# The God Theory



## SouthernRiver4 (Sep 30, 2013)

Hey guys! Sorry I've been away so long. Right about the time you start making plans, life gets in the way, y'know? But regardless, I plan on frequenting a bit more during the lulls in my life.

So, in brief, I am still working on my four-book series, _Children of Flesh and Blood, _and am currently researching an idea to make sure that if I decide to implement it into the story, that the idea is air-tight and I am not missing any HUGE gaps.

So, basically, my idea is what I will be referring to as "The God Theory (TGT)". The idea is that the God that the Bible refers to is actually not the first God. In the book, as St. Michael, The Archangel tells it, the world repeats itself over and over, with a new God each time. The reason this happens is because the first God that created the cosmos wanted to created perfection in all that there was. He, like anybody who tries something new, made mistakes. The race of "man" he created turned feral and the entire population was wiped out by its own doing. So, he vowed that the world would keep "restarting" after judgement day, until a God was able to step up and make a race that would be completely without sin.

A few key points to note here:

"God" is actually a title, not a name.
The new "God" chosen for each repeat of the world is actually the highest-ranking Archangel of the previous world.
In our times, it would seem that St. Michael would be next in line for the title of God.

I think that covers most of the main idea. Whattya guys think? Where do you think an issue may arise (aside from angering the whole of the religious world).

Thanks guys!

-Zach E.


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## Gavrushka (Oct 1, 2013)

I like the idea - Immortals occupying a post is not new, but when worked well can make for awesome reading...

Bear in mind that you've specifically reinvented Christianity here, rather than using the less invasive generic God that other authors seem to prefer. (I think it may have been to reduce the possibility of causing offence).

I would ask where does each new god come from? - Are they a mortal elevated to the role after their death, or are they the one voted most worthy by their peers (from existing immortals) - Now as a new God comes after Judgement Day, I'd assume they're the best of the judged.

Good reading would be Piers Anthony, 'Incarnations of Immortality' who shows just how to handle an immortal with human/mortal characteristics... - In that series 'And Eternity' handles the role you're considering.

Danielle Trussoni's 'Angelology' and 'Angelopolis' may be some good background reading if you're set on Christianity as the basis for God. - It is going to be challenging to write without oopses, if you're setting it within a specific and immensely well detailed religion...

...I'd really consider going 'generic', but either way I'd be very interested to hear how it goes.


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## Outiboros (Oct 1, 2013)

The concept of going generic is an interesting thought. You could add another layer to your story rather than focusing on Christianity alone.

I'll say right away that I'm an atheist and that I don't intend on hurting anyone's beliefs, but here's how you could pull off 'going generic.' Don't focus on Christianity. There are hundreds of religions out there, all with their own scripture, myths and legends. The interesting thing is that they share so much - stories of floods and arks, stories of sons of God and voyages to the Underworld. What you could do is create a vision of God and his brethren that conforms not to one of those images but to all of them, an ur-myth from which all earthly religions descended. Look up some info on the similarities in religions - books have been written on the subject, I'm sure - and weave those into your story. Make your God the Christian God - but also Allah, Zeus, Jupiter, Horus.


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## The Tourist (Oct 1, 2013)

I love the idea, but I think "God" is wrong for the lead.  Let me explain.

No matter which 'god' you pick, most people accept the idea of perfection, ultimate power and a Paradise.  If a god was truly unhappy, he could snap his fingers and create an entirely new reality.  As writers we do this all of the time with a clean sheet of paper.

But consider a character akin to Lucifer.  Talk about the short end of the stick.  Like any key employee he has to be on call 24/7, he works nights, weekends and holidays.  He doesn't even get the prime parking spot.  After 6,000 years of breathing sulfur, dealing with idiots for minions whilst getting his butt handed back to him by any Seraphim with a smirk and righteous scripture, the Devil is going through job burn-out.

So every 1,000 years your god does job sharing.  Fresh blood, new temptations.  He sends the old Beelzebub to a Sandals Resort for a little fun in the sun, and a chance to chase a few dozen bikini-clad co-eds while breathing some fresh sea air over a perfectly mixed mai tai.

Then Ol' Nick comes back renewed and recharged and starts the French Revolution and ObamaCare.


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## Nickleby (Oct 1, 2013)

You don't necessarily have to use the trappings of the Judeo-Christian tradition, as others have noted. The idea of cyclical time is in Buddhism, for instance. Which begs the question, how does your theory affect other religions?

