Belief And Unbelief II

Genesis, PART TWO, 5.

Laurinda and Christian appear to a scientist in one of Gaia's emulations. He calls their appearance a miracle but soon converses avidly with them:

"Christian recalled myths of men who were lovers of goddesses or who tramped the roads and sat at humble meat with God Incarnate. The believer accepts as the unbeliever cannot." (pp. 226-227)

I had remembered this passage about God Incarnate but not where I had read it until I reread it.

To Christian Brannock, God Incarnate is a myth. Nicholas van Rijn unquestioningly accepts that:

"'The very first miracle Our Lord did was turning water into wine...'"

-Poul Anderson, Mirkheim IN Anderson, Rise Of The Terran Empire (Riverdale, NY, March 2011), pp. 1-291 AT IX, p. 136.

Fr. Axor says that Our Lord Jesus Christ was born on Terra and walked on Terra but then adds:

"'If science can show that the gospel account of Christ is not myth but biography...'"

-Poul Anderson, The Game Of Empire IN Anderson, Flandry's Legacy (Riverdale, NY, June 2012), pp. 189-453 AT CHAPTER ONE, p. 210.

I am not sure of the strength of that "If..." Does Axor mean that science has shown this, therefore... or just that science might show it at some time in the future. (I once tried to say, "If this is the case, then...," but the person to whom I was speaking kept interrupting to say, "It is!" because she misinterpreted my "If..." to mean doubt, not an implication.)

In CS Lewis' Ransom Trilogy, we are to understand that the Incarnation is not a myth or a belief but a historical fact:

"'[Death] is horrible. It has a foul smell. Maleldil Himself wept when He saw it.'"

-CS Lewis, Perelandra IN Lewis, The Cosmic Trilogy (London, 1990), pp. 145-348 AT 5, p. 203.

"Jesus wept."