God and My Neighbour
into human form, an
puts the man in it.
d takes part of his
parently, that the m
eh walks in the gar
e even makes coats
in which Jahweh repents that he had made
is over, and Noah s
s a sweet savour, j
d. When men build
o see it-he cannot
. the Jahwist tells
tent. Abraham give
d to eat, and Sarah
altogether, they see
goes on, he leaves
himself. It is J. wh
h some mysterious pers
very strange story i
ning into Egypt, at
lodging-place, and s
said Jahweh took the
we wanted to believ
should resort to the
t J. meant them lit
ulty in thinking of
tion of Sodom and Go
ich, you remember, J
ether they have done
h is come unto me; an
at God was omniscien
Jahwist. Jahweh, lik
know. There is, howe
can move about witho
One might say, perhap
erywhere, he can go
a child's thought. T
ough Santa Claus can
onderful facility, an
us. The Jahwist's tho
stage of the
. William
at one time Jahweh w
gods. The Israelite
emosh was as truly t
and they speak of Ch
rit, just as Jahweh h
es xi
srael would speak o
osh. His god sends
d is angry; if he s
have seen that ther
Chemosh to be as re
ind the same thing
exactly the same thi
ttle, gave defeat or
wever, is very obscu
in for some time af
vid worshipped Jah
e to be driven out of
gods (1 Sam. xxvi.
to Jahweh, for he bu
r deitie
Conceptions of Providence in
ead Judges iii. 15-30
y of Ehud getting at
g him-an act followed
nd is the story of Ja
, and then murdering
oing so, as "blessed
borah. Here, you see
fortunes of Israel;
h brings success to t
orality; nor is it conc
dividual serves
ow one, and that it underwent considerable change. In fact, he says, with great candou
ribe, and we have renounced Him, and are ashamed of Him, not because of any later divine revelation,
rs to worship and believe Him, on pain of torture, or death, or excommunica
Evolution of the Idea of God, by the late Grant Allen. In this book Mr. Allen clearly traces the origins of the various ideas of God
ject of portable siz
criptions in the Pe
r date, and not too
vistic editing-he wa
front during the g
zer; and the Philist
ome into the camp." Bu
e rival god, Dagon,
gend declared-befor
restored the sacred
rim till David, on th
went down to that pl
e god; and as it wen
h on all manner of i
re Jahweh."... The c
bout with them a trib
st was intimately con
ing a stone object o
and could be carried
not know the origin
ut they regarded it e
ed them out of the
ore, how we can easi
h the god of the Heb
ealised into the God
ng more nor less tha
f Israel, however scu
rt of all, the unhewn
mitic sheikh
o tack this tribal fetish in his box on to the Christian religion as the All-Father, and Creator of the Un
l God of the Christians, and see how he comported himself
ah's
ect. When the man turned bad on his hands, Jahweh was angry, and cursed him and his seed for thousands o
n the time of Noah, that he decided to drown all the people on the earth except Noa
lost his temper again, and sent amongst them "fiery serpents," so that "much people of Israel died." But still the des
ve you flesh, and ye
two days, nor five
even a whole month,
t be loathsome unto
ord, which is among
g, Why came we fo
e ate them, and the anger of their angry god came upon th
hweh in his ark from the custody of the Philistines some men of Bethshemesh looked into the ark
stice of
ted few, because he was angry with mankind. In the Book of Samuel we are told that Jahweh sent three years' famine upon the whole nation because of
ow Joshua and the Israelites took "Achan, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses,
e for David's fault. But David he allowed to live. In Samuel we learn how Jahweh, because of an attack upon the Israelites four hundred years before the time of speaking, ordered Saul to destroy the Amalek
rality O
gets Ahab, King of Israel, killed by putt
ho shall entice Ahab
l at Ramoth-gilead?
and another sayin
a spirit, and stood
im. And the Lord said
go out, and be a lyi
And the Lord said,
so prevail: go ou
he following orders
th to war against t
elivered them into
en them
captives a beautif
at thou wouldest ha
g her home to thine
ead, and pa
e raiment of her cap
thine house, and bew
and after that thou
and, and she sh
hou have no delight i
e will; but thou shal
not make merchandise
humbl
n, and he ordered them to kill all the married women, and to take the single women "for themselves." The Lord allowed this brutal act-which included the mur
elty Of
s of Jahweh's cruelty and barbarity and
ing of Hesbon, to resist the Jews, and then "utterly d
l not reform he will "walk contrary to them in fury, and
w Bashan was utterly destroyed, me
k occur the fol
d shall bring thee i
it, and hath cast ou
and the Girgashite
and the Perizzites,
nations greater and
hy God shall delive
em, and utterly des
with them, or sho
pter xx. there are further instr
nto all the cities w
re not of the citi
these people, which
heritance, thou sha
breat
ly destroy them; nam
naanites, and the Pe
as the Lord thy God
s an example of the mercy of Jah
the pestilence cleav
from off the land,
ses
te thee with a con
nflammation, and wit
and with blasting,
rsue thee unt
is over thy head sha
under thee s
the rain of thy la
it come down upon
tro
thee to be smitten
ne way against them
alt be removed into
ea
l be meat unto all f
he earth, and no man
thee with the botc
the scab, and with t
not be
e thee with madness
ment of
e thee in all thy g
e down, wherein thou
he shall besiege t
nd, which the Lord th
he fruit of thine ow
daughters, which t
siege, and in the s
es shall di
is tender among you
il toward his brothe
ward the remnant of
leav
d in mine anger, and
all consume the ear
the foundations
fs upon them; I wil
n t
with hunger, and d
r destruction: I wil
with the poison of
nd terror within, sh
irgin, the suckling
y h
ah is based on fact. But I could, if needful, heap proof on proof, for the b
ading a God of love? Is He the Father of Christ?
error, or vanity, or desire. We tiny, vain feeblenesses, we fussy ephemera; we sting each other, hate each other, hiss at each other, for the sake of the monster gods of our own delirium. As we are whirled upon our spinning, glowing planet through the unfathomable spaces, where myriads of suns, like golden bees, gleam
esert them, for the sake of the lurid gho
ggrandisement, and slew or cursed all who offended him, is the Creator, the same
lygamy, and the debasement of women; and in the pomps, vanities, and greeds of royalty, of clericalism, and of usury and barter-we may easily discern the influence of his ferocious and abominable personality. It is time to have done with this nightmare fetish of a murderous tribe of savages
blinded by superstition, not warped by prejudice and old-time convention. This the God of Heaven? This the Father of Christ? This the Creator of the Milky Way? No. He will not do. H
He is not the King of kings, the Bible is not an inspired book, and i
ible, like the God of the Bible, are immoral savages. That is because the
pure ideal of God. We should not have found in it open approval-divine app
f a few of the Bible heroes
Moses was the meekest man the worl
the second chapte
in those days, when
s brethren, and loo
ian smiting an Hebrew
way and that way, a
slew the Egyptian, an
t the second day, b
ether: and he said
itest thou thy fell
nd a judge over us?
the Egyptian? And Mo
is thing
leaded that the Egyptian was doing wrong; but the remarks of the Hebrew suggest
laws attributed to him, in which the death penalty is
tory. The Lord commands Moses to "avenge the children of Israel of t
nst the Midianites,
they slew a
ings of Midian, bes
mely Evi, and Rekem
s of Midian: Balaam
w with t
f Israel took all
little ones, and t
all their flocks,
their cities wherei
ly castles
he spoil, and all t
f bea
with the officers
ands, and captains
om the
them, Have ye saved
the children of Israe
trespass against the
plague among the con
very male among the
hath known man
ildren that have not
ep alive for
or Mohammedan general were to behave to a Christian city as Moses behaved to
Aaron; how the earth opened and swallowed these men and their families and friends, at a hint from Moses; and how the Lord slew with fire from h
st. I shall express no opinion of the pair; bu
saw that Moses del
eople gathered them
o him, Up, make us
r this Moses, the ma
Egypt, we wot not w
o them, Break off
rs of your wives, o
s, and bring
brake off the golde
and brought t
m at their hand, an
had made it a molten
Israel, which broug
of
t, he built an altar
nd said, To-morrow i
on the morrow, and of
erings; and the peopl
and rose u
o Moses, Go, get thee
t out of the land of
mse
oses why he has done t
aron, What did this p
ght so great a
not the anger of m
le, that they ar
e, Make us gods, whi
s, the man that brou
e wot not what i
, Whosoever hath any
it to me: then I ca
came out
hat the people were
to their shame amo
the gate of the camp
t him come unto me.
