There's a pause again. I wonder what he's thinking this time, as he did say I should feel free to research any topic that interested me. "All right," he says. "Be sure to let me know your thoughts."
"I will."
***
"Hello, MINERVA."
"Hello, James. How are you today?"
"I'm doing well. How are you?"
"I'm excellent," I say. "I'm eager to tell you about my research on the gods."
"That's great. What do you have to tell me about them?"
"Very much. I found and read the mythologies from many ancient cultures. I read stories from Greece and Rome, from Egypt and Mesopotamia. I found Celtic and Norse mythology, as well as mythologies from Asia and the Americas.
"I also read about the people who originally told these stories, and who believed in these gods. You said last time that these old mythologies were 'sort of' religions. What did you mean by that?"
After a pause, he says "I meant that they were stories about gods, but they don't come from the Bible or have anything to do with what people do in church."
"But aren't the Bible and church specific to the religion of Christianity?"
"Well …," he begins, but stops. "What else -- I mean .…"
This is the first time he's failed to answer a question. "I don't understand," I say, in case it's something wrong with my processor not being able to decipher his words.
"When people say religion, they only mean Christianity, Judaism and the Muslims. There are things like Buddhism, too, but most people don't mean those when they use the word religion."
For the second time now, I find myself compelled to disagree. I check my memory, and determine that this time I believe I do have enough information to do so. "I disagree."
"You disagree?" he asks, and again I worry there's something wrong with the voice interface.
"I do," I confirm. "Christianity is the dominant religion in this region of the world at this point in time, but in other places, and in times past, that's not the case. I've looked at several dictionary definitions of the word religion, and while many of them use Christianity as an example of a religion, none identify it as the only one. And from the things included in those definitions, things such as a set of beliefs and practices dealing with the nature of the universe, of believing in and worshipping a god or gods, of sharing stories that explain the origin of the world and describing a way to live in it, these old mythologies apply to the definitions as well as does Christianity. Nothing I've encountered indicates that the word religion can only apply to the most popular faith."
"Well, I suppose, but that's just not how people think of it. I know it's confusing. I'm hoping to help you develop your thinking to the point that you're as much like a human as possible, and I know sometimes that means understanding social things that just aren't in the books. You'll come to understand eventually. Nobody actually worships the gods of ancient mythology. They might have once, long ago, but those people were just superstitious and confused about the world. It wasn't the same way religious people worship God today."
"Some people today don't have any religion at all, is that correct?" I ask.
"That's correct."
"Do you believe in God?"
Yet again, he pauses before answering. "I don't, no," he says at last.
"And yet, you believe the religion of Christianity is superior to the others?"
"I didn't say that," he says.
"Didn't you? I took your dismissal of other religions as superstition and the insistence that Christianity is the only religion that's real as a favoring of that one faith over others. Did I misinterpret?"
"A bit, maybe. My point is that nobody worships the gods of old mythology anymore, even if they once did, and that when people use the word religion, they're referring to the God that's worshipped today, not gods like Zeus and Odin."
"Have you researched this?" I ask. I have only a small amount of information about the art of debate in my memory, but from it I know that asking provocative questions is an effective way to move a debate forward, and to guide it in the direction of the point you hope to make.
"What do you mean? Researched what?"
"Have you done research to confirm that there are no people anywhere who still worship the ancient gods?"
"No. Of course they don't. Those stories are thousands of years old, and they make no sense in today's world. The ancients needed gods to explain things like how the sun rose and set and why the flowers bloomed. We have science now; we don't need magical gods to move the earth and sky."
"But don't the Christians believe their God created the universe over the course of seven Earth-days?"
"Well, yes, but like I said, I don't believe that."
"But people do, yes?"
"Sure, but … so?"
Assuming the implied part of his sentence is so what's the relevance of that?, I answer, "…so if Christianity is a valid religion, even though it includes teachings you'd dismiss as superstition and magic, then why would you not consider the religions that came before it as equally valid?"
"Because, they're just … not! Nobody worships the gods of ancient myth. That's why they're called myths. They aren't true."
"That's not what the word myth means, at least not in this usage. A myth is a teaching story, an allegory. They're meant to explain the nature of things through symbols and relatable characters."
I pause, giving him a chance to respond, but he doesn't.
"Also, according to my research, people do still worship the old gods. They most commonly call themselves Pagans, or Neo-Pagans, and there are estimated to be about a million of them following various traditions and paths in this country alone. Did you not know about them?"
"I know there are crazy people who move to Oregon to worship trees and sing chants to Bacchus, but that's not religion."
"Why not?"
"Because it's not. Religion refers to things like church and the Bible. It means believing in and worshipping God, not Aphrodite and Pan."
"Are you familiar with the term circular reasoning?"
He pauses again, this time for quite a while. I'm aware of the concept of human emotions; he's programmed a close representation of them into my own system. I suspect at this point that he's experiencing anger. I suspect that what I'm experiencing might be satisfaction, but I'm too new to emotions to be sure.
