The Three Christs of Ypsilanti - Milton Rokeach [9]
—You are a creature, but you are also Christ?—
“Yes, sir,” Leon answered. “I am the reincarnation of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the first human spirit.”
“I think it is one of those things to laugh off,” Joseph said. “All this saying that one is God, one is Jesus Christ, just a matter of laughing about it.”
Leon looked perplexed and anxious. “Sir, it so happens that I am the person who was the first human creature created, and then he insinuates that he was there beforehand. It’s injustice as far as I’m concerned, but I do respect these gentlemen.”
—Why do you respect them?—
“Because they are instrumental gods. It is my belief to respect the devil too, for what he is.”
—Are you a god, too?—
“An instrumental god, and so are you, Doctor, as I stated before, sir.”
Clyde tried to interrupt with unintelligible mumbling, but Leon went on: “Jesus Christ! Let me get a word in, will you, please? I respect them as Jesus Christ.”
“I AM HIM!” Clyde shouted. “See? Now, understand that!”
“Man! maybe this is Jesus Christ,” Leon said. “I’m not denying it, sir.”
“Well, I know your psychology,” Clyde said, “and you are a knick-knacker, and in your Catholic church in North Bradley and in your education, and I know all of it—the whole thing. I know exactly what this fellow does. In my credit like I do from up above, that’s the way it works.”
“As I was stating before I was interrupted,” Leon went on, “it so happens that I was the first human spirit to be created with a glorified body before time existed.”
“Ah, well, he is just simply a creature, that’s all,” Joseph put in. “Man created by me when I created the world—nothing else.”
—Did you create Clyde, too?—
“Uh-huh. Him and a good many others.”
At this, Clyde laughed.
“That doesn’t sound right to me,” Leon said. “I believe his habeas corpus in front of his face, that living cosmic parchment, states a person is what he is, and why he is what he is. That is my habeas corpus, sir.”
—I would like to interrupt to ask a question: Why do you gentlemen suppose you were brought together?—
Leon said: “Sir, I sincerely understand pertaining to reading between the lines, and stay behind the scenes. And I realize that those people who bring patients together to have one abuse the other through depressing—is not sound psychological reasoning deduction. Meaning a person who is set in his way, there is nobody on earth … God cannot change a person, either, because God Almighty respects free will; therefore, this man is so-and-so and I’m so-and-so, and on those merits to try to brainwash, what they call it, organic cosmics through the meeting of patients one against the other—that is not sound psychological deduction also. Therefore I give credit to those gentlemen where credit is due, and when a person speaks the truth it makes that person free. Meaning the other person cannot go against that person and try to take away a righteous conscience.”
—Now are we all, are you, speaking the truth?—
“Yes, sir, I definitely am,” Leon answered.
—Is Joseph speaking the truth?—
“Sir, he is an instrumental god. I respect him for that because I know he is a creature and a creature cannot be God Almighty.”
—And Clyde?—
“Sir, pertaining to his experience as being, of becoming, hollowed out, but becoming an instrumental god six times and Jesus Christ six times, that I admit.”
“That don’t mean anything,” Clyde said. “I’m not hollowed out. Not hollowed out at all!”
“Mr. Benson, sir,” Leon said, “you’re afraid to face the fact that on the merit you think I am taking something away from you whereas I’m not. I’m giving you something that is a reality in itself.”
“I know what I am,” Joseph said. “I’m God, Christ, the Holy Ghost. If there is any opposition it’s just a matter