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Harris, W. S. (William Shuler), 1865-

"A twentieth century allegory"


"I must congratulate myself," commenced he, "on having the privilege
of addressing so intelligent a class of people. I only hope that I may
be helpful to you in your quest of knowledge.
"The central theme of this hall is 'Jesus Christ' and I shall now
proceed to speak of his so-called 'Divinity.' I cannot question that
there is a supreme hand in the works of nature, but after careful
research I am compelled to doubt the genuineness of the Divinity which
is ascribed to Christ. True enough, his childhood was blameless, and
he possessed exceptional wisdom so that many of his countrymen believed
him to be more than human. In this manner the idea of his Divinity
originated, and this fallacy grew as the man grew.
"He was shrewd, and possessed a great amount of magnetic force which
was trained and used with remarkable skill, all of which made him pose
as a god before a credulous and unsuspecting public. The ignorance and
gross superstition of that age made a fit soil for the spread of
Christ's doctrine and the idea that he was Divine.
"When Jesus discerned that his claims were more readily accepted by
the poorer and more ignorant class of people, he lauded them in his
teachings, while the learned and more respectable classes were subjected
to his abuse and sarcasm.


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