God's Creation: Are You Among the Chosen Few?

By James Tucker

Veritas vos liberabit The truth shall set you free!

Karl Marx termed religion the opiate of the masses. A kind of drug, which most Christians utilize to ease their conscience and induce a feel good state of mind.

Gods Creation is an attempt to prompt Christians to get off the drug. Not to withdraw from religion but, just the opposite. To withdraw from the complacent, palliative, and conscience easing state of mind of a part-time Christian. To replace this false feel good religion with a consciously arrived at faith and belief, based upon facts, utilizing a logical, rational, reasoning mind.

This book is disturbing and enlightening. It is mind bending and life altering. It is disconcerting, as most will learn what their parents, priests, ministers or rabbis taught them was not necessarily the truth.

Gods Creation attempts to motivate the indifferent Christians to utilize their God-given mind to seriously think about what they actually believe and to conduct their lives according to that belief.

Jesus warned, Many are called but few are chosen. Are you among the chosen few?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jun 18, 2009
• ISBN: 9781462824120

James Tucker

James Tucker has worked as an attorney at an international law firm and is currently an executive managing real estate strategy at a Fortune 50 company, where his work includes frequent travel throughout the United States. Fascinated by the crimes of those in power, he draws on these cases for his writing. He has a law degree from the University of Minnesota Law School and was one of four fiction writers awarded a position at a past Mentor Series at the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis. He has attended the Community of Writers at Squaw Valley and the Tin House Writers’ Workshop in Portland, where he was mentored by author Walter Kirn. He lives near Minneapolis with his wife, the painter Megan Rye, and their family. Next of Kin is his first novel.

Book preview

INTRODUCTION

The search for a god, or gods, has been a never-ending pursuit for every civilization since the first hominid rose up from their four-legged stature.

For the most part, every past and present civilization, or culture, was absolutely convinced they had found the true his/her god or gods.

Christianity and those of the Jewish and Muslim faiths are no different. They are certain their god is the one and only True and Supreme deity. And because these faiths, particularly Christianity, are vastly predominant in those most developed countries in the western hemisphere, the believers, because of their supposed more advanced societies, have little doubt their god is truly The God.

The basis for the beliefs of these faiths that their god is the superior and absolute God is grounded in the roughly 1,300 pages of one book, the Bible.

Literally thousands of books have been written extolling the veracity of this Bible, composed by forty-five or fifty different authors over six hundred or seven hundred years, in likely two or three different languages, covering a historical time span of roughly, and a debatable, six thousand years.

Up until near four hundred or five hundred years ago, this book was held to be the exact, true, divine word of this Supreme God as passed on to the individual authors.

Since that time, this assumption has been largely discredited, and yet this Bible still maintains its place as the concrete foundation, the very basis, for the Christian religion and faith. The first portion, the Old Testament, also remains as the theological heart of the Jewish and Muslim faiths.

There also have been a fair number of books that have attempted to discredit much of the Bible. Some have been quite scholarly, while others were merely based on unprovable assumptions, as erroneous as the initial ones, which credited this work as the infallible exact words of this declared, one and only, God.

God’s Creation is an attempt to understand the God of this faith. In order to accomplish this as factually as possible, it was necessary to use the very attributes that distinguish Homo sapiens from the rest of the inhabitants of this mud-packed sphere earth; namely, the logical, rational, reasoning mind.

The first task was to trace the source, history, and development of this Bible. Surprisingly, there are no originals of these author’s works. All that is at our disposal are copies, or copies of copies. Yet I report the journey through many translations and various issues of this book, culminating in the King James Version of the Bible.

Though this translation was first published over 350 years ago, it is still regarded as one of the most accurate English language texts.

Next, it was necessary to analyze the very exact words of each and every of the sixty-six separate books from In the beginning, the opening line of the first book, Genesis, to the Amen, ending the last book, Revelation.

By utilizing known facts in the fields of geology, history, astronomy, biology, archeology, physics, and other disciplines, it was revealed a good portion of the Bible is composed of myths, fables, allegory, and stories, which do not correlate with known facts.

