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PREFACE.
INVERSELY to the remoteness of time has been man's ascent toward the
temple of knowledge. Truth has made its ingress into the human mind in
the ratio by which man has attained the capacity to receive and
appreciate it. Hence, as we tread back the meandering pathway of human
history, every step in the receding process brings us to a lower plane
of intelligence and a state of mind more thoroughly encrusted with
ignorance and superstition. It is, therefore, no source of surprise to
learn, when we take a survey of the world two or three thousand years in
the past, that every religious writer of that era committed errors on
every subject which employed his pen, involving a scientific principle.
Hence, the bible, or sacred book, to which he was a contributor, is now
found to bear the marks of human imperfection. For the temple of
knowledge was but partially reared, and its chambers but dimly lighted
up. The intellectual brain was in a dark, feeble and dormant condition.
Hence, the moral and religious feelings were drifted about without a
pilot on the turbulent waves of superstition, and finally stranded on
the shoals of bigotry. The Christian bible, like other bibles, having
been written in an age when science was but budding into life, and
philosophy had attained but a feeble growth, should be expected to teach
many things incompatible with the principles of modern science. And
accordingly it is found to contain, like other bibles, numerous
statements so obviously at war with present established scientific
truths that almost any school-boy,
p. 4
at the present day, can demonstrate their falsity. Let the unbiased
reader examine and compare the oriental and Christian bibles together,
and he will note the following facts, viz:—
1. That the cardinal religious conceptions of all bibles are essentially
the same—all running in parable grooves.
2. That every chapter of every bible is but a transcript of the mental
chart of the writer.
3. That no bible, pagan or Christian, contains anything surpassing the
natural, mental and moral capacity of the writer to originate. And hence
no divine aid or inspiration was necessary for its production.
4. That the moral and religious teachings of no bible reach a higher
altitude than the intelligence and mental development of the age and
country which produced it.
That the Christian bible, in some respects, is superior to some of the
other bibles, but only to the extent to which the age in which it was
written was superior in intelligence and natural mental capacity to the
era in which the older bibles were penned; and that this superiority
consists not its more exalted religious conceptions, but only in the
fact that, being of more modern origin, the progress of mind had worn
away some of the legendary rubbish of the past. Being written in a later
and more enlightened age, it is consequently a little less encrusted
with mythological tradition and oriental imagery. Though not free from
these elements, it possesses them in less degree. And by comparing
Christ's history with those of the oriental Gods, it will be found:—
1. That he taught no new doctrine or moral precept.
2. That he inculcated the same religion and morality, which he
elaborated, as other moral teachers, to great extremes.
3. That Christ differs so little in his character, preaching, and
practical life from some of the oriental Gods, that no
p. 5
person whose mind is not deplorably warped and biased by early training
can call one divine while he considers the other human.
That if Christ was a God, then all were Gods.
THE AUTHOR.
________
PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.
The author desires to say that this work has been carefully reviewed and
corrected, and some additions made, embracing two chapters from "the
Bible of Bibles," and some explanatory notes, and is now able to place
before the reader a greatly improved edition.
The author also desires to say here, that the many flattering letters he
has received from various parts of the country, from those who have
supplied themselves with the work, excites in his mind the hope it will
ultimately effect something towards achieving the important end sought
to be attained by its publication—the banishment of that wide-spread
delusion comprehended in the belief in an incarnate, virgin-born God,
called Jesus Christ, and the infallibility of his teachings, with the
numerous evils growing legitimately out of this belief—among the most
important of which is, its cramping effect upon the mind of the
possessor, which interdicts its growth, and thus constitutes a serious
obstacle to the progress both of the individual and of society. And such
has been the blinding effect of this delusion upon all who have fallen
victims to its influence, that the numerous errors and evils of our
popular system of religious faith, which constitutes its legitimate
fruits, have passed from age to age, unnoticed by all except scientific
and progressive maids, who are constantly bringing these errors and
evils to light. This state of
p. 6
things has been a source of sorrow and regret to every philanthropist
desiring the welfare of the race. And if this work shall achieve
anything towards arresting this great evil, the author will feel that he
is amply compensated for the years of toil and mental labor spent in its
preparation.
