The Universe a Vast Electric Organism

by Geo. W. Warder

"The pathetic fact is that the fundamental spiritual truths the Bible narratives seek to teach are lost sight of in the contention for historical accuracy, which was entirely secondary with the authors. The prophets used ancient narratives, the same as Jesus used parables, to illustrate spiritual truths."

Dr. Beet, of Wesleyan College, England, denies that either "the endless suffering or the extinction of the wicked is taught in the Scriptures," and says: "Very few Wesleyans now adhere to Wesley's teachings concerning it."

The essential truths of the Bible are just as true without miracles as with them. Christ said a wicked and perverse generation seeketh a sign or miracle.

Truth is inherently true and needs no miracle to confirm it. And the tendency of all ancient writers, as well as those of the Bible, to exaggerate natural phenomena into wonders and miracles cause many to discard the great truths of revelation. I undertook to show how Joshua might have mistaken a luminous aurora borealis for the sun standing still. And I am inclined to think that a mistranslation is responsible for the story of Jonah and the big fish. Somewhere in ancient history I got the idea that the pirate boats in ancient times were called, "the big fish." If so Jonah might have been captured by the pirates after being thrown overboard, and put in the hole or belly of the boat, and after three days, seeing no prospect of a ransom, was thrown onto the land. God may have prepared the pirates and boat for this purpose and a miracle would be unnecessary. The writers of that day would say Jonah was swallowed by "the big fish," meaning the pirates captured him, and centuries afterwards the translators would make a great miracle out of it. Take many of our modern expressions, as, "the ship and sailors went to Davy Jones' locker;" if centuries hence our language should become obsolete, the translators would say, "the ship was in a great storm, and it and the sailors were all saved by running into David Jones' big chest." That would be a literal translation, but would not state the facts. Take another illustration. In the war, "a company was lost in the woods and was gobbled up by the enemy." A future translation would read, "a company of soldiers was lost in the woods and a ferocious turkey gobbled and eat them all up." Either of these would make a greater miracle than Jonah and the whale.

I mention this to show how easy it is to mistranslate an obsolete language, especially an Oriental language, always so full of figures of speech, hyperbole and parables.

There is the wonderful capture of the city of Jericho. When the Israelites, under Joshua, marched round it seven times, and blew seven long blasts on their ramshorns, the walls fell. Now, the spies may have reported to Joshua the weakness of the walls, and, by marching round them seven times, caused the people of the city to crowd onto the walls, and the vibrations of the horns caused them to fall.

We know that the vibrations of thunder or cannon or any loud noise has caused many a house to fall, and would endanger any weak building or wall. I believe that if every miracle in the Bible was disapproved or shown to be a natural event it would not destroy or affect a single important truth it teaches.

While I believe the brave and honest man will refuse happiness at the expense of truth, I must partly agree with Luckey, the historian, who says we owe more to our illusions than to our knowledge; that superstition appeals to our hopes as well as our fears, and often meets and gratifies the inmost longings of our heart. Imagination, which is altogether constructive, contributes more to our happiness than reason, which is mainly critical and destructive. He says: "The rude charm clasped by the savage, the sacred picture protecting the poor man's cottage, can bestow a more real consolation in the darkest hour of human suffering than the grandest theories of philosophy." This was more distinctly true in the early history of the human race, when ignorance and superstitious wonder dominated all minds and all important events were deemed supernatural or miraculous.

Take the superstitious worship of the Virgin Mary; its beneficence to the human race is beyond all human calculation. It helped to elevate and spiritualize woman and lift her offspring and the generations of men to a higher spiritual plane.