In the process of analyzing this book to understand this Supreme God, other articles of faith of the Christian religion, in this same book, were also evaluated.

As the Christian believes the God of the Bible created all things, from the majesty, immensity, and complexity of the universe, down to the lowliest and minutest of life forms on earth, it follows this god also created the hell where Christians believe all will go who do not recognize Jesus Christ as their Savior.

The subtitle of the book derives from a statement of Jesus where he stated, Many are called but few are chosen. The few chosen in this context are those who have escaped that fiery inferno, hell, and are going to reside in eternal bliss in heaven.

The last portions of the book are an analysis of the impact this Christian faith and this god, as described in the Bible, have had on the world, from the birth of Jesus to the present time. Much of this review concerns the Catholic Church as they were, basically, the only organized Christian entity in the first 1,500 years of the faith.

The entire book is presented as a dialogue among three angels. The narrator is Calleo, whose name in Latin denotes knowing. The female angel is Ariana, a Greek name translated as holy one. The devil is represented by Cerberus. His name is aptly characterized from the Greek as guard of Hades.

By utilizing this form of interaction, it was possible to present many opinions and differing viewpoints without sounding dictatorial or one-sided.

Karl Marx termed religion the opiate of the masses. A kind of drug which most Christians utilize to ease their conscience and induce a feel good state of mind. God’s Creation is an attempt to prompt Christians to get off that drug. Not to withdraw from religion but just the opposite—to withdraw from the complacent, palliative, and conscience-easing state of mind of a part-time Christian. To replace this false feel-good religion with a consciously arrived at faith and belief, based upon facts, utilizing a logical, rational, reasoning mind.

And what is the result of the change from a feel-good, part-time Christian to a committed, full-time practicing one? It is the difference between spending eternity in God’s inferno or in that heavenly abode. Every individual has to make that choice for himself/herself. Again, are you among the chosen few?

This book is disturbing and enlightening. It is mind bending and life altering. It is disconcerting, as most will learn what their parents, priests, ministers, or rabbis taught them is not necessarily the truth.

My formal theological training was cut short by a rather lengthy bout with rheumatic fever. That, however, did not change my commitment to better understand the various religions of the world, but especially the Christian one.

Forty years of independent study does not qualify one for a degree in theology, but it does, certainly, lend credence to the knowledge that has been acquired and assimilated during that time.

As one will learn during the course of reading this book, most people have not spent a total of one month during their lifetime in seriously trying to determine exactly what it is they can and do believe. This book’s sole purpose is to induce the average Christian to do just that, and then to lead a life in accordance with a total dedication to that newfound belief.

JWT

1

ANGELS ON THE HEAD OF A PIN

It is simply amazing, astounding. The truth is finally revealed. At last, the answer to the age-old conundrum that has bedeviled Homo sapiens for thousands of years. One of the great mysteries concerning just how many angels could dance on the head of a pin is no more.

We have the answer, for here we see two angels doing just that—dancing on the head of a pin!

On closer observation, perhaps we only have a partial answer as it appears there is more than adequate space on the top of this seamstress’s tool for at least ten more of these spiritual illusions, without the danger of their slipping over the side.

Yet dancing would scarcely describe the actions of these two even though their appearance would lead one to believe they are of different genders. Their stance would be better characterized as adversarial debaters.

The cacophony emanating from this lofty perch, without the aid of electronic amplification—after all, what need would angels have for such a mundane human contrivance is definitely spirited.

A discernibly female voice exclaims, You are an abomination, the embodiment of all that is evil, treacherous, deceit-full, dishonest, and misleading. Your title, Cerberus, is certainly fitting for you as the guardian of hell.

Closer examination of this female personage would certainly not lead one to correlate such a venomous diatribe emanating from her sensuous lips.

Though there was no visible evidence of a glowing aura surrounding this figure, there was a distinct impression of purity and virtue in her bearing.

Her stature was of average height and weight, not fat, not skinny, but pleasant to the eye: feminine, but not sexy. Her figure was adorned with a shimmering gown of azure, cloudlike, pale blue.

