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And God Laughed
And God Laughed
And God Laughed
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And God Laughed

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Imagine that you had the opportunity to speak to God and ask Him any questions that you want. What would you ask? After a visit to a local book sale in his small mountain town, that’s exactly what happens to Justin, a 30 something computer network engineer. The question that starts the tumult in his mind and emotions is, simply, “Does God Exist?” Justin and his fiancée Alex are reeling from a catastrophic situation that nearly leaves their life in ruins. Alex thinks that the conversations Justin is having with "God," are internally manifested as a result of the trauma.
Encouraged by Alex, a child psychiatrist and atheist, he decides to seek out answers direct from the Divine and gets more than he bargained for. As Justin navigates the realm of Spirit, his world is turned upside down as he engages with God in deep question and answer sessions. There is little left off the table in these talks with God, and with each conversation his personal system of belief, founded in Christianity, begins to unravel. Justin delves into the nether regions of the workings of God and His interaction with man, confronting the deepest mysteries that haunt the human mind, mortal flesh and the Spirit realm in life and death.
"And God Laughed" is the fictional conversation between one man and the Designer of the Universe, which shakes the very bedrock of all religions, not just his own. His thought-provoking conversations with the Divine will have you questioning your own closely-held dogma, lead you down a road of self-discovery, and allow you to find more freedom within your own beliefs.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateApr 9, 2013
ISBN9780976639268
And God Laughed

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
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    While browsing at a library book sale, Justin spotted a book titled DOES GOD EXIST? He was raised Christian but had dropped out while he was a teenager. His fiancee Alex is a psychiatrist who is an atheist.Justin had been taught when praying, he should listen to God, not just talk. So he began a series of conversations with God which led him to separate the real God from the God as described by religions.The God he discovered had a sense of humor, laced with sarcasm. God tells him that he did not create religion. Religion was created by men as a means of control. The Bible is a good reference source but isn’t pure fact. For example, if God rests on the seventh day; why do people expect Him to be listening to their prayers in a house of worship on his day off.He is not a genie that will grant wishes if someone rubs the bottle. God says that while he knows the outcome of everything, having free will allows people to make choices. Bad choices are learning experiences and could have good outcomes. Without it, we would be robots. God tells Justin his main duty regarding his relationship with individual people is to provide guidance to those who ask. Justin works with computers. God explains that a brain is a computer and the software is the soul. He states “Man would be better served looking for ways to help others and his home planet rather than trying to understand that which is not understandable.”God explains how religion developed as a means of protection and intimidation. The development of language lead people to move away from God.He speaks of the fear of death as the great driving force and much is done to try to avoid dying. He explains what happens after death and whether there is a heaven and hell. He says one thing that happens to people after they die is not only do they review their own lives, they see the impact of their actions on other people. They discuss abortion, homosexuality, sex outside marriage, and war. The discussions lead to the marriage of Justin and Alex, who had been together (though living separately) for five years and engaged for two of them. Book winds up with a quick view of what happens after their marriage until the end of their lives.The author writes from a totally Christian viewpoint and, in the process, ignores or represents some beliefs of other religions. For example, God states he did not choose one group of people over another to be his favorite. That is a misrepresentation of the Jewish concept of being the Chosen People. In Judaism, many other nations were asked to accept God and be a light unto other nations. They all refused. The Hebrews said yes and assumed the responsibility. They never said they were better than others. Later on God says that people must ask forgiveness of those they have harmed. It’s a foreign idea to Justin but is a major theme of Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement.The book provides some interesting concepts but Justin doesn’t seem able to absorb a lot of them and returns to his previous ideas.I received this as a free Amazon download.

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And God Laughed - Roy A. Teel, Jr.

Copyright © 2013 by Roy A. Teel Jr.

Smashwords Edition

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews, without prior written permission of the publisher.

Narroway Publishing LLC.

Imprint: Narroway Press

PO Box 1431

Lake Arrowhead California, 92352-1431

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

First Edition

ISBN

Ebook: 978-0-9766392-6-8

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012920573

Teel Roy A., 1965

And God Laughed: a Novel / Roy A. Teel Jr. -- 1st ed. – Lake Arrowhead, Calif.:

Narroway Press, c2013.

p. ; cm.

