The World's Greatest Escape Artists: Jesus, Superman, & Harry Houdini

The World’s Greatest Escape Artists

Jesus, Superman, & Harry Houdini

Written By Marvin Thomas Cox-Flynn de Graham

Copyright © 2018 -- 2019 Marvin Thomas Cox

DBA: Marvin Thomas Cox-Flynn de Graham

All Rights Reserved

An Article of Speculative Theoretical Conjecture

Delving Into The Realm Of Free Thinking

Harry Houdini Jesus Christ Superman

Part One: That Retching Stench of Human Decomposition

This article is presented as an explorational study of speculative theoretical conjecture that seeks to delve into the depths of that realm known as Free Thinking, not that realm which tends to arrive only at standardized Atheism, for I do present myself to the world as An Intelligent Design, Free Thinking, Agnostic-Minded Atheist who does strong assert that, emphatically, there is, absolutely must be, a Creator of all that is and will ever be -- An Extant Catalyst Reactant Ultimate Source Point Of Origin Of All Existence -- or else the Universe and all within it has somehow managed the magician's feat of pulling itself out of the hat of its own arse. However, as a Free Thinker, I believe it necessary to explore the very real possibility that not all we have been taught by Organized Religion is the truth we unquestioningly believe it to be.

Learning the art of Free Thinking is not always that of taking the smoothly swept and garnished primrose path, but rather seeking out truth regardless of the obstacles set before one's mind's eye. What is a Free Thinker, exactly? To borrow a short paragraph definition from my articles, The Road To All Too Soon¹ and A True Free Thinker:² “A true Free Thinker -- '... any person who is willing to accept and explore the possibility that everything they were ever taught to believe as an established truth may not actually be true, and that honestly, selflessly, and diligently in search of that which is true, rather than choosing to cling, blindly, to accepted and commonly held truths.'³ -- is best represented by the average Atheist willing to entertain and explore the notion that there just might be a Creative Source of some kind -- out there somewhere -- beyond the teachings of Organized Religion, in turn paralleled by that avidly religious person willing to entertain and explore the notion that all he has ever been taught by his chosen religion is but man made mythological fairy-tales ...”

There are some in this world, who advocate allowing people to believe what they wish to believe, regardless of whether what they wish to believe is true and accurate or not -- a mentality that suggests letting sleeping dogs lie. The problem with this thinking is, dogs -- sleeping or not -- are not prone to telling and promoting lies. It is we human beings who are, sadly, afflicted with this all too prevalent telling of lies malady. And so, in firm disagreement with such pitifully piss poor pantywaist thinking, I say present folks with the cold hard facts, in plainest simplicity of the ugly truth, without the frills of sweeteners, decorative icing, glitter, bells, whistles, gadgets, or jingles, and then, allow them to draw their own conclusions in deciding for themselves what they will choose to believe as truth -- or, ultimately, not believe

.

I would simply implore my readers to ascertain, for themselves (“To Thine ownself be true”⁴), their own individual conclusions from an open minded perspective -- one that seeks truth above tradition, and historical facts above religious dogma and doctrine. For we are about to embark upon a journey within the darkly shadowed recesses and cobweb cluttered reaches of The New Testament's most trusted books, touching upon select passages lacking in believable credibility, dominated by misnomers, and possessing hidden truths upon page as evidence that contradicts the validity of the very Gospels and Book of Acts themselves.

For your convenience, evidential footnotes are provided at the end of this article. Please do take the time to study them slowly, carefully, and intently.

What on earth might the three famous names above have in common? The answer to this question is simply, theatrics. For the sake of those who will trust nothing but their old standby, I will be quoting from the 1611 King James Version of the Bible. Why? Because, it was written only a few years before the death of William Shakespeare and is filled, from cover to cover, with Shakespearean theatrics.

Joh 2:15 KJV -- And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables. (Underlining is mine)

Now, before my readers begin spouting the word blasphemy, allow me to point out that a man who makes a scourge of small cords, and begins driving money changers from the Temple, does so as a premeditated act implemented-for-dramatic, thus theatrical, effect in order to make a pointed statement. In fact, theatrics are (always have been) an integral part of the art of luring disciples and converts to belief in the teachings of almost every form of man's Organized Religions.

Christianity is, not only the world's supreme leader of Blind Faith⁵ constituents but is also, the undisputed champion of exhibitionist theatrical performances, as witnessed by the very texts of the Gospels (Gospel⁶ literally meaning god-spell, a spell being a supernatural/magical incantation) and Book of Acts. Let's be honest, the old fashioned fire and brimstone sermon could never have sprung into evangelical life, behind the pulpit, without the implementation of theatrics.

In harmless jest, one could easily draw the conclusion that Jesus (not the historical Jesus but the one depicted within the Gospels) was a Drama Queen, because (if we are to believe the Gospels) drama followed him every where he traveled, even to the grave -- a grave that he, somehow, is said to have miraculously escaped via that climatically dramatic avenue of bodily resurrection from the dead. If true, then, such a feat remains (to this very day) as the work of the greatest escape artist in all of recorded history, for no escape artist, ever, has dared to willingly sacrifice his own life for the fame to be gained by openly declaring that he possessed the means and the power to regenerate, resuscitate, and resurrect, his own dead body and return to life among the living.

Joh 2:20-21 KJV -- Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body. (Underlining is mine)

Speaking of death, most of us possess little to no real comprehension of the gory details of what dying actually entails, when it comes your time and mine. For the most part, we live sheltered lives and very few come in direct contact with the dead, and if we do it is in viewing a loved one in a hospital room only moments after their passing, or in a viewing room at a funeral home after the deceased has been properly embalmed, neatly dressed, hair combed, eyes and lips glued shut, and their faces and hands cosmetically made up to appear as though they have simply gone to sleep in having found blissful peace at last. Nothing could be further from the truth! Those who lived in the days of the historical Jesus -- even that Jesus depicted in the Gospels -- were faced with the gruesome realities of death and decomposition of the human body⁷ on a regular, and at times daily, basis. The same is true today for those who live in war torn countries around the world, with death an all too close neighbor to those struggling to go on living.

