Bewildering Stories introduces and welcomes...

M. Maponi

M. works in information technology by day and writes at night. He is fond of especially weird fiction and narrative media. He has published short fiction in e-zines and anthologies and has founded a magazine to promote Italian writers of genre fiction.

“Interviewing the CEO” may strike some readers as a kind of upside-down Christmas story. Thomas comes to interview God, who has reincarnated himself as the CEO of a “capitalist” enterprise. Thomas can’t find fault with God or with an organization that seems to be devoted to good works. But Thomas has nonetheless decided in advance that he will remain dissatisfied.

Thomas is not an atheist. An atheist would say that the words “God” and “gods” have no meaning; therefore, how can one even pretend to talk to someone or something that isn’t there? Rather, Thomas is an anti-theist; he is going to demonstrate too vigorously his objection to the deity in whatever form it takes.

The theist-atheist debate is a logical conundrum. The theist asks the atheist, “How do you know God doesn’t exist?” The atheist replies: “I have no evidence that God exists; do you?” The theist counters: “Only that you and I exist and can debate the question.”

And that brings us back to the Christmas story. It challenges the audience with the question: “If you’re going to believe in a God, what kind of God do you believe in?” The answers were, then as now, very stark.

M. Maponi’s bio sketch can be found here.

Welcome to Bewildering Stories, M. We hope to hear from you again soon and often!