Visions And Voices

Fictional characters, like real people, entertain very different concepts of deity. Thus, in Poul Anderson's Technic History -

Merseians of the Roidhunate: the God (relates to the Race, not to individuals);

Ythrians of the New Faith: God the Hunter (honoured at the moment of death, not in a hereafter);

Jerusalem Catholics: God (incarnated on Terra three thousand years ago).

Also as in real life, some characters can have visions of their version of God. Thus, Djana, synthesizing her Catholic upbringing with Merseian conditioning, conjures up a vision of a Merseian Christ. There is no evidence of such a belief among the Merseians but, even if there were, the content of Djana's vision is a projection of her mind, not an objective reality.

The situation is very different when some of CS Lewis' characters hear voices:

"'It is not for nothing that you are called Ransom,' said the Voice."

-CS Lewis, Perelandra IN Lewis, The Cosmic Trilogy (London, 1990), pp. 145-348 AT II, p. 277.

"'My name is also Ransom,' said the Voice."

-ibid., p. 278.

"'I have cast your Enemy into sleep,' said the Voice. 'He will not wake till morning. Get up. Walk twenty paces into the wood; there sleep. Your sister sleeps also.'"

-ibid., p. 280.

After a lot of preparation, not only inspiration and guidance but also practical instructions.

"...a voice at whose sound my bones turned to water: 'Child, child, child, let me in before the night comes.'"

-CS Lewis, "The Shoddy Lands" IN Lewis, The Dark Tower and other stories (London, 1983), pp. 104-111 AT p. 110.

That last passage speaks to me and is incorporated into the agnostic prayers that I offer. Personified reality speaks through Lewis.