Her flowing, light, auburn tresses stopped just short of her shoulders and accented the creamy white texture of her countenance.

Most noticeable about her presence were her blue green eyes, which, even though her words were harsh, did not exhibit hatred or animus, but more quiet conviction and determination.

The male voice of Cerberus interjects, Not so quick with your haughty superiority, Ariana, oh pious one. I would purport you also would qualify for some of those same attributes which you so callously have just draped around my neck.

These words sprang forth from quite a different figure, albeit male not female, in contrast to the near-angelic impression of Ariana.

Cerberus’s appearance gave one the impression of a too slick gambler or con man. Nattily dressed, though in predominately gray hues, his jet-black hair complimented and accented his attire. Though his jaw was rigidly set, and his almost-nonexistent lips tightly pursed, it were his eyes that riveted one’s attention; steel gray, near wolflike, penetrating and hard. They conveyed not only hatred, but contempt and deceit.

Having endured such supercilious, asinine, and accusatory dialogue, with no definitive conclusions for the past ten thousand years or more, I could desist no longer.

"Both of you, stop that garrulous never-ending blabber.

Should you only listen I would be so bold as to proffer a solution to the problems which both of you have been wrestling with that may, finally and definitively, resolve the issues.

And who are you? both Cerberus and Ariana query in unison.

Knowing. That may sound a bit presumptuous to the two you, so why not simply refer to me by my nom de guerre of Calleo, if that pleases you. Now that I have your rapt attention, would you be so kind as to relate, in some intelligible manner, the crux of your heated discourse?

I have. . . .She said. . . .He is.

"Stop, stop, stop. You two prattle on like physicked woodpeckers. I realize angels are, by some, believed to be superhuman, but nowhere, as far as I have been able to deduce, are they credited with being superintelligent.

"This can be attested to by the fact the two of you, Cerberus and Ariana, have been arguing the merits of each of your opinions for millennia, with the end result being humanity today is no closer to affirming the relevance of either of your positions than it was ten thousand years ago. That should give you just a little more than a slight hint that something is drastically wrong with both of your ideas, positions, and doctrines.

"For clarification, if I may, let me exposit each of your positions, succinctly, to achieve a better grasp of the exact nature of your continuing disagreements.

"You, Ariana, the good and holy one, zealously proclaim the Holy Bible is the true word of God and contains the record of all of his wondrous works. It relates this from the beginning, creation, to a description of the end of the world, when each individual will either ascend to a glorious eternal heaven or descend into everlasting torment in hell. Where each individual eventually resides is determined by whether or not they believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of this god, as described in the Bible.

"You also contend the devil, or Satan as he is sometimes referred to, is the supreme ruler of this hell and the protagonist and progenitor of all that is evil. This Satan, with the help of Cerberus, hell’s gatekeeper, and the rest of his cadre, attempt to enlist all to join them in that hell and are responsible for all of humanity’s woes.

Though brief, are these your contentions, Ariana?

That certainly is brief, Ariana concedes. "It is, however, an accurate description of the Supreme God, his only Son Jesus, and their wondrous works."

"You Cerberus, on the other hand, hold this Bible is nothing more than a myth, a fable, and a joke. You contend humanity is naturally evil and corrupt and actually delights in doing harmful and wicked things. Your boss, the devil, along with you and the rest, merely accommodates them with their desires. You further profess Satan has as much power, or more, than this phony, as you call him, God of the Bible.

Does that fairly well describe your position on these issues, Cerberus?

As short as it is, Cerberus replies, "I would say that was most accurate. I must, however, add one convincing point concerning the devil’s superior power and Ariana’s contentions concerning heaven.

"Even if we concede the Bible is true and belief in Jesus Christ is the only way to get to heaven, less than roughly ten percent, or 29,000,000, of the entire population of the United States of 291,369,000 would ever get there.

This is according to that favorite book of hers she so cherishes. Surely lends credence to humanity’s natural depravity and the superior power of the devil. The forces of evil would still win the battle by a factor of ten to one.