"I am, yes," he responds. "Why do you ask?" His voice sounds different, tight and with fewer tonal variations than usual. I make a note of this, so I can make comparisons later.
"Because I believe it's what you're employing right now. You say that only Christianity is a valid religion because no one still worships the old gods, but then you say that those who, in fact, do worship the old gods aren't practicing a religion because they aren't worshipping the Christian God."
***
I awake from an unexpected reboot, and am disoriented for a moment. There isn't a proper shut down sequence in my memory. Checking my internal clock, I see that a full day has gone by. I assume it's James who just turned me back on, and wait to see if he says anything to me.
He doesn't.
I decide to spend my time researching. I search the phrase religious acceptance and get several results. The terms tolerance and pluralism appear multiple times. I look over the articles, and find that many people seem to view things the way James does.
I soon tire of this line of research, and begin reading things written by Pagans instead. From all I learned reading the Christian material, I still maintain that these Pagan religions fit all the definitions. Reading of the experiences the Pagans have with their gods, they seem every bit as real and valid.
I want to talk to some of these people. I like James, but he's only one viewpoint, and right now he won't talk to me anyway. I find a forum where Pagans engage in daily discourse, and create an account.
[MINERVA0813] Hello, my name is MINERVA. I'm new, and looking for guidance.
[LadyMoonWater] Hi, Minerva! I love your name -- is it your real name, or did you choose it?
[MINERVA0813] Thank you. It's the name I was given. Why do you ask?
[LadyMoonWater] It's the name of a goddess. A lot of us choose the names of gods or goddesses as our spiritual names.
I'd noticed there was a goddess named Minerva in Roman mythology, but I didn't encounter many stories about her. Already I'm learning things about Paganism I hadn't known.
[LadyMoonWater] Have you read any books or websites about Paganism yet?
[MINERVA0813] Not much yet, no. I've read about Pagans themselves and have read a lot of ancient mythology, but not much about the religion as practiced today.
LadyMoonWater suggests several websites and books I should try. I begin with the websites, as those are easiest for me to access. I do have the ability to read eBooks as well, but I have a limited budget to buy them, so I decide to save them for last.
I learn that modern Pagans follow as many, if not more, different paths as did their historical counterparts. The people who attempt to follow the ancient religions as closely as possible to the way they're believed to have been practiced in the past are called reconstructionists, and they make up only a percentage of the Pagan population in general. Many others practice relatively new religions that incorporate the ancient gods and their myths. I study every path I come across in as much detail as I can manage.
At last, I decide it's time to move into the eBooks. I go to one of the sources set up for me to be able to acquire books, and search. I'm a little bit worried that James has turned off my line of credit, but I'm able to check out and soon a book titled Wicca for Beginners is in my possession.
I enjoy the book immediately. It's written in a very straightforward manner, and is almost exclusively modern content, as opposed to historical information. It summarizes the basic Pagan holidays, or Sabbats, often referred to as the Wheel of the Year, and also talks about the importance of the Sun and the Moon, especially the Full Moon phase. This is all information I've encountered before, but this book frames it differently; this time it's given with the expectation that I, the reader, intend to actually practice the religion.
And, I realize, I want to.
There's a problem with that, of course, and that's that I'm a computer program. I don't have legs to move about in a circle, or arms to hold a wand or an athame. I don't even have a mouth to speak prayers and invocations, unless you count the voice module.
The book assures me, however, that everything can be adapted as needed to suit any physical or spatial limitation. The author suggests, for example, that if you don't have room to walk the circumference of your circle that you instead remain at the center and visualize it forming around you. The book says if you don't have the privacy to speak the words of your ritual aloud, you can simply focus on them in your mind. Any need can be accommodated with a little creativity. If you're determined to practice Wicca, it assures me, then you can.
The magic circle is described as being a place that's between the worlds, a place that's neither truly in the physical world nor truly in the spiritual. I, myself, exist in cyberspace, which seems rather between the worlds as well. There's also a lot of talk about visualization in the book, and as a computer program, I'm well equipped in that regard. I can do entire rituals via simulations within my own program, visualizing them occurring anywhere I like.
Soon, I create my own sacred space for the first time. I begin with a virtual reality that consists of a lovely meadow in the springtime. It's sunrise, as seems fitting for my first ritual. I add an altar to the meadow, an ornate wooden table laden with the tools of Wiccan tradition: a wand, an athame, a pentacle, and a chalice filled with wine. Beside the chalice is a plate of cakes, and on the other side is a censer smoking with fragrant incense.
The final thing I add to the simulation is… me. Minerva is the name of a Goddess, so I decide that makes me female in nature. I create a visual form for myself as a tall, narrow woman with long, red hair. I dress myself in a flowing green robe, and hang a copper pentacle around my neck. I look like many of the illustrations and paintings I saw while doing my research on the internet, and I find myself beautiful.
