Faithless Boss: “Look, as your manager at this company, I don’t mind your having spiritual beliefs. But, please keep them to yourself. We’re in the business of providing expert advice to our corporate clients. They’ll lose faith in your judgment if they start to question your objectivity. Don’t get me wrong. I respect your right to believe in whatever you want. But this spiritual stuff is not good for business. We don’t want people thinking that you’re seeking ‘guidance from above’ in your consulting work. Or that their problems will be solved by praying. We need to be objective here. Do you know what I mean?”
Faithful Human: “I know.”
Faithless Counselor: “Look. I’m an alcohol and drug-abuse counselor. I always respect my clients’ beliefs. However, as a counselor, I need to be careful not to step over the line and encourage my clients to surrender ownership of their lives to a Greater Power. This is a dangerous path. My goal is to help clients face the reality of their lives. To objectively confront the challenges they face. Not to escape into some fantasy world, where they give up their agency to some nebulous spirit who will solve all their problems. Praying to God isn’t going to pay the bills. You know what I mean?”
Faithful Human: “I know.”
Faithless Psychiatrist: “As a psychiatrist, I can assure you that hyperreligiosity is frequently manifested by patients with temporal lobe epilepsy. It’s also seen in some frontal lobe defects. Bipolar and schizoaffective patients can also fall into religious fantasies when they’re in a manic phase. As they increasingly lose sight of reality, they enter an imaginary world of religious imagery, where they feel connected to a Greater Power or Spiritual Being. In milder forms, it may simply be a fixed conviction that God exists and cares about them. Quite often, it manifests itself as a certain knowledge in their hearts, that despite any objective evidence, they know that the existence of a Greater Power is true. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Faithful Human: “I know.”
Faithless Sociologist: “As a PhD sociologist and cultural expert, let me clearly state that the progress of the human race depends on our accepting the reality that we must solve our own problems, and not rely on imaginary forces to intervene on our behalf. This childlike faith in a Greater Power distracts us from the challenges that we’re confronted with. We must have faith in ourselves. Blind faith in some nebulous Spirit who will save us, is damaging to the progress of civilization. We must face up to the real world.”
Faithful Human: “I know.”
Faithless Philosopher of Science: “Like any competent philosopher, I am bound by the principles of objectivity, and the ironclad laws of logic. Therefore, I must dispel the unsupported notion of a Greater Power that’s benignly watching over us. I have no need for such a hypothesis. It’s simply not supported by objective evidence. If we open up the door to such fantasies, then anything goes: dancing fairies, ethereal ghosts, fanciful sprites, spirit guides, the list is endless. Let’s stick to the facts. Despite the countless anecdotes and embellishments among the so-called ‘Faithful’, there is no clear, objective evidence for the existence of God.”
Faithful Human: “I know.”
Faithless Historian: “Look, I am an expert historian. Throughout history, great damage has been done in the name of religion. Countless wars. Horrendous persecutions. Torture. Suppression of scientific beliefs. As we continue our journey through the modern world of scientific enlightenment, we must escape the bonds of human ignorance, and embrace the methods of science, which have led to countless improvements in our living conditions. We also must acknowledge the cruel fact that, throughout history, religion has created much strife among civilizations.”
Faithful Human: “I know.”
Reality : “Listen to those who know me.”
Faithful Human: “Reality? Is that you? I am listening to these voices. All of the experts. The Scientists. The Philosophers. The Historians. The Psychiatrists. All of Them.”
Reality: “What are you talking about? I told you to listen to those who know me.”
Alien: “Human. Wake up. You’ve been asleep. You’ve been dreaming. It’s time to face the truth.”
Faithful Human: “I’m sorry. I’ve been listening to the Voices of Reason.”
Alien: “You mean the voices of human reason. Haven’t you learned anything from our conversations? What does your puny human intellect have to do with the truths of the greater world around you? Your dog has faith. Faith in a greater power. That power is you. You watch over him. Nurture him. Love him.”
Faithful Human: “But I am real, not some imaginary Spirit. My dog can see me.”
Alien: “But does he understand the powers that you have? To treat him when he is ill? To feed him a balanced diet? To groom him properly? To keep him out of harm’s way?”
Faithful Human: “Well, no.”
Alien: “So, your problem is that I am not real? Yet I stand here before you. Human, open your eyes. Do you see me?”
Faithful Human: “Yes, but you’re not here to take care of me. To keep me out of harm.”
Alien: “No, but I am trying to help you see past the bounds of your limited intellect. To have Faith. To share in the sure and certain knowledge that there are greater powers in this Universe than your puny intellect will ever understand, or even detect the presence of. They are out there, Human. Do you truly believe that you’re the greatest power in the Universe? The most intelligent among all of those billions of stars and planets? Yet you continue to rely solely on your so-called objectivity. I’m not preaching anarchy, Human, but please understand when I tell you that your intellect is oversold. It’s gotten you into an awful mess, where Death awaits you.
“And from whence do your problems come? From God? From Mother Nature? No. The vast majority of your problems come from yourselves. From your interactions with other humans. From your creation of horrific weapons of mass destruction. It is yourself that you must confront, Human. Look closely in the mirror of your existence. Open your eyes.”
Reality: “Hear me Human. The challenge you face is that if you rely solely on the narrow view that you see of me, you’ll never benefit from Faith, and you’ll never see Hope. It’s not realistic to believe that there are no greater powers in the Universe, simply because you haven’t found them yet. Heed the Alien. Even he knows the limits of his powers, which are far greater than yours.”
Faith: “And don’t forget about me. Don’t forget about Faith. I am invisible to many in your world. Yet my presence is vast. Resolve this in your mind, Human. Faith can help you. I can help you. Your dilemma is that you cannot see me. You are blind. Your intellect is too limited. That is what the Alien and Reality are trying to tell you. Do you understand? Do you know what I’m speaking of?”
Faithful Human: “I know.”
Death: “And when I come to collect you, Human, there is one thing that always escapes my grasp. Your Spirit. Your Faith. It eludes my best efforts. Darn!”
Faithful Human: “I know.”
Death: “Don’t listen to this nonsense, Human. Stay close to me. Stay close to Death. Don’t take solace in the empty words of Faith and Hope. They want to take away your fear of me. Ruins all of my fun! You ward me off with your Faith. Abandon it and worship the God of Intellect instead. Then, I can soon embrace you!”
Faithful Human: “I know.”
Alien: “Walk your own path, Human. Keep trying. Don’t just rely on the world of Science and Technology. Join hands. Strive to understand that it’s humanity’s lack of faith that’s the true challenge. Not just faith in a Greater Power. But faith in each other. Focus on your behavior. That’s the key. Try to understand each other. Love one another. Respect your differences, but join together to save yourselves from yourselves. You still have a chance, Human, but time is running out. The death of your species awaits.”
Faithful Human: “I know.”
(The Chorus speaks: Little Dog, Big Dog, Grumpy Grandpa, Alien, Hope, Faith, Reality, Wisdom, Science, Mother Nature, Love, Religion)
Chorus: “We are here for you, Human. True reality is not just believing in that which is before you, but believing in that which is forever beyond your grasp. That’s the real reality of Life. Heed our voices. It’s not too late. It’s not yet time for you to exit the stage. Stay with us a bit longer. Have faith, Human. We’re rooting for you.”