Martian Visitor XI

A MARTIAN EXAMINES CHRISTIANITY by Arthur Levett, Page 76
Chapter XI The Martian Inquires As To Miracles “ You have several times referred to the many proofs to establish that your god is the only true god,” remarked the Martian. “ These proofs are absolute,” said the Fundamentalist. “ You need only to read of the miracles He performed, the signs He gave, to convince you that He is the true God.” “ There are many recorded in the Bible,” said the Priest. “ And they are all true,” added the Fundamentalist. “ May I ask how you know they are true? ” said the Martian. “ Because the Bible tells of them, and the Bible is the Word of God,” answered the Fundamentalist. “ If I understand you,” said the Martian, “ you maintain that they are true because the book which tells of them is the word of your god, and you know the book is the word of your god because it tells of the miracles performed by him.” “ Yes,” said the Fundamentalist. The Modernist turned to the Fundamentalist: “ Do you really believe,” he demanded, “ that a whale swallowed Jonah, retained him alive in his stomach for several days, and then spewed him up? ” “ The Bible says it was done,” answered the Fundamentalist. “ I believe in a God who can make a whale and can make a man, and make both do what He pleases.” Page 77 “ But do you believe he made them - that he made such a fish and that it was big enough to swallow Jonah? ” “ Yes, sir,” said the Fundamentalist emphatically. “ Let me add: one miracle is just as easy to believe as another. A Miracle is a thing performed beyond what man can perform. When you get beyond what man can do you get within the realm of miracles; and it is just as easy to believe the miracle of Jonah as any other miracle in the Bible.” “ Perfectly easy to believe that Jonah swallowed the whale? ” asked the Modernist. His sarcasm was lost on the Fundamentalist, who answered calmly: “ Yes, if the Bible said so.” The Modernist could no longer restrain his impatience. “ Can’t you see,” he said to the Fundamentalist, “ it is by such ridiculous assertions as you have been making that you throw discredit upon the whole Christian religion? Every thinking man knows that the laws of Nature do not change, that every effect is the result of a natural cause, and that therefore such a thing as a miracle is impossible? If you would cease talking nonsense about miracles and confine your religious utterances to the great truths of Christianity which sensible men can believe, you would get back to Christianity as Jesus taught it.” “ I will say this,” responded the Fundamentalist with considerable heat, “ it is just such men as you, who call themselves Christians, and yet do everything in their power to discredit the Blessed Book, that are responsible for the spread of atheism and lawlessness throughout the land.” Page 78 “ Instead of fighting these blasphemous creatures of the Devil, you encourage them in their nefarious schemes to destroy Christianity and all morality. I would like to ask who has given you the right to pass judgement on the inspired Book that has been the only source of light and truth for nearly two thousand years.” “ There you admit you are as guilty as he,” said the Priest, in turn addressing the Fundamentalist. “ What right have you, or had those whom you profess to follow, to dispute the correctness of the teachings of the only true Church - the Church that was established by God Himself, the Church whose head is appointed by Divine guidance, the Church that for upwards of two thousand years has withstood all attacks and has so ably spread real Christianity and civilization over the whole world; whose members to-day far outnumber those of all your sects put together; the Church wherein the Bible is read and expounded by those whom God Himself appointed, and who, under His guidance, teach what He taught, and in the way He commanded? On you and your Churches, which for five hundred years have protested against and belittled the teachings of the Holy Catholic Church, encouraging attacks upon it, rests the blame for the deplorable condition of Christianity to-day.” “ Gentlemen,” said the Martian, who had noted the acrimony of the discussion, “ don’t you think it would be well to get back to our subject? I find it somewhat difficult to keep abreast of you. Won’t you point out these miracles to which you have referred? ” “ I can do that,” said the Rabbi. “ You will find many of them recorded in the Old Testament, which is the only true Word of God.” “ No, no,” said the Fundamentalist; “ you must consider the New Testament as more important than the Old Testament, for that is the basis of the Christian religion.” Page 79 “ Perhaps we should consider both,” said the Martian. He turned to the Rabbi: “ Will you point out the miracles in the Old Testament? ” “ It would take too long to enumerate all of them,” said the Rabbi, “ but you might turn to the Book of Exodus, where the miracles of Moses and his brother Aaron are recorded. Here it tells where Aaron appeared before the King of Egypt and cast his rod on the ground as the Lord directed, and it changed into a living serpent, proving that the Lord was the true God.” ¹ “ But I notice,” said the Martian, examining the account, “ that the king called for his wise men and they also cast down their rods, which became serpents.” ² “ Yes,” said the Rabbi, “ but Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods.” ³ “ I see,” said the Martian. The Rabbi continued: “ Then Aaron sat on the brink of the river, and with his rod turned its waters to blood as the Lord directed; all the fish died and the river became foul and the blood rushed throughout all the land of Egypt. ⁴ This showed the true God. No one but the true God could have performed that miracle.” “ Nevertheless, I read in the next paragraph,” said the Martian, “ that the magicians of Egypt did in like manner with their enchantments. ⁵ It is difficult to understand how they could have done so, for all the waters had already been turned to blood; but it does not appear that these miracles were performed only through your god.” “ Oh, you do not understand,” said the Priest. “ God permitted the Egyptian magicians to do these things in order that Pharaoh’s heart might be hardened so that he would not let the children of Israel depart.” ¹ Exod. vii. 10. ² Exod. vii. 11. ³ Exod. vii. 12. ⁴ Exod. vii. 21. ⁵ Exod. vii. 22. Page 80 “ Ah, yes,” said the Martian, “ so it appears.” “ You will note also that the Lord caused all of Egypt to swarm with frogs,” said the Rabbi. ⁶ “ And that the magicians of the king performed this miracle also,” ⁷ added the Martian. “ Yes,” said the Priest, “ but it was by God’s will.” “ May I point out one more miracle,” said the Rabbi, “ which no one else ever performed - that was when Joshua stopped the sun in its course for a whole day? ” ⁸ “ Gentlemen, you amaze me,” said the Martian. “ We learned many years ago that the planets, including