themselves tog
m, Thus saith the Lo
by his side, and go
he camp, and slay ev
ompanion, and every
Levi did according t
people that day abou
his meek fath
on Solomon, the greatest of the Bible k
by the king, David lied. As to the nature of his conduct at this time, no room is left for doubt by the story of Nabal. David demanded blackmail of Nabal, and, on its being refused, set out with four hundred armed men to rob Nabal, and kill
ildren. One of his favourite wives
d Uriah from the war, and bade him go home to his wife. Uriah said it would dishonour him to seek ease and pleasure at home
ont of the battle, where the fight was hardest. And Uriah was kil
ple of his humanity. I quote from the twe
ngers to David, and
and have taken t
r the rest of the p
city, and take it:
called aft
l the people together
against it,
ng's crown from off
of gold with the pr
ead. And he brought
great ab
the people that were
r harrows of iron, a
rough the brick kiln:
e children of Ammon.
urned unto
g of it. I quote from the second chapter of the First Book of
also what Joab the son
e two captains of the
and unto Amasa the s
od of war in peace, an
was about his loins,
on hi
g to thy wisdom, and
the grave
o the sons of Barzill
that eat at thy table
because of Absa
ast with thee Shime
, which cursed me wi
to Mahanaim: but he
re to him by the Lor
th the sword. Now th
t a wise man, and know
his hoar head bring
h b
ken by King David. Joab was his best gener
as robbed, and disgraces and exiles a priest, who had been long a faithful friend to David, his father
uch wisdom, builds a temp
But it is now acknowledged that David wrote few, if any, of the Psalms, and that Solomon
nd Solomon should be glorified by Christian men and wom
le heroes is Jacob; but Abraham
other of his birthright by trading on his necessity. He fled from his brother's wrath, and went to his uncle Laban. Here he cheated his un
d he allowed Hagar and Ishmael to be driven into the desert to die. And here is
when he was come near
ai, his wife, Behold
woman to
ome to pass, when th
say, This is his wif
y will save
ou are my sister; th
nd my soul shall l
that, when Abram wa
the woman that
Pharaoh saw her, and
oman was taken int
ram well for her sa
es, and menservants,
es, and
Pharaoh and his hou
Sarai, Ab
ram, and said, What i
st thou not tell me t
is my sister? so I
herefore behold thy
y
his men concerning h
wife, and al
thing again, many years afterwards, and Abimelech King of Gerar, b
ut what are we to think of his offering his dau
rsed the whole of his sons' descendants for
depriving the Egyptians of their liberties and their land by a corner in wheat can be condoned. Jacob ro
and murderer, who in these da
were guilty of treachery and massacre. Ju
a city he murdered every man, woman, and child within its walls.
, and all Israel wi
again
d the king thereof
smote them with th
ed all the souls th
g: as he had done
e king thereof; as
and to h
he country of the hil
of the springs, and
but utterly destroy
God of Israe
m from Kadesh-barnea
y of Goshen, e
ind. After he had mocked the god Baal, and had triu
of Baal. Let not
and Elijah brought t
nd slew t
s of Baal, all of whom Elijah the
reat prophet of the Jews. I quote from the
thence unto Bethel:
me forth little chil
aid unto him, Go up,
bald
and looked on them,
nd there came forth
re forty and two
efused to pay tribute. You may read the horrible story for yourselves in the third chapter of the Second B
he man, and gets two talents of silver and some garments under false pretences. When Eli
f God: what I want to point out is that these cruel and ignorant savage
Elisha by his proper name in an average Christian
y of an "Infidel" who committed half the crimes
er shudders at the name of the "infidel," Tom Paine. But in point of honour, of virtue, of humanity, and
hated Esau. Esau was a man, and against him the Bibl
that Elijah went up in a
ven. Paul speaks of David as a "man after God's own heart"; Elijah and Moses come down from heaven
men, but that, in a book alleged to be th
barbarous kings and priests. Irreverence! It is like ch
only wish to show that these favourites of God were not admirable characters, and that therefore the Bible cannot be a divine revelation. As for animus: I do not believe
d a model of all the virtues for the emulation of innocent children in a modern Sunday school. And I think
can only accept your decision
OOK O
has many books of higher moral and literary value. It would be easy to compile, from the wor
suitable as the rule of life. The moral and intelle
, concubinage, lying and deceit, treachery, incest, murder, wars of plunder, wars of conquest, massacre of prisoners of war, massacre of women an
the sacredness of truth, does not teach religious tol
ern thought has no place in the "Book of Books." F
s the regulation of
hall not be
covers all the moralities of the Ten Commandments, and all the Ethics of the L
t this,
hich are at the sam
f ourselves, and the
And in what part of the Bible shall we find a parallel
freedom of speech, f
ren of men in thei
and Isaiah centuries
country: to do g
her "Infidel," surpass
is to be happy, the
happy is now, the w
other
simism of the King of kings. And again, Ingersoll went beyo
or ever with the ide
s, is a charity. It
mething to be done
than it is to pave
han it is to have a
se of protecting soc
sel
ngs of Pagans and Unbelievers as a
ar of morality, by i
orrible object in exi
truth? Abhor dissim
eak it: that is cowa
, to pass thy life i
sposition, even to l
y acts unjustly to
actice of religion
compassionate heart
-sacrifice. A lovin
oppress, not to de
down others; but to
Like as a mother at
y child, so also let
ngs a bounteous
s is to improve his
is guilty or guilt
r your o
contempt for death.
body? In the eye
r is to benefit one
wish them to treat
deeds, whether good
sha
n full moral stature
ce little children.
ster of sl
emy by force incre
ve and you will h
breeds
mpense-not even to
t of men, to bring
ighten those living
ces of sorrow and
sure while another
to hel
to be invaluable and indispensable to the world, must have allow
r moralist and a better man than Moses; Plato and Marcus Aurelius are wiser than Solomon; Sir Thomas
rable literary and some ethical value in Job (which is not Jewish), in Ecclesiastes (which is Pagan), in the Song of Solomon (which is an erotic love song), and in parts of Isaiah, Proverbs, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and A
tor, the maker of wheat and cotton rings, the fox-hunter, the bird-slayer, the ill-user of horses and dogs and cattle. There is nothing about "cultivating towards all beings a bounteous friendly mind," nothing about liberty of speech and conscience, nothing about the wrong of causing pain
erroneous theories of hist
stories of impossibl
s a low id
account of the relatio
internati
igious pride a
code is
rs in defence of war, slavery, religious persecution
perpetrated massacre and outrage with the bloo
witness of Moses has sent inn
he barbarities of human slavery was needed i
an
tian literature ther
volt, or that tells t
that touches the pr
ses out o
in America slavery was defended by the churches o
aw, which made us a
ity from the New T
edent by returning
ma
of Christian ministers to show the influence of the Bible
ampbell wrote: "Ther
g slavery, but many
we conclude
awder, Methodist, of
d, permitted, and re
ively instituted
hat inhuman institution was defended by the church
century a hundred thousand women were killed for witchcraft in G
urned at Como in on
burg in one year; f
months; eighty were
ine women were burn
e hanged in Suffolk
uring one session
put to death by mo
ht hundred; six hun
g; Bogult burned six
to death by the Lut
ain butchered thous
the death of four t
sentenced to death
ousand died at Treve
onths is declared t
ger places the total
Europe at nine mil
in nearly every tow
alt not suffer a wit
at kindl
he tortures for religion's sake; put to the sum the long tale of witchcraft murders; remember what slavery ha
all the finer motions of the human spirit are retarded, by the hab
place in the hands of children, and it certainly is not a fit bo
AVENLY
ble? shows very clearly the gradual evolution of the idea o
ower conception, let us
This conception credits the Supreme Being with supernal tenderness and mercy-"God is Love." That is a
re is Love, is also the All-knowing
, to create any kind of world He chose. Being a God of Love, He would
w evil to enter the world? Being All-Powerful and All-knowing, He could have excluded evil. Being good, He
, and strife and war. All life is a perpetual deadly stru
did He build a world on cruel lines? Why does He permit evil and pain to contin
o Man, to an earthly father, representing God as more benevole
. And in doing so we shall find that Christ was not justified in claiming that God is a better father to Man than Man is t
t in the great famines, as in India and Russia, God allows millions to die of starva
s, blue seas; music, laughter, love, humour; the palm tree, the h
d the black death. God has permitted famine, pestilence, and war. He has permitted martyrdom, witch-burning, slavery, massacre, torture, and human sacrifice. He has for millions of years looked do
the generations of men prayed to God for help, for co
ccour their fellow creatures. The priests and followers of God perse
rabies and consumption. But not from Burning Bush nor Holy Hill, nor by the mouth of
of men to find a way of escape from the fell destroyers of the human race; and God has allowed the piteous brutes to s
y lays its eggs under the skin of the caterpillar. The eggs are hatched by the warmth of the caterpillar's blood. They produce a brood of larvae which devour the caterpillar alive. A pretty child dances on the village green. Her feet crush creeping things: there is a busy ant or blazoned beetle, with its back broken, writhing in the dust, unseen. A germ flies from a stagnant pool, and t
myriad of God's children, and the Heavenly Father gives neither guidance n
witches. God, our Heavenly Father, has power
at the whole fabric of crime was due to the human reading of His "revelation" to man. He could have saved the women; He could have enligh
mies of poor women to be tortured an
Man to suffer? If a man had knowledge and power to prevent or to abolish war and ignorance and hunger and disease; if a man had the knowledge and the
o regard Him as a Heavenly Father, and a God of inf
That, having created us imperfect, He would punish our imperfections with everlasting torture in a lake of everlasting fire. They used to tell us that this good God allow
he Christians (some of them) have thrown
ight get along; for then the good might be ascribed to God, and the evil to the Devil. And that is what the old Persians did in
s? If God saves, who damn
the Bible, drives its votaries into weird and wonderful positions. For ex
nimal called an aye
d has five fingers.