ISBN: 978-0-9766392-5-1 (cloth)

1. Human interaction with God--Fiction. 2. Societal structures in religion--Fiction.3. Controlling human emotions--Fiction. 4. Male and female interactions--Fiction. 5. Suspense fiction. 6. Neo-Platonic dialogue--Fiction I. Title.

Book Editing: Finesse Writing and Editing, LLC

Cover and Book Design: Patricia Bacall

Author Photo: Tracy Teel

ALSO BY ROY A. TEEL JR.

NON FICTION:

The Way, the Truth, and The Lies

How the Gospels Mislead Christians about Jesus’ True Message

Against The Grain

The American Mega-Church and its Culture of Control

FICTION:

The Light of Darkness—Dialogues in Death

Collected Short Stories

© Copyright Roy A. Teel Jr. All Rights Reserved.

CONTENTS

LEARNING TO LISTEN

UNTANGLING

CLARITY

CASUAL CONVERSATIONS

LEARNING TO LISTEN

1

It was a sunny and breezy Memorial Day weekend, and my fiancée Alex (Alexandra) and I had gone into town for some local sales. I wasn’t looking for anything special; we enjoy these local events. We stopped and visited some friends who were having an open house for their new business. We shared some nice conversation and food and parted to our next adventure. Next door was the public library.

Our town is a small mountain community nestled between two lakes. It’s a friendly place where people look out for one another, and the library was having its annual book sale. I always insisted on wandering among the titles to be sold.

It was not a fancy affair; books on tables with paper signs on little wood posts describing the genres. I wandered amongst the fiction, non-fiction, history, geography, self help, religion, and spirituality titles. I watched young and old, arms full of books, paying for their treasures. I wandered the politics aisle and found a first edition copy of All the President’s Men by Woodward and Bernstein. What do you know? I found my own little treasure and rescued the hardcover book from possible destruction. As I wandered further, I ended up in the religion aisle. Looking over the sea of familiar books and Bibles, I came across a title that titillated my senses: Does God Exist? It’s funny how, sometimes, three simple words can have a sudden and profound impact. I started to walk away and a thought struck me. Does God exist? When we got back to the car with our little pile of books, I looked at my fiancée and said, "That last title I was looking at before we left the sale, Does God Exist?, has me thinking.

How so? she replied.

I’ve always believed in God but that’s based on religion. I never really gave much thought to what and/or whom I believe in. Now I’m wondering: does God really exist?

Well, why not ask him?

Now there was a novel concept. Ask the creator of the universe if He/She exists. I wouldn’t know where to begin. It’s a crazy idea; I should just let it go.

She smiled at me from the passenger seat. It’s hardly crazy; it’s been a rough several months for the two of us. It’s been a rough couple of years, and you have made it perfectly clear that you don’t want to discuss it, I replied. Let’s not start this conversation right now, she said. Then when do we have the conversation Alex? When do we face what has transpired over the past two years? I saw the tears welling up in her eyes, and I knew I had pressed too hard. I’m sorry honey. At some point we really need to sit down and talk about what happened that night. She didn’t respond right away. I put my hand on her knee, and she put her hand over mine. We will talk about it. Just not right now, please! I fumbled with my key as I put it in the ignition. Okay sweetheart, so what now? She smiled at me and said, Your questions about god; this might be just the project that you should undertake.

I was hesitant. Alex is a psychiatrist and sees enough people with problems; I didn’t want to become one. Nonetheless, I replied, Okay. You’re the doctor; I’ll think it over. She smiled and nudged me to get her home as she had work to do. I dropped her off at her condo and took off for the apartment I had rented after selling my house while we decided where we wanted to live. We would marry soon though we had not set a date.

When I got home I couldn’t get the thought out of my head. Does God exist? I decided to sit down in my quiet time and pray. My fiancée’s an atheist, so I was sure she would see this as a lesson in futility. I, on the other hand, was raised Christian but fell away from the church in my teen years. I had been told years ago that when praying I shouldn’t just talk but also listen because God would respond if I was listening. Thus began my journey and my conversations with God.