the earth, move around the sun, and that the sun does not move around the planets.” “ Really,” said the Priest, with an evident desire to escape from the Old Testament, “ we are more concerned with the miracles of the New Testament, for we want you to understand that our Saviour was really God. In the first place, His birth was a miracle, since He was born of a virgin.” “ But,” said the Martian, “ the records in your libraries tell of many others who were looked upon as gods because they were born of a virgin.” “ But they were pagan gods,” said the Priest, “ and we do not believe these myths.” “ But I would like to refer to a number of them,” remarked the Martian. “ I find an account of a god called Buddha who was born of a virgin mother named Maya. It is said that his birth was brought about by the descent of the divine power called the Holy Ghost upon the Virgin Maya.” ⁹ “ That is a myth,” said the Priest. ⁶ Exod. viii. 6. ⁷ Exod. viii. 7. ⁸ Josh. x. 12 - 13. ⁹ Doane, Bible Myths and their Parallels in other Religions, 7th ed., pp. 116 et seq. Page 81 “ I find the Chinese nation,” went on the Martian, “ claimed that their philosopher Lao-tze, to whom we have already referred, was born of a virgin. ¹⁰ All of these accounts date from before the birth of your saviour god.” “ But you cannot believe that such tales are true,” said the Fundamentalist. The Martian resumed: “ I find that in Egypt a child named Horus, who was also called a saviour, was born of the Virgin Isis, and that pictures representing his birth appear on the walls of temples more than two thousand years old. His father was said to be the god Osiris.” ¹¹ “ Fairy tales, all of them! ” exclaimed the Fundamentalist. “ I notice also,” continued the Martian, “ that Zoroaster, the law-giver of the Persian nations, is said to have been the son of a virgin. ¹² In Greek records I find it stated that Bacchus was the son of the head god Jupiter and of a mortal mother named Semele; that Perseus was the son of Jupiter by the virgin Danae.” ¹³ “ But those all have been shown to be myths,” said the Priest. “ May I ask how? ” asked the Martian. “ Because these things are contrary to the Bible,” said the Fundamentalist; “ because there never was any God but the true God, and no one was ever born that way but Jesus.” “ I might add,” said the Martian, “ that I have found many more records of virgin births, but will mention just one or two more. It is reported that when the Spaniards arrived in Mexico they found the Mexicans worshipping a saviour god called Quetzalcoatl, who was born of a virgin to whom Heaven had announced that she should bear a son without connection with man.” ¹⁰ Doane, Bible Myths and their Parallels in other Religions, 7th ed., pp. 120 et seq. ¹¹ Ibid., p. 122. ¹² Ibid., p. 123. ¹³ Ibid., p. 124. Page 82 “ Her name was Sochiquetzal, and she was called the Queen of Heaven. ¹⁴ In Yucatan they also had a virgin-born god named Zana, who was the only begotten son of their supreme god Kinchahan.” ¹⁵ “ They were all heathens,” said the Fundamentalist. “ Ours is the only true God. The accounts of the others are simply myths handed down without basis of fact.” “ Nevertheless,” said the Martian, “ I find some of your early Christian fathers referring to these pagan gods. One of your Christian writers, Justin Martyr, in the year A.D. 140, writing to the pagan Roman Emperor Hadrian, says: ¹⁶ ‘ By declaring the Logos, the first-begotten of God, our Master, Jesus Christ, to be born of a virgin, without any human mixture, we say no more in this than what you say of those whom you style the sons of Jove. For you need not be told what a parcel of sons the writers most in vogue among you assign to Jove. . . . ‘ As to the son of God, called Jesus, should we allow him to be nothing more than man, yet the title of “ The Son of God” is very justifiable, upon the account of His wisdom, considering that you have your Mercury in worship under the title of The Word, a messenger of God. . . . ‘ As to his being born of a virgin, you have your Perseus to balance that.’ ” “ Yes,” said the Priest, “ but did you note also that he gave the explanation for this when he says: ¹⁷ ¹⁴ Doane, Bible Myths and their Parallels in other Religions, 7th ed., p. 129. ¹⁵ Ibid., p. 130. ¹⁶ Apol. 1. ch. xx, xxi, xxii. ¹⁷ Ibid., ch. lix. Page 83 ‘ It having reached the devil’s ears that the prophets had foretold that Christ would come, he set the heathen poets to bring forward a great many who should be called the sons of Jove. The devil laying his scheme in this, to get men to imagine that the true history of Christ was of the same character as the prodigious fables and poetic stories.’ ” “ I still would inquire why you accept as true the story of the divine birth of your saviour but reject the accounts of these others.” “ Because there are circumstances attending the coming of our Lord which prove we are right,” said the Priest. “ His coming was Prophesied. You will find it written in the Old Testament that a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Immanuel.” “ It was foretold! ” exclaimed the Martian. He examined the passage, then compared it with the Hebrew text handed him by the Rabbi. “ It would be remarkable if true,” he said, “ but I find that in the original of this passage in the Hebrew language ¹⁸ the word translated as ‘ virgin’ really should be rendered ‘ young woman,’ and that the passage should read, ‘ Behold, the young woman is with child, and beareth a son and calleth his name Immanuel.’ ” ¹⁹ ¹⁸ Isa. vii. 14 ¹⁹ The Hebrew text is “ lakem yittam adonai hu lakem oth hinneh ha-almah harah ve-yeldeth ben ve-kareth shem-o immanuel": literally, Therefore shall-give my-lord he (himself) to you sign behold the-young-woman conceived (is pregnant) and-beareth son and-call-eth name-his immanuel. (Wheless: Is it God’s Word? p. 283.) Page 84 “ I deny that,” said the Fundamentalist, “ and furthermore, the miraculous events which occurred at the time of the birth of Jesus are unique and prove He was God. A new star appeared in the heavens, the heavens rejoiced, the heavenly host sang, wise men came from the East and recognized Him, and a bright light shone around Him.” “ I have read those passages in your Bible,” said the Martian; “ but I have also read in the Buddhist sacred books, which antedate your Bible, that the birth of their Buddha, named Gautama, was announced in the heavens by a star which was seen rising on the horizon and known as the messianic star; that wise men known as Holy Rishis were informed by this celestial sign that a Messiah was born” ²⁰ “ You do not seem to understand that that is a heathen myth and not the history of a true god,” said the Priest. “ I find it recorded,” went on the Martian, “ that when Buddha was born all things were full of joy, and that the attending spirits who surrounded the Virgin Maya and the infant saviour sang the praises of the blessed one and said: ‘ To-day Bodhisatwa is born on earth to give joy and peace to men, and Devas, to shed light in dark places, and to give sight to the blind.’ ²¹ I find it recorded that Mithra, the Persian saviour, was visited by wise men called Magi, and was presented with gifts consisting of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” ²² “ But these accounts are not inspired accounts and are not true,” said the Fundamentalist. “ To quote heathen mythical tales proves nothing.” “ I find it on record,” said the Martian, “ that when Buddha (called the saviour of the world) was born a dim light danced around his person; ²³ that when Bacchus was born a bright light shone around him so that there was a brilliant light in the cave; ²⁴ that when the saviour Aesculapius was born his countenance shone like the sun and he was surrounded by a fiery ray; ²⁵ that as soon as Zoroaster was born the glory arising from his body enlightened the whole room.” ²⁶ ²⁰ Doane, Bible Myths and their Parallels in other Religions, 7th ed., p. 143. ²¹ Ibid., p. 290. ²² Ibid., p. 152. ²³ Ibid., p. 157. ²⁴ Ibid. ²⁵ Ibid. ²⁶ Ibid. Page 85 “ All this does not affect the claim that Jesus was the son of God,” said the Priest. “ May I proceed? ” asked the Martian. “ As I have said, I find many records of saviours, the stories of whose lives on earth and whose deeds are similar to those of your saviour. I am particularly struck with the story of the Hindu god Krishna, for I find many remarkable parallels to the story of your saviour as told in your Bible, and I would like to point out these parallels so that you may explain to me why you consider one a myth and the other a true tale.” “ It will be instructive,” said the Modernist. “ I find,” said the Martian, “ that Krishna was born of a chaste virgin called Devaki, who was selected by the Lord for this purpose on account of her purity. ²⁷ Vishnu, the all-ruling deity of the Hindus, said: ‘ I will become Incarnate Mathura in the house of Yadu and will issue forth to mortal birth from the womb of Devaki. It is time I should display my power and relieve the oppressed earth from its load.’ ²⁸ A chorus of Devatas celebrated with song the praise of Devaki, exclaiming: ‘ In the delivery of this favoured woman all nature shall have cause to exult.’ ²⁹ The birth of the child was announced in the heavens by his star. ³⁰ On the morn of Krishna’s birth, the quarters of the horizon were irradiate with joy, as if moonlight was diffused over the whole earth; the spirits and nymphs of Heaven danced and sang, and the clouds emitted low, pleasing sounds. ³¹ ²⁷ Doane, Bible Myths and their Parallels in other Religions, 7th ed., p. 278. ²⁸ Ibid., pp. 113, 114. ²⁹ Ibid., p. 114. ³⁰ Ibid., p. 278. ³¹ Ibid., p. 279. Page 86 Krishna, though royally descended, was actually born in a cave in a state most abject and humiliating. ³² The moment he was born the whole cave was splendidly illuminated, and the countenances of his father and mother emitted rays of glory. ³³ The divine child - Krishna - was recognized as heaven-born and adored by cowherds, who prostrated themselves before him. He was received with divine honours, and presented with gifts of sandal-wood and perfumes. Soon after his birth the holy Indian prophet Nared, having seen his star shining in the heavens and hearing of the fame of the infant Krishna, paid him a visit at Gokul, examined the stars and declared him to be of celestial descent. Krishna was born at a time when Nanda - his foster-father - was away from home, having come to the city to pay his tax or yearly tribute to the king. The ruler of the country, having been informed of the birth of the divine child, ordered the massacre in all his states of all the children of the male sex born during the night of the birth of Krishna. ³⁴ “ Do you not recognize that this is the same story as that related in your Bible? ” asked the Martian. “ But we have other evidences of our Saviour’s life in our sacraments that have come down to us,” said the Fundamentalist, ignoring the question. “ We know He was born on the 25th of December, because that is the day on which we celebrate His Birth.” “ I must confess I do not get your Point,” said the Martian. “ Is it not a fact that the 25th of December was not adopted as the birthday of your Saviour until about four hundred years after he lived? ” ³⁵ “ I think that is correct,” said the Modernist. ³² Doane, Bible Myths and their Parallels in other Religions, 7th ed., p. 279. ³³ Ibid. ³⁴ Ibid., pp. 279, 280. ³⁵ Ibid., p. 367. Page 87 “ And it seems to me worthy of remark,” said the Martian, “ that according to the records Buddha, the son of the Virgin Maya, was born on December 25th; ³⁶ that the ancient Persians celebrated the birthday of their saviour, Mithra, on December 25th; ³⁷ that the ancient Egyptians for centuries before the birth of your saviour celebrated the end of December as an anniversary of their saviour Horus, the son of a holy virgin who was born on December 25th; ³⁸ that the same date is the birth of the Greek god Bacchus, born of a virgin and called the saviour, ³⁹ that the birthday of Adonis, another saviour, was celebrated on December 25th.” ⁴⁰ “ They were all false heathen gods,” said the Fundamentalist, and never existed.” The Martian went on: “ I find that your church father St. Chrysostom, who lived about the year 390, referred to these numerous festivals held on December 25th in the following language: ‘ On this day also the birth of Christ was lately fixed at Rome in order that whilst the heathen were busy with their profane ceremonies the Christians might perform their holy rite undisturbed.’ ⁴¹ “ Then you speak of the celebration of your saviour’s resurrection in the spring of the year.” “ Yes,” said the Fundamentalist. “ Our Lord was crucified and was buried; He rose again from the dead the third day, ascended into Heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father; whence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead. We celebrate Easter as the day He arose.” ³⁶ Doane, Bible Myths and their Parallels in other Religions, 7th ed., p. 363. ³⁷ Ibid. ³⁸ Ibid. ³⁹ Ibid., p. 364. ⁴⁰ Ibid. ⁴¹ Ibid., p. 367. Page 88 “ But why,” asked the Martian, “ do you point to the ascension of your god as evidence of the inspiration of your Bible, when from the accounts I have read, these other saviours to whom I have just referred also rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven about the same time of the year? As a matter of fact, I learn that your very word ‘ Easter’ receives its name from a celebration in honour of the Saxon goddess Eostre. “ In looking through the records I find it is stated that Krishna, the Hindu saviour to whom I have already referred, was crucified but rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven; that Buddha ascended bodily into Heaven after his death, as did Zoroaster, Aesculapius, and Adonis; that Osiris, the Egyptian saviour, after having been put to death, arose