NOTE.—As the different works consulted have assigned different dates for
the same event, the author has, in one or two cases, followed their
example, accepting them as authority; as in the date of the birth and
death of the Gods of Mexico. The reader will also notice that the name
of the same God is found in different countries. Example—Adonis and
Bacchus are found amongst the Gods of both Greece and Egypt.
EXPLANATION
"THE WORLD'S SIXTEEN CRUCIFIED SAVIORS." What an imposing title for a
book! What startling developments of religious history it implies! Is it
founded on fact or on fiction? If it has a basis of truth, where was
such an extraordinary mine of sacred lore discovered? Where were such
startling facts obtained as the title of the work suggests. These
queries will doubtless arise as soliloquies in the minds of many readers
on glancing at the title-page. And the author is disposed to gratify
this natural and most probable, in some cases, excited curiosity by a
brief explanation. In doing this, he deems it only necessary to state
that many of the most important facts collated in this work were derived
from Sir Godfrey Higgins’ Anacalypsis, a work as valuable as it is
rare—a work comprising the result of twenty years’ labor, devoted to the
investigation of religious history. And although embodying many
important historical facts which should have commanded for it a
word-wide circulation, but a few copies of this invaluable treasury of
religious knowledge have ever found their way into this country.
One of these copies the author of this work obtained, at no
inconsiderable expense, long enough to glean from its pages such facts
as he presumed would be most interesting and instructive to the general
reader, some of which will be found in nearly every chapter of this
volume. With the facts and materials derived from this source, and two
hundred other unimpeachable historical records, the present
p. 12
work might have been swelled to fourfold its present size without
exhausting the author's ample store of materials and would have
possessed such unwieldy dimensions but for a strict conformity to the
most rigid rules of eclecticism and condensation. Encouraged by the
extensive demand for his former work, "The Biography of Satan," which
has passed through seven editions, the author cherishes the hope that
the present work will meet with a circulation commensurate with the
importance of the many invaluable facts which it contains. For he
possesses the sad conviction that the many religious errors and evils
which it is the object of this work to expose, operate very seriously to
retard the moral and intellectual growth and prosperity of all Christian
countries. They have the effect to injure mentally, morally and
religiously the great body of Christian professors.
☞ Dr. Prince, of Long Island (now deceased), wrote to the author,
respecting the thirty-fifth chapter of this work, entitled "The Logical
View of the Incarnation," after he had seen it in the columns of a
newspaper, "It is a masterly piece of logic, and will startle, if it
does not revolutionize, the orthodox world. And the chapters comprising
'The Philosophical View,' and 'The Physiological View,' were afterward
pronounced specimens of profound and unanswerable logical reasoning." We
thus call the reader's attention to these chapters in advance, in order
to induce that thorough attention to their facts and arguments which
will result in banishing from his mind the last vestiges of a belief (if
he entertain any) in the doctrine of the divine incarnation.
INTRODUCTION
IMPORTANT FACTS CONSTITUTING THE BASIS OF THIS WORK.
IGNORANCE of science and ignorance of history are the two great bulwarks
of religious error. There is scarcely a tenet of religious faith now
propagated to the world by the professed disciples of Christ but that,
if subjected to a rigid test in the ordeal of modern science, would be
found to contain more or less error. Vast acquisitions have been made in
the fields of science and history within the last half century, the
moral lessons of which have done much to undermine and unsettle our
popular system of religious faith, and to bring into disrepute or
effectually change many of its long-cherished dogmas. The scientific and
historical facts thus brought before the intelligent public, have served
as keys for explaining many of the doctrines comprised in the popular
creed. They have poured a flood of light upon our whole system of
religion as now taught by its popular representatives, which have had
the effect to reveal many of its errors to those who have had the
temerity, or the curiosity, to investigate it upon these grounds. Many
of the doctrines and miraculous events which have always been assigned a
divine emanation by the disciples of the Christian faith, are, by these
scientific and historical disclosures, shown to be explainable upon
natural grounds, and to have exclusively a natural basis. Some of them
are shown to be solvable by recently developed
p. 14
spiritual laws, while others are proven to be founded wholly in error.
