New York City. Center of the universe.
Home to 8.6 million people.
A diverse melting pot of culture.
Everyone searching for meaning and answers.
I thought I had it all figured out.
But then, something happened,
and it changed my life forever.
There is no proof of God anywhere in the universe.
We will debate that and more on today's episode
of "The Millennial Prophet."
I am your host, Miles Finer,
reminding you that there is no God, and that is okay.
My guest today is an old NYU friend,
one of my favorite people.
Ladies and gentleman, welcome to the podcast
Rabbi Zoe Schwartz.
Thank you so much for having me, Miles.
But per usual, you're misinformed.
There is proof of God in the Torah.
The miracles of Sinai, for instance.
You grew up in the church.
You know this better than anyone.
Yes, it's true, my father's a reverend.
We got the whole Luke/Vader dynamic going on.
But be honest,
if I told you that God sent me a message
in the form a burning bush,
you would think I was insane.
- Not necessarily. - Oh, come on, Zoe.
- What? - I understand that
it is comforting to believe
that there is someone watching over us,
but there is no external force
that's going to reach out and solve our problems.
- What happened to you, Miles? - Nothing.
I just want to help people
take responsibility for their own lives.
I think we would all be better off if we did.
Hi, Eric. It's Miles Finer
I was just calling to see if you had an opportunity
to listen to my podcast.
I think it would be perfect for Sirius.
Um, you have my phone number, and my email.
So... yeah.
All right, bye.
_
- What? - _
- Miles.
Matcha latte.
Hey, man, I checked out your podcast, bro.
It's dope. You making a living doing that?
Yeah, yeah.
I got a ton of listeners, you know?
Advertising dollars are really rolling in.
I feel like I'm making a difference.
And when is the last time
you saw your credit card, Mr. Johnson?
Well, the only way I can track it is if they use it.
Yes, it does have a chip.
What am I good for?
Um...
You know, I've been asking myself that
a lot actually, lately.
Um, I th...
Hello? Hello?
Do you know how many people are on the planet, Miles?
- Uh... - Roughly 7 billion, okay?
You know what the chances are
of finding that one right person for you?
Your mom set you up on another date?
Yeah, she's obsessed, man.
She's trying to find me a soul mate again.
I'm like, hello, there's no such thing,
and she doesn't care, she just like
"You have a karmic destiny, Rakesh.
You're to marry an Indian girl."
I'm like, why can't you just let me be miserable
on a dating app like everyone else?
Yo, Eric from Sirius just emailed me!
Amazing! Who's that?
He's the guy that runs that podcast channel.
I sent him my show, and, apparently, he dug it,
and he wants me to submit a presentation
by Friday to see where it's headed.
Miles, you're about to blow up.
Mm-hmm.
You think you'll get to meet Howard Stern?
Probably not.
Congrats on the podcast, big bro.
I know you're not down with the message,
but your support means everything.
- Mm, that's good to know. - Mm?
'Cause I want you to do me a favor.
- Yeah, anything. - Anything?
- Yeah, what's up? - I want you to come to Dad's
- 25th at the church this Sunday. - Anything but that.
The two of you haven't spoken in months.
Come on, this is the perfect opportunity
for you two to start talking again.
Why do I have to take the first step?
If Dad wanted me there, he would have invited me.
Of course Dad wants you there.
You know every Sunday after church,
- he goes to St. Nicholas park. - So he goes to play chess.
He goes there because that's where
the two of you used to play.
Look, Miles, what is it going to take
to bring the two of you back together?
Look, sis, I have to get home
and finish this presentation.
- Thanks for the beer. - Anytime.
_
Holy.
Hey! Damn kids.
You come around here again, I'll call the police!
_
Who's John Dove?
- Stacy, wait, please! - Whoa!
- I am so sorry. - I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
Stacy, hold on. Hey, hey, hey, wait.
Wait, just give me one more chance.
- Just talk to me. - You've changed, John.
I'm sorry, it's over.
Hey, John Dove!
Hey!
Hey, hey, somebody stop that guy!
Whoa, what the hell, man?
