INDEX  of  Subjects.
Introduction  to Metaphysics.
Metaphysics:  Which is  PRIMARY?

A  MARTIAN  EXAMINES  CHRISTIANITY
by  Arthur Levett,        Home:  Chapter  I
Quoted references  and Footnotes to:
Bible Myths,  and their Parallels in other Religions
    Thomas W. Doane,  1882.

Chapter  X       The Martian Examines The
                         Moral Precepts Of Christianity

Page  70
“But the rabbis put the golden rule in the negative form,”  said the Modernist.

replied the Martian
“However,  the rule is put in the affirmative in the Indian Epic poem  ‘Maha-Bharata,’  written during the sixth century before the birth of your saviour.  I find it there expressed:
‘This is the sum of all true righteousness: — Treat others as thou wouldst thyself be treated.  Do nothing to thy neighbour which thereafter  thou wouldst not have thy neighbour do to thee.  In causing pleasure,  or in giving pain,  in doing good or injury to others,  in granting or refusing a request,  a man obtains a proper rule of action by looking on his neighbour as himself.’ ” 5

5 Doane,  Bible Myths and their Parallels
     in other Religions,  7th ed.,  p. 416.

Page  73
“I nevertheless believe it is a noble principle to love your enemies,”  said the Fundamentalist,  “and you must admit that it belongs to the teachings of Jesus only.”

said the Martian,  “I find it has been taught by many who lived before your saviour god.  In fact,  it would appear that practically every moral precept in your New Testament was taught many years before.  I will enumerate a few which you will undoubtedly recognize.  In the  ‘Maha-Bharata,’  to which I have just referred,  it is said:  ‘Conquer a man who never gives  by gifts;  subdue untruthful men  by truthfulness;  vanquish an angry man  by gentleness,  and overcome the evil man  by goodness.’ ” 14
14 Doane,  Bible Myths,  p. 415.

Chapter  XI      The Martian Inquires
                        As To Miracles

Page  80
said the Priest, . . .
“we are more concerned with the
miracles of the New Testament,  . . .
our Saviour was really God.  . . .
His birth was a miracle,  since He was born of a virgin.”

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.”

“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
9 Doane,  Bible Myths,  pp. 116 et seq.

Page  81
The Martian
“I find the Chinese nation, . . . claimed that . . . Lao-tze . . . was born of a virgin.10  All of these accounts date from before the birth of your saviour god.”

“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

“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
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.

The Martian
“I have found many more records of virgin births . . . 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.”


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
14 Doane,  Bible Myths and their Parallels in other Religions, 7th ed.,  p. 129.
15 Ibid.,  p. 130.

Page  84
The Fundamentalist
“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, . . . wise men came from the East and recognized Him,  and a bright light shone around Him.”

the Martian
“Buddhist sacred books,  which antedate your Bible, . . . 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

“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

     “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
the Martian
“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.”
“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

the Fundamentalist
“We know He was born on the 25th of December,  because that is the day on which we celebrate His Birth.”

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
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
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

“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
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.

The Martian:
“the celebration of your saviour’s resurrection in the spring of the year.”

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.”


Page  88
the Martian
“But why,”  “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?

I learn that your very word  ‘Easter’  receives its name from a celebration in honour of the  Saxon goddess Eostre.

“I find it is stated that Krishna,  the Hindu saviour . . . 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

practically all of them died on a cross.  Your records tell of at least sixteen crucified saviours who rose from the dead.”
42 Doane,  Bible Myths and their Parallels in other Religions,  7th ed.,  pp. 215 et seq.