Regarding the resurrection, it is interesting to note that, whereas
most crucified men lived a number of hours and even a day in this
torture, the wounds in the hands not being mortal and the position only
affecting the circulation, causing death by exhaustion or starvation,
Jesus lived only three hours. Therefore, it may have been that he
was not actually dead, but merely in a state of coma, or perhaps a
cataleptic condition. The custom he had of using his subjective mind
in telepathic cures, as told in the gospels, seems to point to this
conclusion, that, being strongly subjective, his condition here was
cataleptic. Many cases are known of men having been restored after
crucifixion, and, as the embalming given Jesus in the Jewish custom
consisted in nothing more than a wrapping in a shroud with myrrh and
aloes, there is nothing to oppose this hypothesis. After resting for
a while in the tomb, he may have revived and gone out and been seen
by others, after which he wandered away again to die in solitude from
exhaustion and lack of food.
It is more probable, however, that this legend was copied from those
of other religious heroes, who likewise rose from the dead, as there
seems to be much variance between the different versions of the visit
of Mary Magdalene to the sepulchre and her meeting with Christ. Matthew
says (xxviii, 1) that Mary Magdalene and the other Mary visited the
sepulchre (3), where they saw a male angel descend from heaven during
an earthquake and roll back the stone from the door and sit upon it
(7). And he told them to "go quickly, and tell his disciples" that
he had risen, which they did. But as they were going (9) "Jesus met
them ... and they came ... and worshiped him." Mark tells a similar
story with some variations as to the angel, but he relates that Jesus
appeared first to Mary Magdalene "early the first day of the week"
(xvi, 9), and not on her visit with Mary, the mother of James, and
Salome at the tomb. According to Luke, the women went to the tomb,
where they were informed by (xxiv, 4) "two men in shining garments"
that Jesus had risen, and they left and told the apostles. No mention
is made here of the encounter of Mary Magdalene. John, however, gives
a more elaborate version. He narrates (xx) that Mary, going early and
alone to the tomb, which she found entirely empty, ran and informed
Peter, who verified her story and departed. After she was left alone
she looked into the sepulchre again, where she beheld two angels,
and on turning away saw Jesus standing by her.
Setting aside the idea of a mythical plagiarism in these tales,
and also the cataleptic theory already mentioned, and considering
them from yet another point of view, we can still find a rational
explanation. The meeting of Jesus with Mary may have been the
hallucination of a hysterical woman. According to Mark xvi, 9,
and Luke viii, 2, Jesus had cast seven devils out of her, which is
surely sufficient proof that she was of neurotic temperament and
had been subject to delusions and hysteria. Undoubtedly after the
shock of witnessing the crucifixion and death of her master, for
three gospels agree in stating that she was present (Matt. xxvii,
56; Mark xv, 40; John xix, 25), this fond woman's mind, which seemed
more normal in his presence, again gave way and she returned to her
hysterical condition. On visiting the tomb, she found it empty because
"his disciples came by night and stole him away," that they might
declare he had risen from the dead, "as is commonly reported among
the Jews until this day" (Matt. xxviii, 11-15). As she was leaving,
she heard his voice (a common delusion of hysterical subjects) and
saw his form (another hallucination), but when she went to touch
him, she could not do so. The relation has all the marks of simple
neurosis, and yet many modern Christians base their whole faith upon
the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians xv, 14, "If Christ be not risen,
then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain."
As noted in various parts of this work, unless Christians believe in
the possibility of miracles, the power of a personal devil, and the
physical resurrection of the body, there is no foundation for their
faith, and it is a mockery.