Are you okay?
Yeah.
I think you just saved my life.
Thank you.
_
- Synced & corrected by MementMori - ... www.addic7ed.com ...
Yeah, oh, no, Miles, hey.
That guy was not going to jump.
No, no, no, no, no.
This is all just some elaborate hoax.
That's what it is.
Yeah, yeah.
Nice try.
Oh, come on.
_
Yo, who the hell is Cara Bloom?
- Cara. - Uh, hey.
In my office, now.
Do you see the hotboard?
You used to have the top trending stories
- on our site every week. - Yeah, yeah, I know.
And I'll get back there, I promise.
I don't want promises, I want articles.
You haven't written one in six weeks.
I'm just working through a rough patch.
You know, it took Hemingway ten years
- to write his second novel. - Is that true?
I think.
Look, I don't know what's going on with you lately,
but I can't cut you any more slack.
I want a story by the end of the week.
And it goes without saying,
this is one of those "or else" situations.
Let me get this straight, okay?
You're being catfished by someone
calling themselves God on Facebook.
Yes, and I need your hacker skills
- to get me their IP address. - Bro, keep your voice...
how many times I got to tell you I'm not a hacker?
Okay, I'm a video game enthusiast.
Plus, you said it yourself, it's just a prank.
- So focus on your presentation. - I will, but first,
I've got to figure out who's behind this.
Why?
So they're trolling you. Let it go.
I believe everything in life can be explained.
That there is no God, and there is someone out there
who is going through a whole lot of trouble
to prove me wrong. I can't let that go.
Okay, you really think someone paid this Dove guy
to pretend to jump in front of that train?
Yes, what other explanation is there?
It's like "The Game."
Oh, great flick. Early Fincher.
Okay, what do you know?
Okay, I looked into John Dove's Facebook account.
It's a ghost town. My only lead?
Cara Bloom.
Okay, what do you know about her?
Come see for yourself.
She went to Ohio State, writes for "Catapult,"
- and runs marathons. - Cute and accomplished, bro!
Why can't I ever match with someone like her?
- This isn't Tinder, Rakesh. - You mean Bumble, bro.
Nobody uses Tinder anymore.
- _ - Look, she just checked in to SoulCycle.
I'm going to go down there,
and I'm going to get to the bottom of this.
That's a bad idea, Miles.
What are you going to tell her? God sent you?
I can't feel my legs, but my ass looks great.
- So, fair trade. - Yeah, it does.
I got to run to Trader Joe's. See you later?
Yeah, see you.
_
Cara, Cara!
Miles Finer.
- Uh... - Oh, come on.
Don't act like you don't know who I am.
I don't, so have a nice day.
- Wait, are you God? - Excuse me?
I mean, not like "the" God. There is no God.
I just really want to know who's behind the God account.
The God account? What are you talking about?
Wow, you are a committed actor.
What, did you study with Stella Adler or something?
Look, I don't know what you're on, but I carry mace.
And I work at IdentitySeal,
so you tell whoever's behind this
I will jack up their credit!
Be glad you didn't grow up with social media.
Delete, delete.
Good-bye.
It's time to refocus,
and get this presentation to Sirius.
_
# I'm only human after all #
What the?
What the hell?
# I'm only human after all #
# Don't put the blame on me #
You want to believe in the heavenly father.
- No, my presentation! - Deep down, I know you do.
- Oh, no, no, no, my presentation! - Behold his mighty hand!
No.
_
No, no, no, no! Come on, no!
Where's my presentation?
How do you cure writer's block?
Cara.
What the hell are you doing here?
This has gone too far. Hacking my computer,
my presentation, my thermostat.
Who is behind the God account?
Listen, I don't know anything about the God account.
Or the temperature in your apartment,
or how did you even get back here?
Are they paying you for this, huh?
Are you writing a story about it?
A story. Yeah, I'm staring at
a blank page and my career is hanging in the balance,
- so I would say no. - You're telling the truth?
You're not in on any of this?
I don't even know what this is.
- Hey, you okay? - It doesn't make any sense.
Why would they send me your name?