The intelligent community are now acquainted with many of these
important facts, so that no man of science can be found in this
enlightened age who can popularly be termed a Christian. No man can be
found in any Christian country who has the established reputation of
being a man of science, or who has made any proficiency in the whole
curriculum of the sciences, whose creed, when examined by an orthodox
committee, would not be pronounced unsound. It is true that many of the
scientific class, not possessing the conviction that duty imposes the
moral necessity of making living martyrs of themselves, have refrained
from fully avowing or disclosing to the public their real convictions of
the popular faith.
The changes and improvements in religious ideas now observant in the
most intelligent portion of the community, are due in part to the rapid
progress of scientific discovery and the dissemination of scientific
knowledge in Christian countries. The explorer in the field of religious
history, however, comes in here for his meed of praise. New stores of
historic facts and data may be reckoned among the recent acquisitions of
the laborious archeologist; new fountains of religions history have
recently been unsealed, which have had the effect to reveal many errors
and false claims set up for the current religion of Christendom—a
religion long regarded as settled and stereotyped. For many centuries
subsequent to the establishment of the Christian religion, but little
was known by its disciples of the character, claims and doctrines of the
oriental systems of worship. These religions, in fact, were scarcely
known to exist, because they had long been veiled in secrecy. They were
found, in some cases, enshrined in religious books printed or written in
a language so very ancient and obscure, as to bid defiance for centuries
to the labors of
p. 15
the most indefatigable, profound and erudite archeological scholar to
decipher it. That obstacle is now partially surmounted.
The recent translation for the first time of the Hindoo Vedas into the
English language (the oldest bible now extant or ever written) has
revealed to the unwelcome gaze of the Christian reader the startling
fact that "the heathen" had long been in possession of "holy books,"
possessing essentially the same character, and teaching essentially the
same doctrines as the Christian bible—there being, as Horace Greeley
expressed it, "No doctrine of Christianity but what has been anticipated
by the Vedas." (See Vol. II., Chap. I, of this work.)
If, then, this heathen bible (compiled, according to the Christian
missionary, Rev. D. G. Allen, 1400 B.C.), contains all the doctrines of
Christianity, then away goes over the dam all claim for the Christian
bible as an original bible as an original revelation, or a work of
divine inspiration.
Bibles are thus shown to be of heathen and human origin, instead of
heavenly and divine authorship, as claimed for them by their respective
disciples—the Christian bible forming no exception to this statement.
The latter, being essentially like other bibles, it must, of course,
have had the same or a similar origin—a fact which, though it may be new
and startling to millions, will be universally accepted as truth before
the lapse of many generations, and a fact which confronts with open
denial the claims of two hundred millions of Christian professors, who
assert with unscrupulous boldness that every doctrine, principle and
precept of their bible is of divine emanation.
How utterly groundless and untenable is such a claim when arranged by
the side of modern discoveries in religious history!
Equally unsupportable is the declaration that "there is
p. 16
no other name given under heaven whereby men can be saved, than that of
Jesus Christ and him crucified," when viewed in the light of the modern
explorations of Sir Godfrey Higgins, which have disclosed the history of
nearly a score of crucified Gods and sin-atoning Saviors, who, we have
equal proof, died for the sins of mankind.
Thus, the two prime articles of the Christian faith—Revelation and
Crucifixion—are forever established as human and heathen conceptions.
And the hope might be reasonably entertained that the important
historical facts disclosed in this work will have the effect to open the
eyes of the professors or the Christian religion to see their serious
error in putting forth such exalted claims for their bible and their
religion as that of being perfect products of infinite wisdom, did not
the past history of all religious countries furnish sad proof that
reason and logic, and even the most cogent and convincing facts of
science and history often prove powerless when arrayed against a
religious conviction, enstamped upon the mind for thousands of years in
the past, and transmitted from parent to child until it has grown to a
colossal stature, and become a part of the living tissues of the soul.
No matter how glaringly absurd, how palpably erroneous, or how
demonstrably false an opinion or doctrine is shown to be, they cannot
see it, but will still continue to hug it to their bosoms as a
divinely-revealed truth. No facts or evidence can prove an overmatch for
the inherited convictions of a thousand generations. In this respect the
Mohammed, the Hindu and the Christian all stand upon a level. It is
about as easy to convince one as the other of their easily demonstrated
errors.
RELIGION OF NATURAL ORIGIN.
