I was thinking about what the consequences would be if someone bet their entire existence on a higher power only to find out that higher power doesn't exist, and what would happen if that person was also a child.
I can only speak from experience. I'm not sure if we're going from the "God" angle here, but as someone who was raised in Pentecostal beliefs, it's really harmful. First I'll speak on what the consequences would be for an adult who bet their life on this belief only to find out that their so-called "God" doesn't exist.
At first, this can seem like the thing they needed the most (and usually they hold this belief till they die or something happens to make them doubt and leave the church). Technically there would be no consequences except for the fact of how you treated those around you. Some wouldn't think much of it and move on with their lives (probably) but if you're in too deep, this will cause a lot of turbulence inside of you.
Shit only starts to hit the fan when said adult has kids and those kids don't hold the same beliefs. The consequences here would be losing a child because they're so stuck to their beliefs that they refuse to change their mindset when the child only needs to be cared for and understood. In the Pentecostal religion, God comes first, above everything including yourself, your children, your husband, friends, etc.
Aside from having children and fucking that up majorly, I feel like these people would miss out on a lot. People they could have had in their inner corner, relationships they could have fostered- just enjoying life I guess. You don't have to do bad or illegal things to enjoy life, but the way they see it, almost everything is a sin.
Moving onto what this would look like for a child. A LOT of mental health issues. At least for me. A child isn't supposed to struggle with things like that at such a young age, it causes a lot of panic and fear, and heartbreak. The one thing you were told your entire life depended on no longer exists, now what are you supposed to do? That's all you've ever known. From here you have to figure out how you're going to lead the rest of your life knowing this information. I personally fell into a really bad depression and struggled a lot when I was in middle school and high school- I still struggle with it now. I went back and forth on the thought that if I devoted my life to this being who says he loves me, I would be safe, but at the same time, I would not be free. I would be trapped "forever" until I died and I joined him in his realm, then it would all have been worth it. Or I could move on and forget everything (or try to, it never really goes away), try to make the best of what I can now on earth, and treat others kindly and myself kindly as well. The process of this is a long one. It takes years for you not to be afraid anymore and even now and again, I'll have an existential crisis about it.
Not sure if you're going for a darker subject here, but for a kid who doesn't know what to do, the only thing they want is out. So they will try to find the best way to get away from everything, aka death or something that will help them numb everything.
It is such an endless spiral that sinks you until you're way too aware of the reality, that you simply cannot handle it anymore. Death sounds real nice at this point, you would not longer thing about it.
The conflict of the book being that no one has his best interest in mind, and he is a child forced into the position of an adult. I would like to explore the effects of that, the pressure and the neglect and what that can do mixed with infinite power.
When I was growing up, I believed that the people around me had my best interest in mind, they loved me, so why wouldn't they? But as I grew (still a child at this point) I found out that none of that was true. When I tried to do something for myself that would make me happy, I was put down. Scolded and in my therapist's words "bullied" by my parent. So I basically had no guide but the bible and what I had been taught. I was forced to grow up very quickly- my emotional needs were not met and while I had a parent (my mother) she was never there emotionally.
Around me at that time, I had no one I could rely on without the word of God being thrown in my face and told me that would make me feel better. I grew to be very bitter and angry. I had no guidance on what it meant to be someone, so I grew resentful because of everything I had experienced at that point, before I knew it, I was 21 and I had grown up alone basically.
I had a very dark outlook on life and hated everything and everyone and I decided that I would no longer place my trust in others. I became violent but instead of resorting to hurting others, I turned that violence toward myself.
The pressure is a big one because as I neared the end of high school I was supposed to carry on this belief just like my mother and everyone in that church. It was either that or severe all my ties to everyone I had known (the people who didn't have my best interests in mind).
Neglect is also a huge factor, because even now that sticks with me. I still feel very alone even though I have people around me that care about me.
Thing is, my life could have gone in a very bad direction if I hadn't had the help I did. If I would have gone on like that, I think self-destruction would have been inevitable for me. It makes a difference if you have at least one, just one person who believes in you and refuses to give up on helping you.
(I'm not sure if this was at all what you were looking for- if you have any questions about anything of what I said, feel free to ask. I just kinda dumped a lot about my experiences here and I'm sorry if this was not helpful at all. I tried my best to answer and stick to the questions at hand without going off and talking about other stuff. Not sure how all of this would mix with infinite power, but I would imagine a lot of chaos due to inner turmoil.)
