DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT FINISHED THE LATEST STORMLIGHT ARCHIVE BOOK!!!! I HAVE SPOILERS!!!
I’ve noticed something curious about two of Brandon Sanderson’s series. Both Mistborn and The Stormlight Archives (SPOILER ALERT) end with characters ascending to godhood. In Mistborn, it’s Vin and Sazed. In The Stormlight Archives, it’s Dalinar and Taravangian. Though their ascensions were all some form of sacrifice for them, it was also treated quite normally and as if this is just something humans can do. Well, in a fantasy world it is. But what about in reality? There is nothing new under the sun, and so of course, these ideas aren’t unique and original.
Well, Sanderson’s a Mormon — so on that simple level it makes sense, since Mormons believe that if they live a perfect life they will attain godhood over a planet of their own. In fact, reading through Sanderson’s books is an interesting way of distantly examining his beliefs, which have moved from very traditionally Mormon to modern skepticism, especially with the addition of a gay character in the fourth Stormlight Archive book. (Mormons, by the way, are firmly anti-LGBTQ. At least, the higher-ups and firm believers are. I’ve also heard it argued that the transgender movement is a stepping-stone on the way towards transhumanism, but I’m getting ahead of myself.)
Additionally, attaining godhood is a common element of the Hero’s Journey, after escaping the Pit of Despair and gaining the Boon. This step is called apotheosis, which literally means ‘make a god of,’ or ‘becoming a god.’ And curiously enough, I learned about this through Brandon Sanderson’s BYU lectures. This isn’t always literal deification, but can be some state of accomplishment or divine perfection. For example, Po becoming a Master of Chi in the third Kung Fu Panda movie — or any other instance of achieving the top level in martial arts movies or the elemental magic genre. However, in the classic Greek myths which the Hero’s Journey is derived from, this usually was the hero joining the Pantheon.
However, the idea of man becoming a god is even older than Joseph Smith. It’s older than the apotheosis of the Hero’s Journey. It’s as old as the Garden of Eden.
I recently listened to an intruiging interview between Michael Knowles and archaelogist Dave Alberino. The conversation ranged all over the place, from megaliths to the Flood to aliens to transhumanism. Alberino’s words on transhumanism especially caught my attention, as that’s a subject I’ve been thinking on a good deal. I have a sci-fi concept in the works related to transhumanism, and so I’m trying to gather in thoughts and opinions on it like a packrat. My characters will have all kinds of view on the subject, and so to write views different than my own I have to research. And it’s been a fascinating study.
Man’s wanted to be like God ever since he was tempted in the Garden. He wants the knowledge, he wants the power. And man still does. There are those who see nothing morally wrong with cloning or genetic modification at all, because, in their worldview, man was not made Imago Dei, but is just some big cosmic accident. In fact, not only is he a cosmic accident but he’s just a ‘transitory species.’ Man is still evolving. And if that evolution requires him to upgrade himself or fine-tune the genes of his offspring, so be it. There’s no God and no morality, so everything is up for grabs. Since we’re intelligent, might as well direct our own evolution — we can’t do worse than chance could. Survival of the fittest, right?
Nietzsche especially solidified this idea. He spoke of an ‘Übermensch,’ a ‘super-man.’ As defined by Google, ‘the Übermensch is a vision of a future human who has transcended humanity and is no longer bound by ordinary human limitations.’ Nietzsche said that the Übermensch would be a creative individual who would not simply obey the laws of others. He thought that the Übermensch would be able to create their own values and sculpt their own circumstances. In essence, the Übermensch makes his own good and evil. He needs no god. He just does what he wants to.
Hmmm. “You write your own story.” “Go your own way.” “Follow your heart.” Sound familiar? Like, as in the prevalent message of kids’ entertainment for the last decade or two?
Well, here’s the question to ask ourselves as Christians faced with this mentality that’s growing in the secular world. What are we? Are we a bridge to an end? A first or second draft on the path to the perfected novel? Or are we something made in God’s image, yet fallen? We have frailties and failings, but are they the result of sin or just some imperfections in our code that we have to rewrite ourselves? The way we fall on this is going to radically shape how we view a lot of the big issues of our time, such as euthanasia, gene modification, AI, and more.
One point Mr. Alberino made was that Jesus was both God and man. Not an Übermensch. A man, sinless, and yet very human. Imago Dei.
I’d never thought about it that way, but it makes you pause.
There’s something valuable about being human. Why? Because we were created. We are like a piece of priceless art made by a master artist.
We shouldn’t be trying to perfect our material bodies, to shape and edit them as if we know better. We simply can’t. Perfection of any sort is out of our reach in this world.
No. Perfection for us comes in the sweet by-and-by, when we are given glorious new bodies in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Try as we might to ascend to some higher plane, to achieve the great power or special knowledge, to augment and escape our own bodies with technology — we will never become gods.
We are sons of Adam and daughters of Eve. Fallen, yes. But there still remains in us a reflection of our Creator. Take an anatomy course and you’ll realize just how amazingly fine-tuned and complex the human body is! And that’s just our systems, our machinery, our hardware so to speak! Think of our minds, our personalities, our incomprehensible soul! There are so many things that the materialist psychologist tries and fails to explain about those parts of us that make us more than meat computers. Dreams, beliefs, loves, passions, sense of humor! We are riddled with the fingerprints of a highly creative, all-wise God. We are not valuable because we tell ourselves that we are so, or because we make ourselves so. We are valuable because we already are, valuable by nature of our being, like that piece of art.
Those of us who are wary of ‘playing God’ are not merely superstitious relics who should be pitied because they can’t use reason. Human beings are insanely complicated. We don’t even know everything about how we work, so what makes scientists think they can ‘upgrade’ us or remake us into something better? Can you imagine the consequences that could result? Man’s ambitions for technological advancement are already racing well ahead of his reason. The recent development of widespread AI is a prime example. We never anticipated that we’d have to deal with generative AI imitating actors or writing essays or making up court evidence or creating pornographic images. When the will to power drives our science, that is a dangerous thing indeed.
And if we could indeed surpass our humanity, what might we find that we’ve lost? As the old adage goes, ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’ What incredible parts of our Imago Dei design might we try to erase? What makes us think we could possibly replicate, let alone beat, the complex systems shaped by our Creator while we were still in the womb?
As alarming as some of these current developments and philosophies can seem, man will never become God. He’s been trying since the Fall, and will be still trying until the day Christ returns. Ascending to godhood is, and will always be, purely a thing of fantasy. We will never become homo deus.
We were designed and built as homo sapiens. And if you believe in a God Who doesn’t make mistakes, and made His creation good, and is so great that His sovereignty cannot be conquered by the Fall, well then, that means there’s something special about being a human.
A human. Higher than the animals, a little lower than the angels, and for some wonderful reason beyond our comprehension, designed to know and worship a great and loving God.
Never forget it.
Have a great week, my friends. Keep shining!
Cheers!
Random Note: I just realized this is my one-hundred-and-first post! Thank you all for helping to make this happen. Your readership and support means so much to me. 🥳