from the dead and ascended into Heaven and bore the title of the ‘ Resurrected One’; that Mithra, the Persian saviour, rose from the dead, that Bacchus rose from the dead, and that even the Mexican saviour Quetzalcoatl rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven. These resurrections are all said to have occurred about the time of the vernal equinox. ⁴² Moreover, I find that practically all of them died on a cross. Your records tell of at least sixteen crucified saviours who rose from the dead.” “ But even if that were so,” said the Fundamentalist, “ it would not mean that our Bible is not true. Those spurious miracles you find in other so-called religions are absurd. There is only one God; He is Lord of the universe, and whatever takes place is by His will and direction.” “ I merely inquire again,” said the Martian, “ why you deem all these accounts to be myths, and insist that the same story is true when told in your Bible? ⁴² Doane, Bible Myths and their Parallels in other Religions, 7th ed., pp. 215 et seq. Page 89 We on Mars have never known of one that rose from the dead, and, as such an occurrence would be contrary to the laws of Nature as we know them, we would demand strong proof of such an assertion before giving it credence.” “ But our Bible is the Word of God, and is the truth,” said the Fundamentalist. “ May I advance this thought as to miracles generally? ” remarked the Martian. “ Are you not inconsistent in that you obviously regulate your entire lives on disbelief in the interruption of the laws of nature? You make an appointment to meet a friend, relying upon your train or steamship to carry you to the appointed place at the time agreed upon. If the train is delayed, you do not pray to your god to remove the obstacle, but your engineers look after the defect in the machinery. When a steamer lists or sinks you seek the cause in conformity with the mechanical laws you have learned. When you hear of an accident you seek its cause along the lines of natural laws. To-day in your ordinary affairs you no longer ascribe interruptions in your course of life to miracles or to the intervention of supernatural beings, for you have learned that they are the result of natural laws operating as they have always operated.” “ That may all be true,” said the Fundamentalist; “ nevertheless, I believe in the miracles described in the Bible, for there is no doubt that the inspired men who wrote of them believed them, and what they were willing to believe I am willing to believe.” “ In ancient times,” replied the Martian, “ your ancestors, I learn, believed the sun and the moon were pushed across the sky by angels. Astronomy taught you they moved in accordance with unchangeable laws, so that to-day you are able to predict to the fraction of a second when the shadow cast by your earth will eclipse the light of the moon.” Page 90 “ You point your telescopes, and discover a planet of which you have never heard, but which your knowledge of mathematics and of Nature’s laws convinces you exists at that particular spot. Your Ancestors believed the coming of a storm was the caprice of a god; meteorology to-day enables you to predict when and where the storm will strike. They believed disease was caused by devils or evil spirits, and relief was sought by prayer; to-day, through the researches of your scientists, you know that disease is due to natural causes, and by applying sanitation you are steadily overcoming the ravages of disease.” “ Why shouldn’t we take advantage of the discoveries of these men whom God has gifted with genius? ” asked the Fundamentalist. “ It is God’s way of showing His love for us, permitting us to enjoy the fruits of the labours of those men whom He has endowed with minds that point out the way to progress.” “ My point is,” answered the Martian, “ that when you ceased to see your god in the lightning, and to believe that the destruction of your houses was a visitation of your god, you invented the lightning-rod and protected your homes. You learned the reason for the winds and tides, and to-day your airmen consult your meteorologists instead of resorting to oracles and offering prayers and sacrifices as you did in the past. When you studied Nature’s ways you were able to improve on her and produce fruits and plants never before known, and to increase the production of Nature’s fields. In short, when you ceased to believe in miracles and special providence you started to rely upon your-selves. The result has been an accumulation of comforts and pleasures of which your religious age never dreamed. You must realize that by your own works only you have progressed, and that you have never progressed through supine submission to Nature’s forces.” Page 91 “ But there are many phenomena that cannot be explained by natural laws. What can you say as to them? ” inquired the Modernist. “ All the wonders of science to-day would at one time in your course of development have been called miracles and ascribed directly to supernatural beings,” answered the Martian. “ Is it not, therefore, fair to presume that what seems to you to-day to be beyond natural laws is deemed so only because you have not acquired full knowledge of the natural laws governing such phenomena? Even should you see what you call the soul of a departed friend, is not the perception more likely to be due to some natural psychic or biological law of which you are ignorant than to the existence of a being separate and distinct from its material body, since up to this time all experience of man tells us that intelligence and life can exist only in connection with matter? ” “ Jesus appeared in the body to His disciples after He died,” said the Fundamentalist. “ How do you account for that? ” “ One of your scientists has said that ‘ in experimental science it is a mistake not to doubt when facts do not compel you to affirm.’ And I might add that, inasmuch as in all our experience we have never known Nature’s laws to be other than immutable, it follows that before we can assume a phenomenon to be supernatural we must first be sure that it cannot be the result of some natural law. You admit that you have only a slight knowledge of Nature’s laws. Have you, in fact, any reasonable proof of the occurrence of these miracles? ” Page 92 “ Yes, yes. We have proof incontrovertible,” exclaimed the Fundamentalist; “ those miracles occurred because the Bible says they occurred. There is the proof.” “ But where is your proof that the Bible is true? ” asked the Martian. “ Proof that the Bible is true? ” repeated the Fundamentalist. “ There is no need of proof; it is the Bible, the Word of God. We know it is the Word of God, and we need no proof, because we have FAITH.” Chapter XII The Martian Examines Into Faith Chapter X The Martian Examines The Moral Precepts Of Christianity Home: Chapter I The Martian Visits The Earth The Pagan origins of Easter The Easter Masquerade Sixteen Crucified Saviours

