742. The beings are, however, born on vastly differing steps. If they had not existed previously, they could all just as easily be born on the highest steps. But since the facts show that the beings are not born on the same steps, Nature must have a purpose with this. As we have seen, this purpose definitely cannot be to just make existence lighter for the beings that come later. We must therefore return to our previous analysis of the development of talents in order to arrive at the revelation of the truth that can really give us a one hundred per cent insight into the true cosmic purpose, plan or intention that lies behind the beings' appearance on mental steps, and consequently these beings' dissimilar fates in their present physical life.
      As we have just seen, the purpose of the ladder of evolution or the mental steps, cannot be merely to make existence more perfect for the beings that come later, once the present beings have "died" or have become "nothing". If the development of talents were not the result of thinking, experience and practice, but was, on the contrary, produced out of "nothing" by some mystical, miraculous decree from an almighty providence, then all existing beings, as mentioned above, could just as easily be born on the highest steps, or everyone without exception could be born as geniuses. But the facts bear abundant proof that this is not the case, but that the beings do actually represent not only highly unequal levels of favour regarding mentality and giftedness, but also express terrifyingly unequal levels of favour concerning all other phenomena to do with their fates. Some beings luxuriate in sumptuous well-being in all areas, while others founder in terror and suffering and experience, in their own flesh and blood and in their thinking, the culmination of hell's most sophisticated details of mental and bodily destruction. But a providence that is said to be "almighty" but, in spite of this almightiness, takes pleasure in allowing living, thinking, experiencing beings to be the playthings of its not only accidental and purposeless but also downright sadistic whims, bears an alarming resemblance to the being we as children normally knew as the "evil one" or "Satan" and regarded as the Godhead's or Providence's greatest enemy. But who is actually the most dangerous to the living beings, the almighty Godhead that by "miraculous means" has "breathed" life into us out of "nothing" and that has no other rule or basis for the life and fate that he gives each one of us other than chance and purposelessness, or the being that we know as the "evil one", the "devil" or "Satan", who seeks to "tempt" us into phenomena that can result in an "everlasting hell"? Is not the latter being the less dangerous? It is said, after all, that we can set our will against this latter being and conquer it. But that would be completely out of the question in the case of the "Almighty".
      If the living being has not existed previously in its present existence, it cannot have had the slightest microscopic grain of decisive influence over its present fate, irrespective of how light or dark this might be. Concerning the suffering and horror shown by some beings' present fate from the cradle to the grave, these beings have therefore not only been entirely without blame but have also been absolutely defenceless. What do we call a human being that inflicts terror and pain on a completely defenceless living being with no other motive than some whim or other? Do we not use the term "criminal" to describe such a being? Is the Godhead itself such a "criminal"? Are the various types of the living beings' unhappy fates a series of "crimes" created as a result of the whims of this being? Who would ever dare to believe this? Can a future truly loving civilisation be built on a concept of God whose logical consistency is so frail? Does this not prove it to be a fact that the logical consistency of the concept of God in the structure of the Christian church is completely cut off from real life?