Wait, what do you mean send you my name?
Look.
Wait, so someone calling themselves God
sent you a friend suggestion for me?
Look, I know how it sounds, but yes.
Cara, where's my story?
Uh, I am working on it. Making progress.
Who is this?
This is someone that I'm interviewing for my story.
Really? What's it about?
Well, it's a think piece about
the intersection of faith and science
through the prism of social media.
It's going to be great.
I like it. I want 1,000 words tomorrow.
Hey, I did not say you can write a story about this.
Yeah, well, this isn't just about you.
Look, they sent you my name, too.
You want to figure out who's screwing with you.
I'm a journalist. I know how to find people.
And I will...
but only if I get the story.
You find them...
we talk.
Deal.
So I assume you've looked into this God account.
- What do you know? - Not much.
I tried to get my boy, Rakesh, to find me the IP address,
but he won't do it for me.
But he might do it for you.
- Rakesh, the door. - Got it, Mom.
Cara, Rakesh. Rakesh, Cara.
- Hey. - Hi.
What is she doing here?
- She can hear you. - Right.
She's not involved. I told her everything.
She's going to help me figure out who's behind this.
But we need a favor from you, first.
Uh, this is my workout attire.
I do 60 crunches every morning, so.
Look, I know you're not a hacker,
but if there's any way you can get us that IP address...
No, guys, I'm a hacker.
I'm a badass hacker, actually.
Guys, this can't be right.
The God account's being protected
by a firewall I've never seen before.
- Don't mess with me. - I'm not messing with you.
Man, this code is sublime.
Like, there's only a small pool of people on the planet
who could've written something like this.
So there's no way to track the IP address?
No, I said small pool.
Lucky for you guys, I'm swimming in it.
Okay, here's the thing though.
If what I see here is right,
there's a good chance that Dove guy really was going to jump.
Explain.
It's called predictive analytics.
It's a type of AI used to determine
the outcome of events.
So theoretically, someone with this technology
could have just know Dove was depressed and suicidal.
Even if what you're saying is true,
there's no way they could have known
that I would have stepped in and saved him.
Unless that's the point of it all.
To see if you would.
I really think you saved this guy.
Look, we need to find this Dove guy.
My money says he's in on it.
Yeah, but our best lead is this IP address.
How long would it take you to crack it?
I don't know, man. I'll keep working on it,
but I have a date in a few hours.
She's not my girlfriend. I'm totally single.
My mom's making me go.
Oh, I have to redo my presentation
for Sirius by tomorrow, and this thing is spiraling.
Is he always this dramatic?
Oh, you should see him at a Yankees game.
Al, you sure this isn't one of your psych experiments?
Right before God friended me,
you were trying to convince me to go see Dad.
Miles, I am not behind this.
You know I detest social media.
Wait, what happened with you and your Dad?
- Nothing. - Our dad is a reverend.
Miles is an atheist. You do the math.
- That explains a lot. - Wait a minute.
You don't think Dad is behind this, do you?
Really, Miles? He can't even use Netflix.
You know what's happening to you
is kind of like the prodigal son,
except God is using Facebook
to bring you and Dad back together.
Do you see what growing up in a house
of religion does to the mind?
- She makes a good point. - Thank you.
So you believe in God?
I mean, I wouldn't say that I'm religious,
- but yeah, I am spiritual. - Oh, boy, here we go.
Spiritual.
You mean the biggest cop out in all of religion?
- What? - Well, you can't have
one foot in the eternal plane,
and the other in the "I'm cool" category.
It doesn't work like that.
You either believe or you don't.
Or you recognize that there's something greater at work here.
I don't know, some grand design connecting us all.
Otherwise, life just seems kind of pointless.
- I like her. - Trust me.
There is no grand design.
Whoa, Rakesh.
Tell me you got something.
Miles, I did it. I found God.
He's in Jersey.
Wait, look, the house is for sale.
Well, Rakesh tracked them here.
Someone's inside.
So how does a preacher's son lose his faith in God?
- Pretty easily. - Wait, let me guess.
You felt religion was forced
down your throat, so you rebelled.