Among the numerous errors traceable in the history of every religious
sect, commemorated in the annals of the
p. 17
world, none possesses a more serious character, or has been attended
with more deplorable consequences, than that of assigning a wrong origin
to religion. Every bible, every sect, every creed, every catechism, and
every orthodox sermon teaches that "religion is the gift of God," that
"it is infused into the soul by the spirit and power of the Lord." Never
was a greater mistake ever committed. Every student of anthropology,
every person who has read any of the numerous modern works on mental
science, and tested their easily-demonstrated facts, knows that religion
is of natural and not supernatural origin; that it is a natural element
of the human mind, and not a "direct gift from God;" that it grows as
spontaneously out of the soul as flowers spring out of the ground. It is
as natural as eating, sleeping or breathing. This conclusion is not the
offspring of mere imagination. It is no hastily-concocted theory, but an
oft-demonstrated and scientifically-established fact, which any person
can test the truth of for himself.
And this modern discovery will, at no distant day, revolutionize all
systems of religious faith in existence, and either dissolve and
dissipate them, or modify and establish them upon a more natural and
enduring basis, expurgated of their dogmatic errors.
Let us, then, labor to banish the wide-spread delusion believed and
taught by a thousand systems of worship—Jew, Pagan and Christian—that
"religion is of supernatural or divine origin," and the many ruinous
errors; senseless dogmas and deplorable soul-crushing superstitions so
thoroughly inwrought into the Christian system will vanish like fog
before the morning sun, and be replaced by a religion which sensible,
intelligent and scientific men and women can accept, and will delight to
honor and practice.
ADDRESS TO THE CLERGY
FRIENDS and brethren—teachers of the Christian faith: Will you believe
us when we tell you the divine claims of your religion are gone—all
swept away by the "logic of history," and nullified by the
demonstrations of science?
The recently opened fountains of historic law, many of whose potent
facts will be found interspersed through the pages of this work, sweep
away the last inch of ground on which can be predicated the least show
for either the divine origin of the Christian religion, or the divinity
of Jesus Christ.
For these facts demonstrate beyond all cavil and criticism, and with a
logical force which can leave not the vestige of a doubt upon any
unbiased mind, that all its doctrines are an outgrowth from older
heathen systems. Several systems of religion essentially the same in
character and spirit as that religion now known as Christianity, and
setting forth the same doctrines, principles and precepts, and several
personages filling a chapter in history almost identical with that of
Jesus Christ, it is now known to those who are up with the discoveries
and intelligence of the age, were venerated in the East centuries before
a religion called Christian, or a personage called Jesus Christ were
known to history.
Will you not, then, give it up that your religion is merely a human
production, reconstructed from heathen materials—from oriental systems
several thousand years older than yours—or will you continue, in spite
of the unanimous and unalterable verdict of history, science, facts
p. 19
and logic, to proclaim to the world the now historically demonstrated
error which you have so long preached, that God is the author of your
religion, and Jesus Christ a Deity-begotten Messiah? Though you may have
heretofore honestly believed these doctrines to be true, you can now no
longer plead ignorance as an excuse for propagating such gigantic and
serious errors, as they are now overwhelmingly demonstrated by a
thousand facts of history to be untrue. You must abandon such exalted
claims for your religion, or posterity will mark you as being "blind
leaders of the blind." They will heap upon your honored names their
unmitigated ridicule and condemnation. They will charge you as being
either deplorably ignorant, or disloyal to the cause of truth. And shame
and ignominy will be your portion.
The following propositions (fatal to your claims for Christianity) are
established beyond confutation by the historical facts cited in this
work, viz:—
1. There were many cases of the miraculous birth of Gods reported in
history before the case of Jesus Christ.
2. Also many other cases of Gods being born of virgin mothers.
3. Many of these Gods, like Christ, were (reputedly) born on the 25th of
December.
4. Their advent into the world, like that of Jesus Christ, is in many
cases claimed to have been foretold by "inspired prophets."
5. Stars figured at the birth of several of them, as in the case of
Christ.
6. Also angels, shepherds, and magi, or "wise men."
7. Many of them, like Christ, were claimed to be of royal or princely
descent.