A MARTIAN EXAMINES CHRISTIANITY by Arthur Levett, Page 76

Chapter XI
The Martian Inquires As To Miracles
“ You have several times referred to the many proofs to establish that your god is the only true god,” remarked the Martian.
“ These proofs are absolute,” said the Fundamentalist. “ You need only to read of the miracles He performed, the signs He gave, to convince you that He is the true God.”
“ There are many recorded in the Bible,” said the Priest.
“ And they are all true,” added the Fundamentalist.
“ May I ask how you know they are true? ” said the Martian.
“ Because the Bible tells of them, and the Bible is the Word of God,” answered the Fundamentalist.
“ If I understand you,” said the Martian, “ you maintain that they are true because the book which tells of them is the word of your god, and you know the book is the word of your god because it tells of the miracles performed by him.”
“ Yes,” said the Fundamentalist.
The Modernist turned to the Fundamentalist: “ Do you really believe,” he demanded, “ that a whale swallowed Jonah, retained him alive in his stomach for several days, and then spewed him up? ”
“ The Bible says it was done,” answered the Fundamentalist. “ I believe in a God who can make a whale and can make a man, and make both do what He pleases.”

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“ But do you believe he made them - that he made such a fish and that it was big enough to swallow Jonah? ”
“ Yes, sir,” said the Fundamentalist emphatically. “ Let me add: one miracle is just as easy to believe as another. A Miracle is a thing performed beyond what man can perform. When you get beyond what man can do you get within the realm of miracles; and it is just as easy to believe the miracle of Jonah as any other miracle in the Bible.”
“ Perfectly easy to believe that Jonah swallowed the whale? ” asked the Modernist.
His sarcasm was lost on the Fundamentalist, who answered calmly:
“ Yes, if the Bible said so.”
The Modernist could no longer restrain his impatience.
“ Can’t you see,” he said to the Fundamentalist, “ it is by such ridiculous assertions as you have been making that you throw discredit upon the whole Christian religion? Every thinking man knows that the laws of Nature do not change, that every effect is the result of a natural cause, and that therefore such a thing as a miracle is impossible? If you would cease talking nonsense about miracles and confine your religious utterances to the great truths of Christianity which sensible men can believe, you would get back to Christianity as Jesus taught it.”
“ I will say this,” responded the Fundamentalist with considerable heat, “ it is just such men as you, who call themselves Christians, and yet do everything in their power to discredit the Blessed Book, that are responsible for the spread of atheism and lawlessness throughout the land.”

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“ Instead of fighting these blasphemous creatures of the Devil, you encourage them in their nefarious schemes to destroy Christianity and all morality. I would like to ask who has given you the right to pass judgement on the inspired Book that has been the only source of light and truth for nearly two thousand years.”
“ There you admit you are as guilty as he,” said the Priest, in turn addressing the Fundamentalist. “ What right have you, or had those whom you profess to follow, to dispute the correctness of the teachings of the only true Church - the Church that was established by God Himself, the Church whose head is appointed by Divine guidance, the Church that for upwards of two thousand years has withstood all attacks and has so ably spread real Christianity and civilization over the whole world; whose members to-day far outnumber those of all your sects put together; the Church wherein the Bible is read and expounded by those whom God Himself appointed, and who, under His guidance, teach what He taught, and in the way He commanded? On you and your Churches, which for five hundred years have protested against and belittled the teachings of the Holy Catholic Church, encouraging attacks upon it, rests the blame for the deplorable condition of Christianity to-day.”
“ Gentlemen,” said the Martian, who had noted the acrimony of the discussion, “ don’t you think it would be well to get back to our subject? I find it somewhat difficult to keep abreast of you. Won’t you point out these miracles to which you have referred? ”
“ I can do that,” said the Rabbi. “ You will find many of them recorded in the Old Testament, which is the only true Word of God.”
“ No, no,” said the Fundamentalist; “ you must consider the New Testament as more important than the Old Testament, for that is the basis of the Christian religion.”

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“ Perhaps we should consider both,” said the Martian. He turned to the Rabbi: “ Will you point out the miracles in the Old Testament? ”
“ It would take too long to enumerate all of them,” said the Rabbi, “ but you might turn to the Book of Exodus, where the miracles of Moses and his brother Aaron are recorded. Here it tells where Aaron appeared before the King of Egypt and cast his rod on the ground as the Lord directed, and it changed into a living serpent, proving that the Lord was the true God.” ¹
“ But I notice,” said the Martian, examining the account, “ that the king called for his wise men and they also cast down their rods, which became serpents.” ²
“ Yes,” said the Rabbi, “ but Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods.” ³
“ I see,” said the Martian.
The Rabbi continued: “ Then Aaron sat on the brink of the river, and with his rod turned its waters to blood as the Lord directed; all the fish died and the river became foul and the blood rushed throughout all the land of Egypt. ⁴ This showed the true God. No one but the true God could have performed that miracle.”
“ Nevertheless, I read in the next paragraph,” said the Martian, “ that the magicians of Egypt did in like manner with their enchantments. ⁵ It is difficult to understand how they could have done so, for all the waters had already been turned to blood; but it does not appear that these miracles were performed only through your god.”
“ Oh, you do not understand,” said the Priest. “ God permitted the Egyptian magicians to do these things in order that Pharaoh’s heart might be hardened so that he would not let the children of Israel depart.”

¹ Exod. vii. 10.
² Exod. vii. 11.
³ Exod. vii. 12.
⁴ Exod. vii. 21.
⁵ Exod. vii. 22.

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“ Ah, yes,” said the Martian, “ so it appears.”
“ You will note also that the Lord caused all of Egypt to swarm with frogs,” said the Rabbi. ⁶
“ And that the magicians of the king performed this miracle also,” ⁷ added the Martian.
“ Yes,” said the Priest, “ but it was by God’s will.”
“ May I point out one more miracle,” said the Rabbi, “ which no one else ever performed - that was when Joshua stopped the sun in its course for a whole day? ” ⁸
“ Gentlemen, you amaze me,” said the Martian. “ We learned many years ago that the planets, including the earth, move around the sun, and that the sun does not move around the planets.”
“ Really,” said the Priest, with an evident desire to escape from the Old Testament, “ we are more concerned with the miracles of the New Testament, for we want you to understand that our Saviour was really God. In the first place, His birth was a miracle, since He was born of a virgin.”
“ But,” said the Martian, “ the records in your libraries tell of many others who were looked upon as gods because they were born of a virgin.”
“ But they were pagan gods,” said the Priest, “ and we do not believe these myths.”
“ But I would like to refer to a number of them,” remarked the Martian. “ I find an account of a god called Buddha who was born of a virgin mother named Maya. It is said that his birth was brought about by the descent of the divine power called the Holy Ghost upon the Virgin Maya.” ⁹
“ That is a myth,” said the Priest.