If the Jesus depicted in the Gospels, somehow, cheated and escaped death -- returned to the land of the living after having been dead -- what obstacles, exactly, did he have to overcome? What happens to you and I, when we die? If Jesus was, in fact, a real flesh and blood human being, what inevitable process began taking place within his body at the precise moment of his death? Decomposition! Be warned: The facts will shock you and turn your stomach.

Are you ready for this? Bear in mind that, when we speak of Jesus rising from the dead -- from that very instant his heart ceased its beating -- the following process of decomposition had already begun taking place inside his body at a rate corresponding to the length of time that had transpired since his life had expired upon the Roman execution stake (cross) and the local temperature at that particular time of year some 2,000 plus years ago. In those ancient times, the Spring Equinox, ripened barley, trees blooming with seasonal fruits, and weather related factors (such as condition of roads & bridges), determined the date selected by the Sanhedrin, each year, for Passover⁸ observance.

How Long Does It Take A Body To Decompose? @ Ranker.com: “... Decomposition begins immediately after death, in a stage known as autolysis, or self digestion. During this process, as the name implies, the body begins digesting itself. As cells are deprived of oxygen, they begin to breakdown and release membranes that are then digested by enzymes. Typically, this begins in the liver and brain due to the high water and enzyme content in these areas. As your body eats itself, your internal temperature drops as blood stops flowing. This causes blood to coagulate, stiffening the arteries, veins, and capillaries. This leads to the well-known phenomenon of rigor mortis, in which corpses become stiff and immobile. This usually occurs two to six hours after death. Rigor mortis lasts about 24 hours. After it passes, blood settles in the area of the body that was closest to the ground at the time of death. The area where blood settles develops a red-brown stain. For example, if you died after falling down headfirst, you would get a blotchy brown stain on your face. Other body parts begin to take on a bluish tinge within eight to 10 hours of death. Ever wonder when a corpse starts to smell? A bad odor begins two to three days after death, in a process known as putrefaction. It's caused by micro-organisms in your intestines. These organisms do not die immediately along with you. Instead, after death they begin eating through the intestines. After a few days, micro-organisms spread across your thighs and stomach. This eventually causes a foul odor, similar to the scent of rotten eggs and methane. Other side effects include a protruding tongue, a greenish patch on the belly, and fluid oozing from the mouth and nostrils ...”⁹ (Bold lettering & Underlining are mine)

Joh 11:39 KJV -- Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days. (Underlining is mine)

Mat 16:21 KJV -- From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. (Underlining is mine)

Is it any wonder that this ancient tale is often called, “The Greatest Story Ever Told?” But, then, that is the express purpose of this article, that of setting forth, yet, another question: Is someone simply telling us a story (fairy-tale fabrications designed for the mentality of innocent, trusting, unsuspecting, children), rather than presenting us with an accurately detailed account of historical events within the Gospels and Book of Acts? We shall do our best to ferret out a fact based answer to this question, and others lacking satisfactory answers, as we proceed in learning a bit more regarding further similarities or disparities between Jesus, Superman, and Harry Houdini.

____________

Author's Note:  This article is continued in 

The World’s Greatest Escape Artists:

Jesus, Superman, & Harry Houdini: Part Two: 

Escape Artists Are Astounding Showmen

(Written February 20^th, 2018 -- June 29^th, 2019)

Author's Note

Evidential Footnote Proofs:

1 The Road To All Too Soon by Marvin Thomas Cox-Flynn — https://www.scribd.com/document/320191847/The-Road-to-All-Too-Soon-by-Marvin-Thomas-Cox-Flynn

2 A True Free Thinker by Marvin Thomas Cox-Flynn — https://allpoetry.com/journal/16056345-A-True-Free-Thinker-by-Flynn-de-Graham

3 Free Thinker — To borrow a short paragraph definition from my article, The Road To All Too Soon, a Free Thinker is: “... any person who is willing to accept and explore the possibility that everything they were ever taught to believe as an established truth may not actually be true — and that honestly, selflessly, and diligently in search of that which is true, rather than choosing to cling, blindly, to accepted and commonly held truths.”

4 “To Thine Ownself Be True” — Polonius in William Shakespeare's Hamlet: https://literarydevices.net/to-thine-own-self-be-true/

5 Blind Faith — belief without true understanding, perception, or discrimination. http://www.dictionary.com/browse/blind-faith

6 Gospel — Old English godspel "gospel, glad tidings announced by Jesus; one of the four gospels," from god "good" (see good) + spel "story, message" (see spell (n.1)); translation of Latin bona adnuntiatio, itself a translation of Greek euangelion "reward for bringing good news."

The first element of the Old English word had a long "o," but it shifted under mistaken association with God. The word passed early from English to continental Germanic languages in forms that clearly indicate the first element had shifted to "God," such as Old Saxon godspell, Old High German gotspell, Old Norse go.spiall. Used of anything as true as the Gospel from mid-13c. Gospel-gossip was Addison's word ("Spectator," 1711) for "one who is always talking of sermons, texts, etc." http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=gospel

7 What Are The Four Stages Of Human Decomposition — http://www.aftermath.com/content/human-decomposition

8 How Does The Spring Equinox Relate To The Timing Of Passover? — http://www.chabad.org/holidays/passover/pesach_cdo/aid/495531/jewish/How-Does-the-Spring-Equinox-Relate-to-the-Timing-of-Passover.htm