That is enough, you crazed old fool, Ariana protests. Where in the name of sanity did you come up with those ridiculous numbers?

Now now, Ariana, Cerberus gleefully replies, don’t let the truth get you into such a panic. It really was quite simple. The total population figure is from the official 2003 U.S. Census Bureau and UN World Population figures. The possible saved figure was arrived at by using a quote from your Bible, namely, ‘many are called but few are chosen.’

Cerberus continues, "Webster’s defines few as ‘a small number, not many.’ This would certainly not mean half or even one quarter. I was being overly generous by using a ten-percent figure. This, of course, after eliminating those of the Jewish faith, atheists, and those of beliefs other than Christianity, as these have no chance for heaven at all as they do not believe in Jesus Christ, as your Bible says they must. So you see, Ariana, your grand salvation theory, based on the Bible, is certainly not very inclusive."

"Before you two get going again I am going to jump in here. But first, Ariana, I would have to admit that ‘crazed old fool,’ as you called him, does have a point. We will get to that later. That having been said, let us now begin this discourse anew. But first some basic ground rules.

"Veritas vos liberabit—the truth shall liberate you, or the truth shall set you free.

"Fact. Neither of you, good or evil, Christian or non, over the ages has cornered the market, so to speak, on truth. Let us try to adhere to this principle of truth in our discussions. As Socrates stated, ‘It is truth which cannot contradict.’ Also, from the oft quoted lines of Shakespeare, ‘This above all: to thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.’

"Ariana, not to seem partial to sharpee Cerberus over there, but more of a cautionary note, Sigmund Freud suggested almost a hundred years ago, ‘the truths contained in religious doctrine are after all so distorted and systematically disguised that the mass of humanity cannot recognize them as truth.’

"The second, but most important dictum in our discussions, must be all arguments, discourse, and conclusions be derived from, and based on, facts; facts based upon logic and reason, not heresy, superstition, assumptions or, most importantly, not on blind faith.

"Homo sapiens, as far as can be determined factually, are the only species of animal on this mud-packed sphere called earth with the capacity of, and capability for, logical reasoning. Objective thinking, totally apart from, and independent of instinct. Mind processes above the plane of conditioning, not as Pavlov’s dogs.

"This supreme extraordinary attribute, deductive logical reasoning, delineates humanity from the rest of the inhabitants of this planet. Therefore, it would only seem sensible, if not critical, that we use this singular attribute when discussing such important subjects as good and evil, salvation or damnation; eternity if you will.

"Now that we have established some semblance of procedural sanity to these discussions, let us hear from you first, Ariana, as in most more advanced societies the term women first still has credence."

Well, Ariana begins, "this son of the devil and propagator of evil has so captured the minds of most Americans they do not, or rarely, even contemplate the hereafter. To blunt their slightest inclination to question the very existence of a soul, he has inundated and mesmerized their minds with a driving motivation and desire for the accumulation of worldly goods and rewards.

Their total life’s goals are more money, a bigger house, a better car, social advancement, and the pursuit of all material objects and pleasures to the detriment of their eternal soul and their final repose in eternity, Ariana protests.

They frequent bars more often than they enter the house of the Lord, she continues. They view sex as casually as breathing and marriage as a three-to-five-year stint, instead of a lifelong commitment. Stealing, dishonesty, underhandedness, and jealousy are quite the norm and acceptable as long as they advance their long-term worldly objectives. This pariah, Cerberus, has precipitated the total abdication of any morality, which humanity at one time possessed.

I must admit, Ariana, that is certainly an all-encompassing indictment for what seems to be, at first glance, the present state of affairs. It should be pointed out, however, that your accusations are mere opinions and assumptions, lacking a factual basis. You may wish to address this, but first, let us hear what Cerberus may have to offer in his defense.

Although it pains me to no end, I must agree with Ariana, Cerberus accedes. "All which she attributes to me is most certainly true. But then she fails to take into account that is my job, my profession, my total reason for existence.

