In the

latent to the active stage of paranoia, is quite characteristic of this psychosis. great drama of the public ministry of Jesus stretching over three years, the megalomania, which mounted ceaselessly and immeasurably, formed the center

around which everything else turned.

All his sayings, his teachings, his sermons

culminated in a single word: "I" (John 6:29, 35, 38, 40, 47-58; 8:12; 11:25ff; 14:6, 13

etc..)

35. Schweitzer, Albert, Ibid., p. 43: Through the suggestive power of various incidents, through John the Baptist...and through the enthusiasm of the disciples, Jesus is brought to the point of believing himself to be the Messiah, the King of the Jews, the Son of God, God's interpreter, God's witness, and finally identifying himself with God. Threats of the fanatical Pharisees and Scribes also awakened in him the notion that he was the sacrificial lamb which by its death was to take away the sins of Israel, and that after his resurrection he would ascend into the heavens, there to be revealed in his complete glory... Binet-Sanglé finds seven hallucinations in all the account, two purely optical and five which are described as both optical and auditory-

verbal.

36. Russel, Bertrand, Why I Am Not A Christian, p. 19: I cannot myself feel that either in the matter of wisdom or in the manner of virtue Christ stands quite as high as some other people known to history.

Socrates above Him in those respects.

I think I should put Buddha and

37. Spong, John Shelby, Rescuing The Bible From Fundamentalism, p. 21: There are passages in the Gospels that portray Jesus of Nazareth as narrow-minded,

vindictive, and even hypocritical.

38. Spong, John Shelby, Ibid., pp. 21,24: Are we drawn to a Lord who would destroy a herd of pigs in order to exorcise a demon? Are we impressed when the one we call Lord curses a fig tree because it did not bear fruit out of season?... A literal Bible presents me with far more problems than assets. It offers me a God I cannot

respect, much less worship.

Pentateuch?

Who wrote the

39. Alves, Rubem, Protestantism And Repression, p. 63:

The response of the historical Christian Church to that question is definite: “Moses wrote them”. If Moses did not write the Pentateuch, then the apostles (e.g., Paul and John) made a mistake when they said that he did. If they erred on this matter, how can we believe them when they deal with truths concerning heaven and the future life? If Moses did not write the Pentateuch, then Jesus lied or erred when

If Jesus did not know this, though he said he did know, how can we believe him when he talks about the thing of heaven?

40. Lewis, Joseph, Editor: Ingersoll: The Magnificent , p. 117-122:

he said Moses did.

Christianity cannot live in peace with any other form of faith. If that religion be true, there is but one savior, one inspired book, and but one little narrow grass-grown

path that leads to heaven.

Why did Jesus not again enter the temple and end the old dispute with demonstration? Why did he not confront the Roman soldiers who had taken money to falsely swear that his body had been stolen by his friends? Why did he not make another triumphal entry into Jerusalem? Why did he not say to the multitude: "Here are the wounds in my feet, and in my hands, and in my side.

endeavored to kill, but death is my slave? Simply because resurrection is a myth. The miracle of the resurrection I do not and cannot believe.

I am the one you