fearing" is an actual phrase now, and it's supposed to be a good thing.
Is that what you think I want?
Fear?
Sabrina, Marcus,
both of you actually believed that I send people to hell to be tortured.
Tortured!
Sabrina, why would you worship someone who tortures people?
What choice did I have?
You can choose to have integrity and you can hope that your creator also has integrity.
And if I am an enlightened being - and why wouldn't I be - then should I not also have integrity?
Or you can trust those who claim to speak for me.
It seems you have done the latter.
Marcus, why would you worship someone who tortures people?
I-I-I just... I just trusted that you would know what's just.
"God is good, god is love."
Love?
Since- since when does love have anything to do with inflicting agony for eternity?
You refused to take Sam's place
because Sam was an atheist. You believed Sam would go to hell,
didn't you?
And you trusted that sending Sam to hell would be justice?
Sam merely didn't know that I exist.
Should I feel insulted because of that? Should that offend me?
I-I don't know.
Sam didn't know either of you exist, either. Do you feel insulted by that?
No.
Yet, not only did both of you believe in me,
but both of you thought I was a monster who sends people to be tortured forever,
and desires the eternal worship of everyone else.
I find that incredibly insulting.
You offend me
Why would I want to be around someone like you?
Because...
We know better now.
Do you?
Marcus: Yes!
How were we supposed to know?
Everyone around us believe these things.
They were written thousands of years ago. Our churches, our friends, our
families, our whole society
believe these things.
Samuel didn't.
Even though he was alienated for it. He still didn't believe it.
Throughout his life, he was the one who was called offensive and called out of line for not conforming,
sort of like Jesus was, yet it was the believers who offended me this whole time.
It was the believers who nailed Jesus to the cross
You think those holy books weren't written by people just like you?
They ate,
drank, and slept
just like you.
They had their ideas about what I'm like and they projected themselves onto me,
using me to justify their preferences, just like you.
They used me to claim that their opinions were objective truths,
that their beliefs were knowledge.
They didn't know where they ended and I began
You worshipped the god of the imaginations of ancient people,
who, not unlike the people of your time,
used their ideas of God to spread their influence
politically, culturally, and morally. You fell for it
Sabrina, you fell for it.
Samuel did not. I can actually talk to Sam without all that baggage in the way.
I can have a relationship with Sam I can be on equal footing with Sam.
What am I supposed to do with you two?
Show us the truth!
Teach the truth to offensive cowards?
Have you not been irreparably damaged?
No!
We're not afraid of you!
Good.
Now we're getting somewhere.