8. Their lives, like his, were also threatened in infancy by the ruler
of the country.
p. 20
9. Several of them, like him, gave early proof of divinity.
10. And, like him, retired from the world and fasted.
11. Also, like him, declared, "My kingdom is not of this world."
12. Some of them preached a spiritual religion, too, like his.
13. And were "anointed with oil," like him.
14. Many of them, like him, were "crucified for the sins of the world."
15. And after three days’ interment "rose from the dead."
16. And, finally, like him, are reported as ascending back to heaven.
17. The same violent convulsions of nature at the crucifixion of several
are reported.
18. They were nearly all called "Saviors," "Son of God." "Messiah,"
"Redeemer," "Lord," &c.
19. Each one was the second member of the trinity of "Father, Son and
Holy Ghost."
20. The doctrines of "Original Sin," "Fall of Man," "The Atonement,"
"The Trinity," "The Word," "Forgiveness," "An Angry God." "Future
Endless Punishment," etc., etc. (see the author's "Biography of Satan,")
were a part of the religion of each of these sin-atoning Gods, as found
set forth in several oriental bibles and holy books," similar in
character and spirit to the Christian's bible, and written, like it, by
"inspired and holy men" before the time of either Christ or Moses
(before Moses, in some cases, at least). All these doctrines and
declarations, and many others not here enumerated, the historical
citations of this work abundantly prove, were taught in various oriental
heathen nations centuries before the birth of Christ, or before
Christianity, as a religion, was known in the world.
Will you, then, after learning these facts, longer dare
p. 21
assert that Christianity is of divine emanation, or claim a special
divine paternity for its author. Only the priest, who loves his salary
more than the cause of truth (and I fear this class are numerous,) or
who is deplorably ignorant of history will have the effrontery or
audacity to do so. For the historical facts herein set forth as clearly
prove such assumptions to be false, as figures can demonstrate the truth
of any mathematical problem. And no logic can overthrow, and no
sophistry can set aside these facts.
They will stand till the end of time in spite of your efforts either to
evade, ignore, or invalidate them.
We will here briefly state—
WHY ALL THE ANCIENT RELIGIONS WERE ALIKE.
Two causes are obviously assignable for Christianity in all its
essential features and phases, being so strikingly similar to the
ancient pagan systems which preceded it, as also the close analogies of
all the principal systems, whose doctrines and practical teachings have
found a place on the pages of history.
1. The primary and constituent elements and properties of human nature
being essentially the same in all countries and all centuries, and the
feeling called Religion being a spontaneous outgrowth of the devotional
elements of the human mind, the coincidence would naturally produce
similar feelings, similar thoughts, similar views and similar doctrines
on the subject of religion in different countries, however widely
separated. This accounts in part for the analogous features observable
in all the primary systems of religious faith, which have flourished in
the past ages.
2. A more potent cause, however, for the proximate identity extending to
such an elaborate detail, as is evinced by the foregoing schedule, is
found in the historical incident
p. 22
which brought the disciples of the various systems of worship together,
face to face, in the then grand religious emporium of the world—the
royal and renowned city of Alexandria, the capital of Egypt. Here, drawn
together by various motives and influences, the devotee of India (the
devout disciple of Buddhism), the ever-prayerful worshipper of "Mithra,
the Mediator," the representatives of the crucified Quexalcoate of
Mexico, the self-denying Essene, the superstitious Egyptian, the godly
Chaldean, the imitative Judean founders of Christianity, and the
disciples of other sin-atoning Gods, met and interchanged ideas,
discussed their various dogmas, remolded their doctrines, and recast and
rehabilitated their systems of religious faith by borrowing from each
other, and from other systems there represented. In this way all became
remarkably similar and alike in all their doctrines and details. And
thus the mystery is solved, and the singular resemblance of all the
ancient systems of religion satisfactorily accounted for. (For a fuller
explanation of this matter, see Chapters XXX. and XXXI. of this work.)
In conclusion, please note the following points:—
1. The religious conceptions of the Old Testament are as easily traced
to heathen sources as those of the New Testament. But we are compelled
to exclude such an exposition from this work.
2. The comparative exhibition of the doctrines and teachings of twenty
bibles which proves them to be in their leading features essentially
alike (originally designed for this volume), is found to be, when
completed, of sufficient magnitude to constitute a volume of itself.
3. Here I desire to impress upon the minds of my clerical brethren the
important fact, that the gospel histories of Christ were written by men
who had formerly been Jews (see Acts xxi. 20), and probably possessing
the strong proclivity to imitate and borrow which their bible shows
p. 23
was characteristic of that nation; and being written many years after
Christ's death, according to that standard Christian author, Dr.
