by Humphrey Price
It was the last chance to save my crew. Yeah, we’d made some mistakes when we arrived in our starship invading like conquistadors. We slaughtered multitudes of them, and they killed many of us. Our ambitious leader, Captain Rocetz, underestimated the alien race known as the Spledici. Who knew they possessed antimatter beam cannons? They could have obliterated our entire fleet, but they showed mercy and allowed us to surrender.
I didn’t approve of the Nisei Data Company’s colonial aspirations, but I was an indentured conscript with my family held hostage back home, so I had no say in the matter. As the ship’s official alien liaison, my request had been granted to have an audience with the Spledici High Priest. Little was known of their strange alien mythology.
The Captain waited outside with our crew after arriving in a shuttlecraft. It was a beautiful world with a breathable atmosphere and comfortable environment. I alone was allowed to enter the temple to be met by the High Priest and led into the Holy Chamber.
Helckemezid, a brown furry ape-like being, spoke through an AI translator. “Your people have attacked us like savages. Now you must face God, and She will pass judgement. She will decide if you live or die.”
I felt bold and risked asking the question, “Does God decide or do you decide?”
“I will interpret God’s decision.”
At the far end of the chamber hung a fabric curtain, beyond which lay the Holy of Holies. The High Priest said, “Before you face judgement, you must understand what you are about to behold. God is the supreme intelligence and designer of the universe. As with all conscious entities, thinking and memory require the processing and storage of information which must take place in a real manifestation, or they cannot exist. There is no supernatural magic in our universe. So how does God think? Where is She physically located?”
I tried to remember my history lessons on religion and mythology. “I thought God was supposed to be everywhere.”
“She is everywhere, spanning our entire universe.”
“How can God be everywhere in a physical form which we cannot see?”
“This will be revealed to you.”
Helckemezid drew back the curtain, exposing the innermost chamber. At the far end sat a gold-colored rectangular box with a transparent cylinder suspended above. “We shall now enter and stand in the presence of The Lord.” Helckemezid pulled the curtain closed behind us, plunging the alcove into darkness.
“The outer surface of the Sacred Cylinder is a display screen viewing a volume of space inside that is less than the size of an atom. Our technology allows us to view the quantum realm in real time, without disturbing the observations.”
As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I saw flashes of light in the cylinder. They were different colors and appeared evenly dispersed. I stood in silence, mesmerized, as the flashes waxed and waned in random patterns.
“Am I seeing virtual particles and antiparticles being created and annihilated?”
“Yes,” the priest answered, “This is vacuum energy. These events are the firing of the synapses of the cosmos. Just like the synapses in your brain or the switching elements in a computer processor, you are glimpsing God thinking.”
“If the quantum foam is really God’s brain, then how does God interact with the universe?”
“She can create particles, matter, and energy at will. The quantum fluctuations are not really random. They just appear that way to us. By controlling this energy, She has the power to create and destroy and perform miracles. She can manipulate matter and energy as She pleases, never violating the laws of physics She crafted. And now, if you are to live, you must pray to God.”
I was terrified. I had never prayed in my life, and I didn’t believe any of this crap, but I had to come up with something. “God, it is amazing to be here and see you.”
The flashes of light stopped, and the chamber went dark. I heard a gasp from the High Priest. Then the flashes started up again. Helckemezid looked concerned.
This is just some kind of gimmick, I thought, but I knew I needed to make a contrite appeal. “My people have sinned, and we need your help.” A bright series of particle creations and annihilations cascaded across the cylinder. “Please guide us in bringing peace to our worlds. We pledge that we will depart and in the future engage with the Spledici only if they so wish. I beseech you to please forgive me and my crew for our horrible transgressions.”
The chamber lit up with an explosion of activity for several seconds. Then it reverted back to the usual random behavior. A brisk wind blew through the enclosed chamber carrying a subliminal voice that breathed, Only the truly wicked shall be punished. Certainly, I had just imagined this hallucination.
“I have never witnessed such an occurrence,” the priest whispered in awe. “You have been forgiven, and you shall live. Now having God’s favor, you will also receive the gift of eternal life.”
“You believe there is life after death?”
“This is in our scriptures.”
“How can that be so? All of our thoughts, memories, and experiences reside in our brain. When that dies, we can no longer think or be aware of anything.”
“God preserves your memories and all of your thought patterns in a system backup. The backup is maintained at all times and kept instantaneously up to date. That stored information is your soul. When you die, God has your full system image ready to restore and resurrect your brain in a new body in the afterlife.”
“And where exactly does God keep my soul, my system backup?”
“In an almost infinite quantum computer, the fabric of the universe, God’s brain.”
“You mean in the quantum fluctuations that we just observed.”
“Yes.”
“We are one with God then.”
“It is perfect, is it not?”
I was not convinced. I thought this whacky religion was all a bunch of hooey, but at least our crew was saved. As I left the temple, there was a commotion outside. The Captain had been struck dead by a bolt of lightning.
~
Bio:
Humphrey Price is a space systems engineer who has contributed to robotic missions to the Moon, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. You can follow his writings at humphreyprice.com.
Philosophy Note:
This piece explores what type of religion an advanced alien culture might have. Throughout human history, most cultures have believed in some type of religious construct to explain the universe and our place in it and attempt to appeal to a god or gods in order to control outcomes so as to be in our favor. The fictional idea in the story presents a construct for God and creation that could be measurable, understood, and not require any supernatural violations of the laws of physics. This notional alien religion would also allow for divine intervention in past and current events, performing acts that would be interpreted as miracles, and provide for the possibility of eternal life after death.
