Since we have no idea what God thinks, we must source the Bible for our information. Since most of us do not read the Bible, we rely on others to do it for us. Since most us don’t know how to interpret the Bible, we allow others to do it for us in our various forms of religion.

First of all, the Bible was written by man, so it is in that sense subject to being flawed in one manner or another. It is also said, however, that the men who wrote the Bible were influenced by God. As a writer of fiction, my writing has been influenced by other authors. The two most prominent influences of my writing are John Irving and Raymond Carver. I’m sure that an avid reader of theirs could dissect my writing and point out parts of my writing where their influence upon me is fairly prominent, but there is a point in all of my fiction where my creativity begins to take over. There is a point where Carver and Irving are nowhere to be found. There is a point where my philosophy and my experiences in life begin to take over. Having said that, isn’t it safe to say that the men who wrote the Bible had the same delineations? I say this only to point out that my criticism of doctrine, or the interpretation thereof, should not be confused as a criticism of God.

Based upon the interpretations of the Bible I have heard, we have been led to believe that God is a forgiving God, and that if you are truly sorry, God will forgive you. With that in mind, what happens to a man such as O.J. Simpson when he steps before his maker?

Before we get to the crux of the matter, we must make a couple of assumptions. I don’t know if everyone who reads this will believe that God is of unlimited omniscience, but I do, and for the purposes of this article it’s necessary to make that assumption with me for the greater point. The second assumption, based on the first, is: you can’t fool God. A third assumption, based on the first two, is that O.J. is heartfully sorry for the sins he has committed. The final assumption I ask you to make is that O.J. was guilty of committing the heinous deeds he is purported to have committed against his wife and Ron Goldman. Again, I don’t know if everyone is willing to make that leap of faith with me, but for the purposes of this article I ask you to join me if only for a minute in this assumption.

Assuming all of this is true, O.J. sees the light when he is on his death bed. The doctor enters and informs him that it will only be a matter of moments now. In those moments, O.J. breaks down all shields, all his acting and all of his facades. He admits to it all, and he is genuinely sorry. Again, you can’t fool God. God sees into your heart, and He knows when you’re acting and when you’re saying what you have to say at any given moment to get away with something. O.J. successfully pleads his God for forgiveness, and he is taken. He steps before the pearly gates and faces his day of judgement.

I realize the rhetorical nature of this question, for there is no answer to it. We cannot know God’s will. We only have our resources, but to my mind the resources (i.e. the Bible and religion) provide as many questions as they do answers. I guess if one believes in a Purgatory, as the Catholic religion does, there might be the answer there, but is there middle ground in those God questions? Wouldn’t that promote the idea of a grey area in God’s judgement process? If He is of unlimited omniscience, why would there be a need for a Purgatory?

In regards to a question about tax collection, Jesus once said: "Pay to Caesar what is Caesar’s and pay to God what is God’s." O.J. has made no such payment to Caesar, in this case the state for his crimes, but will he pay to God what is God’s?

Those of us who were sickened by the verdict of the race sensitive jury, told one another that O.J. would see justice before it was all said and done. If not here, we said to one another, then in the next life. I even said this to others. If we are to believe what man has told us about God’s will however, is it possible that O.J. could get away with it in the here and now and in the afterlife?