God Man or Monkey Man

If you had a choice of living with a man who believed he was god or a man who believed he is a monkey, which one would you choose?   My best bet would be, that you would choose the one that believed he is a god. He surely would have better table manners and a higher sense of morality than a monkey.  Of course, you can house train a monkey if you had the time and patients, but I do not know if you can house train a man who believes he is a monkey.

It seems that it could be quite boring to live with a monkey or a man who believed he is one.  Though monkeys can be cute and sometimes  very intelligent,  they don’t talk very much.  Some monkeys probably even believe they are human, like some men who believe they are well-developed monkeys.  Now a monkey that is intelligent enough to think he is human may be easier to live with than a man who believed he is a monkey.

Of course, monkeys do not know that they are monkeys. In fact, a monkey may be easier to live with than a man who believes he is a monkey.  Unlike men, monkeys do not talk back. This would allow a human that believed he is a god to continue to believe he is a god. A talking monkey might even convince you that you are a monkey and not a god. In fact, a lot of men who believe they are monkeys spend an inordinate amount of time trying to teach other men; they are monkeys.  If a monkey had a super  intelligence, you may be able to speak to him of simple science and even teach  him some technology.  However, do not expect him to talk to you about metaphysical things. They are, you know, a one-dimensional creature, somewhat like men who believe they are monkeys.

On the other hand, it might be scary to live with someone who believed he is a god.  He might  want you to live and talk like him.  He might even demand that you stop living like a monkey and stop walking on all fours.  Of course, if you lived with the man, who though he is a monkey, you would be the god, at least to him.  You could lower the bar so you and the monkey man could feel comfortable with any standard, even that of a monkey (something many in our culture have done).

I have often wondered what it would be like to live with a god.  It surly would take courage.   The older I get, the more I marvel at the courage and the faith of the apostles of Jesus. You may not believe that Jesus was God, but I believe the honest person would have to concede, if a god ever came to earth, he would live and speak like Jesus. How would you handle the invitation of Jesus, “come follow me”?  Would you have responded with the courage of faith or cowardly indifference? I guess it all depends on whether you believe you are a monkey or a god.