Got your hands on Hitchens and Dawkins,
never looked back?
Yeah, something like that.
Oh, I don't know. Maybe God moved.
Oh, hey, look. There's a light on over here.
All right, come on.
Open up. Open up.
You're messing with the wrong guy.
Uh, step aside.
Give me some light.
- What? - Nothing.
Just admiring your skills. What, did you write an article
about picking locks or something?
Eh, it was more of a PSA on how easy it is
to break into your own house.
It went viral in like, 15 minutes.
What?
That is impressive.
Thank you.
Hey, you got a plan, right?
Because I'm guessing whoever's up there,
they don't want to be found, and they might not be friendly.
Trust me. I got a plan.
Hey, it's Miles Finer.
I know you're in there. Come out now.
Great plan.
Yeah, so much for the light of God.
This was a bogus lead.
Or maybe not. Look at this.
Yeah, it's Jersey. They're tacky.
No, whoever's behind this knew I would end up here.
That angel might as well be giving me the middle finger.
That's ridiculous. They're painting over it
because they're selling the house.
No, I got a bad feeling about this.
- The food is really good. - Yeah, yeah, it is, yeah.
_
- Important message? - Um, it's a friend of mine.
He's in Jersey looking for God.
You're funny.
Most of the guys my parents set me up with are total bores.
Yeah, you know, honestly,
I don't know why they've got to do this to us.
I mean, we're perfectly capable of deciding
who we want to fall in love with.
I mean, don't get me wrong, you're gorgeous,
but I'm sure there are plenty of other guys out there
you'd rather be on a date with.
Actually, I'm enjoying myself.
And I think you're pretty cute.
Okay.
You know what I like to do to get back at my parents?
What?
Things they wouldn't approve of.
I... oh... uh.
I also like to do those things.
It's too bad we both live at home.
I called a Lyft. Tina, Ford Fusion.
Four minutes away.
Hey, you okay?
It's weird, I had the same exact bench
on my front porch growing up.
Every day, I'd sit there, just...
waiting for...
Waiting for what?
Uh, nothing.
It doesn't look like nothing.
- Hey, Rakesh, what's up? - You need to get back
to your apartment like, right now, man.
I think Mr. Robot hacked your computer again.
Wait, dude, why are you at my apartment?
Not important. Stay focused.
Man, your iPhoto library is on loop.
The same song is playing over and over.
- Even I can't make it stop. - What song?
# I'm only human after all #
Yeah, I already tried that.
My guess is they used a smurf attack.
Your pictures are really great.
How many times I got to tell you,
you got to switch your Wi-fi to WPA2.
- You just pull the plug. - No, no.
There has to be a reason why they're doing this.
- How'd you get it to stop? - I didn't.
Uh, you know, I just remembered I'm on deadline,
so uh, I got to go.
Cara, hold up.
Hey, what's going on?
- Nothing, I'm fine. - Cara, is everything okay?
Yeah, I just... I need to finish my story.
I'll see you later.
- What was that all about? - I don't know.
She got really weird when she saw the photo.
Yeah, but why? It's just you and your family.
My mom's doctor and nurse.
It was right after my mom had her last chemo.
What?
You think she knows one of them?
- You remember their names? - I was eight.
But there is one person who may know.
God is always testing us,
and we know this from the Book of James,
Chapter 1, Verse 12.
"Blessed is he who remains steadfast under trial,
"for when he has stood the test,
he will receive the crown of life."
You getting ready for Sunday?
Miles.
I used to love listening to your sermons.
I would sneak in to the back of the chapel
and watch you practice.
That's until Mom caught me
and made me do my homework.
I remember. What are you doing here?
I need your help with something, um...
Do you remember Mom's doctor and nurse?
Um...
- What's this about? - I just need their names.
Sure, son. Um...
This is Dr. John Andrews, and his nurse, Susan Albright.
They took great care of your mother.
- Thank you. - Hey, Miles, wait.
I've been meaning to reach out to you about Sunday.
Um, the church is celebrating my 25 years here, and...
I'd like you to come.
