Creation betokens a Creator

[Gregory Matthews]

"It is natural to admit the existence of a God as soon as one opens one's eyes. . . The creation betokens the Creator. It is by virture of an admirable art that all the planets dance round the sun. Animals, vegetables, minerals--everything is ordered with proportion, number, movement. Nobody can doubt that a painted landscape or drawn animals are works of skilled artists. Could copies possibly spring from an intelligence and the originals not?"

[there buster]

brilliant.

[Gregory Matthews]

I may (?) give daily hints--or will they confuse rather than resolve?

[Paul Beach]

Dear person,

Mrs. Gray knows of the high power person who wrote this atatement so please let the games continue. :-) This person also said, "Those who can make people believe absurditys can also make them commit attrocities" which is the whole idea of propaganda - and the idea that this came from that person is rather strange. But perhaps the worst attrocity happened to this person posthumously, since a lot of people who claimed to be religious had no respect for the writings or the author for that matter.

Sincerely,

[Derrell M]

Very good Mrs. Gray. Since you seem to know your authors/philosophers, a rather prolific writer looked around at Christianity and concluded, "The last Christian died on the cross." Care to take a guess?

[Gregory Matthews]

RE: " . . . since a lot of people who claimed to be religious had no respect for the writings or the author for that matter."

People often express strong opinions on a subject who have no first hand knowledge of it.

NOTE: As the games ae still in play, I am not expressing a any comment on the comments that people have made as to who might have made the statement.

[Gregory Matthews]

I will give a hint tomorrow morning.

[Gregory Matthews]

But, for now, here is a little background on one of the people listed above:

That person is a woman. She is known as a founder of an American denomination that still exists today. The denomination that she founded has a emphasis on education, media ministry, and evangelism. It does not require that its members be vegetarians, but it encourages vegetarianism. I live in an area where it has an educational institutation, and a radio station. The normal diet at that educational institution, as served to its students, is vegetarian. The denomination came into existance in a time period that includes the early 1900s. A denominational college faced a major challenge, when due to a major war, no males enrolled in that college. It runs a local high-school that is known for its adacemic excellance. It's science teachers teach creationism. It has a student body that includes SDAs, as well as non-SDAs. That high-school is closely connected to a church, which has a regular Sunday morning service. No, it is NOT Seventh-day Adventist.

Do you think that she might have made the above statement?

The above was background, and a qeustion. Tomorrow, the first hint.

[cricket]

Well, I'm guessing Alma White could have made the statement, but it is Voltaire that was first credited with saying it.

[Amelia]

Those who can make you believe absurdities

can make you commit atrocities.

—Voltaire

[Gregory Matthews]

Hint # 1:

The author of my statement personally financed a church in a small village that had none. As he/she expected that building to last beyound his/her death, he boldly enscribed on the church a phrase in Latin that stated that he/she had built and dedicated it to God.

In his/her plans for his/her death, he/she directed that he/she would be buried inside and outside that church, and at the same time.

Stay tuned for more hints and nuggets of wisdom about the life of this person.

[cricket]

Deo Erexit Voltaire?

[Gregory Matthews]

Hint # 2

The author of that statement was educated by the Jesuits.

In the last years of his/her life, he/she met daily with a Jesuit priest who served at the church he/she built. Each day they played a game of chess. If the author was winning at the two (2) hour point, the game continued until the end. If the priest was winning, the author simplly overturned the chess table, at the two (2) hour point, and walked off.

NOTE: With people giving their thoughts on who it might be, I am accelerating my hints.

[Paul Beach]

Dear thread-starting person,

Sometimes people with "no firsthand knowledge" still know what they're talking about. Unless, of course, one was alive many years ago, and even then, they may have had a very narrow view.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Gray

[cricket]

Chess is the game which reflects most honour on human wit.

[Gregory Matthews]

Hint # 3:

Well this is winding down. So, this will be my last hint, which should give it away.