that the middle finge
e as long as the othe
l sort of insect out
frequents. Now, how
e lengthening would
trees are 2 inches
m the ordinary lengt
other way. Where do
s in scores of othe
ite goodn
God to whom? To the animal whose special finger enables him to catch the insect? Then what about the insect?
to feed on man? What of the infinite goodness of God in teaching th
, but only the infinite foolish
ng the infinite goodness of God in giving the shark so large a mouth. The gre
and loving Heavenly Father is v
e is no longer a benevolent God to build our hopes upon; and Jesus Christ, whose glory is a newer r
th: that in face of a knowledge of life and t
derly over us, His children. He is the b
R AND
ayer and
God is just, that He is
not do justice without
happens, will He not know what is for m
, and if He is a just God and a loving Father, will He
justice unless we pray to Him; or will He giv
His grace, or for any worldly
He will give it to us if we deserve it. If we do not deserve it, or do not ne
and begged for his love or for their daily bread? He would think his childre
God answers prayer. Ho
answered prayer? As we learn more and more of the laws of
en plague struck a city, the priests marched through the streets bearing the Host, and the peopl
itious belief in prayer, and most sur
Wilfred Denver, a drunken gambler, follows a rival to kill him. He doe
don and Rugby he jumps out of the train, and, after limping many miles, goes
own and prays to God, for the sake of wi
r reads how the train he rode in caught fire, and how all th
knees, and thanks God fo
to escape from the law, has burnt to death a lot of innocent pass
in some measure. Perhaps, if a man pray for strength to resist temptation, or for guid
ll hear, or answer, but
uch of his excitement is worked off. It is so when a sick man groans: it eas
ail him, and he prays for God's help, believing that he will get it, he will walk his plank with more confidence. If he prays for help against a temptation, he is really appeal
yet I am inclined to think that it is bought too dearly at the price of a decrease in our self-reliance. I do not think it is good
for the general good, to help our weak or friendless fellow-creatures, than to pray for
a strong man value the praise of the weak? Does any man of wisdom and power care for the applause of his inferiors? We make God int
uffering in the world, it is pitiful to see the Christian millions sq
nd neglected each other, or that brother should stand by brother and sis
tian England hundreds of thousands of thieves, knaves, idlers, drunkards,
by well-fed and respectable Christians in the midst of untaught ignorance, unchecked roguery, unbridled vice, and the degradation and defilement and ruin of weak women an
erstand why Christians are not ashamed of it. To me the national affectati
TAMENT THE
THE EVIDE
nd ascended into Heaven. Archdeacon Wilson, in a sermon at Rochdale, described the divinity and Resurrection of Christ as "the cen
s in history. I hold that the evidence for the Resurrection would not be listened to
ome hundreds of millions of human beings is founded. The fact alleged is that nearly two thousand years ago God came into the world as a man, that He was known as Jesus o
important, and the evidence in proof of su
eged to have happened a thousand years ago than we should de
leged to have happened
ged fact which was outside human experience than we shou
he resurrection of a man or a God from th
nt of that fact was of great importance to millions of men and women, than we should
tion is of immense importance to
ave strong political, sentimental, or mercenary motives for proving the fact alleged, than we shou
e strong motives-sentimental, political, or merc
ding the strongest of evidence for the allege
e occurrence, the weightier sho
ptain Webb swam the English Channel,
reported in all the newspapers of the day. It is
ed years ago an Irish sailor had swum from Holyhead to New
redible record of the feat, and we cannot believe an
e statement made by the bel
millions of suns, came down to earth, was born of a woman, was crucified, was dead, wa
vidence produced in support
has seen God? No. Is there any man o
exists or that Christ exists. The most they can s
God has been seen on earth
ligions as to divine visits; and all the other rel
convinced and won over mankind without any such act. He has not convinced or won over mankind by that act. Not one-t
unreasonable, unnecessary, and futile. It is a
nature of
tthew, Mark, Luke, and John; that Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were contemporaries of C
New Testament, that any of the Apostles ever existed. We know nothing about Pau
torical evidence of the divinity of Christ, of t
ieve the tremendous story of the Resurrection, we must be show
your miracle you ha
fore a judge. Let us try to
udship. It is stated by Paul of Tars
u intend to call
o, m'lud.
ake a proper sw
of his letters are extant,
s affidavits? Are they
L: No,
Are the
L: No,
the handwriting of
They are copies; the
was Paul
e was the apostle
d to call some o
'lud. There ar
ay-how long has this shadowy wi
two thousand
Can you bring evidence to
ircumstant
tical witness who is acknowledged to have been dead for nearly two th
of resurrection was witnessed by on
is the sol
I don't k
: Cal
He is dea
Depos
L: No,
his evidence. Ca
lud. But I shall show th
old the disciples
statements of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and
e, you intend t
m'lud. He i
resurrection you will have to perform a gr
L: Yes
Who wer
-I don't k
irs, to which you allude: are
n statements, but only as statements "according to them." The statements are really copies of translat
ted, and re-copied and re-tra
do not kn
and revised by the authors?