Not satisfied with having executed their god according to the most
approved methods of antiquity, Christians felt the necessity of the
presence of some remarkable natural phenomena at the time of his
death, for among all ancient peoples it was customary to attribute
some remarkable natural convulsions to the death of a great man. When
Prometheus was crucified on Mount Caucasus "the earth quaked, thunder
roared, lightning flashed, wild winds rent the air and boisterous
billows rose." On the death of Romulus, there was "darkness over the
face of the earth for six hours," and when Quetzalcoatl died the
sun became black! Even in historical times, we find narrations of
similar phenomena accompanying the deaths of royalty; and we read in
many authenticated histories of the frightful thunderstorms that were
coincident with the deaths of Isabella of Castile, Charles the Fifth,
Napoleon the Great, and Oliver Cromwell.
Therefore, it is not surprising to find mention of such occurrences
at the time of the execution of the Christian god, although we are
not prepared for such astonishing and unprecedented phenomena as
related by the ever exaggerating author of the "Gospel according to
St. Matthew," who states very seriously that "the vail of the temple
was rent in twain from top to bottom; and the earth did quake, and the
rocks rent; and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints
which slept arose, and came out of the graves after his resurrection,
and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many."
But the execution, while it completes the mortal life of the incarnate
Christian deity, by no means finishes the legend. Like the gods of
antiquity, the Christ must also descend into hell and perform wonders
similar to those of the ancient heroes. All the saviors of mankind
had done so--Zoroaster, the Persian; Osiris, the Egyptian; Baldur,
the Scandinavian; Quetzalcoatl, the Mexican; and Krishna, the Hindu;
while Ishtar voluntarily descended into the Assyrian inferno.
Having descended into hell, resurrection was necessary, for it was
unreasonable that the savior of mankind, the son of the supreme god,
should remain perpetually in the place of punishment; and, as his life
on earth was over, he could no longer abide there, and so the only
plausible sequence was an ascension to heaven. Krishna, the crucified
Hindu savior, rose from the dead and ascended bodily into the celestial
regions, as did Rama, another avatar of Vishnu. Buddha also ascended
bodily into heaven when his mission on earth was fulfilled, and marks
on the rocks of a high mountain are shown as the last impressions of
his footsteps on earth. Zoroaster and Æsculapius also had similar
experiences, as did Elijah and Adonis. Osiris rose from the dead
and bore the title of "The Resurrected One," his ascension being
celebrated in Egypt at the vernal equinox, as is the Christ's and
as was Adonis'. Other saviors who rose from the dead were Dionysius,
Herakles, Memnon, Baldur and Quetzalcoatl.
Modern Catholics are still taught the fables of the bodily ascension
of Jesus, Mary the Virgin, and Mary the Magdalene and many other holy
persons, as actual miraculous truths, not to be questioned nor denied.
Very good, but how can educated Catholics of today reconcile such
truths with their actual scientific knowledge? They know that the
earth is spherical, that the stars and planets are members of solar
systems, that outside the terrestrial atmosphere is nothing but
vast space. There is no such place as a heaven anywhere in these
celestial regions, and the zenith of any geographical situation
changes every moment. Clouds are mere masses of vapor, not furniture
for the repose of the glorified dead. Then whither did these adored
beings ascend? Certainly, God in his love for them never flung them
far into space to whirl about for eternity.
These Catholics also know the law of gravitation, which would not allow
of such a method of transportation. But why ask these questions? No
religious person is capable of thinking sensibly on the teachings
of his faith, no matter how ridiculous. He accepts, as an adult,
what he questions as a child.
While the idea of bodily ascension of the Christ was probably copied
into his biography from that of Enoch (Gen. v, 24) and Elijah (2 Kings
ii, 11), such stories form a large part of the annals of classical
mythology, almost every hero of antiquity having been translated to
the heavens when his earthly life was spent. The custom of converting
the tombs of prominent Christians into shrines likewise aided this
belief, as, it being impossible to discover the burial places of
the most conspicuous, the idea arose that they had been physically
removed to heaven.