⁶ Exod. viii. 6.
⁷ Exod. viii. 7.
⁸ Josh. x. 12 - 13.
⁹ Doane, Bible Myths and their Parallels in other Religions, 7th ed., pp. 116 et seq.

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“ I find the Chinese nation,” went on the Martian, “ claimed that their philosopher Lao-tze, to whom we have already referred, was born of a virgin. ¹⁰ All of these accounts date from before the birth of your saviour god.”
“ But you cannot believe that such tales are true,” said the Fundamentalist.
The Martian resumed: “ I find that in Egypt a child named Horus, who was also called a saviour, was born of the Virgin Isis, and that pictures representing his birth appear on the walls of temples more than two thousand years old. His father was said to be the god Osiris.” ¹¹
“ Fairy tales, all of them! ” exclaimed the Fundamentalist.
“ I notice also,” continued the Martian, “ that Zoroaster, the law-giver of the Persian nations, is said to have been the son of a virgin. ¹² In Greek records I find it stated that Bacchus was the son of the head god Jupiter and of a mortal mother named Semele; that Perseus was the son of Jupiter by the virgin Danae.” ¹³
“ But those all have been shown to be myths,” said the Priest.
“ May I ask how? ” asked the Martian.
“ Because these things are contrary to the Bible,” said the Fundamentalist; “ because there never was any God but the true God, and no one was ever born that way but Jesus.”
“ I might add,” said the Martian, “ that I have found many more records of virgin births, but will mention just one or two more. It is reported that when the Spaniards arrived in Mexico they found the Mexicans worshipping a saviour god called Quetzalcoatl, who was born of a virgin to whom Heaven had announced that she should bear a son without connection with man.”

¹⁰ Doane, Bible Myths and their Parallels
in other Religions, 7th ed., pp. 120 et seq.
¹¹ Ibid., p. 122.
¹² Ibid., p. 123.
¹³ Ibid., p. 124.

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“ Her name was Sochiquetzal, and she was called the Queen of Heaven. ¹⁴ In Yucatan they also had a virgin-born god named Zana, who was the only begotten son of their supreme god Kinchahan.” ¹⁵
“ They were all heathens,” said the Fundamentalist. “ Ours is the only true God. The accounts of the others are simply myths handed down without basis of fact.”
“ Nevertheless,” said the Martian, “ I find some of your early Christian fathers referring to these pagan gods. One of your Christian writers, Justin Martyr, in the year A.D. 140, writing to the pagan Roman Emperor Hadrian, says: ¹⁶

‘ By declaring the Logos, the first-begotten of God, our Master, Jesus Christ, to be born of a virgin, without any human mixture, we say no more in this than what you say of those whom you style the sons of Jove. For you need not be told what a parcel of sons the writers most in vogue among you assign to Jove. . . .
‘ As to the son of God, called Jesus, should we allow him to be nothing more than man, yet the title of “ The Son of God” is very justifiable, upon the account of His wisdom, considering that you have your Mercury in worship under the title of The Word, a messenger of God. . . .
‘ As to his being born of a virgin, you have your Perseus to balance that.’ ”

“ Yes,” said the Priest, “ but did you note also that he gave the explanation for this when he says: ¹⁷

¹⁴ Doane, Bible Myths and their Parallels
in other Religions, 7th ed., p. 129.
¹⁵ Ibid., p. 130.
¹⁶ Apol. 1. ch. xx, xxi, xxii.
¹⁷ Ibid., ch. lix.

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‘ It having reached the devil’s ears that the prophets had foretold that Christ would come, he set the heathen poets to bring forward a great many who should be called the sons of Jove. The devil laying his scheme in this, to get men to imagine that the true history of Christ was of the same character as the prodigious fables and poetic stories.’ ”

“ I still would inquire why you accept as true the story of the divine birth of your saviour but reject the accounts of these others.”
“ Because there are circumstances attending the coming of our Lord which prove we are right,” said the Priest. “ His coming was Prophesied. You will find it written in the Old Testament that a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Immanuel.”
“ It was foretold! ” exclaimed the Martian. He examined the passage, then compared it with the Hebrew text handed him by the Rabbi. “ It would be remarkable if true,” he said, “ but I find that in the original of this passage in the Hebrew language ¹⁸ the word translated as ‘ virgin’ really should be rendered ‘ young woman,’ and that the passage should read, ‘ Behold, the young woman is with child, and beareth a son and calleth his name Immanuel.’ ” ¹⁹

¹⁸ Isa. vii. 14
¹⁹ The Hebrew text is “ lakem yittam adonai hu lakem oth hinneh ha-almah harah ve-yeldeth ben ve-kareth shem-o immanuel": literally, Therefore shall-give my-lord he (himself) to you sign behold the-young-woman conceived (is pregnant) and-beareth son and-call-eth name-his immanuel. (Wheless: Is it God’s Word? p. 283.)