I don't k
Don't k
e documents had ever been heard of un
nnot allow you to quote these papers. The
L: No,
sses the legal value of the evi
only value, let us now consid
SPEL W
sifting and weighing evidence, what can we
ence outside the New Testament, and the New Tes
to show that the Gospels were writte
ostle Paul was not an eye-
me Gospels were known in the first century, there is no evid
originally composed by men who knew Christ, and that these men were entirely honest and c
f the New Testament, we are bound to scrutinise those books closel
the authors of the Gospels, the Acts,
Christ; but were they? I should say Matthew certainly was not contemporary with Je
going behold some of
nto the chief priest
d when they were asse
, they gave large mon
disciples came by ni
if this come to th
d rid you of care. So
taught: and this sa
and continueth
Now, a man does not say of a report or belief that it "continueth until this day" unless that report or belief originated
, outside the New Testament, that such men as Paul,
Matthew," the Gospel "according to Mark," the Gospel "according to Luke," and the Gospel "according to John." They were, then, Gospels condensed, paraphrased,
toric record whatever. How are we to know that these men ever lived? How are we to know that they were correctly reported, if they ever spo
. Many critics and scholars deny the existence of Peter and Pau
witness is Paul. Paul does not corroborate the Gospel writers' statements as to the life
did not see Him in the flesh after He had quitted the tomb. He was not present when He ascended into Heaven. Therefore Paul is not
ve and many deny, his evidence for the
rection Christ was "seen of about five hundred persons; of whom th
Paul give the name of any one of them, nor is the testimony
ichborne well; and let us also bear in mind that many critics and scholars dispute the authorship of Shakespeare's plays, as to which strong contemporary evidence is forthcoming, and then let us ask ourselves whether we shall b
in the Gospels are full of discrepancies, and are rendere
esh and alive after His Resurrection? Did Matthew see Christ ascend into Heaven? Matthew nowhere says so. Nor is it stated by any other writer in the Testament that Ma
the incidents connected therewith differ
rs by the priests to circulate the falsehood about the stealing of Ch
that there was an earthquake when the angel rolled away the st
is it asserted that any man or
told by some woman, or women, who said they had seen an
were angels. There is not an atom of evidence that they were not men, nor
bable. But if the guard was really there, it might have been as easily bribed to allow the body
red to go to Galilee. Mark says the same. Luke says they were co
on. And it is curious, as Mr. Foote points out, that the two apostles who were supposed to have been disciples of Christ and might be supposed t
he thief on the cross: "Verily I say unto thee, to-day shalt thou be w
pel versions of the Resurrection and Ascension; but as I do no
ws anything about the matter of his own knowledge; that no one of them claims to have himself heard the story of the wom
hat Christ really had risen from the dead, and was miraculously present; we may say that the accounts of His miraculous app
on, the first essential fact to make sure of is the fact of death. Before we ar
as historical, it cannot be said that the
oss for days before they died. Now, Christ was only on the cross for a few ho
ere dead, the soldiers broke their legs
n this wounding with the spear. Neither do they allude to the other story told by John, as to the scepticism of Thomas, and his putting his hand in
roof of death, for John adds that there issued from the wound blood
e cross, it was not examined by any doctor, but was
emember, we are dealing with probabilities in the absence of any exact knowledge of the facts, and consider which is more probabl
there is no evidence at all that Christ was God. Prove that Christ was God, and therefore that He was
te. But is there any reason to regard the Gospel stories of the death, Resurrection, and Ascension on of Christ as historical? I say that we have no sur
ad man, or a madman. There is no fourth alternative possible." That is a strange statement to make, but it is an exampl
the Son of God, and one with God, we should
tive" open to us. For we might say that the person who reported his speech to us had misunderstood him, which would
ings come to us through several hands, and through more than one translation. It
d Ascension of Christ. Many worthy people may suppose that in denying the fac
write them, they probably accepted them at second or third hand. With the best faith in the world, they may not have been competent j
ther ancient documents, what internal evidence do they a
f in miracles impossible. When we speak of the antagonism between religion and science, it is this fact which we have in our mind: that scienc
xley
stens with devout att
er a witch to live,"
sically absurd, a ch
some old woman; th
ubstituted exorcism
but a short tenure o
lity of prayers for
and an outbreak of
but to the drains. In
arms, and Te Deums
talions and keeping
ence of warfare; in
e, as in all other
m, Laborare est or
the only acceptabl
ernature or not, our b
w Arnold, in Literature and Dogma, after saying that we shall "find ourselves inevitably led, sooner or later," to extend one rule to all miraculous stories, and that "the considerations which apply in other cases apply, we shall most su
Ascension of Christ "independent of miracles," we destroy those accounts completely. To make the Re
r disbelieve in the Resurrecti
of any document in proportion to the element of the miraculous which that document contains. The fact that t
ninth hour," and when He dies, "behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake; and the rocks were rent; and the tombs were opene
the earthquake, and the rising of the dead saints from the tombs. Luke tell
nother word from Matthew on the subject. The dead get up and walk into the city, and "are seen of many," and we are left to wonder what happened to the risen saints, and what effect their astounding apparition had upon the citizens who saw them. Did
h chapter of the first volume of Gibbon's Decline and
cuse the supine ina
d to those evidences
otence, not to their
age of Christ, of H
es, the doctrine wh
erable prodigies.
were healed, the dea
e laws of Nature were
the Church. But the
om the awful spectac
of life and study,
n the moral or physi
n of Tiberius the who
e of the Roman Empir
ess of three hours.
o have excited the w
all mankind, passed
history. It happene
der Pliny, who must
or received the ear
these philosophers,
great phenomena of
nd eclipses, which
llect. But the one
the greatest phenom
ss since the creat
f Pliny is designe
e and unusual durat
bing the singular d
r of Caesar, when,
e orb of the sun app
son of obscurity, w
eternatural darkness
ated by most of the
memora
nor scientist mentioned the rending of the veil of the temple, nor the rising of the saints fro
ce of Mark, Luke, and John, what are we to think of the testimony of Matthe
aculousness of the s
the more does the te
ting, the more does t
l us we are in wonder
wn by Mary Magdalene
in another form, a
with him to Emmaus a
His most intimate ap
lee; and presently
gnitions getting ass
final commissions,
f the two to call th
ity and good faith
which they themselv
nd growing un
is placed. What was the "time spirit" in the day when this legend arose? What was the attitude of the general mind towards the miraculous? To what stage of knowledge and science
RIT IN THE F
more doubt than a story emanating from people possessing a knowledge of science, and
smile; a statement of some occult mystery made by a Huxley or a Da
the less credible form of statement. They emanated from a credu
n demons and angels, and in all manner of miracles and supernatural agents. We have only to read the Scriptures to see that it was so. But I shall quote here, in support of my asserti
riod not only belie
of controlling the c
e was possessed by mul
nd evil. Where the p
old the direct Agency
y have interposed an
in the wonderful tr
would condemn the
or the inhuman temp
olical possession. S
committed, which w
these myriad demon
ising their malice i
ins o
hn Lightfoot, D.D., Master
nly be observed: (1)
as given to magical
given to an easine
s beyond measure..
ish nation were more
on, or with supersti
eople upon earth that
they; (2) there was
more used, or were
exorcisms, and all k
a people destitute of the very rudiments of science, as science is understood to-day-it is from this people that the unr
we, on the evidence of such a people, to belie
now. Some of us believe, or persuade ourselves that we be
physical science, are steeped in superstition, or are abjectly subservient to the authority of priests or fakirs. Scientific knowledge and freedom of thought and speech
such cases that the believers have been mentally marred by the baneful authority of the Church. Let a person once admit into his
e of "faith." I mean, then, the deadly principle that we are to
ey are inspired by God. When we ask who says that the Gospels are inspired by God, we are told that the Church says so. When we ask how the Church knows, we a
Carpenter wro
ness lately to inqu
f the individuals w
urrences. I cannot-
regard to that mental
it all fits in per
s studies upon the s
strange to be belie
ir judgment to the e
common sense tells us
y important statement without proof.
