<p>X. WHY SHOULD WE PLACE CHRIST AT THE TOP AND SUMMIT OF THE HUMAN RACE?</p>
<p>AS he kinder, more forgiving, more self-sacrificing than Buddha? Was he
wiser, did he meet death with more perfect calmness, than Socrates? Was he
more patient, more charitable, than Epictetus? Was he a greater
philosopher, a deeper thinker, than Epicurus? In what respect was he the
superior of Zoroaster? Was he gentler than Lao-tsze, more universal than
Confucius? Were his ideas of human rights and duties superior to those of
Zeno? Did he express grander truths than Cicero? Was his mind subtler than
Spinoza's? Was his brain equal to Kepler's or Newton's? Was he grander in
death—a sublimer martyr than Bruno? Was he in intelligence, in the
force and beauty of expression, in breadth and scope of thought, in wealth
of illustration, in aptness of comparison, in knowledge of the human brain
and heart, of all passions, hopes and fears, the equal of Shakespeare, the
greatest of the human race?</p>
<p>If Christ was in fact God, he knew all the future.</p>
<p>Before Him like a panorama moved the history yet to be. He knew how his
words would be interpreted. He knew what crimes, what horrors, what
infamies, would be committed in his name. He knew that the hungry flames
of persecution would climb around the limbs of countless martyrs. He knew
that thousands and thousands of brave men and women would languish in
dungeons in darkness, filled with pain. He knew that his church would
invent and use instruments of torture; that his followers would appeal to
whip and fagot, to chain and rack. He saw the horizon of the future lurid
with the flames of the auto da fe. He knew what creeds would spring like
poisonous fungi from every text. He saw the ignorant sects waging war
against each other. He saw thousands of men, under the orders of priests,
building prisons for their fellow-men. He saw thousands of scaffolds
dripping with the best and bravest blood. He saw his followers using the
instruments of pain. He heard the groans—saw the faces white with
agony. He heard the shrieks and sobs and cries of all the moaning,
martyred multitudes. He knew that commentaries would be written on his
words with swords, to be read by the light of fagots. He knew that the
Inquisition would be born of the teachings attributed to him.</p>
<p>He saw the interpolations and falsehoods that hypocrisy would write and
tell. He saw all wars that would be waged, and-he knew that above these
fields of death, these dungeons, these rackings, these burnings, these
executions, for a thousand years would float the dripping banner of the
cross.</p>
<p>He knew that hypocrisy would be robed and crowned—that cruelty and
credulity would rule the world; knew that liberty would perish from the
earth; knew that popes and kings in his name would enslave the souls and
bodies of men; knew that they would persecute and destroy the discoverers,
thinkers and inventors; knew that his church would extinguish reason's
holy light and leave the world without a star.</p>
<p>He saw his disciples extinguishing the eyes of men, flaying them alive,
cutting out their tongues, searching for all the nerves of pain.</p>
<p>He knew that in his name his followers would trade in human flesh; that
cradles would be robbed and women's breasts unbabed for gold.</p>
<p>And yet he died with voiceless lips.</p>
<p>Why did he fail to speak? Why did he not tell his disciples, and through
them the world: "You shall not burn, imprison and torture in my name. You
shall not persecute your fellow-men."</p>
<p>Why did he not plainly say: "I am the Son of God," or, "I am God"? Why did
he not explain the Trinity? Why did he not tell the mode of baptism that
was pleasing to him? Why did he not write a creed? Why did he not break
the chains of slaves? Why did he not say that the Old Testament was or was
not the inspired word of God? Why did he not write the New Testament
himself? Why did he leave his words to ignorance, hypocrisy and chance?
Why did he not say something positive, definite and satisfactory about
another world? Why did he not turn the tear-stained hope of heaven into
the glad knowledge of another life? Why did he not tell us something of
the rights of man, of the liberty of hand and brain?</p>
<p>Why did he go dumbly to his death, leaving the world to misery and to
doubt?</p>
<p>I will tell you why. He was a man, and did not know.</p>
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