All very logical, and as such, largely irrelevant in that we are not logical creatures but creatures of will. We get to will what we want but not what we will, as Schopenhauer(?) put it. Or as Dostoevsky put it, “reason is an excellent thing, there’s no disputing that, but reason is nothing but reason and satisfies only the rational side of man’s nature, while will is a manifestation of the whole life, that is, of the whole human life including reason and all the impulses. And although our life, in this manifestation of it, is often worthless, yet it is life and not simply extracting square roots.” (https://www.gutenberg.org/files/600/600-h/600-h.htm#chap08)
Yes we see faces in the clouds and all that because we can project ourselves into the future to an extent very much beyond that of any other creature. Dogs appear to have done this when they cower upon being scolded but that assumes when doing the naughty thing they saw ahead to this moment rather than just being a dog then, eating whatever is at hand, and being a dog now, cowering at the evident displeasure of the owner/god.
But let's not split hairs over that. We create stories about ourselves and our futures. I am a good person. I do z, y and x for the sake of my family. Thus we can get up every morning and go to that soul-crushing job.
We tell ourselves we can make choices and have free will and all that, because without that story life would be unbearable. To explain this we create another story in which God tests their newly created creatures to see if they possess free will and can thus be fit companions for God. If they possess free will even a universal intelligence cannot entirely predict their actions. Thus the need to experiment. Can they disobey me? If so I have succeeded. God puts a thumb on the scale by sending the serpent. They pass the test. Oh good, says God, we can be friends. They possess free will and are thus originally capable of sin. Without the capacity to choose the concept of sin makes no sense. Thus, free will is original sin. This is, to my mind, the true meaning of the Genesis story but if (now you know I love you, AP) you want to feel superior to believers you make it about an evil god who tempts his creatures them punishes them for it. God is guilty of entrapment. What sort of moron worships a being such as that? If, on the other hand, you are a naive believer you give BOF dirty looks during Bible Study.
If one seriously considers the two possible outcomes of the Christian afterlife, it becomes clear that, in the long run, and eternity is nothing if not long, one is as terrible as the other. I am indebted to Allan Watts for this insight. It is somewhere in Myth and Ritual in Christianity but damned if I can find it. However that may be, it follows that eternal oblivion is the ultimate mercy of God. Everybody gets to have that, hence, God is merciful.
Well this has gone on long enough. This is practically an article.
As I said, you know I love you, otherwise I would not follow you. As a peace offering, here's a list you might appreciate. It's BOF's Bible Stories, Annotated.