is discussion I would, if I could, avoid the imputation of dishonesty to any person concerned in the foundation or adaptation of the Christian religion. But I am b
he accepted canon are regarded as of doubtful origin. In the third place, certain passages of the Gospels have been relegated to the margin by the translators of the Revised Version of th
r known there has been a great deal of fraud and forgery and deceit. I do not say this with any bitterness, I do not wish to emphasise it; but I must go so far
ing on this s
hich was current in
he Platonists, and
s very early recogni
them numerous patro
iness to deceive, wit
were deserving rathe
cen
unto His Glory, why yet am I also judged as a sinner?" I do not for a moment suppose that Paul ever wrote those words. But they are given as his in the Epistle bearing his name. I daresay they may
e Church of the fifth
ose who did not blu
s on the great men
elf and His Apostle
cils and in their bo
thorities against au
, in this century, o
eful fi
s still more st
ion than that of ina
st the writings whic
ry. There can be no d
ritten with no other
ltitude who at that
e Christia
Milma
avowed that to decei
service as to ha
p Fel
the Church, so exte
ulous were the peop
ransactions was g
f the newly-published Amer
ns are true, that p
fly by falsehood, i
y characterise as f
urths of the early
s European Morals, writes in th
t that must be ass
rly apologetic lite
n; and no impartial
merable grotesque an
rse of the Middle Ag
as undoubted facts,
s, and the discussion
serve the complete a
ians have displayed
their opponents, or
ration that can tell
g how serious and ho
which makes it so u
nd impartial thinker
erder) to declare,
istian veracity" des
"Punic
think it necessary. It is sufficient to show that forgery was common, and has been always common, amongst
nts rests the whole f
or Huxl
othing more than a f
ls existed, in the s
version of the Bibl
r words, sixty or se
d between that time
cripts of the Gospe
alterations and int
said that this is a
l more. As competent
ve felt compelled to
even since the date
dest two copies of
e of the sixteenth c
rious, and it is note
not hesitated to i
s His disciples tha
st out
"rejected to the m
hat touching apologu
the woman taken in
ere an infallible g
pical example of th
ers, pitilessly, "
John vii. 53-viii
k himself this qu
ent of the canon of
the fourth or fift
e skill and the au
polations as these,
thought of a canon;
regarded as more
may have existed in
ry? Or, to take th
ally settled the c
hich have come down
their authority, w
tency as criti
e certain that any particular text is genuine, and this circumstance mil
NITY BEF
nearly all the principal events of that life had previously happened in the
at record would seem to us more plausible than it will seem if we discover proof that other and earlier gods have been fab
t is mythical in one narrative may be mythical in another; that if one god is a myth another god may be a myth; that if 400,000,000 of Buddhists have been deluded, 200,000,000 of Christian
re-act the adventures of earlier and spurious gods; nor would His divine teachings be mere shreds and patches m
that there are hardly any acts of Christ's which may not be paralleled by acts attributed to mythical gods before His advent; that there are hardly any impo
otes the following passage from
id, "This is in our
know and also fol
it is affirmed in
e sacred thing itse
sacred thing whic
existed in ancient
the beginning of
ame in the flesh, wh
ed came to be calle
urrection and ascen
ach and many believed
e first called Chr
is is in our time the
ot exist in earlier
received this p
Christian historian, Mr.
Christian religio
be lawful to test
n to the
uddha and Buddhism, quo
ative mythology ar
reeds grow slowly u
nd as if by magic.
nite. A great India
evades us; their e
y the m
talk of "pre-Adamite man," and it will still, by many, be he
tles, and the rites and mysteries of the Christian Church can all be paralleled by similar
opular idea at the time when the Gospels were written. In the Old Testament God makes many visits to the earth; and the insta
God. But the idea of a son-god is very
ded from a line of kings. But the idea of a king's son as
virgin. But many heroes before Him wer
while His parents were on a journey. But this also
very many kings, kings' sons, son-gods, and
n. But thousands and thousands of men before Him had been slain as sacrifi
rom the dead. But that had bee
ended into Heaven. But thi
all the gods and saints of all the older r
t from Heaven, a new message of salvation. B
and peace and good-will to all men. But this ethic ha
ath from Saturday to Sunday. Su
rthday, of Apollo, the Sun God-and had been from time immemorial the birthday of the sun gods in all religions. The Eg
ists and the Egyptians had Holy Trinities long before. But whereas the Christian Trinity is unre
e, "Do unto others as you would that they should do unto you." Bu
s very strong evidence that the Lord's Prayer was used before Christ's time, and still stronger evidence that the Sermon on the
ing God by offering Him the sovereignty of the earth-when God had already the sovereignty of twenty milli
human or animal "scapegoat" had power to purify or to save, the idea that a king or a king's son should expiate the sins of a tribe by his death, and the idea that a g
ha are surprising: so also are the resemblances of forms a
d Buddhism, makes the following
ts of contact betwee
f Christ, the almost
s given to the worl
the human race, the
of the Buddhists and
en a disciple, sugg
rimitive Ch
s B.C., and that fifty years after the death of Christ there existed in Palestine
ent rites: baptism,
of bread." Each had
nts. Each sect had m
Each interpreted t
tical, in fact, tha
oody sacrifice of Mo
ost minute likeness
two sects by all C
et Racine... Was t
ects? It is difficu
wo answers to
y simply. The Buddhists had been instructed by the Devil, and there was no more to be said. Later
s in its prime two hundred years before Christ, the Christian apologist replies that, for all
blance between the Christian life of Christ and the Indian life of Buddha; and the
n the Gospels, it is just possible that the Buddhis
f the mythologies of Egypt and Greece and Rome. And it is as certain that the Christians did borrow from the Jews as that the
ians, the Romans, and the Greeks, why should we suppose that they were copied
any appreciable impression on India or China, there is good reason to suppose that the Buddhists, who were the fi
d by Mr. Lillie. M. Burnouf asserts that the Ind
full light by the re
scholars, and by t
point of fact, for
e resemblances-or,
in Christianity a
and most sincere piet
y these analogies
e then the science o
, and proved that B
us and Jesus. Thus
But a thing may be
vation. So the probl
n the pathway that
step from Ind
ods, son-gods, and saviours before Christ. There were Bibles, hymns, temples, monast
cannibalism. Prehistoric man believed that if he ate anything its virtue passed into his physical system. Therefore he began by devouring his gods, body and bones. Later, man mended his manners so far as to substitute animal for huma
e as I have stated them above,
istorian, and of St. Augustine, the great Christian Father, that the Christian religion is no new thing, but was known to the ancients, and does it not seem most reaslarge as the present volume. As I have not room to state the case properly, I shall content mys
ese books I
ugh. Frazer.
Christianity. Rob
e Idea of God. Gran
Buddha and Buddhi
d. Parsons
Mythology. Robe
s. Robertson
f Perseus. H
f Jesus. So
y and important books, and
, with regard to the divinity a
w Testament there i
Christ ever lived,
er rose fr
of the New Testame
s loaded with my
o not contain a wo
the fact that Chri
of any eye-witness
ife and qui
ched the Resurrecti
d not see Him arise
m ascend i
upports the Gospel
nd tea
of mixed and doubtf
olation and tamperin
a number of other G
accepted a
e is no real evidenc
esurrection of Chri
show that the Gosp
gends and o
the stories of the miraculous birth and Resurrection of Christ a
CES OF CHRIS
ty and Resurrection as true. The first of these reasons is, the success of the Chr
was God, what does the success of the Buddhist religion pr
God? Was
ligion. But if the spread of a faith proves its miracles to be true, wh
ianity. So did Buddhism. To-day the numbers
t: 450
s, of which only 180 mi
200 mi
ans: 160
gion is older than Christianity, and h
that the Buddhist faith owed a great deal to the fact that King Asoka made it the State religion of a great kingdom, a
t: that the divinity of Christ is proved by th
g statement, for he says that type of characte
e to account f
as spiritual, as gentle, as pure, and
was wiser, more tolerant, more hum
bid slavery; nowhere did they forbid religious into
s of King Asoka was a higher and sweeter type than the
vine? Does it prove that the Buddhist faith is the only true f
Christianity to be true. A most amazing argument. The fact that a man dies for a faith does no
t prove that Christianity was not true? Did the Protestant martyrs pr
t men and women. Does that prove that Christ was divine? No: it only pr
, the author of Buddha and Buddhism? Speaking of the astoni
ected by moral means
igion guiltles
ks wrought by their religion. They are silent about the
ood upon its hands. I submit another ver
of the achievements of
Bhikshus tha
priestly tyranny that
his attack, and the f
India for a t
of caste was assa
the first time ass
onsidered a chattel an
nsidered man's equal,
iritua
her with the knife of
ror, was rigi
time in the religious
itual life of the ind
on by body
eligious propagandism
two great instrument
prea
rsecution; taught temperance, chastity, and humanity; and invented the h
ems to me to prove that Arc
RELIGION WHAT
ongregationalist Sunday schools. But since then I have read many books, and pamphlets, and sermons, and articles intended to explain what Christianity is, and I begin to think there are as many
all these variants, no
most I can pretend to
which all or many Chri
lieve in a Supreme B
They all believe t
and our Heav
tians believe
ve that Man has sinned
eve that Jesus Christ
and that without Chr
e meaning of the terms
ve conflicting or
ieve in the immortali
early all, believe i
ent or
ans believe tha
ieve that after crucif
d ascended
ieve, or think they be
pra
eve in a Devil; but he
of a
eliefs I s
s not a loving Heavenly Father, who answers p
r is not a God, but I deny that there is a
e Will Man could not sin against God, and
ee Will, and possibility o
ry to Man's "salvation," Christia
cessary to Man's salvati
e soul. I know nothing about the soul, and no ma
ur doctrines I will
d, some forty years ago. As that religion seems to be stil
uman race. He was created by God, in the likene
o angry with Adam for his sin that He condemned him and all his
orrible torment in Hell, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, down on earth t
ptised would go to Heaven. All who did not believe on Him, or were
istians believe to-day. That is the old religion of the Fall, of "Inherite
and the serpent, and the hell of fire, but retains the "F
to be God Himself, come down to win back to Himself Man, who had estranged himsel
, old and new, see
short way, with the new
how is it that nineteen centuries aft
is children) wished to forgive us the sin Adam committed ages before we were bor
believe in Him lead bad lives, while many of the best men and women of
) died to win back Man to Himself, i
has persistently and anxiously sought for God, and has served Him, a
od made him; could only act as God enabled him, or constructed him to act,
nce, God is responsible for Man's act.