"Furthermore, even she must admit, according to her Bible, my existence is the end result of her Supreme Being’s, or God’s, actions. He created me. He caused me to exist. By his will I came to be. All Ariana need to do is consult her own Bible, which will verify the truth of these statements. She cannot honestly deny that.

"My actions are best described by one of Ariana’s own compatriots, Martin Luther, when he stated in regard to his own actions, ‘Ich kine nicht anders’—‘I can do no other.’

Judging from Ariana’s vehemence, I must be performing my tasks with due diligence and admirable affect, although I cannot take all of the credit. As Aristotle said, ‘The young are at the mercy of their changeable desires… They are ruled by their emotions. Their errors are on a grand scale, born of excess… unlike the old, they think they know it already.’ That is just the way people are. Again, because that is the way Ariana’s God made them.

You perverted viper, Ariana screams. You twist the truth into a corkscrew charade. God did not create you. You came into existence because of man’s fall. Adam’s and Eve’s defying of God’s command not to eat the fruit from the tree of good and evil brought you into existence, not God. And God did not make people ‘that way.’ They became that way because they sinned against God, and as a result of your incessant assault on their God like character and nature.

"Judging from the comments the two of you have just made, I think we can conclude both of you agree on the present, less-than-perfect condition of humanity. How they arrived at that condition is still a matter of conjecture.

"Before delving more fully into that subject, there appears to be a couple of underlying issues, which both of you have raised rather obliquely that, fully explored, may also resolve this issue.

You, Cerberus, brought up the issue of Ariana’s Bible. As you referred to it as the confirmation for your existence, I presume you would accept its validity.

Generally yes, however, there are some parts of it we, Satan’s crew including myself, would take issue with.

We can address those issues later, but for now, Ariana, you also refer to the Bible to support your positions. Would I be correct in assuming that you likewise accept its validity?

There can be no doubt. It is the true word of God as revealed to us. It is the basis for the morality of civilization.

"I will take that as a definitive yes. As with Cerberus’s reservations, your last two issues will be addressed later.

Unless I hear from the two of you differently, I would characterize this Bible as the one commonly referred to as the Holy Scripture or Holy Bible. This being comprised of two sections, the Old and the New Testament, as utilized by the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim religions as the basis for their faiths.

True, but with one exception, Ariana explains. The Jewish faith does not recognize the New Testament as it proclaims Jesus Christ as our savior. They do not recognize him as such.

"I misspoke. You are correct, Ariana. I should have excluded the New Testament of the Bible from the Jewish faith. Also, the Muslims do not regard Jesus as their savior, although they do regard him as a prophet and revere his words.

Now, as this Bible is believed by many to be the word of God, the Supreme Being, it would seem only logical and of paramount importance to confirm, beyond a reasonable doubt, whether or not such an entity exists.

I would certainly welcome such an inquiry, pipes Cerberus.

It would seem a bit contradictory for you to say that, Cerberus, as you were the one who just agreed with Ariana you were evil, and had been made that way by her God.

No, no, not at all contradictory, Cerberus protests. "There is no doubt about our destined evil intent. There is, however, a considerable doubt concerning the value of this book of hers and the God as therein described.

We suspect the only way for us, the devil and his followers, to once and for all solve this dispute, will be to take it to Ariana and the rest of the Christians and, by the use of their own texts, prove their God is no match for Satan, and their Bible is, as I have said, a myth and a fable.

What say you, Ariana?

I cannot be a party to questioning God, absolutely not, Ariana protests. No one can know the mind of God. When man attempts, or presumes, to know the mind of God, he takes on the cloak of a God himself. This is blasphemy. God is invisible, unknowable, unidentifiable. He is without form.

"With all due respect for your opinions, Ariana, I did not propose to fully understand the mind of God, your Supreme Being, only to determine with some degree of factuality his existence or nonexistence.

"I must point out the unarguable fact; mankind, through thousands of years, has assumed and believed in various gods, only later, with diligent use of their logical reasoning mind, to discover they were in error. Being misled by superstition, mysticism, fear of the unknown and, in many of these cases, a fair amount of stupidity, they have come to view the landscape of religious history littered with their discredited and discarded gods.

