Heavens - “A Discussion Somewhat In the Air”
Professor Lucifer proclaims, “You know what are a man's real feelings about the heavens, when he finds himself alone in the heavens, surrounded by the heavens. You know the truth, and the truth is this. The heavens are evil, the sky is evil, the stars are evil. This mere space, this mere quantity, terrifies a man more than tigers or the terrible plague. You know that since our science has spoken, the bottom has fallen out of the Universe." Professor Lucifer considers heavens evil because of the terror they evoke in man. After using the flying ship to explore the skies, the professor attempts to convince the monk that heavens are not as glamorous as they are portrayed in religion. Accordingly, Professor Lucifer emphasizes on the evilness of the heavens to undermine religion.
Traditions - “A Discussion Somewhat In The Air"
Professor Lucifer asserts, “I have no intention, my good Michael, of endeavouring to convert you by argument. The imbecility of your traditions can be quite finally exhibited to anybody with mere ordinary knowledge of the world." Professor deems the religious teachings, which Michael endorses, irrational and outdated. Professor is anti-religion because it is not founded on rationalism.
Blasphemies - “The Religion Of The Stipendiary Magistrate”
Chesterton explains, “Every day his (Turnbull) blasphemies looked more glaring, and every day the dust lay thicker upon them. It made him feel as if he were moving in a world of idiots. He seemed among a race of men who smiled when told of their own death, or looked vacantly at the Day of Judgement. ” Turnbull’s editorship focuses on challenging God. The title “The Atheist” affirms that the ideology is to spread atheistic believes through his publications. Christians would deem his writings blasphemous because they denounce, undermine, and challenge God’s authority.
Names - “Some Old Curiosities”
Chesterton elucidates, “But he was a Jew of another and much less admirable type; a Jew with a very well-sounding name. For though there are no hard tests for separating the tares and the wheat of any people, one rude but efficient guide is that the nice Jew is called Moses Solomon, and the nasty Jew is called Thornton Percy.” Here, Chesterton depicts the implications of names and the intersection between names and religion (specifically the Jewish religion).One’s name can be used to discern his specific tribe. Using names to classify people encourages prejudice.
Dailies - “A Discussion At Dawn”
Chesterton expounds, “The next morning, five or six of the great London dailies burst out simultaneously into great blossoms of eloquent leader-writing. Towards the end all the leaders tended to be the same, but they all began differently. The Daily Telegraph, for instance began, “There will be little difference among our readers or among all truly English and law-abiding men touching the, etc. etc.” Headings of the dailies allude to the duel between Turnbull and Evan. The approaches of the dailies are different, since each daily strives to depict the queerness of the occurrence by using sensational titles. Moreover, the dailies allude to various subjects such as theology, law, and religion while deconstructing the implication of the duel.