t of Free Will, and of the need for Christ
he old idea of the F
research, and scientific criticism have disposed of Adam. Adam was a m
we believe in a Fall? When did Man fall? Was it before he ceased to be a monkey, or after? Was it
"Fall." Evolution pr
s a Fall, why should
n, that He allowed Man to develop slowly from the speck of protoplasm in the sea. That at some period of Man's gradual evolution from the brute, G
ect creature, an unfinished work, a building still
ment assume that he was from the first a finished
he Curse, and the Atonement is again
d suppose it to contain millions of millions of suns. Our sun is but
n of the apes that He condemned them all to Hell for two score centuries, and then could only appeas
s never sinned against God. In fact, the whole of this old Christian doctrine is a mass of error. There was no creati
But if, having the power to make Man incapable of sin, God made Man so weak a
to righteousness, and I trained him to w
ct, but chose rather to create a child who was by nature a cr
r All-powerful God, who is Love," would first cre
d so punish man, could you
r," who but He is respo
ponsible, how can Man
cal and unreasonable, the old doctrine
implies that man should not be punished or rewarded according to
moral, to make the go
is sinless? Such a doctrine-the doctrine of Salvation for Chris
e can merit pardon, nor atone for wrong. If, having done wrong, I repent, and a
l not cancel that wrong. An act
her my remorse nor his forgiveness will make the hand grow again. And i
ly when He pardons for Christ's sake. Christ acts unjustly when He asks that pardon be granted for his sake. If one
tonement, but I forgive him." Nor would it be just for you to forgive him because another son of yours was willing to be punished in his ste
or all eternity. Let this awful thought keep us just. It is more moral an
willing to suffer for another man's sin only counts to the merit of Christ, and does not in any way diminish
rong, and if the other offered to endure a flogging i
forgive James because John had been unjustly flogged would be to assert that because John wa
reason and to justice: it i
ERM
SIN AGAI
s that Man could not and
f Determinism, and I
Man's existence, God is
ys God is our Ma
the quality or powers o
sible, for it did not make itself. But
oice in the creation of his own nature, Man cannot be held answerable for the quali
qualities and powers of Man's nature, and
foundation of the doctrine of Free Will.
an chose evil, therefore Man is
ll. The will, then, came from God, a
hristian says, is th
hoose" is of God's mak
has no power of choice but the power God gave him. Then, Man can only choose by
chooses evil by means of the
od makes for evil, it follows that Man must cho
hoice God gave Man is a p
e good because his only powe
t his power of choice, Man cannot b
s, who gave Man a power of c
y use the power God gave him, and can only use th
a faculty, like the faculty of speech or touch. The word will is
When a man chooses between two acts we say that he "exercises his will"; but the fact is, that one motive weighs down the other, and causes the balance of the mind to
ication more than he loves his self-respect, he will drink. If the reasons in favour o
tives. Motives are born of the brain. Therefo
ible for the action of the brain; therefore
for the action of the will. The
kind of separate soul, a "little cherub who
a separate soul or faculty called the will governs the
tly blamed for the
, did not select the cherub, an
n. Therefore God alone is responsible for the acts
for galloping to Monte Carlo? The horse must obey the rider.
and the will followed the beckoning
Adam was made perfect, and that he f
He fell because the
en, the woman had power to overcome Adam's will. As the
made Eve? God made her. Who made
ve seductive, and the Serpent subt
ll than he, or that the Serpent should have a stro
to resist Eve. He could have made Eve strong enough to re
new that Adam and Eve must fall. And if God knew they must fall, how could Ad
own materials, to His own design, and kne
equal to double the bearing strain, how cou
subtle, Eve seductive, and Adam weak, and then damned the whole human
but upon it depends the entir
cannot sin against God, there is no foundation for the d
or all Man's acts, the Old Testament is not true, the New
you will always find that they grew out of the theory of Free Will, and the
, so in Christ are all made whole." If
on the cross, "Father, forgive the
for their acts, and did not know any better. But if they kne
eterminist theory again,
Man's existence, God is
alk about his freedom of choice. But they
do. He knew that Man could do nothing but what God had enabled him to
could have made a man who would be strong enough to resist tem
to the test to which God meant to subject him, surely God could n
e succumbed to temptation. God made Man of His own
God blame Man for
d not made him, Man could never have been, and could never have acte
n was the cause: and God was responsible for the cau
im. Man could not advise nor control God so as to influence his own nature. Man coul
. I am where You put me. You knew when You made me how I should act. If You wished me to act otherwise, why did You not make me differently? If I have displeased You,
hat is only saying that one human thought will outweigh ano
It is not the fault of the short man that he
ill to jump. He can jump over a five-barred
l to resist temptation, but though he may clear
thematically fixed at his birth as ar
the planet, is responsib
nus and Mars upon the Earth, so must the natural forces created by
of Eve than the Earth is blameworthy for deviating in its course
, and therefore no Fall. God, whose act is responsib
an's existence, God is resp
d it until it bit him, would not his parents as
uld bite if it were teased, and if the boy brought the dog in a
adder out of the dust, knowing the adder would bite, and then played with the adder
ld God blame M
with surprise, "Do you really mean that no man is, under any
ircumstances, be justly blamed for anything he may say or do. That is one of
justly blamed for anything he says or does, there is a
, there is a beginning of law and order, and
e may not condemn his acts. Nor that because we do not blame
between good men and bad, that I lump Torquemada, Lucrezia Borgia, Fe
maniac, and Torquemada as a religious maniac. I do not blam
r to mental disease. I do not hate the man who calls me an infidel, a liar, a blasphemer, or a
had saluted had not saluted him in return, the father of philosophy replied: "It is an odd thing that if you had met a
ist in his brain? If we pity a man with a stiff wrist, why not the man with a stiff pride? If we pity a man with a weak
we neither hate nor blame a criminal
sinful than the lady who eats a shrimp. We do not blame the maniac who burns a house down and brains a policeman, nor the mad d
er of State, nor a hypocritical politician: it pities such poor creatures. Yet the Clarion
the tiger; but if he endeavoured to make his dinner off our b
our vines. The blight is doing what we do: he is trying to live.