Lardner, it was impossible, under such circumstances, for them to
separate (if they had desired to) the real facts and events of his life
from the innumerable fictions and fables then afloat everywhere relative
to the heathen Gods who had pre-enacted a similar history. Two reasons
are thus furnished for their constructing a history of Christ almost
identical with that of other Gods, as shown in chapters XXX., XXXI. and
XXXII. of this work.
4. The singular and senseless defense of your now tottering system we
have known to be attempted by members of your order, by the
self-complacent soliloquy "Christianity, whether divine or human, is
good enough for me." But such a subterfuge betrays both a weak mind and
a weak cause. The disciples of all the oriental systems cherished a
similar feeling and a similar sentiment. And the deluded followers of
Brigham Young exclaimed in like manner, "I want nothing better than
Mormonism." "Snakes, lizards and frogs are good enough for me," a South
Sea Islander once exclaimed to a missionary, when a reform diet was
proposed. Such logic, if universally adopted, would keep the world
eternally in barbarism. No progress can be made where such sentiments
prevail. The truth is, no system of religion, whatever its ostensible
marks of perfection, can long remain "good enough" for aspiring and
progressive minds, unless occasionally improved, like other
institutions. And then it should be borne in mind, that our controversy
does not appertain so much to the character as to the origin of the
Christian religion. Our many incontrovertible proofs, that it is of
human and heathen origin, proves at the same time that it is an
imperfect system, and as such, needing occasional improvement, like
other institutions. And its assumed perfection and divine origin
p. 24
which have always guarded it from improvement, amply accounts for its
present corrupt, immoral, declining and dying condition. And it will ere
long die with paralysis, unless its assumption of divine perfection is
soon exchanged for the principles of improvement and reconstruction.
This policy alone can save it.
5. We will here notice another feeble, futile and foolish expedient we
have known resorted to by persons of your order to save your sinking
cause when the evidence is presented with such cogency as to admit of no
disproof, that all the important doctrines of Christianity were taught
by older heathen systems before the era of Christ. The plea is, that
those systems were mere types, or ante-types, of the Christian religion.
But this plea is of itself a borrowed subterfuge of heathenism, and is
moreover devoid of evidence. The ancient Egyptians, also the Greeks,
claimed that Brahminism was a type, or ante-type, of their religious
systems. And Mohammedans now claim that both Judaism and Christianity
were designed by God as foreshadowing types of religion of the Koran.
And the disciples of more than a thousand systems of religion which have
flourished in past ages, could have made such logic equally available in
showing, in each case, that every system preceding theirs was designed
by Infinite Wisdom as simply a typical or ante-typical forerunner of
theirs. How ridiculous and senseless, therefore, is the argument thus
shown to be when critically examined in the light of history! So much so
as scarcely to merit a serious notice.
6. Here permit us to say that we believe Christianity to be not only of
human origin, but of natural origin also; that is, a natural outgrowth,
like other systems, of the religious elements of the human mind—a
hypothesis which accounts most beautifully for the numerous human
imperfections now visible in nearly every line of its teachings.
p. 25
[paragraph continues] Those imperfections correspond exactly to the
imperfect minds which produced it.
7. And we believe that the principle teacher of Christianity, "the man
Christ Jesus," possessed a very exalted and superior mind for that age
in the moral and religions departments, and in the intellectual to some
extent also. But his superiority in these respects was not probably
greater than that of Zera Colburn or Henry Safford in the mathematical
department. And all probably derived their peculiar extraordinary traits
of mind from the same causes—that of strong psychological influence
impressed upon the mind of the mothers prior to their births. Had these
ante-natal influences been as well understood then as now, we presume
Christ would have escaped the fate of an exaltation to the Godhead.
8. In conclusion, permit us to say that the numerous and overwhelming
facts of this work render it utterly impossible that the exalted claims
you put forth for your religion and its assumed author (that of a divine
character) can be true. And posterity will so decide, whether you do or
not.
Cherishing for you naught but feelings of kindness and brotherly love,
and desiring to promote the truth, we will answer any question, or
discuss any proposition embraced in this work you may desire.
Your brother,
KERSEY GRAVIES.
from Crucified Saviors
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