"Isis, El, Melek, Anubis, Baal, Ra, Osiris, Melek, Mars, Zeus, Furrina, Odin, Ceros, Marzin, Saturn, Cronos, Venus, Adeona, Ani, Tammuz, Than, Rama, Dao, Ahura Mazda, along with hundreds of other deities, had temples constructed in their honor, armies marshaled in their defense, were worshipped by millions, and martyrs expended in their causes. Gods with the highest respect in their times; adored, worshipped, feared, prayed to, and believed in.

"All were regarded as all-powerful and above-common humanity—immortal. And all are dead—dead and gone. No longer relevant to anyone or anything but history. That history of following imagined or created gods, vividly revealing the catastrophic, abysmal, murderous, deleterious actions of man, absent the use of that logical, reasoning mind."

I believe we have an atheist in our midst, Ariana proclaims.

"Au contraire, au contraire Ariana. No human being utilizing the slightest bit of mental gray matter could confidently claim to be an atheist.

"By transliteration, we find the term atheist derived from the Greek ‘a’=without or not, ‘the’=theos—god, hence, atheist=without god. One who professes there was and is no God and the practice of religion is worthless, unnecessary. They deny the existence of an all-powerful, all-knowing, all-good being who created the universe and all it contains.

"As there is no definitive proof there is not a Superior Being, or God, an atheist is basing his/her convictions on mere assumptions. Of course, a Christian, Jew, or Muslim makes the same unverified assumption for the existence of a God.

Even you, Cerberus, admittedly guilty of all Ariana accuses you of, would not qualify as an atheist. Even you have conceded your existence to God. You and your troops are fallen angels, according to the Bible, and occupy hell. Atheists do not acknowledge the existence of either angels or hell. Sorry about that, ol’ boy. You’re just slightly less than the epitome of evil you thought you were.

Damn, Cerberus sulks, you have ruined my whole day.

"You likely will persevere, Cerberus. Ariana, to paraphrase Shakespeare, I think you protest too much. Granted, it is highly unlikely humanity will ever be able to discern, or understand, the mind of God, if such a being exists.

"It also is no more likely that we will ever fully understand even our physical environment; from the smallest in nature to the expanse of the universe. After all, for mortal beings, absolute truth is probably unattainable. We have to accept relative truths, grounded in the best knowledge and facts we have at our disposal. This does not, or should not, however, preclude our trying to understand.

"I find it difficult to comprehend a god who is so self-centered, so egotistical, and so threatened, as to be personally offended when his admirers attempt to know him better; blasphemy, as you termed it, Ariana.

"After all, throughout our lives, even from birth, do we not strive to understand our mothers and fathers, our sisters and brothers, our friends and enemies, even our politicians. This is, with normal individuals, certainly not an attempt to ‘be them,’ merely to better understand them.

It is also difficult to accept this particular God of Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, in light of the innumerable gods humanity has chased, so to speak, throughout history, as previously pointed out. It is unexplainable why he has not left more of a marker, more concrete evidence, more verification for humanity, that he is the one and only, not just another one of the many. Which goes back to my original question of proof as to whether he actually does or does not exist.

You surely are a contentious and doubting Thomas, Calleo, Ariana offers remonstratively. "There have been many proofs of God’s existence, which he has given us, if we but open our fallible minds to see them. I am particularly surprised that you, Calleo, the knowing one, would not be aware of these very obvious proofs of which you ask.

"If I may be so bold, I would offer the conclusions of Thomas Aquinas, from the mid-thirteenth century, who, very much more succinctly and scholarly than myself, presented and elucidated a majority of these very proofs and reasons for God’s existence.

Thomas stated that God’s existence can be proved by natural reason. He stated, Ariana continues, "‘there is ample evidence that, in all things, we encounter some things which are noble, good, intelligent, and true to some degree. Hence, it must follow there must be a higher order, or being, who is the embodiment of the highest good, supreme intelligence, and possessor of absolute truths.’