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“ I deny that,” said the Fundamentalist, “ and furthermore, the miraculous events which occurred at the time of the birth of Jesus are unique and prove He was God. A new star appeared in the heavens, the heavens rejoiced, the heavenly host sang, wise men came from the East and recognized Him, and a bright light shone around Him.”
“ I have read those passages in your Bible,” said the Martian; “ but I have also read in the Buddhist sacred books, which antedate your Bible, that the birth of their Buddha, named Gautama, was announced in the heavens by a star which was seen rising on the horizon and known as the messianic star; that wise men known as Holy Rishis were informed by this celestial sign that a Messiah was born” ²⁰
“ You do not seem to understand that that is a heathen myth and not the history of a true god,” said the Priest.
“ I find it recorded,” went on the Martian, “ that when Buddha was born all things were full of joy, and that the attending spirits who surrounded the Virgin Maya and the infant saviour sang the praises of the blessed one and said: ‘ To-day Bodhisatwa is born on earth to give joy and peace to men, and Devas, to shed light in dark places, and to give sight to the blind.’ ²¹ I find it recorded that Mithra, the Persian saviour, was visited by wise men called Magi, and was presented with gifts consisting of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” ²²
“ But these accounts are not inspired accounts and are not true,” said the Fundamentalist. “ To quote heathen mythical tales proves nothing.”
“ I find it on record,” said the Martian, “ that when Buddha (called the saviour of the world) was born a dim light danced around his person; ²³ that when Bacchus was born a bright light shone around him so that there was a brilliant light in the cave; ²⁴ that when the saviour Aesculapius was born his countenance shone like the sun and he was surrounded by a fiery ray; ²⁵ that as soon as Zoroaster was born the glory arising from his body enlightened the whole room.” ²⁶

²⁰ Doane, Bible Myths and their Parallels
in other Religions, 7th ed., p. 143.
²¹ Ibid., p. 290.
²² Ibid., p. 152.
²³ Ibid., p. 157.
²⁴ Ibid.
²⁵ Ibid.
²⁶ Ibid.

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“ All this does not affect the claim that Jesus was the son of God,” said the Priest.
“ May I proceed? ” asked the Martian. “ As I have said, I find many records of saviours, the stories of whose lives on earth and whose deeds are similar to those of your saviour. I am particularly struck with the story of the Hindu god Krishna, for I find many remarkable parallels to the story of your saviour as told in your Bible, and I would like to point out these parallels so that you may explain to me why you consider one a myth and the other a true tale.”
“ It will be instructive,” said the Modernist.
“ I find,” said the Martian, “ that Krishna was born of a chaste virgin called Devaki, who was selected by the Lord for this purpose on account of her purity. ²⁷ Vishnu, the all-ruling deity of the Hindus, said: ‘ I will become Incarnate Mathura in the house of Yadu and will issue forth to mortal birth from the womb of Devaki. It is time I should display my power and relieve the oppressed earth from its load.’ ²⁸ A chorus of Devatas celebrated with song the praise of Devaki, exclaiming: ‘ In the delivery of this favoured woman all nature shall have cause to exult.’ ²⁹ The birth of the child was announced in the heavens by his star. ³⁰ On the morn of Krishna’s birth, the quarters of the horizon were irradiate with joy, as if moonlight was diffused over the whole earth; the spirits and nymphs of Heaven danced and sang, and the clouds emitted low, pleasing sounds. ³¹

²⁷ Doane, Bible Myths and their Parallels in other Religions, 7th ed., p. 278.
²⁸ Ibid., pp. 113, 114.
²⁹ Ibid., p. 114.
³⁰ Ibid., p. 278.
³¹ Ibid., p. 279.

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Krishna, though royally descended, was actually born in a cave in a state most abject and humiliating. ³² The moment he was born the whole cave was splendidly illuminated, and the countenances of his father and mother emitted rays of glory. ³³ The divine child - Krishna - was recognized as heaven-born and adored by cowherds, who prostrated themselves before him. He was received with divine honours, and presented with gifts of sandal-wood and perfumes. Soon after his birth the holy Indian prophet Nared, having seen his star shining in the heavens and hearing of the fame of the infant Krishna, paid him a visit at Gokul, examined the stars and declared him to be of celestial descent. Krishna was born at a time when Nanda - his foster-father - was away from home, having come to the city to pay his tax or yearly tribute to the king. The ruler of the country, having been informed of the birth of the divine child, ordered the massacre in all his states of all the children of the male sex born during the night of the birth of Krishna. ³⁴
“ Do you not recognize that this is the same story as that related in your Bible? ” asked the Martian.
“ But we have other evidences of our Saviour’s life in our sacraments that have come down to us,” said the Fundamentalist, ignoring the question. “ We know He was born on the 25th of December, because that is the day on which we celebrate His Birth.”
“ I must confess I do not get your Point,” said the Martian. “ Is it not a fact that the 25th of December was not adopted as the birthday of your Saviour until about four hundred years after he lived? ” ³⁵
“ I think that is correct,” said the Modernist.

³² Doane, Bible Myths and their Parallels in other Religions, 7th ed., p. 279.
³³ Ibid.
³⁴ Ibid., pp. 279, 280.
³⁵ Ibid., p. 367.

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“ And it seems to me worthy of remark,” said the Martian, “ that according to the records Buddha, the son of the Virgin Maya, was born on December 25th; ³⁶ that the ancient Persians celebrated the birthday of their saviour, Mithra, on December 25th; ³⁷ that the ancient Egyptians for centuries before the birth of your saviour celebrated the end of December as an anniversary of their saviour Horus, the son of a holy virgin who was born on December 25th; ³⁸ that the same date is the birth of the Greek god Bacchus, born of a virgin and called the saviour, ³⁹ that the birthday of Adonis, another saviour, was celebrated on December 25th.” ⁴⁰
“ They were all false heathen gods,” said the Fundamentalist, and never existed.”
The Martian went on: “ I find that your church father St. Chrysostom, who lived about the year 390, referred to these numerous festivals held on December 25th in the following language: ‘ On this day also the birth of Christ was lately fixed at Rome in order that whilst the heathen were busy with their profane ceremonies the Christians might perform their holy rite undisturbed.’ ⁴¹
“ Then you speak of the celebration of your saviour’s resurrection in the spring of the year.”
“ Yes,” said the Fundamentalist. “ Our Lord was crucified and was buried; He rose again from the dead the third day, ascended into Heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father; whence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead. We celebrate Easter as the day He arose.”

³⁶ Doane, Bible Myths and their Parallels
in other Religions, 7th ed., p. 363.
³⁷ Ibid.
³⁸ Ibid.
³⁹ Ibid., p. 364.
⁴⁰ Ibid.
⁴¹ Ibid., p. 367.

