Thought of the Day 04.01.10

God paid an enormous price to get us, which immediately begs the question of why He would choose such a transaction.

One answer is that we are spectacularly valuable; valuable enough to justify the massive cost. Despite the price, we were a bargain that pays rich dividends, you might say. Unfortunately, I know us. So I know this just isn’t true.

Another answer is that He made a terrible deal, which is evidence that He is basically irrational. He overpaid for a lousy commodity, and this proves that He’s not a very shrewd investor. Since I’m a tad reluctant to call God irrational, this doesn’t seem quite right, either.

The third possibility is that our whole idea of rationality is wrong. If God’s signature act was to squander Himself on us, then perhaps self-destructive devotion to others is the pinnacle of rationality. If so, then God was most fully rational precisely when He was making a mockery of the idea that maximizing self-benefit is the purpose of existence.