The author of my creation needs God quote also said: "I am tired of hearing it declared that twelve men sufficed to establish Christianity, and I want to prove to themthat it only neds one to destroy it."

That should give it away.

[Gail]

I still say Voltaire

[Gregory Matthews]

Gail, you and the others who said Voltaire are correct.

I find that to be interesting. Voltaire is thought to be one who set out to destroy religion and God. But, those are two different objectives. He is thought to be an agnostic. Yet, he made statements at times that seemed to acknowledge God. The reality is that he probably beleived that there was a God who was not invovled in human life.

Rather than attempting to destroy God he would likely hasv said that he was attempting to destroy supperstition.

This was directed at the chruch that he saw in his time.

He wrote stinging satire that resulted in several prison sentences. Yet, when released he went back to his saterical writing.

He is an interesting character.

[Gail]

I have often wondered how many of people from that era, like say, around the Revolution time, were not so much against religion but against hypocrisy or perceived hypocrisy within the Catholic church (which was THE church of dominance in Europe)

For instance you read about the friars who are presented as fat, lazy slobs who preyed on the common folk. Also the history of the Popes contains a lot of corruption a few hundred years ago

[Paul Beach]

Margaret Gray responds:

Mrs. Gray knew who it was immediately, and threw several hints into her response. "High power" meant "high voltage" and was meant to evoke the name Voltaire (others must have taken this hint as several straightaway claimed his authorship).

Another thing to note is that Mrs. Gray is curious how many people cheated by Googling the phrase. Probably more than half of the "correct" entries thus cheated.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Gray

[cricket]

I'm sorry. Was there a rule stating, "Thou must not Googleth?"

[Gregory Matthews]

I have just finished reacing CANDIDE by Voltaire. It is a very short novel that is full of corruption, murder, violance and sex. Yet, those do not mean what they might mean in today's pornographic society. e.g. One example of the sex is a female whom is described as the daughter of a Pope. That is hardly the explicit sex that is sold today.

I do not know my history. Yet, it is obvious to me that the characters in CANDIDE were probably well known to people reading it. They were the prelates, philosophers, and royalty who would be known to the people in his time. It is also obvious that he references real events, e.g. the Lisbon Earthquake. In fact, some have attributed the pesimisim of CANDIDE to the Lisbon Earthquake.

In all honesty, I am interested in the following of his writings:

LETTERS OF AMABED

QUESTIONS OF ZAPATA

CANONIZATION OF SAINT CUCUFIN

THE PRINCESS OF BABYLON

WHITE AND BLACK,

and more.

It is of interest that in CANDIDE people are murdered, and later return to life. On is hanged. But, when he return to life the explaination is that the hang-man did not know how to tie a proper knot, so the poor man survived! There are othr simular events.

Well enough of that.

What is the lesson?

The less on for me is this:

For many a year I have had a cetain perception of Voltaire--a godless skeptic, bent on the destruction of Christianity.

Now, I have personally read what is possibly his most famous literary work, along with some background. I see that Vkoltaire was not exactly what I thought him to be!

My personal question is: How often do I judge people without knowing anything about them first hand? How many people have I misjudged?

[Paul Beach]

Margaret Gray responds:

That is indeed a good question as Mrs. Gray has likewise been misjudged from time to time.

[Gregory Matthews]

Yes, it was clear to me that MG knew who it was, and was sending out hints that some may have recognized, and others not.

[Neil D]

I remember from EGW about some things that she said about Voltair....

How does -

[:"blue"]Child Guidance, page 196, paragraph 3

Chapter Title: Advantage of the Early Years

When Voltaire was five years old, he committed to memory an infidel poem, and the pernicious influence was never effaced from his mind. He became one of Satan's most successful agents to lead men away from God. Thousands will rise up in the judgment and charge the ruin of their souls upon the infidel Voltaire. [/]

....color your thinking on the subject? What do you think of what she may have meant regarding Voltair? Was she correct in her assessment on Voltair?

Please explain what you think....