So there I was...or rather, here I am...working away with this story, A Cry For Hire. (A story I really shouldn't be working on, mind you, because it was already finished. But, yeah, I have a very bad habit of exploring worlds and just getting deeper and deeper into worldbuilding.)
Anyways, there I was (here I am) and this verse starts ringing in my head:
The heaven, even the heavens of heavens, is the Lord's...but the earth he has given to the sons of men. Psalm 115:16
Of course, if I was a mormon, there'd be no problem. But I'm not and the world I've made is made up of many worlds that can be traveled to via portals and windows. Okay, I'm no great lover of portal-fiction. Narnia wardrobes, enchanted mirrors and the like, are cute but they don't send me into waves of ecstasy. Partly because I am iffy about them, spiritually speaking. Crystal balls are portals, tarot cards are portal-openers. But Jacob's ladder is also a portal. And Jesus did promise that from now on we would see angels coming down to the children of men. So, yeah, I'm careful about portals in scifi because I don't want to get folks interested in the idea of "leaving this material reality."
But, alas, I had a dream of a portal and the world outside the portal was soooo interesting that yeah...so...yeah, I found myself writing a portal story. So, portalism aside, there is another issue. As a Christian, I believe that evil and Satan are only connected with this earth. Satan's power and man's world are intriicately interwoven. Man was given dominion in the beginning but by the time Satan tempted Jesus, Satan could say, "Anything you want I can give you because it is mine to give." And even now, although Jesus has redeemed us out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God's dear son, we know that the whole world is in darkness and under the rule of the wicked one, that the god of this world is Satan, and that (although we are to occupy the land) the world itself won't be redeemed until the Lamb slain from the foundation of the earth removes the seven seals and the Son of Man, the second Adam, takes ownership of the earth once more. (Whew! Ah, Christian cosmology! I love it! And, sleepless as I am, I managed to get all that out in a somewhat clear form.)
So, yeah, back to the Cry for Hire story. (Ah, what a bother!) In the story, all the portals lead to worlds which are affected or ruled by the prince of the power of the air. YEP! That's it. That's my problem. I've set up a world where Satan rules all worlds, not just earth. Oh, it's not such a big thing, I know. But it is so terribly wrong theologically that I am really strongly thinking of changing a lot about the story. A WHOLE LOT. What a mess! But honestly, the worlds are all so different that they couldn't all be parts of "the earth as we know it." Ah, what a mess, what a mess, what a mess!
If I weren't dealing with the problem of evil, I wouldn't mind...but aaaaargh!!!! gotta think. What to do???????
Anyways, there I was (here I am) and this verse starts ringing in my head:
The heaven, even the heavens of heavens, is the Lord's...but the earth he has given to the sons of men. Psalm 115:16
Of course, if I was a mormon, there'd be no problem. But I'm not and the world I've made is made up of many worlds that can be traveled to via portals and windows. Okay, I'm no great lover of portal-fiction. Narnia wardrobes, enchanted mirrors and the like, are cute but they don't send me into waves of ecstasy. Partly because I am iffy about them, spiritually speaking. Crystal balls are portals, tarot cards are portal-openers. But Jacob's ladder is also a portal. And Jesus did promise that from now on we would see angels coming down to the children of men. So, yeah, I'm careful about portals in scifi because I don't want to get folks interested in the idea of "leaving this material reality."
But, alas, I had a dream of a portal and the world outside the portal was soooo interesting that yeah...so...yeah, I found myself writing a portal story. So, portalism aside, there is another issue. As a Christian, I believe that evil and Satan are only connected with this earth. Satan's power and man's world are intriicately interwoven. Man was given dominion in the beginning but by the time Satan tempted Jesus, Satan could say, "Anything you want I can give you because it is mine to give." And even now, although Jesus has redeemed us out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God's dear son, we know that the whole world is in darkness and under the rule of the wicked one, that the god of this world is Satan, and that (although we are to occupy the land) the world itself won't be redeemed until the Lamb slain from the foundation of the earth removes the seven seals and the Son of Man, the second Adam, takes ownership of the earth once more. (Whew! Ah, Christian cosmology! I love it! And, sleepless as I am, I managed to get all that out in a somewhat clear form.)
So, yeah, back to the Cry for Hire story. (Ah, what a bother!) In the story, all the portals lead to worlds which are affected or ruled by the prince of the power of the air. YEP! That's it. That's my problem. I've set up a world where Satan rules all worlds, not just earth. Oh, it's not such a big thing, I know. But it is so terribly wrong theologically that I am really strongly thinking of changing a lot about the story. A WHOLE LOT. What a mess! But honestly, the worlds are all so different that they couldn't all be parts of "the earth as we know it." Ah, what a mess, what a mess, what a mess!
If I weren't dealing with the problem of evil, I wouldn't mind...but aaaaargh!!!! gotta think. What to do???????
3 comments:
Interesting thoughts... How about the ruler (Satan) who is brain-dead (cos' Jesus crushed his head) and though he rules, he really has no authority (cos... All authority... u got it!). In which case, giving one earth or all the worlds to rule would not matter, I think.
Brilliant David. I love it. You've got good stuff on your site also. I got blessed.
Thanks for dropping by at my site and at David's Princess Carroll! -C
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