I let the idea dance around in my mind for a few days before finally deciding to take the first step. I sat down in my breakfast nook off the kitchen. It had a wonderful view down into the valley below. At first, I tried sitting still and closing my eyes and folding my hands like when I was a child, but it felt foolish. Instead, I put my hands on my lap and, with my eyes closed, started to pray. In all honesty, I really didn’t think that I had anything to pray about except for the traumatic situation that both Alex and I were recovering from. I had wanted to turn to God about it but was afraid. As I prayed and thought to myself about other things, it happened. I began to realize that God was listening. I became keenly aware that I was not only praying to some unseen force, but that that force was listening. It’s one thing to pray to the air, in your mind, or with open mouth; it’s quite another to realize that you are being heard and that there is a response for you. I was taught this in church and by reading many, many a biblical commentary. There was a time in my life when I was strongly considering being a preacher; however, a year of courses in seminary turned me off that concept.

One of the things I would learn is that omniscience has an unfair advantage; God knew the questions before I asked them. I decided to start slowly with my questions as I was really tentative about what to ask. The first question I asked of God was Do You exist?

I heard the reply clearly. If I didn’t exist, how could I answer you?

I opened my eyes and looked around. I was suddenly experiencing a feeling I had never had before. My senses keenly honed. The light coming in seemed somehow different, brighter and more brilliant. The valley below my deck was alive with the sounds of nature. I suddenly was hearing things that I had never heard before. Not that the sounds weren’t always there; it was that I never paid attention to them. Birds singing, the wind blowing the trees, the rustle of leaves against branches. My senses were alive with emotion. I realized I was scared. Scared for my mind, for my soul, did I really want to move on?

After a (startled) pause, I went on, Okay...really stupid question! How long have ‘You’ existed?

What time is it?

I caught a distinct laugh, and I laughed, too.

I have always existed and always will.

I wasn’t satisfied with the answer. How did You come into existence? Who created You?

No one created me. I have always been and always will be. This is a concept that most people have a problem understanding. It seems to me that everyone wastes a lot of time wondering who I am and how I came into being, or denying that I exist altogether.

Well, I went on, is it wrong for humans to question Your existence or try to understand Your origins?

No, it’s never wrong to question; however, there comes a point in such a short life span in your mortal coil where your energies could be better used. Although I created you with free will, I so often see the gifts I bestowed wasted.

So You feel that our time would be better spent on other things?

Well, think about it. If you spent less time denying my existence or even half of the energy you use looking for me on helping others instead, wouldn’t the world be a better place?

"Isn’t it Your job to make the world a better place?"

"No...it’s your job, and the job of all of you."

Then why do we pray to You to make the world better if You’re not going to make it happen?

"Beats the hell out of me...The world is as it has always been. It’s your job to improve it for your fellow Humans. I gave you free will; I did that so I wouldn’t have to intervene every time you had a problem."

That seems like a cold way of dealing with your creation.

"Do you actually believe that you are my only creation?"

No. I know you created all living things that are here on Earth.

Do you think that the living things of Earth are the only ones that I created?

That’s been an agonizing question for scientists and biblical scholars. Is there intelligent life other than on our planet, and if so, will we ever communicate with them?

Intelligence is subjective...of all of my creations, your kind is the most arrogant and ignorant. In the vastness of the universe, you humans on Earth think that you are the only beings in the universe.

So there are other worlds? Life-forms? Are there people on other planets?

Yep!

Yep? That’s it? I was getting perturbed. That’s all You can say to that question? It’s the question of all questions, and You just confirmed to me that there are other worlds and other life-forms that You created. Will you elaborate?

Nope!

That’s not an acceptable response to my question. I’m asking to understand the universe and the other worlds that You created, and You refuse to tell me anything about them?

Why are you so concerned with other worlds and life-forms that are not your business and which you will never meet or communicate with?

That response put me back on my heels a bit. Because I want to know; the world wants to know.

It is not your concern; you need to focus elsewhere.