It's a good thing I stopped by so you can ask me.
I deserved that. I should have called.
I guess I was afraid that you'd say no.
Or maybe you were afraid that you would be judged
because your son doesn't believe in God?
And what am I supposed to feel about that?
I... I've devoted my life to God,
and you spread the notion that he doesn't exist.
I... I... I know you think you're helping people,
- but you're not. - That's not true.
Name one person.
One person who's life you changed.
It's a podcast, Dad. I don't have to see the person
to know that I am making a difference.
You are taking away people's hope.
And you're lying to them!
You're telling them that God is watching over us.
You know better than anyone that's not true.
What I know is...
Is that you're angry.
You don't think that what happened
made me question my faith?
What I also know is, is that we can't
keep having this argument.
Yeah.
Yeah, you're right about that.
- Want to talk about it? - Not really.
Also, if you're still mad at me for hooking up
with Jaz at your place, you're kind of missing the point.
No, I'm not mad, but please enlighten me.
If we don't go back to your place,
I don't call you about God hacking your computer,
and Cara doesn't see the doctor
and the nurse in the photo.
So if you think about it...
I'm kind of the hero of this story.
Okay, here we go.
Into the Department of Records.
It says Dr. Andrews moved out of the city years ago.
Okay, try Susan Albright.
Moved from Ohio to New York 18 years ago.
Changed her name. it used to be Susan Bloom.
She's Cara's mom.
Hell of a view.
Uh, yeah, yeah. I love it up here.
Your roommate told me that you were up here.
Hey, sorry for running out last night.
I was just stressed about work.
Look, I know the nurse in the photo is your mom.
She left when you were a kid, right?
That's who you were waiting for on the bench?
Uh, I don't... I don't really want to talk about this.
Come on, your mom and my mom were in the same photo.
What are the odds?
That must be the reason why they sent me your name.
- Miles. - They want me to help you
- find her... - Miles, you're wrong.
- How can you say that? - Because I already found her.
When?
Six weeks ago.
On the subway.
She was sitting right across from me.
Um...
Look, you were right.
My mom did leave when I was seven.
And then, a couple months later,
she came back,
and she told my dad that she'd gotten sober.
But then, a few months after that, she left for good.
All I knew was that she came to New York,
so after college, I came here looking for her.
But nothing ever came of it until I saw her that day.
- What did you say to her? - Nothing.
Nothing, I just... I froze.
And when she got off the train, I...
I followed her to St. Vincent's Park,
and I sat there, watching her.
I don't know, I guess I...
I thought I would work up the nerve
to say something to her, but I didn't.
And I have gone back pretty much every day since
at the exact same time,
and I sit on the exact same bench,
but every time...
I lose my nerve.
And ever since I saw her,
I can't... I can't sleep, I can't write.
But don't you see? That's why you
have to go talk to her.
Things won't get better unless you do.
Why do you even care?
You're just trying to figure out who's behind all of this.
That's not true.
You asked me why I don't believe in God.
When... when I was eight,
my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer,
and the doctor said she had six months to live.
And so I prayed for a miracle, and then it happened.
She went into full remission.
The doctors couldn't even explain it.
I don't understand. If God answered your prayers,
why don't you believe?
Because on the way home from the hospital,
she died in a car accident.
Miles. I am so sorry.
I tried to make sense of it,
and the only way I could
was that there was no God.
Because if there was, that means that he is cruel,
and I don't want to live in a world
governed by someone like that.
Look, I don't know who's behind this,
or why they chose me.
But I do know that your mom is still out there,
and you can still have a relationship with her.
I'd give anything to say the same.
Yeah, but what if she wants nothing to do with me?
Then you know,
and you can finally move on.
Um...
There she is.
Okay.
- You can do this, yeah? - Yeah.
I'll be right here.
Unless I get hungry, then I'll be
across the street getting a churro.
- You got it. - Okay.
- Hi. - Hello.
It's a really nice day.
Yeah, it is.
Cara?
Hi, Mom.
How?
It's a long story.
I heard you became a nurse. That's... that's good.
Cara.
