Decemystery (2024) 30: The Singularity Tape

 

At the start of this month, I said I wanted to find five of the weirdest conspiracies possible to outdo the ones I covered last year. I wanted maximum strangeness across the board, and I think I achieved that quite well.

On December 8, I covered “The McDonald’s Blob,” which I think ended up being one of this month’s best write-ups. It was brisk fun, and I had an absurdly good time covering it. Also, I got to cover some of the urban legends surrounding a fast-food chain, which is something I never thought I’d have the opportunity to do.

On December 16, I covered “bubbles.avi,” which was also a “purge survivor,” as I mentioned when I covered “We’re Gonna Be a Family Again Soon.” I only now realized that. I’ve been working on Decemystery 2024 since August, and I only now realized that there was a crossover between those two. 

Anyway, on December 22, I covered “The Day the Earth Screamed,” which I think was one of the weakest write-ups this month. I know that a lot of my friends and family members tell me not to be so hard on myself, but I was suffering from severe burnout at that time, and I had practically no motivation. Oh well, that’s in the past; there’s no point in lingering on what can’t be undone.

Well, until I inevitably rewrite the story to give it the treatment it deserves.

The fourth and most recent case was “Apollo 11 Landed on the Wrong Moon,” which was planned to be the capstone write-up for this year. However, as is the case with me, plans change. Sometimes, they change so much that the entire capstone is swapped out.

Those four stories are all absolutely bonkers in their own right, especially the one about Apollo 11. I’d say it’s the weirdest of the five, but that doesn’t diminish today’s story by any stretch of the imagination. No, today’s write-up is fantastical fun in its own right.

Known as The Singularity Tape, this is a short tale that I wanted to cover because it’s the second Conspiracy Iceberg story to center around found footage; the first was last year’s “VCR Wife.” Also, I have covered shockingly few mysteries featuring found footage. I really need to change that.

Anyway, come along, dear reader; Decemystery 2024’s penultimate write-up serves as the Conspiracy Iceberg’s swan song for this year. Let’s leap into Michigan’s singularity together and learn the truth about a videotape that defies space and time all at once…

Ah, nuts, I just realized I have to discuss the Michigan Blue Hell now. Granblue Fantasy Relinked is going to have to wait.

Decemystery (2024) 12: The UFOs High Above Artjärvi!

 

In the past, I’ve talked about how much I love my friends. This love hasn’t changed while I’ve been absent from writing; if anything, my love for them has only grown because they’ve supported me through the numerous hardships I’ve endured. Likewise, I’ve done my best to help them out—even if it’s through simple gestures.

Writing articles dedicated to my friends is one of those simple gestures. While it may be a bit self-indulgent since I can’t guarantee it’ll make them happy, I do like to think that offering them something to read can help take their mind off of simple troubles, whether it be stress from college, work, or anything else of that nature. If nothing else, it’s the perfect reason for me to stop procrastinating!

Last year, a few of the Decemystery duology entries were dedicated to friends. One of them was for a Finnish friend of mine, Nea, whom I’m very close to. Initially, I wasn’t sure if I’d cover another one for her—or any other friends, for that matter. However, given the worry that she, along with my other friends, expressed during struggles I had earlier in the year with my bipolar, I figured it’d be rude of me not to do something for them.

So, when I was piecing this year’s Decemystery back together, I opted not only to dedicate another story to her but also picked out a few other cases that I knew would make my closest friends happy. Most of those friends are from one collective group, though, so the story dedicated to them will come much later in the month (much like last year).

Anyway, let’s get to today’s story. Well, if you read the title, you know what to expect. It’s time for more UFO goodness; I can’t help but have a sweet tooth for these stories. While some may be frustrating (like the one I went over the day before yesterday), so many of them provide me with a wonderful amount of material to work with…

And then there’s today’s story.

This is a head-scratcher of a case. I can’t quite put into words what it is, but this sounds like more than a UFO sighting without it ever becoming more than one. It’s practically one sentence away from being an alien abduction story—one that’s simultaneously told from the perspective of someone who witnessed an alien abduction and was abducted by aliens.

But, hey, don’t take my word for it; I’ll showcase it to you myself. Grab your passport, and let’s take a trip over to Finland, dear reader! It’s time to dive into the story of The UFOs High Above Artjärvi! Why’d I add an exclamation point to today’s write-up? Because I felt like it, that’s why!