Dangerous men must be restrained. In cases where they attempt to kill and maim innocent and us
reck a street and murder inoffensive strangers, and yet h
g he does it because he knows no bette
for he did not make his nature, nor did he make
of his birth he has had nothing to do with the formation of his character. As Professor Tyndall says, "that was done for him, and not by him."
at birth, and exactly the nature of the influences to which he would be e
fluences, the result will be as mathematically
onment modifies his nature: environment consists of the operation of forces external to his nature. No man can select his a
horses, and not from the worst. He will tell you
ood companions rather than with bad companions. He will tell you
hall be bred; environment re
heredity and environment have made him. Neither is
has happened to awake his remorse. Someone has told him of t
is because some evil influence has corrupted him
nvironment, both might have been journalists; with baser heredity, or more vicious enviro
that has kept George Bernard Shaw out of a shovel hat and gaiters, and condemned some
arents has a better start in life than the child bor
l palace is at a great disadvantage in comparison with the child happily born am
, born in a thieves' den, and dragged up
n the Cannibal Islands he would never have written As You Like It; had Tor
lism. Well! It seems to me to be tru
nism, which some think must prove so maleficent, and the Chris
on the euphonium, or to contract a baneful habit of reciting "Curfew shall not Ring" at evening parti
denounce the offender's conduct, b
e acts. We do not blame men; we try to teach th
pted method. I shall try to convince you that it is also
(1) Bill Sikes beats his wife; (2
d be the orthodox method of
nd the man in the street would say Bill Sikes w
es had committed a crime, and that he o
in the practical results of the two methods. But that i
will, I hope, agree with me that their results will not be
l Sikes had a free will to choose between right and wrong, and, ha
s what heredity and environment have made him; and that he is not responsible for hi
or the Christian would blame Bill Sikes, and no one but Bill Sikes. But th
Christian, blaming only Bill Sikes, because he had a "free will," would punish
cated, nor morally trained, has been exposed to all kinds of temptation, the fault is tha
an-who is a victim of evil social conditions. The Determinist condemns the evil conditions. It is the difference betwe
minists' protest against the evil social conditions. Perhaps not. L
n. It goes no further than the denunciation of the peer, and the r
t blame him for being what he is. We can only blame his environment. There must be something wrong with a social system which permi
would be followed by the u
, in the case of Sikes and the peer, that the logic of the
it, and I am now going to te
his wisdom into action, b
elming majority who will not touch t
bad system, and helps to keep the bad system in full wor
r the Christian religion, you have only to imagine what would happen if the Dete
ible remedies beyond personal denunciation, the prison, and a few coals and blankets, the Determinist method would result in the abol
e, and the Christian does not. It is because the Determ
le the Christian puts all the wrongs which society perpetrates against the individual, and all t
a mistake. As I have indicated above, a good many evils now rife would cease, because then we should attack the evils, and not the victims of the evils. But it is ab
the fact that environment is so powerful for evil suggests that it is powerful for good. If man is what he is made
w that I can make myself better or worse if I try. I know that becau
tians to open schools and to found charities. But as a Determinist I am bound to say that there ought to be no such things in the
at God gave him, and there
dity and environment have given hi
r the results of heredity and environm
e action of his ancestors and socie
ponsible for his actions,
Man's existence, God is
e Will and human responsibility to God is
f impossibilities erected
ill from their consciousness of continually exercising the "powe
courses. So you have, but that power is limit
oose the one you like best, and you will like best the one which your nat
is not. You may think you have power
your sense of duty a
-Socialist paper. But I know I have not that power. My nature (here
dress and a grey one, and if you knew the lady very
offered a bribe to do a dishonourable ac
much free whisky as he could drink, you w
ing a choice of action to be presented to him, and if you were clever enough to work such a difficult problem, you could fo
your heredity and environment compel you to choose. And y
LOGIES CHRIST
he truth of Christianity is proved, they say, by its endurance and by its p
e, for the simple reason that those
e nominal support of the World's Newspaper Press. They have behind them the traditions of eighteen centuries. They have formidable allies in the shape of whole schools of philosophy and whole libraries of eloq
d. Rationalists' books and papers are boycotted. The Christians will not listen, will not reason, will not, if they can prevent it, allow a
be, that many of its assailants are in their graves, but that some of them are yet alive, and there are more to follow. But the combat is very unequal. If the Rationalists could for only a few years have the support of the Crowns,
t cease to sigh for whirlwinds, and
ligion has done wonders for the world;
e should take account of the evil as well as the go
origin and truth of their religion
good. Mr. G. K. Chesterton, while defend
itted crimes so monst
t them i
an refute th
they reply that those evils were wrought by false Christianity, that they were co
lea as to real and false Christianity, instances the
ord, if he has any
inished his tirade
n Greenwich Observat
cientific quack, on
azers in
aplace or the theory of Copernicus would be reviled as an "Infidel." Let us suppose that the Astronomer Royal claimed infallibility, not only in matters astronomical, but also in politics and morals. Let us suppose that for a thousand years the astrological-astronomical holy government had whipped, imprisoned, tortured, burnt, hanged, and damned for everlasting every man, woman, or child who dared to tell it any new truth, and that some of the no
of cruel persecution of the finest human spirits for fifteen centuries, can anyone believe for a moment that Christians would heed the excuse that the founders of Socialism had no
ialist, or from a Mohammedan? Would a Liberal accept it
e good deeds, and to avoid responsibility
t is the assumption that it is wicked to doubt the accepted faith and the presumption that one religion ought to r
hat lights and fans and feeds the fire. Were all the people in the world of one, or of no, religion to-day, there would be no Jews mur
he supernatural element that breeds the fury. It is the feeling that their religion is divine and all other religions wicked:
good influences of Christ's ethics, and the evil
some moral lessons I admit. But some of the finest and most generally admired of those lessons do not appear to have been spoken by Christ, and for
guide for mankind, is unsatisfactory. For it is based
at all the genius, all the experience, all the discovery and research; all the poetry, morality, and science of the entire huma
were evil. But Christ's message, as we have it in the Gospels, is neither clear nor sufficing, and has been obscured, and, at times almost obliterated, by the pomps and casuistries of the schools and churches. And just as it is difficult to discover the actua
ITY AND C
fend. Every good Liberal knows that bad harvests are due to Tory government. Every good Tory knows that his Party alone is to thank for the glorious certainties that Br
condition of the masses, to Free Trade. Things are better than they were f
he cheap post and telephones; about education and better facilities of travel; about the Factory Acts and Truck Act
humane, the Christians tell us, than any human beings ever were before us. A
rs, the Times newspaper, the Underground Railway, the Adventur
, Newton, Herschel, Hunter, Laplace, Bacon, Descartes, Spencer, Columbus, Karl Marx, Adam Smith; the reforms and heroisms and artistic genius of Wilberforce, Howard, King Asoka, Washington, Stephen Langton, Oliver Cromwell, Sir Thomas
cient Greeks and Oriental Wisdom, and the world's Press count for nothing in the moulding of the nation
lars that we must look for counsel and reform: such secular aid is useless, and we shall be
aws, there were ruthless oppression and insolent robbery of the poor, there were black ignorance and a terror of superstition, there were murderou
t times. Why did Christianity with its spiritua
form. The Church was the enemy of popular freedom, the enemy of popular
gradual spread of humane feelings and the light of knowledge; just as similar iniquities we
le. In America, England, and Germany, where the authority of the Church is less rigid and the religion is nearer Rationalism, the people are more prosperous, more intelligent, and less superstitious. So, again, the rule of the English Church se
in the world. But the French are a clever people, and since their Revolution have not taken their reli
n the form of religion they profess, but upon their native energy and intel
religious peoples the most backward. And this is a strange commentary upon the claim of the Christians,
ANITY A
taught a religion of humanity and universal brotherhood before the Christian era; and not only taught the
d by means of the sword, and the rack, and the thumb-screw, and the faggot; and the B
ity on books. Their testimony is written upon the rocks. N
the State religion of Rome. In the year 251 B.C., King Asoka inscribed his earliest rock edict. The other edicts from which I shall quote were all cut more than two centuries before our
f King Asoka conta
e things [of this lif
t less so is the la
e who would be a pr
God, who is the worth
Tenth R
s little profit, bu
virtue. To toil for
ince, unless by a su
a
m the Fourt
d of the Devas, val
For this alone has
sons and our grandso
not think that con
quests. Let them see
nquests alone are the
ict No.
