John is an etherist. What’s that? It is a new-age movement with about 100,000 registered members. They do not have a place of worship like a church, temple or an ashram. Instead, they congregate in cyberspace like Facebook, Instagram with the occasional Skype to carry out initiation ceremonies and message dissemination.
Their god is a primordial energy and this original force exists everywhere. It is actually the source of all technology that runs the earth – so the etherists believe. And when they die, the etherists are promised that they will enjoy eternity in a celestial grid that stretches beyond the horizon. There will be no more tears and fears in this heavenly technological bliss that the etherists affectionately call glitteris.
The founder of etherism was a man called Jack Sparrow. He grew up in a Methodist home and was a technology genius at 9 years of age. Like Gates and Zuckerberg, Sparrow was also a college dropout. High Priest Sparrow, as he was known to his votaries, earned his first billion when he sold his neural mind-map program to a technology company from China.
Sparrow retired at 19 and started etherism. Its members believe that he was to be the chosen one, the elected saviour of the world. He was destined to solve the climate problem, defeat the robotic usurpation and redeem the earth from her own destruction. However, Sparrow died of a heart attack at age 33. Many believe he is now in glitteris, the technology heaven for all etherists. After his death, the mantle was passed over to his wife, High Priestess Sarah Lee. Now, Sarah Lee claims that she is the new saviour of the earth. So much for cognitive dissonance, right?
Anyway, our story really begins with John and not Sparrow or Sarah Lee. But the background of Sparrow and the sect he has founded (etherism) would come in handy later.
John is a die-hard member of etherism. He sold
everything he had to give to this movement. When Sparrow died, he was inconsolable. He fasted for weeks and even went to live for months in the woods. But, following his master’s footsteps, John also met his fate and died too. He passed on at age 33, same age as High Priest Sparrow. So, here comes the point of the story about “once saved always saved.”
John: Where am I?
Angel: You died...you were electrocuted when you spilled green tea over your lap-top. Your heart stopped.
John: What? Just like that? I died? Where is this place?
Who are you?
Angel: Welcome to the place of eternal rest. I am your angel guide.
John: Place of eternal rest? You mean glitteris?
Angel: This is heaven son.
John: Heaven…you mean the Christian’s heaven?
Angel: Yah…the one foretold in the Bible. Recall “in my father’s house there are many mansions”?
John: OMG, you mean this is not
glitteris, the techno-heaven of eternal bliss reserved just for etherists?
Angel: Erm…unless glitteris means heaven son, then yes welcome to glitteris then. Same place different name.
John: But…but, I renounced Christianity a long time ago. When I was 23 or 24. So, how is it that I still landed up here? Shouldn’t I be in that place of fire? You know, hell.
Angel: Well, here’s the thing…there’s a policy here called “once saved always saved,” and since you accepted Him in your youth, it’s forever…sorry. You so-called sealed the deal at 17 son.
John: That’s strange...I am an etherist. I died an etherist and not a Christian. I should be in glitteris. You mean to tell me that glitteris don’t exist?
Angel: Look here, I have a queue here. I don’t know about this place you call glitteris, but you are here now. You need to get on the program…once saved always saved program.
John: (thinking) Wait, you people believe in free-will right? Choices? Autonomy? Enlighten me on that. I chose etherism, I should be in glitteris. I strangely…erm, still believe in it.
Angel: Oh…here we go again…that free-will shenanigans.
John: Yes...free-will. You mean I can’t choose to renounce my belief and accept another? Doesn’t my choice count for anything? Can’t I unsave a save?
Angel: Son, you’re obviously not getting it about the “once saved always saved” thingy. It’s just four simple words. How hard can it be? No theological baggage or philosophical debate here. Read my lips, “ONCE-SAVED-ALWAYS-SAVED”. Understood? Kapish.
(John shakes his head…)
Angel: Ok, son, I would just say this once. Free-will don't work the way you think it works on earth. There are some things that take precedence over free-will here. But there are others that don’t. Take for example, the choice of a movie, a school, an investment, a future wife or even going to war. These things...the man in charge here don't really bother. You people have absolute free-range on them. But when it comes to salvation and heaven, well…he has the final say. He crosses the “t” and dots the “i” so to speak. That’s what
"once saved always saved” means. In other words, his sovereignty reigns supreme. Suck it up. Can we move on?
John: Ok. I see. Once I am saved, I am saved. Nothing I do can change that, right? So, I am a Christian for life and even afterlife, even if I end up a Buddhist, Hindu or an atheist.
Angel: (smiles) Yes, we have a convert here! Next!
John: But...wait, in that case, I should expect High Priest Sparrow to be here too. He was a Christian, Methodist I think. He was baptized in a Methodist Church. I’m sure he said the sinner's prayer too. Where is he? Is he here?
Angel: Mm...
John: What? Jack Sparrow is here right?
Angel: Ok, it gets a little tricky here. He’s not here. He didn’t make it. That Sparrow nut…well, he is not our kind of nut, so to speak.
John: Aaah? I don't get it. Once saved always saved remember? You preached it earlier, right? He was saved, he is saved, he will be saved, kapish!
Angel: Son, don’t rub it in. I didn’t make the rules here. And it’s infinitely, erm…pun unintended, a little more complicated than that. We have to define “save” here.
John: Define save? Save is save. Save means save! The sinner’s prayer. The confession. The forgiveness. I am sure he did all that. Once saved always saved.
Angel: You really ask a lot of questions, don’t you? Well, if you must know…save actually means more than that. Or more accurately, it means nothing like that actually.
John: You are not helping my heavenly guide…you are backtpaddling.
Angel: Well, in his book, save is a loaded word. It is all about population control I guess. Or keeping heaven heaven…or else we would have all kinds of weirdos here. You know I heard even Hitler once believed in Him.
John: Population control? You mean being saved is not just about saying the sinner’s prayer? Secured for life?
Angel: Erm…it’s about election son.
John: Election? You mean chosen? Chosen how? Chosen when?
Angel: …erm…before the creation of time.
John: So, he chose us even before there were anything? Isn't this
predestination?
Angel: Whoa, you make it sound like it’s a bad word. Just go with the flow son. I haven’t got all day…wait, I have eternity.
John: I see…I was, am chosen. Lucky me.
Angel: Yes, congrats! Move on…
John: And Sparrow didn’t make the cut…he was not chosen.
(Angel nods).
John: You know, if you come to think about it, it really doesn’t matter what we do on earth or in our lifetime then. We are either in or out, chosen or not, and the decision has already been settled long long time ago. This is really a lot to digest.
Angel: Well son, it is much deeper than that and you have an eternity to figure it all out.
Joh : Okay, I think I have a rough idea for now. In a nutshell, what you are telling me is that it is all done and dusted from the start. The book of life is the book pre-written.
Angel: Watch it son. You shouldn’t be complaining. You made it right? You're elected. Count your blessing. You want to spend one day in the complaints department here. The complaints are endless from the millions and millions who had dedicated their whole life for something that was never meant to be in the first place. You know how much explaining we have to do to tell people like Trump he is not elected…Trump my friend! I can expect him to rally up a storm when his time comes.
John: Mm…I guess you are right then. I should count my blessing. What a game changer! So, what now my guardian angel? Where do I check in?
Angel: Welcome to your eternal rest and bliss. Your mansion awaits. Let me take you there. Look out for the gold trimmings on the road. It is actually just next to…
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