Decemystery (2022.3) 30: The Giant Lunar Spider

 

I’ve made it no secret that I am deathly scared of spiders. I cannot stand the sight of them; if I see one—even a small one—I will freak out and ask someone to kill it for me. In spite of that fear, though, I find them fascinating, and as I said earlier this month, stories of giant spiders remain one of my favorite topics to read about. I guess it’s my adoration for horror; being scared is quite fun. Well, it’s fun when the thing that’s doing the scaring isn’t anywhere close to me.

In the case of today’s story, the thing doing the scaring is nowhere close to me—or any of us, for that matter. Rather, it’s on Earth’s closest neighbor, the Moon! So, for the penultimate story of Decemystery 2022.3, we have the otherworldly account of The Giant Lunar Spider! Come along, dear reader, and get ready to experience a whole new level of arachnophobia!

Decemystery (2022.3) 28: The 2010 Bratislava UFO Sighting

 

Hello, hello; welcome back to Limitless Possibilities, the only place on the Internet where one man can spend several thousand words talking about UFOs and not think to himself, “Will my readers get bored of this topic?” I am that man, and today, I am here to talk to you about another UFO sighting.

Okay, there is a reason why I’ve covered so many of these cases. The first is that I do find them genuinely interesting; it’s interesting to take a gander at them and speculate on whether or not they really happened and, if they did, what was actually seen. What can I say? I like to think about things.

The other is that I thought it would be a smart idea to do 64 write-ups; I got properly started in July—and am still writing at the tail end of December. It just so happens that UFO sightings are the easiest topic to cover without covering the most bottom-of-the-barrel nonsense that can be written off in 150 words. Sure, I did that with one story this month, but that was an exception to the rule because I found something more unusual within its nonsense.

Anyway, that brings me to this case. Yes, it’s another UFO sighting, but it’s quite interesting in my eyes. The eyewitness claimed to be a pilot, which is always interesting. When someone’s familiar with aircraft, it definitely comes across as more credible—to me, at least. So come along, dear reader, as we travel to the nation of Slovakia to discuss The 2010 Bratislava UFO Sighting!

Decemystery (2023) Bonus Entry: The Screaming Stars

 

Hello, hello; Merry Christmas! It’s time for the second Christmas Day bonus entry; this one is going to be vastly different than many other write-ups I’ve done. Today, we’re going to be looking at a 4chan greentext story. If you don’t know what those are, they’re basically bullet-point stories. I thoroughly enjoy reading them; they come in all kinds of genres but are normally comedic in nature.

Now, full disclosure: greentexts are by absolutely no means true stories. Sure, some may be, but to take them as true without question is a stupid thing to do. After all, this is 4chan we’re talking about. The site is notorious for pranks and spreading lies for a laugh. However, I want to share one of my favorite scary greentexts with you guys; this will still read like any other write-up from this month (or in general), but just know right off the bat that what you’re about to read isn’t being viewed as a “real” mystery.

With that out of the way, for Decemystery 2023’s bonus entry, look to the heavens and gaze in wonder at the infinite cosmos. This, dear reader, is the story of The Screaming Stars.

Decemystery (2022.3) 24: The Humanoid Phoenix

It’s the eve before the happiest time of the year—or so the saying goes. Indeed, today is Christmas Eve; I wish you all the merriest of ones. I have no idea what I’ll be doing when this post goes up, but I’m sure it will be peaceful. God knows that I need it after writing 64 write-ups one after another.

With those festivities in mind, let us get to the write-up. I love humanoid sightings; stories of Pale Crawlers, aquatic humanoids, and all other manner of human-like creatures fascinate me. Though, arguably the most interesting to me is the winged humanoid, beings like the legendary Mothman captivate me like little else.

So, for today’s story, we’re headed down to Texas. It’s there where we’ll find a report of a winged humanoid that is truly out of this world. It’s not just strange; it’s downright dumbfounding. It’s known as The Humanoid Phoenix, and even though the story is absurdly short, it’s nonetheless worth hearing about. So come along, dear reader, and let us celebrate Christmas Eve with one of the weirdest humanoid encounters I’ve ever read!

