A terrible clap of thunder startled me awake as the old man stoked up the fire. The rain sounded thunderous itself as it beat upon the old man's roof. There was no travelling tonight. We did not need to say that I would be spending my time where I was.

"Do you approve of how creation has turned out?" The question would have been absurd from any other man, but now it was a a serious inquiry. What do I think of creation? I was caught off guard, groping for a reasonable reply.

"I approve, in general."

"But then perhaps not in some particulars?"

"Let us only say that certain things are not as I would have expected, knowing only what I do know about how things should be."

"A fine piece of wind, that! But if you have reservations about this creation, let us endeavor to remake it tonight."

"Tonight! What God himself took six days to make, we should remake in an evening sitting about the fire." As usual, I began to relapse into the irony that was my defense from all incomprehensible demands. "An evening spent this way so as to avoid a minor aspect of the current universe, now dripping from your eaves. Most certainly we are to flex our powers this night!" I had impressed myself; a lesser audience I thought might well have been intimidated. Yet already I knew there would be no stopping this conversation.

"Indeed it did take more than an evening. But we do not start from nothing, unless your approval 'in general' does not extend to anything of substance. We have universe at hand with which to play. As for our power, do not forget that a man is made in the image of God. So come, let us create at least the image of your world. With what do you quarrel? The eccentricity of the earth's orbit, perhaps? Or the color of the leaves?"

"Let physics go, and biology as well. I'll leave the whole of the physical universe go by, even though I admit to wondering at the choice of green. Humanity's fallen nature is of more substance."

"So it is. But what would you have us change?"

"I would have all people do good."

"By necessity, as the earth necessarily goes round the the sun? Or by compulsion, with the will left intact?"

"No not necessity, nor compulsion either," for I guessed he would then ask how an action could be classed as either good or evil when there was no will directing it. "I would leave the possibility of evil so that men, by choosing good, might give praise to God."

"So then an ill or untaught man might do evil?"

"He might, though whether it is evil then is an open debate. More importantly, a healthy, educated man could do evil, but would not. And since we have eliminated compulsion, this means that each person desires good."

"Very well. Let everyone find more delight in good than in evil. But in this world, much of what we class as evil comes from natural things. Being eaten up by snakes, for example. Since you have left the world as it is, what do you say to that?"

"You are quite right. I did not eliminate every bad thing. One of the wonders of this earth is the continuing effort -- the struggle for good. If all men do good, then the effort will succeed. Now, humanity is a house divided against itself. This struggle for good I would maintain, but I would have us winning."

"This effort is to be humanity's praise to God?"

"Yes."

"And since doing good gives pleasure, we may say it pleases a person to praise God. But now another point: So long as the stuggle goes on, there must still be evil things which happen in the world. And those who are stuggling for good must see this all around them. Would this be so?"

"Yes, of course it would. And just as good gives pleasure, so the observation of the remaining evil gives pain. You can see, therefore, that each person is driven from both sides to do good."

"Indeed so! And you would expect this to cause a much stronger fight against evil, would you not?"

"That is exactly the difference I had in mind."

"Very well, then. Let us turn to the matter of knowledge."

"Knowledge?"

"Yes. I wish to know whether you would give omniscience to human beings."

"I think not. A human is a creature of struggle and change. What purpose does our mind have except the increase of knowledge and of understanding? For a human being, omniscience is only mindless memory. Our creativity is part of the image of God, but the creativity of the creature is forming new understanding. All art and science consist of the arrangement and rearrangement of what has gone before in order to create new truth. Only God can create utterly new forms. Thus to grant the creature this attribute of the creator is to reduce rather than enlarge the image in which we are made. I would preserve this effort also, and the work of the mind may then also be a glory to God."

"So a person may still work for truth."

"Yes."

"You know, of course, that this will delay the triumph of good?"

"Yes, since one might not know fully how best to do the good and so might choose an imperfect way. Yet this increases understanding and understanding will build the good. The struggle may be longer, but the triumph is no less sure."

"Very well. A person must struggle to obtain understanding. A person must struggle at the same time to root out evil and plant good. But making things better gives pleasure, while observing evil gives pain. And, since you have not changed this, human beings try to gain pleasure and avoid pain. Is this a fair summary of your universe? Is there anything to add to this?"

"You have said it very well. In this creation there is no reason for evil to triumph."

The old man turned to me, his eyes bright. There was quiet in the room, for the rain had stopped and the fire, once a crackling blaze, was now a gently burning bed of coals. He leaned toward me and looked into my eyes.

"Ecce! Ita est. Go out and see the world which you have created after God!"

I stood. His eyes followed me as I went to the door and watched me as I stepped outside. Behold! It was very good.

April 8, 1979
February 2, 1998
(June, 1999)