Take it a step further and tweak the religion a little in each iteration, the way everything else (presumably) gets refined. If the goal is no sin, the Eden myth (for instance) would change a little bit each time. The people would avoid sin for a slightly longer period, the temptation to sin would get slightly more subtle, the consequences would get slightly more dire. Another possibility is to let people remember a bit more each time from their previous incarnations. You don't say at which point(s) in the process your story takes place, so I won't speculate too much.


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## SouthernRiver4 (Oct 1, 2013)

Okay, I think that my OP was perhaps misinterpreted, so allow me to make some clarifications.

As I said, "God" is actually a title. Not a name. Allah, Horus, Zeus...they all have names, but their TITLE is "God". And God, in the story, refers to the singular, all-knowing, and all-powerful God that is associated with the Bible, and predominately Christian/Catholic religions who believe in one God, "The Father, the Almighty." I grew up in a Catholic home, and am myself Catholic. So, I choose to write about a God that resembles the God you learn about in Catholic school. However, it is my intention to differ the character of God. (Here comes the moral gray area).

A main theme of the story, if not one of the most glaring focal points, is that we cannot truly know what God is like. Everyone, even those in the same religious group, have different interpretations of God, Heaven, and the like. The God I choose to represent holds the same values as we expect him to, but I choose to portray him as a more stern father figure. He, much like his chosen Archangels, is a warrior. He has created the cosmos with the sole purpose of achieving a world without sin. The ball is entirely in his court, and he gets to call the shots about how he will handle mankind and their faults. Deacon Klocke, the main character, is faced with both physical, mental, and moral challenges presented by both Heaven and Hell. Deacon holds a special ability that only a few before him have possessed--this ability allows him to choose his own path and destiny, and neither God nor Lucifer can challenge it. With this ability, he gets to test the waters of both Heaven and Hell and see where his allegiance for the ultimate clash between Heaven and Hell lies. Many supporting characters of the series are St. Michael, the Archangel, St. Raphael, the Archangel, The Antichrist, and the Whore of Babylon. So, the series spends a lot of time tackling the very subjects of the Bible you learned in Sunday school in great detail.

Now that there is a little background, let's delve further into the theory itself. Basically, it works like this: There once was a God that was the first of all the Gods to create the cosmos. (And don't ask me about how HE came into existence. You couldn't come up with an answer good enough to write, so I am just chalking it up to it was so long ago that nobody even knows what happened). This first God started by making angels to help him with the task that lay before him...creating the planets and populating them with people, animals, and vegetation. In his time, humans found a way to do wrong, and thus sin and a temptation in the form of our present-day Lucifer was created. That time of the world, which played out much differently since OUR time's creation, was flawed and needed to be repaired. When the first God could not take the abomination of that world, he began judgement day and annihilated the human race and the Earth itself, leaving nothing but endless darkness and a group of angels floating around in its wake. One angel would stand out among all the others as being the strongest and the wisest, and the clear choice to have a turn at creating new life. So, the first God willed his entirety (his grace, his wisdom, his being) unto that angel who would then destroy the throng of angels, create new ones, and re-create the cosmos in his vision with the intent of building a world without sin. Then, like the God before him, he would will his grace and being (along with the grace and being of the former God) unto the strongest of the angels, and thus the cycle would continue until there was a world without sin.

Basically, each God is like a scientist trying to create the right formula for a world without sin, and when one fails, a new one gets the chance to try. Only the angels in Heaven know this and it is forbidden for a human to know...until Deacon comes along. And each God is endowed with the knowledge and power of each of the previous Gods. There are several themes that remain the same throughout each re-creation of the cosmos and some of those are an ultimate evil to match the ultimate good (a Lucifer character), the first sinner(s) (Adam and Eve characters), and so on. So, it is up to each God to figure out how to break that vicious cycle. It would make sense in our time that Michael who is the strongest of all the Archangels would be next in line for the throne and the title of God. So, you can see how it all plays out.

So, now that I've clarified, let's return to the question at hand: Are there any glaring holes in the idea that make it COMPLETELY impossible for that to be true or implemented? 

Thanks!
-Zach E.


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## Gavrushka (Oct 2, 2013)

I am not sure how anyone can now comment in a meaningful fashion. - You've gone from a broad concept to your specific take on how it should be implemented. - It sounds like you are talking in terms of a work in progress, and you've crafted an idea that fits with the story to date. - I suggest you go ahead and implement it, and see how it works.

You, I am sure realise that this is going to prove a controversial story and could prove a little difficult for many to read. - You seem to talk of God as the sole property of Christianity (or more specifically Catholicism) and I'd understood he had a slightly broader fan base than that. 

The only advice I would give, is be careful of the tone. - It could be easy for such a work to come across as 'preaching' rather than as storytelling. - I know very little about you, or your skills as a writer, so it is likely you may have already considered this.


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