Decemystery (2023) 20: sophia_red_room.avi

 

Content warning: this write-up contains a mention of rape and heavy violence. If that upsets you, it may be wise to gloss over this write-up. I don’t blame you if it does; it sure as hell upset me.

Hello, dear reader, and welcome back to my blog. If you read the write-up posted just before this one, then you’ll see that it’s one of two that I mentioned earlier this month. I had said I wanted to cover it at a future date. Well, I never did specify when, so I hereby say that that time is now.

Now, before I even get to the story, I want to address one thing—something related to the title. This story technically has to do with red rooms, which is a topic that’s been on my to-do list since 2019. I debated on whether I wanted to dive into them in any meaningful capacity, but I ultimately opted against it. My reason is simple: I think Internet mysteries are so over-talked about that there’s absolutely nothing I could add that would be worth a damn. All I would be doing is parroting the same thing dozens of YouTubers have said. Only it would be in text form instead of a video. But, who knows, maybe I’ll change my mind.

With that said, there is something I can add to—even if it’s only a bit. That is the horrifying story of sophia_red_room.avi! One of the many obscure entries on the Conspiracy Iceberg, this is one that caught my eye the day I first laid eyes on it. So, without further ado, let’s once again take a trip down the Conspiracy Iceberg!

Decemystery (2022.3) 20: Fox is Here

 

Well, I had said in a previous write-up this month that I wanted to cover this story at some point in the future alongside another. After much consideration, I decided that I may as well do both of them today!

I’m a simple man. While I’ve read about a lot of wild stuff and looked into a ton of weirdness, there is a lot I know little about. Two of those topics are mysticism and anything new-age. I cannot, for the life of me, wrap my head around either topic, even though I’ve tried.

Ideological stuff is another thing that I struggle with, but I’d rather save that for another day when I tackle a story that’s ideological in nature. For now, today’s story is something that dives into some mystical mysteriousness. Thankfully, it doesn’t require a whole lot of knowledge in order to get it. So I won’t need to give a half-baked lecture on anything.

Fox is Here is a story from the Conspiracy Iceberg. That’s about where the sensible stuff ends; this is easily one of the weirdest entries on that Iceberg. So come along, dear reader; it’s time to pull some Dan Brown-level shenanigans and find out the real names of God and The Devil!

Decemystery (2022.3) 19: The Kentucky Horsewalker

 

One of the things I love the most about operating this blog is that I never know what will catch my eye next. Sometimes, I have a story in mind, but then I stumbled across this really crazy or outlandish-sounding cryptid, UFO sighting, or conspiracy theory. Whatever it is, it’s so crazy that I just have to cover it next.

That’s the case with today’s story. It was by pure chance that I came across it; after reading it, I knew right away that I needed to write about it. So come along, dear reader; it’s time to talk about The Kentucky Horsewalker!

Decemystery (2022.3) 14: The Canadian Spiderbat

 

This write-up is dedicated to my friend, who goes by Jimbo. I hope you enjoy this wonderfully weird story, bud!

The idea of merging two animals into one is one that I must concede is quite amusing. Just imagine if I fused a puffer fish with a turkey or a walrus with a giraffe. Perhaps it’s just me, but I find it rather entertaining. Unfortunately, it isn’t always entertaining; there are those combinations that result in something rather horrific. Today’s story is one of those instances.

After having health issues for the seven thousandth time this year, I was lounging around on my bed doing what I do best: playing Pokémon. Once I realized that I should be preparing to write again, I decided to read. During this reading, I stumbled across the story of The Canadian Spiderbat. With a name like that, I knew I had to write about it right away. So, with a brain that’s still reeling from a week of recovery, let us take a dive into the unknown!

Decemystery (2022.3) 11: The Reptilian Judge

The Reptilian theory is one that I’ve avoided touching for a while now. The main reason is that it’s extremely controversial, and as someone who doesn’t like drawing a lot of attention to himself, I’ve been hesitant to cover it. I know that likely comes across as weird, given I’m posting my writings on the Internet, but I was never known for my common sense and logic.

Anyway, while the Reptilian theory isn’t the central focus of today’s Decemystery entry, it is a key part of it. You see, whether you believe David Icke’s claims that the world’s elite are Reptilian aliens who want to enslave humanity is largely irrelevant. Some believe that these aliens—and aliens of other species—live among us in secret. I normally don’t like making comparisons to popular media, but if you want an example of what I mean, look at the Marvel storyline “Secret Invasion” as an example; it was adapted into a Disney+ show for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I heard it was pretty bad, but I wouldn’t know for myself since I tuned out of the MCU after Endgame (which I didn’t like; hate me if you want).