But it is my concern. I asked you a direct question, and you refused to answer it. How is that fair?

Fair has nothing to do with it, it’s none of your business, so move on.

Are You telling me I would be better off following the teachings of the Bible and spending more time worrying about my neighbor and the world that I live in?

Wow...what a concept, and you figured that out all by yourself...impressive. I’m not religious. That’s your deal. As for bibles: Humans created all kinds of books that you are supposed to live your life by. Some of them good, others bad. Inherently, I have written a simple moral code onto the souls of all beings.

I’m sorry. Are You saying that the Bible was not written by You or inspired by You?

The ‘bible,’ as you would call it, was written by humans for humans. I don’t write books. As I told you, I gave all beings free will and a moral code that’s written on their souls. You do understand wrong from right, correct?

I know when I’m doing something that’s wrong, but my understanding of right and wrong comes from the Bible.

It doesn’t come from a book; it comes from within you. The books that you use as your guides to live life by were written by you for you. There’s nothing divine about them.

So You’re saying that there’s no truth to anything that’s in the Bible?

No...I’m saying that my impact on the world and the inspirations that I have given have resulted in the many, many books you call ‘bibles’ The reality is that while I inspire humanity to use the tools that I endowed them with from the beginning, I did not write any of the books that you read that are supposed to have been penned or inspired by me.

So the Bible’s a lie? A fairy tale? The things in its pages never happened?

I didn’t say that either. The bible you refer to has many, many historical facts and is great for reference. It gives a brief history over the course of several thousand years of the developing human mind. It also has great fables and stories that give people a reason to have faith. In the end, all things are based on faith. I didn’t, however, write any commandments on stone, or part seas, or instruct one group of people to kill and destroy another, or choose one group of people over another. This would be contrary to my nature.

You’ve given me so much to process. I don’t know where to begin.

I suggest that you start at the beginning and work from there.

Perhaps I should sleep on the things we have talked about; can I come back to them again later?

You bet.

Thank you, Lord. I’m tired. I will pray to you again soon.

I’m always here. All you have to do is talk to me.

Thank you, Lord. I have many, many questions.

I know.

I thought for just a second I heard God sigh. It had been a long day, and the conversation had been unsettling to say the least. I was weary and wanted a distraction from this very strange conversation that had just taken place. I kicked off my shoes and sat down to watch the evening news. As usual, there was no good news to report, only heartache and heartbreak as people the world over toiled in a mess of self-made and natural disasters. War, pestilence, starvation, political unrest, and the list went on and on. I grabbed a bite to eat then settled in for the night. Nagging in the back of my mind was the question: Was the conversation that I had with God real? I wasn’t sure I would be allowed to have any more conversations. How the conversation really started evaded me. Once again, I sat with my eyes closed for a few moments and began to pray, focusing my energy on listening; once again through my prayers, and in a fraction of an instant, I was in the presence of the Lord.

Hi Lord. I know we ended our conversation, but I can’t rest because of these nagging questions.

You called me lord. Why?

I stumbled on my words ... Because that’s the way I have been taught to address You when in prayer.

It’s not necessary to use any special words or names to speak to me. Just speak.

I’m sorry. I have been taken quite by surprise by this whole conversation.

You don’t have to apologize to me. You were taught to speak to me in a certain manner. Just speak to me. You do have a life; I’m always here. I know that you have a lot of questions tonight; there are no rules to conversing with me. So what’s on your mind?

You know that I’ve been reading the book of Genesis. Did you really create the world as it’s written in the Bible?

No.

May I ask how the world came into being? Did you create it?

The universe has always existed. It’s like me: infinite and eternal. No. I didn’t create the world the way it’s written in the book you read; however, I did create everything in it. I created all worlds and all that is in them. I set the wheels in motion in the universe. I started the creation process. As the process progressed over the course of billions of years, I added pieces that I felt would enhance the worlds and then allowed the worlds to enhance themselves.

So Darwin was right about evolution and the origin of man and animals?

"Half right. Darwin was not the first to recognize that all things are in a state of flux. That all things evolve. There were others before him.

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