God does not insulate his believers from the Void, for he often exposes them to it.
For example, Oedipus was utterly ruined without clear reason; Job was tormented as a result of a random bet; and Abraham’s test of faith was an appalling nightmare. Perplexed by the meaning of such examples, Soren Kierkegaard spent a lifetime pondering about the blurry line separating the uncertainties of faith from the horror of the Void.
For Kierkegaard, choosing between God and the Void is perhaps the most vital decision of many decisions we must make. When we think seriously about ourselves, Kierkegaard realized, it is the obligation of choice that lies at the very crux of existence. We, however, by our very nature, are finite, prejudiced, and limited. Though required to make decisions, we are incapable of discovering any logical criteria for weighing options; there are absolutely no objective standards.
In choosing without knowing, all decisions are mere guesswork, and we experience dread knowing that we are held responsible for our guesses. We can deliberate, deceive, or make a leap of faith, but we cannot evade responsibility. Life, therefore, is a dead end, an agonizing anomaly filled with ennui, emptiness, and anguish.
After much restless contemplation, Kierkegaard chose Christianity, knowing evidently that even if a relationship with God was possible, it would not preserve him from inner void and existential terror.