The principal weakness of all the great theological systems now in
practice is that they are terrestrial in their conception of God and
man. Their foundations were laid at a period when mankind knew little,
and cared less, about the planets; at a period when it was presumed
that the sun, moon, and stars were either beneficent deities or natural
objects placed in the firmament to light the world and please the eye
of man by their beauty. Therefore God, as recognized in these systems,
takes heed of naught else than this particular world. He totally
ignores the other innumerable spheres of matter floating in space,
many of which may support life. All his interests center on this
infinitesimal portion of his creation. It is with the doings of the
inhabitants of this planet that he is engaged. For this earth alone
he creates man, animals and vegetables; to this alone, he sends his
only son, or Savior; and it is here, in the purified state, that the
souls of men shall eternally dwell after the great judgment.
Since science has proved that our solar system is but one of the many,
and that in this system the earth is not the largest nor most important
body, should not such absurd theological ideas be abandoned and a
grander and vaster conception of the Deity be inaugurated? Should
not organized theology turn to nobler thoughts and say with Paul,
"When I was a child ... I thought as a child; but when I became a man,
I put away childish things" (1 Cor. xiii, 11)?
All such doctrines as predestination, which are based upon the sin
of Adam, are now anachronistic. The acceptance of the theory of
evolution, which entirely destroys the reality of the mythical Adam,
sweeps away his biography and leaves no foundation for such dogmas. If
the Christian church desires to remain, she must cast aside these
worthless doctrines, founded upon false hypotheses, when the minds
of men were in darkness regarding the origin of species, and when
they saw in these the only solution of their problem.
Having accomplished his ascension and entered on his eternal kingdom,
one of the Christ's attributes is that of judging the dead. This
idea undoubtedly came from the Alexandrian school of theology,
where so many of the Christian theories were promulgated, for one
of the best-known attributes of Osiris was that of the judge, and
he was generally represented as seated on his throne of judgment,
bearing a staff (the crozier of the modern bishop) and holding the
crux ansata. Buddha is also supposed to be the judge of the dead.
In connection with the idea of the Christ as the divine judge of men,
certain sects of Christians have advocated that of his return to
earth at some future period, which will terminate all terrestrial
life as it is known to-day, basing this belief upon Jesus' own
proclamation of his second advent, although in his prophecy he
declared the coming of the kingdom of heaven to be soon after his
death. He even told his disciples that they could not visit all the
cities of Israel before he should come again (Matt. x, 23); that
their own generation should see these things (Matt. xxiv, 34; Mark
xiii, 30); that some of those then listening to him should live to
see his kingdom (Matt. xvi, 28; xxiii, 36; xxiv, 34; Mark viii, 38;
Luke ix, 1-27; xxi, 32). Such were his words, and it seems strange
that people, believing these words, can still regard him as a very
part of God. Such improbabilities did Jesus gradually grow to preach,
and so wild did he become in his exhortations that even his disciples
at times appear to have believed him mad (Mark iii, 21), an opinion in
which his enemies agreed (Mark iii, 22; John vii, 5-20; viii, 48-52;
x, 20). They certainly had good cause for their suspicion. Was not his
conduct in cursing the fig tree for not bearing fruit out of season
an act of lunacy (Matt. xxi, 19-20; Mark xi, 13-14), and likewise
his arrogant assertion of the power of faith (Matt. xvii, 20; xxi,
21; Mark xi, 23; Luke xvii, 6)? It is, however, quite probable that
this idea of a second advent was copied from the Persian theology,
it being one of the tenets of the Zoroastrian religion that in the
end Ormuzd, God of Light, should conquer Ahriman, God of Darkness,
and that he should then summon the good from their graves, remove all
evil from the face of nature, and permanently establish the kingdom
of righteousness and virtue upon the earth.
But such ideas are not unique to Christians and Persians. The Hindus
believe that Vishnu will have another avatar; the Siamese live in
constant expectation of the second coming of Codom; the Buddhists
are looking forward to the return of Buddha; the Jews are awaiting
the messiah; and the disciples of Quetzalcoatl expected that deity's
second advent--and most unfortunately thought their dream realized on
the arrival of the Spaniards, who took advantage of their consequent
submissiveness to exterminate them.