“I don’t understand what the teacher Paul is trying to say there,” Drendida said. “It almost sounds like he is saying that everyone has an innate knowledge of this ‘God’ person.”

“Umm, yes,” I said. “That is what it says.”

“But that’s ridiculous!” she exclaimed.

“Why?” I asked her.

“Because it just is!” She seemed to realize that this wasn’t incredibly logical and calmed down. “How can this teacher claim to know that everyone in the entire universe, all the people, anyway, have some innate knowledge of this God person?”

“He… it’s in Scripture,” I said, lamely.

“What does that mean?”

“It means we know it is true,” I said, floundering.

“So you know it is true that everyone, including me, has an innate knowledge of this God person in spite of not having any evidence?”

“I have evidence!” I said.

“Oh? Can you read my mind?” she asked.

“No, but God can!”

Her mouth, open for a rebuttal, snapped closed. “Oh, well, I suppose that is logical. The attributes of this God of yours would, naturally, include the ability to read thoughts and emotions.”

She sat for a minute, “Still, that begs the question of the existence of this God. Surely you can see you have no evidence of Him?”

“Excuse me,” a voice said, and we all turned. It was Andrew. “Can I come in?”

“Certainly, Uncle,” I said.

“I couldn’t help overhearing,” he said. “And the discussion sounded interesting. Do you mind if I interject?”

“No, no, not at all,” I said, relieved.

“You are sort of correct,” he said to Drendida. “There is a certain category of evidence that is lacking in the case of God. Much of the believe in God can be better spoken of as a ‘presupposition’. However that is the same for atheism, or the lack of a belief in God.”

“What? That’s irrational,” she said. “A lack of belief does not need evidence.”

“There may be times when that is true,” Andrew said. But not in this case, I believe. You do realize that, for most of human history, most humans have believed in a God of some sort.”

“Certainly,” she said, “I am not ignorant of history.”

“Well, then, as the minority opinion it behooves you to not think of our belief as the ‘natural’ or ‘default’ belief. If you do not believe in fairies, or unicorns, then your belief can stand without any particular evidence. But if you were to start arguing against the existence of the Bn, for example…”

“But they have been seen!”

“But not by you.”

“On video!”

“Videos can be faked.”

“That is true. Still, it is some evidence.”

“True. But not any more evidence than Christians believe they have for the existence of God.”

“Oh? Name one thing!”

“Well, there have been many arguments brought forth. All of them assume the Christian world view, as befits a presupposition, however.”

“I am familiar with that form of reasoning,” she said. “Still, name one.”

“The universal recognition of sin,” Andrew said.

“Many cultures do not recognize sin!” she countered.

“Oh?” he asked. “They may not call it that, but can you imagine a culture where murder, for example, passed without comment.”

“Of course not!” she said. “That would be counterproductive.”

“So?”

“So? What do you mean?”

“So what if it is ‘counterproductive’? Why should that matter to you? If you can get away with it?”

Drendida stared at him, aghast.

“Do you see? You don’t just not murder, or not be rude, you think those things are actually wrong, somehow. But how can you justify that?”

“How can you justify believing in this God person you haven’t even seen?”

Andrew sat for a few seconds and then reached over to the corner of the tent, where there was a box. He shut the lid. “Suppose I were to tell you that there was a spider in this box, but you were to insist there wasn’t. How could we figure out who was right?”

“We would open the box and look,” Drendida said. “Altho I was told that there are no arachnids native to this planet.”

“It is a thought experiment,” Adnrew said. “Now, suppose I were to tell you that there was a spider in this tent, and you were to disagree?”

Drendida looked over the tent. “That would be more problematical, for me at least. If we saw a spider you would be proven right. However for me to claim that there wasn’t one, especially one of the almost microscopic variety… that would be difficult.”

“Very good. Now suppose we were discussing the entire planet.”

“Well, that would be ludicrous. Altho there are not supposed to be any arachnids indiginous to this planet, that hardly proves anyhing about their existence on the planet. We might have brought some, indeed I would be surprised if we didn’t. And the Bn might have brought some, I believe that several of their planets are known to be colonized with them. I heard of one…”

“So do you see the point?”

Drendida stopped, abruptly. “Well, obviously, you are speaking of the impossibility of proving a universal negative by experimentation. A small area might be searched to disprove the existence of something, but a larger area cannot be. And a universal negative denies the very existence of something, so one would be forced to ‘search’ all of reality.”

“Only a fool actually claims a universal negative by experimentation, however,” she said. “It is the lack of evidence…”

“And yet for all of our history most humans have found the evidence not only sufficient, but overwhelming. And not only fools and ignorant people, but most of the brightest humans.”

Drendida sat for a minute. “That is true,” she said.

“Andrew,” Bethany broke in. “Could we perhaps continue this tomorrow night?”

“Ah, yes,” he said. “Certainly.”

Andrew left and I relaxed. Bethany had been looking very uncomfortable with the whole religious discussion.

“So, is that the end of the religious activities?”

“Umm, no,” I said. “We usually sing a Psalm and then pray.”

“A Psalm? Oh, yes, one of the religious songs from the Scripture.”

“Exactly. If you will turn to Psalm One, I think we will start there. Here, I will send you the file…”

Drendida, once we went through the tune, sung very well. “I think tommorrow night I will attempt to sing the Alto line,” she said, when we had finished, scrolling back and forth.

“That would be excellent,” I said.

“So what next?” she asked.

“Now we… I pray,” I said. Actually we usually both did, but I didn’t see how we could do that and leave Drendida out. So I prayed, more nervous than I had been since Bethany first came.

I finished and she looked at me. “That’s it,” I said. “We go to bed now.”

“Ah,” she said, and took her head covering off. She had the front of her jumpsuit about half unzipped when she stopped and looked at me. “I am unfamiliar with your customs. Would you prefer it if I went for a walk while you engaged in sexual activities?”

I blushed, furiously, and it was left to Bethany to answer. “No, that will not be necessary,” she said. “We are accustomed to tight quarters, on board ship, and even on planet. But thank you for your courtesy.”

“Ah,” she said, and finished undressing. As she kept sitting there, staring at us, however, Bethany added,

“It is customary, however, for the others to at least face away and pretend to be asleep.”

“Oh, of course,” Drendida said, turning reluctantly away. “My parents insist on the same thing.”

“They do?!” Bethany asked.

“Yes. It does seem to violate our rules of openeness, doesn’t it. And it has always left me rather curious.”

“Well, perhaps you will get your own partner fairly soon, and your curiosity will be assuaged,” Bethany said.

“Well, yes,” Drendida said.

“So if that was your custom, why did you keep facing us?” I asked.

“I was hoping your customs were different,” she said, “I am very curious.”

I heard the note in her voice, and Bethany grinned at me. “Well, curious you may be, but you will still have to wait,” I said and, laughing, Bethany and I undressed and waited until, a few minutes later, we heard her breathing change to that of a child asleep. “Prayers, love?” she asked me, and we prayed…