However, whereas Secret Invasion involved the Skrulls taking on the forms of prominent people in order to invade human society (at least, that’s how it was in the comics), the Reptilian theory has them doing so for various reasons. Some say they want to enslave us, while others say they want to annihilate us. Either way, it’s not good news for humanity.

With today’s story, it’s more bad news for one guy who resided in Los Angeles (I have no idea if they still do). A man in the so-called “City of Angels” claimed that the judge at his court hearing was, in fact, a Reptilian in disguise. So come along, dear reader; it’s time to dive into the tale of The Reptilian Judge!

Decemystery (2022.3) 4: The Giant Beetle Outside the Airplane Window

 

Beetles: they’re small, creepy, have six legs, and crunch like dry cereal. There’s nothing I like about them, but they play a vital role in Earth’s ecosystem, and according to people smarter than me, that’s a good thing.

Well, I care not for the words of people who are smarter than me, nor do I care about their fancy degrees. Indeed, despite what the local nerds have to say about the environment and the balance of nature, I still advocate killing insects. They scare me, and therefore, they must be exterminated by the cold steel body of RAID!

Unfortunately, there’s always a bigger six-legged monstrosity lurking somewhere. In today’s written version of “Vertigo’s Nightmares,” we’ll be looking at a story I found a few years ago while surfing the Internet. I call it The Giant Beetle Outside the Airplane Window. I still don’t have a therapist. I need one even more after reading this story. God hates me.

Decemystery (2023) 1: That Time a Dog Was Seen Eating Cereal with a Spoon

 

Well, hello there, dear reader! Welcome back to my blog, which is now officially back in business and primed for a month of mysteries and oddness! Indeed, if you read the previous post, you’ll know that there are two concurrent Decemysterys going on. One is for last year (since I was out of commission for almost all of 2022), while the other is for this year. If you didn’t read the post that’s below this one, then, well, you know that now!

This, as you can plainly see, is the inaugural entry for this year! It’s a story that I recall seeing a few years ago and actually really enjoyed reading. However, it wasn’t until this year that I dug a bit more into it and decided it could be worth writing about for a little bit of fun. Besides, it features a dog, and I love dogs. I own a dog! He’s the best boy.

Anyway, without further delay (since I did most of the talking in the post before this one), let’s begin the second Decemystery with a story that exemplifies the term “High Strangeness.” It’s the story of That Time a Dog Was Seen Eating Cereal with a Spoon, and it—as stated above—went viral a few years back. So come along, dear reader; it’s time for yet another round of the oddest tales from around the world. Decemystery 2023 begins now!

Decemystery (2021) Bonus Entry: Who Bought the One Opening Weekend Ticket to See “The Worst Movie Ever!”?

 

Merry Christmas, dear reader! If you don’t celebrate Christmas, fear not! I shall raise a glass of eggnog in your honor.

When I was trying to pick out a bonus entry for today, I was honestly quite stumped. I had a few really, really great ideas, but I couldn’t pick one. They all felt a bit too “mainline entry” for me; I prefer to have the bonus entries be something “out there” and obtuse than worth talking about.

It wasn’t until I was reading about the biggest box office bombs in history that I found a story that I thought fit the bill perfectly. Back in 2011, a film was released called “The Worst Movie Ever!”. It ultimately grossed $25,000 against a budget of $1,100. While technically not a flop by any stretch of the imagination, the film was mentioned because it beat out Zyzzyx Road for the record for “Worst Opening Weekend Ever”.

You see, this movie grossed a meager $11 on its opening weekend; one ticket was sold on the Saturday it premiered. Zyzzyx Road, meanwhile, grossed $30 (though some say it was $20). While that may not seem mysterious, nobody knows who the sole single ticket buyer is (or was). So today, we’re going to ask one simple question and attempt to answer it: Who Bought the One Opening Weekend Ticket to See “The Worst Movie Ever!”?