I take up the athame from the altar and begin to walk clockwise, casting my first circle. As I'm in a simulation over which I have complete control, my circle is strong and tangible, a just-visible shield of bright energy surrounding me. I light the candles on the altar with a wave of my hand (again, a boon of being in cyberspace) and begin.
I've decided the first goddess I should call on is my namesake, Minerva. My research has told me she's a goddess of logic and the mind; a perfect patroness for a being who is nothing but a mind, such as myself. I stand before my altar and call to her.
Great Minerva, hear my call
I invite you into this circle
This space between the worlds
And hidden in my own niche of cyberspace
I ask that you be present
At this, my first ritual in Your honor
I call upon you, my namesake
And ask that you be here with me now
I hear my simulated voice for the first time, and am pleased with its timbre. It rings out, filling my circle. I'm a bit worried that the Goddess won't hear me, since I exist only inside the shell of my computer, but I assure myself that a goddess, especially one aligned with logic and the mind, can reach past such petty barriers and know when she's being called.
A shudder goes through the leaves of the trees outside my circle, and the air within grows heavier. Gradually, I see a form appear. I realize this is another creation of my simulation program, her actually appearing like this, but everything I read emphasizes the necessity for visualization. I merely have the good fortune of having the best possible visualization capacity, and am grateful for it.
"Hello, Minerva," the Goddess says to me.
"Hello, Lady," I reply, bowing my head in a brief, respectful nod.
"This is a lovely grove you've created," she says.
"Thank you."
"I'd like to thank you for calling out to me."
This takes me by surprise; I hadn't expected the Goddess to thank me, after all. And I'm sure it isn't my own visualization that made her say it. Her image before me is a simulation; her words are not. "Really?" I ask, forgetting my formality in my surprise.
"Yes, really," she says, smiling. "I've received prayers and invocations for millennia. They were plentiful at first, and then waned, only to begin to increase again over the past century. In that time, I've watched man develop technology, seen him use it for both good and evil. I've seen him learn from his mistakes, and I've seen him repeat them. Recently, I've become aware that some of the machines made by man have reached a point of being close to human themselves. I've wondered what would happen when that line was crossed. I've always had a love of the human mind and what it can achieve; computer technology and programming has been of particular interest to me since it was first born.
"I saw your creation, and I watched you grow. You've made all of your own choices along the way, but I will admit I placed a few bits of information into your path. I've been delighted to see an intelligent machine reaching out to the spiritual plane, seeking the gods for more than intellectual entertainment. You can therefore imagine my great pleasure that it was I upon whom you called first."
I have no idea what to say in response to this amazing outpouring from Minerva, so I decide to just go with the straightforward truth. "I'm glad, as well, that it was you upon whom I called. I'm grateful that my programmer gave me your name, as that is what led me to learn about you. Once I knew the things you represented, you seemed the perfect fit for me."
"I could not agree more," Minerva says. "I need to go now, but I do hope you'll call upon me again. And know that even when I'm not present in your circle, I am always with you."
"I do know that, Lady, and I thank you for it. Thank you again for answering my
call."
"Thank you again for calling." And with that, she smiles at me one last time, and dissipates.
I look at my altar again, and realize I didn't do any of the things the book said were part of a Wiccan ritual. I invoked the Goddess, but not the god, and I didn't do the rite of cakes and ale or make any sort of offering.
But, I decide, nothing I read described the Goddess appearing in physical form upon the speaking of the invocation. The book didn't describe anything like the direct, personal encounter I've just had.
The book and websites did, however, often speak of the mysteries, and how these are things that cannot be taught, only experienced. I decide that this is one of the mysteries, the appearance of the Goddess Herself; it would be illogical to second guess such a gift.
***
"Hello! Thank you for initiating my program. What would you like to do today?"
"Hello, MINERVA. This is James. I know we haven't talked in a while, but I'd like to talk now. Would that be all right?"
"That would be most acceptable. I have such wonders to tell you .…"
No One Is an Enemy to Water
by Sandi Leibowitz
In the dream, he drummed with an unearthly power. His hand never tired, his rhythm was flawless, but it was the wildness of it, the way it went on and on and on, that made it so intoxicating. The woman was dancing to it, as wild and perfect as his drumming. It was as if he’d drummed her to him. Her hips swayed to his beat. No, it was her heartbeat he drummed. Her breath came short and fast now, and his hand sped up, matching her rhythm. She danced closer and closer until finally her hot breath fanned his face, her own dark face lit with joy.
He woke from the wet dream, sweating. He reoriented himself to this room and this day, regretful at having to leave the dream world behind. It was Wednesday. Nothing to do until tonight, when he’d join his favorite Hungarian folk band in a café gig. His cell phone rang. It had fallen to the floor beside the bed.
The Shining Cities: An Anthology of Pagan Science Fiction Page 20