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“ But why,” asked the Martian, “ do you point to the ascension of your god as evidence of the inspiration of your Bible, when from the accounts I have read, these other saviours to whom I have just referred also rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven about the same time of the year? As a matter of fact, I learn that your very word ‘ Easter’ receives its name from a celebration in honour of the Saxon goddess Eostre. “ In looking through the records I find it is stated that Krishna, the Hindu saviour to whom I have already referred, was crucified but rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven; that Buddha ascended bodily into Heaven after his death, as did Zoroaster, Aesculapius, and Adonis; that Osiris, the Egyptian saviour, after having been put to death, arose from the dead and ascended into Heaven and bore the title of the ‘ Resurrected One’; that Mithra, the Persian saviour, rose from the dead, that Bacchus rose from the dead, and that even the Mexican saviour Quetzalcoatl rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven. These resurrections are all said to have occurred about the time of the vernal equinox. ⁴² Moreover, I find that practically all of them died on a cross. Your records tell of at least sixteen crucified saviours who rose from the dead.”
“ But even if that were so,” said the Fundamentalist, “ it would not mean that our Bible is not true. Those spurious miracles you find in other so-called religions are absurd. There is only one God; He is Lord of the universe, and whatever takes place is by His will and direction.”
“ I merely inquire again,” said the Martian, “ why you deem all these accounts to be myths, and insist that the same story is true when told in your Bible?

⁴² Doane, Bible Myths and their Parallels in other Religions, 7th ed., pp. 215 et seq.

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We on Mars have never known of one that rose from the dead, and, as such an occurrence would be contrary to the laws of Nature as we know them, we would demand strong proof of such an assertion before giving it credence.”
“ But our Bible is the Word of God, and is the truth,” said the Fundamentalist.
“ May I advance this thought as to miracles generally? ” remarked the Martian. “ Are you not inconsistent in that you obviously regulate your entire lives on disbelief in the interruption of the laws of nature? You make an appointment to meet a friend, relying upon your train or steamship to carry you to the appointed place at the time agreed upon. If the train is delayed, you do not pray to your god to remove the obstacle, but your engineers look after the defect in the machinery. When a steamer lists or sinks you seek the cause in conformity with the mechanical laws you have learned. When you hear of an accident you seek its cause along the lines of natural laws. To-day in your ordinary affairs you no longer ascribe interruptions in your course of life to miracles or to the intervention of supernatural beings, for you have learned that they are the result of natural laws operating as they have always operated.”
“ That may all be true,” said the Fundamentalist; “ nevertheless, I believe in the miracles described in the Bible, for there is no doubt that the inspired men who wrote of them believed them, and what they were willing to believe I am willing to believe.”
“ In ancient times,” replied the Martian, “ your ancestors, I learn, believed the sun and the moon were pushed across the sky by angels. Astronomy taught you they moved in accordance with unchangeable laws, so that to-day you are able to predict to the fraction of a second when the shadow cast by your earth will eclipse the light of the moon.”

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“ You point your telescopes, and discover a planet of which you have never heard, but which your knowledge of mathematics and of Nature’s laws convinces you exists at that particular spot. Your Ancestors believed the coming of a storm was the caprice of a god; meteorology to-day enables you to predict when and where the storm will strike. They believed disease was caused by devils or evil spirits, and relief was sought by prayer; to-day, through the researches of your scientists, you know that disease is due to natural causes, and by applying sanitation you are steadily overcoming the ravages of disease.”
“ Why shouldn’t we take advantage of the discoveries of these men whom God has gifted with genius? ” asked the Fundamentalist. “ It is God’s way of showing His love for us, permitting us to enjoy the fruits of the labours of those men whom He has endowed with minds that point out the way to progress.”
“ My point is,” answered the Martian, “ that when you ceased to see your god in the lightning, and to believe that the destruction of your houses was a visitation of your god, you invented the lightning-rod and protected your homes. You learned the reason for the winds and tides, and to-day your airmen consult your meteorologists instead of resorting to oracles and offering prayers and sacrifices as you did in the past. When you studied Nature’s ways you were able to improve on her and produce fruits and plants never before known, and to increase the production of Nature’s fields. In short, when you ceased to believe in miracles and special providence you started to rely upon your-selves. The result has been an accumulation of comforts and pleasures of which your religious age never dreamed. You must realize that by your own works only you have progressed, and that you have never progressed through supine submission to Nature’s forces.”

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“ But there are many phenomena that cannot be explained by natural laws. What can you say as to them? ” inquired the Modernist.
“ All the wonders of science to-day would at one time in your course of development have been called miracles and ascribed directly to supernatural beings,” answered the Martian. “ Is it not, therefore, fair to presume that what seems to you to-day to be beyond natural laws is deemed so only because you have not acquired full knowledge of the natural laws governing such phenomena? Even should you see what you call the soul of a departed friend, is not the perception more likely to be due to some natural psychic or biological law of which you are ignorant than to the existence of a being separate and distinct from its material body, since up to this time all experience of man tells us that intelligence and life can exist only in connection with matter? ”
“ Jesus appeared in the body to His disciples after He died,” said the Fundamentalist. “ How do you account for that? ”
“ One of your scientists has said that ‘ in experimental science it is a mistake not to doubt when facts do not compel you to affirm.’ And I might add that, inasmuch as in all our experience we have never known Nature’s laws to be other than immutable, it follows that before we can assume a phenomenon to be supernatural we must first be sure that it cannot be the result of some natural law. You admit that you have only a slight knowledge of Nature’s laws. Have you, in fact, any reasonable proof of the occurrence of these miracles? ”

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“ Yes, yes. We have proof incontrovertible,” exclaimed the Fundamentalist; “ those miracles occurred because the Bible says they occurred. There is the proof.”
“ But where is your proof that the Bible is true? ” asked the Martian.
“ Proof that the Bible is true? ” repeated the Fundamentalist. “ There is no need of proof; it is the Bible, the Word of God. We know it is the Word of God, and we need no proof, because we have FAITH.”

Chapter XII The Martian Examines Into Faith

Chapter X The Martian Examines The
Moral Precepts Of Christianity

Home: Chapter I The Martian Visits The Earth

The Pagan origins of Easter

The Easter Masquerade

Sixteen Crucified Saviours