Creating an ideal world for Conservative Christians

[Norm d'Plume]

Hi. I'm a sci-fi author trying to create a fictional, ideal future world for conservative Christians. I checked out the sci-fi forum and it receives virtually no traffic, so I thought I would post here. Depending on how the story unfolds, I may expand the inhabitants to include other Christians as well, since that will create more religious diversity, which should help propel the story.

The world in question is a planet called New Bethlehem, which was settled by conservative Christians so they could practice their deep faith in peace among like-minded individuals. For the purposes of the story, there is a democratic senate and a hereditary monarchy that traces its origins all the back to King David.

One of the lead characters in the story is Joseph, the crown prince of New Bethlehem. He began hearing the voice of God in his head at age 4. At the time, his mother told him it was just dreams or an imaginary friend. Eventually, Joseph learned to stop talking about it. Joseph learns of mental illness while growing up, but dismisses it as a possibility. He is convinced that the God he talks to is the same one who spoke to Moses and Noah.

So, he spends 12 years talking to God every day. Then, at age 16, his life begins to unravel. God asks him to give up his intended destiny (the throne of New Bethlehem) and do something unthinkable - create a new religion to save an increasingly violent galaxy from the Apocalypse. This new religion is intended to sweep the galaxy like a tidal wave, toppling kings, queens, and emperors, and lead all mankind back to paradise. The bad news is, this new religion upends many of Joseph's deeply held Christian beliefs.

Joseph is now in a virtually impossible position. He can reject the voice in his head as never having been real, ascend to the throne, and live out a life in relative peace, trusting that the real God will take care of the galaxy. Or, he can give up the throne and follow this voice on a quest that eventually leads him into slavery, prison and unimaginable personal loss. He's a future version of Job.

In the first two drafts of my book, Joseph is religious, able to quote chapter and verse as well as anyone, but I don't think he represents conservative Christianity properly. Next draft, I want convservative values to seep deep into his bones. I also plan to make him a deeply closeted, self-loathing homosexual. It's just one more burden for him to carry and overcome.

New Bethlehem will have a Christian government (i.e., no separation of church and state). And although the planet is intended to reflect ideal conservative values, it will not be an entirely perfect world, since humans are not perfect beings.

At the suggestion of one of the forum members, I've posted my questions under a few different threads in this forum:
http://www.christianforums.com/threads/creating-an-ideal-world-homosexuality.7890619/
http://www.christianforums.com/thre...y-wives-submitting-to-their-husbands.7890850/
http://www.christianforums.com/threads/creating-an-indeal-world-taxes-and-subsidies.7890623/
http://www.christianforums.com/thre...supporting-the-sick-poor-and-elderly.7890618/
http://www.christianforums.com/threads/creating-and-ideal-world-crime-and-punishment.7890849/
http://www.christianforums.com/threads/creating-an-ideal-world-dating-for-young-people.7891442/

Your help would be much appreciated.

Thanks.
Norm

 

[1watchman]

God Himself will create an ideal world again one day (like Genesis 1), and it will be on His terms; so, I don't think we need to speculate about this, and just obey His Word and honor Him now ---right?

 

[Norm d'Plume]

God Himself will create an ideal world again one day (like Genesis 1), and it will be on His terms; so, I don't think we need to speculate about this, and just obey His Word and honor Him now ---right?

Or we could try to engage others in identifying ways to create a more Christian-oriented/Christian-friendly world and take steps to communicate that ideal to as many people as possible so that they too may be saved. Or, if that doesn't appeal to you, we could simply do what the Puritans did, which was to create a place for themselves somewhere where they could worship in peace with like-minded individuals and eventually become the co-founders of a powerful movement: Conservative Christianity.

My imagination is a God-given gift, and I don't plan to waste it.
Norm

 

[1watchman]

Surely the saints of God should preach salvation and knowing God and His ways, but we are not called to try to make a paradise here on earth. It "is condemned already", God says. He also says: "the time is short", which adds to His other counsel that mankind needs to come apart from worldliness and know God and His way before the end comes.