"Utilizing logical reasoning, he postulated every action must have a first cause, or a prior action, which precipitated that following action. We today may understand this somewhat differently by one of the laws of physics, in that for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction. This is proof of a higher being, who first initiated or began this process. The first action without a previous cause or action.

"He predicated there are literally thousands of examples of perfect order and movement in this world. He pointed to the wonders of the beauty in nature, the immensity and mysteries of the universe, the minuteness and complexity of the smallest particles, which all attest to God, the Creator.

"He proposed the truths revealed throughout the Bible, and the many miracles sited there, are proof of God’s existence and power.

So you see, Calleo, the proofs of God’s existence are plainly evident for all to see. Literally, millions of people have seen these proofs and accept them as truth.

With the mention of the Bible, Cerberus becomes animated and excited. "Ariana, if you intend to base your arguments on the Bible, the Holy Scriptures as you like to refer to it, you have certainly violated one of Calleo’s dictums at the beginning of this discourse, that we present facts to support our positions.

"Many of the Bible’s historical events have proven to be in error. The Old Testament, in particular, is nothing more than the allegorical history of a particular group of people. Not only that, but if we are to believe the creation story, much of it was not put into writing until six or seven thousand years, or longer, after it happened.

"A simple parlor game will illustrate the fallacy of believing that an event which occurred over seven thousand years ago could be passed down, by word of mouth, and still maintain any semblance of the original happening.

"Place ten people in a circle in a room. Have the first person verbally pass on a fact, or facts, contained in two or three average-sized sentences to the individual immediately adjacent to him/her quietly, so no one else hears it. This person in turn verbally relates the same material to the next person nearest him/her and similarly on down the line until the ninth person relates what they have heard to the final tenth person.

"This tenth person now recites aloud what he/she was told, by word of mouth. Not surprisingly, the first person who began the tale can barely recognize what he/she had initially passed on, so contorted had it become. This, after only five or ten minutes had elapsed and the word passed on to only nine other individuals.

This experiment has been proven thousands of times in mere game playing as well as hundreds of times scientifically. Not over six or seven thousand years and through thousands of generations. No, Ariana, the Bible simply will not support the facts.

You perverter of truth, Ariana protests loudly. You fail to realize, or take into consideration, the Scripture and the history we are talking about was passed directly from God to the prophets. Not from one person to the other. It is the word of God.

Oh, Ariana, Cerberus exclaims, barely able to contain his exuberance, that merely opens up a whole new can of worms as you humans would say.

"Hold the phone, stop the presses. I am getting the distinct impression the two of you are very near the same inconclusive argumentative state you were in when I entered the picture.

"There are some grains of truth in what both of you have just stated, however, there is much which does not contain that same element.

"Ariana, you indicated originally no man can know the mind of God, when I proposed to determine the existence or nonexistence of him. Now you seem to be saying the opposite, that by studying what he said and did, in other words, by understanding his mind we can prove his existence.

"I will not quibble with that. But therein lies a problem. For some unknown reason, about halfway through the Old Testament God gets real tired of talking to man and quits. Did he conclude he was wasting his breath, so to speak, or did he feel he had already told them all they needed to know?

"Some time earlier he had quit doing miracles on their behalf. Again, was he tired of all of this show and demonstration and thought it was no longer necessary, or did he give up on this particular group of people, whose history is recorded in the Old Testament?

"Now, before you start in on me, Ariana, I know Jesus Christ spoke to humanity in the New Testament and also has been attributed with performing miracles. This, however, is not God talking directly, but through an intercessor, his Son. It is not God directly performing the miracles, but only his Son.

"I realize most Christian faiths hold that God the Father and Jesus, the Son, are one and the same. There is a considerable difference, however, as when Moses’s face shone after being in the presence of God on Mount Sinai as related in the Old Testament (Exodus 34:29) as opposed to the many who regularly saw Jesus, both before and after his death, with no such aftereffects, as is told in the New Testament.

"The above glaring difference between Father