Why didn't you come home?
I tried, but I couldn't.
Then you should have tried harder.
- Please let me explain. - No.
No.
I grew up thinking that you hated me.
I spent years in therapy
trying to figure out what I did wrong.
I deserve a better answer than "I tried."
Mom?
Is everything okay?
Oh, no.
Guess that answers that.
Cara, wait.
Cara!
- She came out of nowhere. - Call 911!
Cara, stay with me. Stay with me, Cara.
Stay with me.
Oh, no, no, no. She's not breathing.
- What's taking so long, man? - I'm on hold.
John Dove?
You're the guy from the subway.
She needs a doctor.
I am a doctor.
We got a pulse.
I just spoke with the attending.
Cara's resting. It wasn't pretty.
She has a punctured lung, and a couple bruised ribs,
but she's going to be okay.
That's good.
So you just so happened to be driving by
at that very moment? No one put you up to it?
Put me up to what? What are you talking about?
Just a hell of a coincidence, you being a doctor.
Well, technically, I'm not anymore.
After what happened on the subway,
I decided to take a leave.
I had just lost a patient on the table.
My girlfriend broke up with me.
It felt like an avalanche.
When you pulled me back...
I realized, you know, I didn't want to die.
That's good.
And for what it's worth,
you seem like a very good doctor to me.
Thank you.
How are you feeling?
Like I got hit by a car really hard.
Thought I lost you there.
I'm still here, thanks to you.
- Mm. - Uh, you saved John Dove,
and he saved me.
If you think about it, it's kind of like a grand design.
Have you heard anything about your podcast?
- I didn't turn it in. - What?
I couldn't leave without knowing that you were okay.
You have somebody here to see you.
Hi.
You called her?
- I'll wait outside. - No, wait, you stay.
What do you want?
You asked me why I never came back.
I did.
- What? - You were in eighth grade.
I came to one of your track meets.
You were running the 400.
That was my race in high school.
You won, and I saw you.
You looked so happy, so confident.
Why didn't you say anything?
I was afraid...
If I came back, and things didn't work out again,
it would shatter you forever.
And I couldn't take that chance.
So I walked away.
I've thought about that moment every day since.
Hoping one day I might get another chance.
So I just want you to know,
if you'd let me...
I want to be a part of your life.
People say that God has a plan for all of us.
That we're all part of a grand design.
Well, I never believed that to be true,
but then, he friended me,
and it kind of turned my life upside down.
Not that I think it's God,
but in these crazy times we live in,
we owe it to ourselves to ask the tough questions,
and to open our minds to
a new way of seeing the world.
A place where we can find our voice again.
Top story on the board. Impressive work.
Don't make me wait six weeks for the next one.
Where old wounds can heal,
and new relationships can begin.
- Hi. - Liv.
This is your sister, Cara.
Hi, Liv. It's nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you, too.
Where we finally understand our purpose.
And find love in the most unexpected place.
The world we live in today
asks more of us now than ever before.
It demands more of us. Why?
Because as our minds and our hearts
and our ambitions flourish, so too, the roads to sin.
It's not going to be easy.
Change never is.
We just need to have the courage
to take the first step.
I read your story about finding your sister.
- It was really touching. - Thank you.
Yeah, and I appreciate you not mentioning
the whole God account thing.
Yeah, you know, it was never my story to tell.
Besides, I actually really loved
how you talked about it on your podcast.
Wait, you listened to my podcast?
Maybe.
You're not the only one.
Eric from Sirius listened to it, and he loved it.
- What? - And he wants to meet.
- Miles, that's amazing. - Yeah.
I'm so happy for you.
So, um, have you heard anything from the God account?
Uh, not since they sent me your name, why?
Well, just because I told you
I'd help you get to the bottom of it.
So I will.
Besides, maybe we'll do some good in the process.
Actually make a difference in some people's lives.
Yeah, that wouldn't be so bad.
Oh, uh, I have to go.
My sister has a soccer game. That's crazy, right?
Yeah, yeah, go do your thing.
Okay, whenever you hear from the God account, text me.
_
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