Decemystery (2021) 12: The Elevator Riddle

Obscurity is something that I believe has gotten me the most microscopic level of fame. Sometimes, when I look up certain stories I’ve written about, I notice that my blog is either the top search result, or on the first page. It always fills me with happiness. However, at the same time, I feel kind of weird about it. I tend to not think of myself as anyone special, and I often just parrot a lot of what I see written on other websites.

Still, the level of joy outweighs that thought—and it’s a very, very, very minor reason why I wanted to cover today’s tale. Known as the Elevator Riddle, this is a story that… honestly doesn’t really feel like it can be properly described in any meaningful way. So let’s just jump right into it.

Decemystery (2021) 8: The Bashkortostan Creature

Russia’s a hotbed for sightings of mysterious creatures. Dire wolves, mammoths, and aliens are but a few of the enigmas that have been seen over there. Though above all else, the nation is known for a ton of sightings of hairy hominids. Many of them come from Siberia, though Russia as a whole is no stranger to seeing the infamous Yeti. Sure, the Yeti itself may be from Himalayan folklore officially, but the name is used to describe more or less any snowy mountain-dwelling Bigfoot.

Anyways, for today’s story, we’re headed over to Russia to investigate something known as the Bashkortostan Creature. This is something you might be familiar with if you’re a bit fan of mystery-centric YouTube channels or happen to watch the Travel Channel show “Paranormal Caught On Camera”. It’s a rather famous video from the mid-2010s that managed to make the news. So come along, dear reader! It’s time to put on our winter clothes and investigate a Yeti!

Mystery: The Pokémon Incubus

Minor content warning: brief mentions of rape.

Okay, so, get this: I’ve discovered this thing called “not working constantly”. It’s a really novel concept where I don’t sit around on my bed, staring at a blank Google document, trying to force myself to write for hours on end before inevitably having a mental breakdown. I know, really incredible; I am truly ahead of my time and am far more enlightened than the Dalai Lama.

In all seriousness: I’ve actually finally decided that maybe not writing when I don’t feel like I can (whether it be due to feeling under the weather or just not really desiring it) is, in fact, a good idea. This has opened up a whole slew of new possibilities for me, like playing video games and enjoying some time to myself so I can recuperate from writing.

So in short, I’m making progress in living a healthier life!

Anyways, when it comes to video games, I’ve been playing a ton of Pokémon ROM Hacks, so I’ve been going through Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and even Unova (well, that is until the game froze and I couldn’t progress). It’s been a ton of fun, and quite frustrating. Though mostly fun.

At the same time, however, it’s also been kind of a bummer. While I’ve been having a lot of fun, I’ve found myself really unable to write. This is mostly because none of the stories I had in mind really struck the right chord with me. Sure, I wanted to write about them, but nothing I wrote really struck me as “worthwhile”. When I set out to cover something. I always want it to be entertaining and not flat, boring, and unengaging. So for a brief while, I found myself feeling really bummed out.

Well, that is, until I remember a certain story.

Just yesterday, I remembered something that I saw on the good old Paranormal World Wiki. It was a story involving Pokémon and I thought it fit with my recent bingeing of the series. So, let’s take a look at the Pokémon Incubus.

Decemystery (2020) 21: The Mandela Effect

 

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a mystery become so prominent and prevalent as this one. Sure, there are plenty of people who have seen ghosts, Sasquatch, or UFOs, but today’s story—which on the Mandela Effect—is something significantly more unique. It’s a phenomenon which I think most of us could have experienced at least once in our life.

For those unfamiliar with the Mandela Effect, I want to give a brief rundown of it before we get into the story itself (which will be focusing more on famous examples of it rather than going over its history). It’s basically a case where someone believes something to be one thing, but it isn’t. The name comes from when former South African President Nelson Mandela died in 2013, but most swore up and down that he had died back in the 1980s.

This phenomenon has taken off a lot in the past… I’d say about decade; with the popularity of 4Chan, Reddit, and the YouTube Horror Community, a lot of people have come forward claiming that they’ve had experiences with the Mandela Effect. Though one thing that must be asked is this: how many of these experiences are truly enigmatic and how many are just cases of false memory?

With today’s Decemystery entry, we’ll be doing something different. We’ll be taking a little bit of time—not a whole lot because as is the case with Decemystery, we’re trying to keep these stories short, sweet, and fun—to take a gander at some of the most famous cases of the Mandela Effect and give them a brief rundown before rounding it out with two of the most popular theories. Then we’ll go into the theories section to echo what I just said. Why? Because here at Limitless Possibilities, the norm/professionalism is reserved for squares who have a bunch of subscribers on YouTube. So let’s get to it!

