"Hold on here. I just want to make sure I have
this straight. You are telling me that you are the real Jacob Marley, the
character from the Charles Dicken`s book, `A Christmas Carol`? I don’t know if you knew it, but that was a
work of fiction! You’re deranged if you think I`m going to believe that! I
swear I’m trapped in some half-baked BBC Christmas Special where we all learn a
valuable lesson from the Spirits of Christmas. Tell me this ‘Marley’...is Rowan
Atkinson and Hugh Laurie going to appear next as Scrooge and Bob Cratchitt? This is all
so incredibly lame…"
Marley snapped back while Frank was still
speaking, "Oh stop making it all so tiresome. Ninety-five percent of
people in the Underworld have never discovered my identity. If I had not ranted
about my own story and if you weren't slightly literate you would have never considered it. “
Pausing for a second, a slightly wicked grin
appeared on Marley’s face and he began to speak again.
“Here is an idea, oh most learned English scholar,
why not consider the quote of the Bard of Avon, that of Hamlet, who was used to
speaking to ghosts, ‘There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
than are dreamt of in your philosophy.’ Tell me, do you think that the only inspired literatures
in this world are those dusty volumes that poufy vicars deem as ‘God-Breathed’?
The Spirit of Truth communicates through avenues outside of Scripture*. Have you
ever considered how one of the most popular stories in the English language was
written in just six weeks? Let me be
clear, sir, A Christmas Carol was a true story, dropped into the mind of
Charles Dickens by the Holy Spirit on the night of October 5th, 1843
while he walked the streets of Manchester.”
Marley paused. He glared at Frank, nostrils
flaring and eyes wide open.
“Enough of this…Returning to the subject at hand, unless
you want to continue denying the cold reality of your present situation, I
suggest we discontinue these academic discussions and you decide to make the
best of things and stop acting like a spoiled child who thinks he is clever
when he is obviously not. What say you sir?"
*Just a little theological clarification here. Marley is not saying that other works of literature can be considered on the same par as the Bible, he is saying that truth appearing in other sources can be influenced by the Holy Spirit, since one of the names of this member of the trinity in scripture is the Spirit of Truth. Like I said in introduction to this story, what's going on in this story does not reflect my own evangelical view of Christian doctrine. This story is fiction using the concept of a purgatory type afterlife to explore certain ideas. I do however agree with Marley's concept here insomuch as God is seeking to communicate truth about himself through many ways and there will be times that that influence can appears in other types of writings to point people toward a personal relationship with God.
