My Older Brother and Sister

When I was a child in the 3rd grade, I had a classmate named Steve - he was my best friend. I remember going to his home several times on a few Saturdays. We would have a blast. In my memory he either lived at the edge of a junk yard, or his family just collected a lot of stuff on their several-acre property. I remember they had a few old school buses parked side by side. Steve and I would climb onto the hood of one bus, then up to the roof and then jump from one roof to another, like miniature stunt men in a movie. It was such fun.

Another thing about Steve's home that I really liked was the fact that he had an older brother and sister, like high school age. It was so cool. His sister was pretty, with long late 1960's blond hair and his brother was tall and interesting. All I had at home was a younger brother and sister - that's no fun.

I was jealous of Steve because he had all this neat junk to play around and his family was different than mine - so - I made up a family. I now had an older brother and sister as well, and I informed Steve of this, but I don't remember if I gave them names - wish I could remember.

Well, one Saturday Steve came to my home for a visit. It didn't take long for him to inquire as to the whereabouts of my older brother and sister. Of course I had not anticipated this question, so I lied (again) and just told him that they were off somewhere.

I don't think that I lived near Steve very long, perhaps a year or so, since Dad was in the US Navy, we moved often.  I don't think that I had to maintain this lie for very long.

I don't know if Steve saw through my deception - I suspect that he believed me, I mean, we were in the 3rd grade and not terribly perceptive.

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But what if Steve and I had remained classmates, and I carried on this ruse for the next 10 years. What if Steve eventually began to doubt what I was telling him concerning my fictitious older siblings?  What if my explanations (excuses, lies) as to why he had never, ever actually seen any evidence that I had an older brother and sister were no longer enough to overcome his growing doubts? 

I suspect that no one would fault Steve for eventually coming to the conclusion that I likely never had older siblings to begin with, or that if I had older siblings, perhaps they had ran away, were sent away, or worse, had died tragically in a car accident. Regardless of my continued insistence that it was just a coincidence that they were gone every single time that he came to visit, Steve would have been completely justified in eventually doubting or disbelieving my claim, and I suspect that everyone reading this would agree.  

No one would suggest to Steve that the best thing for him to do would be to just continue to believe.  

No one would suggest to Steve that perhaps he should have "faith" and ignore his doubts.  

Matter of fact, if Steve did continue to believe my story, and he continued to accept my explanations (excuses) as true - for years - regardless of the complete lack of any evidence that I actually had an older brother and sister - you, dear reader, would likely say to Steve, "Wake up dude - there is no older brother or sister - you have been lied to."

I was told that God was real, so I believed, for years.
I was told that God answered prayers, so I believed, for years.
I was told that Jesus was coming back "soon", so I believed, for years.

Thankfully, eventually, someone (in essence) said to me, "Wake up dude - there is no God or Jesus - you have been lied to."

bob

r.u.reasonable@gmail.com