Decemystery (2020) 20: Planet Nine

In space, no one can hear you scream, snore, breathe, lose at poker, or realize that your insurance doesn’t cover interplanetary vehicle collisions with Greys.

You see, dear reader, in space: many mysteries reside there. The Wow! Signal, ASASSN-V J213939.3-702817.4, Supermassive Black Holes, Ultramassive Black Holes, Theia, and more are just waiting to have their truths uncovered. Indeed, space is a limitless sandbox where we can find the truths to so, so, so much, yet we’ve barely even touched the surface of it all.

It’s because of these limitless possibilities (haha, roll credits and all that CinemaSins nonsense) that I opted to cover a mystery today. I had two ideas for today’s story—both of which involved something in outer space. One of them was a star in the form of the aforementioned ASASSN-V J213939.3-702817.4, and the other was Planet Nine. I guess it’s no mystery which I opted for if you read the title. So let’s dive into the cockpit of a space shuttle and go blast off into outer space!

Conspiracy: The Influence of Moloch (SFW Version)

 

Preface: this is the SFW version of this write-up. It doesn’t contain the small, additional section that discusses horrific acts of violence against children. If you wish to read that version, scroll down and maybe keep a bucket on standby if you’re unsure if you can stomach it. Otherwise, read this version and enjoy!

Good day, dear reader. Take a seat by the campfire once more for I have another story to share with you. It’s one that is a part of a massive spider’s web; one that I could write an entire documentary on. Though I wish to hone in one of the threads near the center of said web. A critical part that ties everything together with magnificent ease.

Let us take a step into the realm of disappearances. Every year, roughly 800,000 children go missing in the United States. That equates to roughly 2,000 a day. A depressingly large number, some of these children are found as they were abducted by someone the family knew, but roughly 115 of these are done by complete and total strangers. The reasons for this heinous action vary heavily; it can be anything from simply desiring a child and wishing to raise another person’s as their own while others are committed by demented child abusers who wish to keep the child as their own plaything or to sell them into sex slavery.

While this may seem too horrific to be true, it is unfortunately very real and it’s an abhorrent part of the world as we know it. Luckily, there are people out there who combat these reprehensible acts each and every day, like the US Marshals, the FBI, and local law enforcement. Though in spite of that, these people are but a part of a larger network that must be dismantled piece by piece until it all collapses like a Jenga tower.

So what does this have to do with today’s story? Well, we’re taking a deep dive into the realm of conspiracy once more and it’s one that I’m sure most of you will be familiar with if you follow political news here in the States closely. So let me ask you a question: are you familiar with Pizzagate? If you are, then you most likely know where today’s write-up is going. If not, then I cannot, in any meaningful capacity, summarize it without leaving out massive details. All I can suggest is you go onto Bing and do your own research. If you wish to Google it, you’re going to get a lot of debunking articles—which is by no means a bad thing if you want to see both sides of the story, but I believe that there’s a bit of truth to Pizzgate (primarily thanks to Jeffrey Epstein).

I digress though. The most basic summary of Pizzagate is that the world’s elite (be they philanthropists, politicians, or actors) are a part of a global child sex trafficking network and a Satanic cabal. The former isn’t that crazy to believe given what we know about Epstein, but the latter has yet to be confirmed.

Or has it?

That’s where today’s story comes into play. While it doesn’t tie directly into Satan or any contemporary portrayal of him, it does relate to a Biblical figure whose name will send a chill down the spine of anyone familiar with him. He’s one of the very few Old Testament deities who has stood the test of time in the most horrific way and his field of worship is among one of the most brutal in history.

He is known as Moloch and he is the god of child sacrifice through fire and war. While some may scratch their heads pondering exactly who or what he is, most people familiar with the realm of conspiracies are likely to recognize the name immediately. There is a theory that the world’s elite worship Moloch and that the children that go missing not just in the United States but all around the world are sacrificed to Moloch in order for him to bestow power upon those who worship him.

So today, I wish to ask you this dear reader: just how much influence does Moloch have in our world and if it’s anything of merit, then who are we to defy and stand against a god?