by John Ringo
Evidence, in any case, there is. What there isn't is absolute, irrefutable proof. To use the word "evidence," when what you mean is "irrefutable proof," is intellectual dishonesty of quite a high order, much worse, much more vile, than simple theft of a word. It's even worse, in its way, than the intellectual dishonesty of failure to note, when discussing poisons, that toxicity is in the dose.
But then if "brights" are not required to be "bright," if a disliked religion must give way even if it opens up the world to a loathed one, how can we expect "evidence" not to mean "proof" or dosage to matter to toxicity?
And some would insist, still, that the contradictions claimed to be in the New Testiment render it invalid.
Ahem.
Note, at this point, that we have still not claimed that, in fact, there is a God. We may, and do, believe that there is, and believe that there is evidence that there is. But there is no absolute proof, a point we've already readily conceded, and we see no point in arguing for what cannot be proven.
Still, we can't help but note that much of what masquerades as disbelief in God is really just disapproval. Consider the following pair of claims on the subject, voiced, along with some others, by Hitchens during a debate with Dinesh D'Souza:
1) People are badly designed. No god could be so incompetent.
2) Earth is not paradise. Most of humanity has lived in misery for most of mankind's existence, though things are somewhat improved now. No god could be so heartless. No real god could have permitted Auschwitz.
Leave aside that people for whom evolution, biological and social, is an article of faith are therein complaining that a real god could never have permitted evolution, social and biological. That's funny enough, of course, being more reminiscent of some snake-charming cult in the backwoods than a new York salon, but not the point. The point is that, by those measures, a real god would be a eugenicist ala Heinrich Himmler, so that man would not have been or be so biologically imperfect, and, since most of mankind's self inflicted misery arises as a result of freedom to act, no real god would permit man that freedom. Rather, He would be a sort of benevolent Stalin.
These are the criteria by which a god should be measured, his similarity to Himmler, in some particulars, and Stalin, in others?
Ahem.
Never mind. Let "brights" be not very bright. Let dosage not matter to toxicity. Twist word meanings. Make Stalin a god, too. Why not; it's been done before and likely will again.
Even so, never go to a gunfight without a gun and, if you intend to win, never go to a religious war without religion. You'll lose.
Acknowledgments
Thanks to everyone: Miriam and Yoli, who put up with us, Belle Belle the Boxer, who keeps Tom company during the day, Toni, who—come to think of it—also puts up with us, the 'flies, Mike Schilling, who came up with the kosher Posleen joke, Sue Kerr, for test reading, and, last but not least, Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins who, after a fashion, inspired us.
Glossary
AID—Artificial Intelligence Device
Abat—A communal creature, similar to muskrats, origin unknown, that inhabit Posleen ships and spreads to any world colonized.
AS—Artificial Sentience. Posleen AID, usually less capable but often more independent.
Baselard—A Swiss short sword.
Big-big-pack—Brigade, 2–3,000 human soldiers or 7–21,000 Posleen
Champron—The armor covering a horse's face.
Cosslain—Posleen superior normal. Some, like Querida, approach sentience.
Eson'antai—Posleen: Primary genetic derivative, of kessentai quality. Son.
Esonal—Posleen. Ovipositor.
Five Percenter—Most Posleen kessentai are still fairly stupid. For reasons that are not entirely clear, about one in twenty is quite bright, and more trouble to those they fight than all the rest put together. These are the five percenters.
Forge—While the Posleen have genetically given skill sets, most of the manufacture is done by automated machines called "forges." The machines cannot produce elements, but can alloy, form, create isotopes, etc., and form any design in their programming, more or less instantaneously, if the basic elements are given them. Forges are not usually very good with complex organics, but can produce relatively simple organic compounds.
Grat—A large, waspish, insect-like creature, origin unknown, that feeds on abat (q.v.). Where there are abat, there will be grat.
Kessentai—Philosopher
Kessenalt—Kessentai who has given up direct, active participation in war
KEW—Kinetic Energy Weapon
Normal—Typical Posleen, a reptilian centauroid, box of rocks stupid
O' Club—Officers' Club. In this context, though, it is a notional room composed entirely of programming that is Sally, the AID's, refuge.
Oolt—Posleen: Pack. A company sized grouping of the People. About four hundred members, usually, with, again, usually, only one kessentai.
Oolton—Posleen. A "big pack" or "command." A battalion or brigade of Posleen.
Orna'adar—The Posleen Ragnarok, when population pressure and competition for resources devolves into a general war, waged with all available weapons.
Path of Fury—War
Posleen—Human approximation of Po'osleenar, the People of the Ships.
Roga'a—The central market and meeting place in the City of the People of the Ships, Posleen Prime
Stick—A Kessentai's sole badge of office. One who has "tossed his stick," given up the Path of Fury, loses forever the title of "Philosopher" and is thereafter forbidden to fight except in point self defense.
Tank, the—Galactic Technology, a rejuvenation and restoration machine that happens to look a lot like a sarcophagus.
Tenar—Posleen flying sled
Thresh—Posleen: food. Damned near anything organic.
Threshkreen—Food with a sting. Soldiers, especially human soldiers.
Shlomit Bat Bet-Lechem-Plada Kreuzer (later "Kreuzer-Dwyer")
Salem daughter of Bethlehem Steel, the Cruiser
* * *
[1] Christmas in the Trenches. © 1984, John McCutcheon
[2] "May our Lord Jesus Christ absolve you; and by His authority I absolve you from every bond of excommunication and interdict, so far as my power allows and your needs require. Thereupon, I absolve you of your sins in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Amen."
THE END
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The Tuloriad-ARC
Table of Contents
PART I
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
PART II
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-two
Chapter Twenty-three
Chapter Twenty-four
Chapter Twenty-five
Chapter Twenty-six
PART III
Chapter Twenty-seven
Chapter Twenty-eight
Chapter Twenty-nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-one
Chapter Thirty-two
Chapter Thirty-three
Chapter Thirty-four
Chapter Thirty-five
Chapter Thirty-six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-eight
Chapter Thirty-nine
Afterword:
Acknowledgments
Glos
sary