The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1919-03-08
POPULAR APOLOGET|CS
ADAPTED FROM THE GERMAN OF
REV. PETER MIKES, S. j., BY
REV. JAMES WATCHER.
-. Buddhistic Miracles.

Objection: we read ABOUT miracles
OF Buddha and other founders Of re-
iiaions just as we'll as about the
Founder of Christianity.
Answer: 1. First of all there is not
a single miracle Of Buddha proven his.
torically: For the Buddhist books
were written many hundred years
after Buddha's death, and in the inc
written. later there are many more
miracles than those written earlier,
hence are inventions of the writer's.
2. What miracles are related of
Buddha? Once he fought with the
serpent king and in this fight he emit
ted a great smoke and changed his
whole body into fire. Another time he
drove up stream in a pot quicker than
a horse can run; he rode in that pot
till he came to a bubbling spring into
which he cast himself and thus en-
tered into the palace Of the king of
s%erpents. Sometimes Buddha would
walk along the armament from East
TO West and from n eye he dropped
water and from the other fire. These
are a few samples of Buddhist mira
cles,' which we hardly expect will
cure any of his admirers.
1t would be blasphemous and ridicu-
miracles of Christ.
Besides the Mosaic (Jewish) and
Christian religions there are only four
sO-called historical religions, that is,
such which can be proved historically
to have been founded by men, namely,
buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Mo-
hammedanism.
For the childish and silly miracles"
of their founders see Christian Pesch,
S. j., Praelectiones Dogmaticae, t. /,
No. 204.
Of ZorOaster (Z~arathustra, Ter
dusht) we do not know whether he
is a mythical or historical person, or
whether he was the founder of the
Persian Avesta or Zendavesta religion
or only a later reformer who gathered
the old traditions and restored them
to their early purity. Father Alex
ander Baumgartner, S. ]. (f1910), in
his classic World Literature q. 425)
writes: "4All these questions have not
yet been decisively settled, but have
only become more confused by side
issues and hypothesis"
Confucius (Khung-fut-se, i. e. Mas
ter Khung), born SOL B. c. in China.
is in reality no founder Of a religion:
the name Of God never occurs in his
writings, at the most the name OF
IJooyroy. lO ~, ~ Ioy-o hooo -
atheist or pantheist; at least in his
system Of morality he takes no ac
count of God, and hence it is without
religion or goddess; he confines him
self to precepts Of utility and outward
pOliteness.
Master Khung cared not for mira
Giles, but, as we are told, about choice
eating. nicely cleaned rice, fine
chopped meat. What was not cor
rectly cut he did not eat, nor what diC
not have the right kind of sauce. He
did not drink wine bought on the mar
ket, nor ate dried meat Wher
he was invited to a fine banquet, he
changed color, arose to express his
acknowledgment and appreciation tt
his host
Our Chinaman cared nothing for re
ligious wonders, but all the more fol
the wonders of the kitchen.
"a. Miracles of Mohammed.
Objection: Mohammed (t632) at
tested the truth of his religion b,
miracles; Christ, therefore, does no.
stand alone with miracles.
Answer: Which miracles of Mo
manned do you know? In the Koran
the Bible" Of Mohammedanism (Surs
%, 49), he admits that he cannot worl
miracles.
1t is related of him that when asked
to work a miracle, he split the moo
in two, then let one half slip through
his sleeve and then united the pieces
But even this nonsense rests on a mis-
understood passage of the Koran
(Sura 81, II which foretells the de
struction of the world and the partin:
of the moo
Mohammed appeals to visions, e. g.
His nine wives were dissatisfied tina
he was making love to a Koptic serv
ant girl; Mohammed replied that tn,
vision told him he should not care TO,
the complaints OF his wives. This vi
sion hardly came from an angel o
innocence!
o.. The Koreish the most Influential
tribe Of Arabia) said to Mohammed
Work a miracle like Moses ant
Jesus, and we will believe you" H,
answered: What miracle do yol
want?" They answered: Change tn,
Hill of Gaia into gold" He answered
Very well; | will do it, He thel
called Gabriel. But he said: IF yo,
will, Gaia shall be changed into gold
But why should a sign be worked
They will not believe it anyway. |
is better to wait till those who wan
to be converted are converted Mo
manned replied: Il will wait" (Cf
S%prenger, Leben Mohammeds-Life o
Mohammed-II. p. AS, according t,
MoSlem tradition.)
He is still waiting