In the Beginning was the Void and in the void was Deity, unnamed and unknowable, alone in endless darkness. After millenia in the Void, Deity(1) chose to experience more than the trackless Void and created the Multiverse(2). Stars wheeled within galactic clusters, accompanied by nebulae, lit by quasars. Deity split into myriad spiritual consciousnesses and inhabited all these forms as they danced, lived and ultimately died.

When Deity had learned all it could from these forms, it kindled biological life(3). Bacteria, amoeba, virii all found niches on planets and spiritual habitation by Deity as it continued on its journey to learn all it could. Sooner than before, Deity exhausted the possibilities of these forms, too, and introduced a new idea into the multiverse: Gender. With this, Deity itself split into two(4) to better maintain the balance, male and female - God and Goddess. And still Deity inhabits everything.

The stars continue on their journey through the Void, amoeba divide and live everywhere, male and female we live and learn and die and are born, pieces of the God and Goddess, until there is no more for us to know.

1. I believe that Deity wished to learn more than it had before but why it might want to do so escapes me.
2. I use the word Multiverse because who knows what else is out there?
3. I have no idea how often or where life might have begun. It's immaterial to the myth and of no practical use in my life. Aliens would be too cool, though.
4. If there are aliens, who knows how many genders might have been created. Always keep an open mind.

Stan asked why I thought sorrow and pain might exist, what purpose would they serve if not to facilitate free choice. This is my answer. they exist for the same reason the color black does and for the reason that I exist, and for the reasons trees exist - because that's part and parcel of the reality we experience. Deity didn't make these things except in the same general way Deity made the universe and everything in it. No God is going to purposefully inflict suffering on it's followers although a Universe with a vacuum is going to have consequences as will gravity and heat and anything else that causes us pain and suffering as well as joy and delight.

These things were not created for any purpose but rather are the natural extension of the laws of reality and existence. Fall down the stairs, you'll break a leg and maybe your neck. Enter the lottery, and you have a chance to win. Much pain and suffering are the results of our actions as a race and something we inflict on each other, something we are responsible for - not something we can just wave a wand and say "Oh, it's all Satan's fault or it's all God's plan. We don't have to feel responsible."

We are responsible and I think until we learn as a whole species how to stop doing this to ourselves and each other, we're going to keep living and dying and being born. Yes, that puts "Judgement Day" (or whatever you want to call the beginning of the next phase of existence) very far in the future but if you study history there is hope. We call ourselves enlightened compared to people who lived in medieval times for a reason. We have learned from our mistakes, sometimes not well and sometimes we backslide but overall we keep going forward.

A good example of this is racism. It was not long ago that people thought it fact that those of color were genetically inferior to Caucasians. They very sincerely believe there was some scientific explanation for their superiority. We've learned better and while there are still those who don't yet believe, they are getting to be far fewer and in between than even 100 years ago. We are learning and each of us can individually hasten that day forward by continuing to learn and grow and inflict just a little less pain on our fellow human beings.