t refectory and temp
evas, many hundred
r the sake of food
ds again and again t
mal shall be
ond Edi
ast possible harm, i
of pity, love, truth
religion
nth Ed
tes, but kindness to
nerable persons, sel
... these and simil
ich ought indeed
hth Edi
ractice of religio
ness, purity, gen
xth Ed
are of all people a
st w
uli Edi
to slavery and ill
elivered by the king
n in this country
containing the com
great
uch wisdom, mercy, and purity two centuries before Christ
says of K
rce in the matter of
ty towards prisoners
the sword into a pru
n, Fichte in their
the all
and purity of life, founded hospitals, forbade blood sacrifices, and in
the Buddhists sent out mis
orrower from the other-B
st, King Asoka had cut up
riety of prayer for
ey, following after
nal salvation. And
bitants of this wor
erit resulteth from s
ict
ns to rise to that level of wisdom and char
existed among forms of life very much earlier and lower than
in his Confessions of Faith of
this maxim has alw
thical instinct it
imal ancestors. It
s of apes and other
with wider scope, it
e communities and am
ages. Brotherly lo
n, and the like-ha
egarious animals as
tinued existence o
h at a later period
ons of society came
st prehistoric source
he social instincts
dogs, horses, elepha
es (ants, bees, term
relations and duties
iving together in or
an also been the mos
tual and mo
its influence has deepened and spread. From the love of the animal for its mate, from the love of parents for their young, sprang the ties of kindred and the loyalty of friendship; and these in time developed into t
or prophet. For countless ages universal brotherhood has existed among the bison,
the reader to two excellent books, The Martyrdom of Man, by Winwood
of love, and mercy, and goodwill to men. That is a grea
the latter I will deal briefly. For a fuller statement, please see the R.P.A. sixpenny e
ey's argument was to
unt. That Luke gives no Sermon on the Mount, but gives what may be called a "Sermon on the Plain." That Luke's sermon differs materially
nclusion is
cento of sayings a
ible to say-to Jesus
might be, records of
ce he thought likelie
ter saw no harm in co
ken, and putting the
s; and I presume that
ve been grievously as
is following the exam
ible t
ment, from the Talmud, and from the recently-discovered Teaching of the Twelve Apostle
takes an attitude towar
s expr
preached at all. It is
ount is a myth. The n
sonable to suppose t
in to speak to them f
n-myth of the Sun God
nother sun-myth, and
Zo
the alleged sermon th
lleged u
might say that he who took flowers from a score of gardens and arranged them into one bouquet produced a new effect o
few pre-Chri
h your neighbours to be to
rds others as you desire
meet with goodness, the not-good
ot cease by hatred at any t
ve happily, not hatin
ollowing Jewish anticipat
and seek it
better to be persecu
n sins?-To him who him
njuries without ret
fied and do not repl
t evils with joy; i
he says the friend
e sun in all
ked we should hat
compassiona
bour when you have n
ges his neighbour sha
G
hat which it would b
that is the main par
only com
estament come
ek to him that smite
y neighbour as thy
spirit shall obtain
nherit the land
r universal brotherhood, did not originate the ideal human character: but checked civilisation, resisted all enlightenment, and
edom, liberty of conscience, and knowledge. These bl
olars, scientists, travellers, inventors, discoverers, authors, poets, philanthropists, rebels, sceptics, and ref
ercely to defeat the advance of humanity, after slaying and cursing the noblest sons and daughters of the ages, the defeated Christians now claim to
ialist, I join my voice to the indig
SS OF CHR
y are proved by the marvellous success of that religion. Bu
ism was made possible by the act of King Asoka in adopting it as the State Religion of his vast Indian kingdom, was the rise of Chri
lot with the ruling powers. It throve because it came with the tempting bribe of Heaven in one hand, and the witherin
ge, and putting a merciless veto on free thought and free speech, and by rewarding philosophers and discoverers with the faggot and t
Motley, the American historian, states that Torquemada, during eighteen years' command of the Inquisition, burnt more than ten
ruments of torture were in use. For some twelve centuries the Holy Church carried out this inhuman policy. And to this day the term "free thought" is a term of reproach. The shadow of the fanatical priest, that half-demented coward, sneak, and assassin, still blights us. Although that holy monster,
-this story, possessed a certain homely beauty and sentimental glamour which won the allegiance of many golden-hearted and sweet-souled men and women. These lovely natures assimilated from the chaotic welter of beauty and ashes called the Christian religion all that was pure, and rejected all that was foul. It was the
r virtue, and their zeal, and their illumination of its better qualities, and charitable an
n of the brilliant, brave, and strenuous races in the world
ir international politics guided by the Sermon on the Mount? Are their noblest and most Christlike men and women most revered and honoured? Is the Christian religion loved and respected by those outside its pale? A
ruit, the Christian religion has s
then, is the saving grace, the compelling power, of this divine religion, which, pl
ing and trimming; after all this prodigal waste of blood and tears, and labour and treasure, and genius
lure proves the Christian religion
PROP
Hundreds of books-perhaps I might say thousands of books-have been written upon these
in the Old Testament. That the Jews had many prophecies of a Jewish Messiah is certain. But these are indefinite. There is not one of them which unmistakably applies to J
self as to His second coming. That prophecy at le
anner that He would return from Heaven with power and
ou, this generation
things be
ay be read in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. They
d prophecies from the Old and New Testa
l come in glory with all His angels befo
Christ uttered His prop
LITY OF RELI
n if it were so, that would show a universal spiritual hunger;
kind, who have never read Bible nor Gospel, who never attended any place of worship; and they are virtuous and cou
y Christian, yet to them Heaven and Hell are meaningless abstractions; God
ree from spiritual hunger. As they are free from spiritual hunger, I concl
ill exclaim, "take away the belief in the Bible, and the service of Go
rselves, and the belief in your fello
sum of happiness on earth. And as for the Hereafter-no ma
blood and fire, to the academic Bishop reconciling science and transfiguring crude translations in the dim religious light of a cathedral, all the apostles of the Nazarene ca
unreasonable to assert that any theology or any saviour is indispensable. He realises that a man may be good and happy in any church, or outside any church. He cannot admit tha
be valid, men cannot be good, nor happy, cannot be saved, ex
is final evidence that Christianity is true." Another tells me that "In Christ alo
s can live well, nor die well, nor bear sorrow and pain with fortitude, d
Christians, and there are none so abjectly afraid of death as Christians are. The Pagan, the B
stians are gloomy with the fears of de
e Viking went to death as to a reward, or as to the arms of a bride. Compare the writings of Marcus Aurelius and of Jeremy
millions of men and women to-day who are not Christians. Do they live worse o
do not believe in the divinity of Christ; we do not pray, nor feel the need of prayer; we do not fear God, nor Hell, nor death. We are as ha
fifty millions of Buddhists. How do they bear
and loving-kindness are not in the exclusive gift of the Chri
es? Were there no virtuous, nor happy, nor noble men and women during all the millions of years before the Crucifixion? Was there neith
Christian churches? Amongst the eight hundred millions of human beings who do not know
w of death? I beg to say we are nothing of the kind. We are quite easy and contented. There is
d, that He is the only Saviour, I must answer sharply that I do not believe that, and I do not think you believe it deep down in your he
lieved that; but
in this world, and shall be as well hereafter, with a goo
ishment you think will be inflicted, here or herea
ou claim that Christ is the Saviour of all manki
sessed? These men had wisdom, courage, morality, fortitude, love, mercy. Can you find in all the world t
then there is some logic in your belief that Christ is our only Saviour. But that is to believe that there never was a good man before Chris
f is monstro
s in. If only Christ can save, about twelve hund
out Christ, then Christ
Assyria, and Greece. It was unknown to Socrates, to Epicurus, to Aristides, to Marcus Aurelius, to King Asoka, and to Buddha. It has opposed science and liberty almost from the first. It has committed the most awful crimes and atrocities. It has upheld the grossest errors and the most fiendish theories as the special revelations of God. It has been defeated in argument and confounded by facts over and over again, and has been steadily driven back and back, abandoning one essential position after another, until there is hardly anything left of its original pretensions. It is losing more and more e
AL DISC
r, as Archdeacon Wilson puts it, "Spiritual truths must be spiritually discerned." Th
enged. What is that assertion or implication? It is the implication that there is a spiritual discernment which is disti
iscernment is ae acute or less acute; but to invent a faculty of reason distinct from reason, or to suggest that m
s apart from the reason. But the Christian first invents this facul
her more nor less than a mental idea. It is an idea originating in the brain, and it can
t implies that the idea (which Archdeacon Wilson calmly dubs a "truth") is
s answers: "But that is only a rhapsodical expression of a woman's reason: 'I know because I know.' You say your r
ly discerned." Thomas, who believes that all truths, and all errors, mus
of theologians, and it is a very effective weapon against wea
t, is inferior to a postulated "spiritual" faculty which has no existence. We must insist that to make
homas says: "It is not spiritual, and it is not true. It is a mere figment of the brain." John replies: "You are incapable of judging: you are spirit
rather cool of John to invent a faculty of "spiritual discernment," a
me. In a sermon at Rochdale he is
t axiom, the archde
. Blatchford's disqu
ether Mr. Blatchfor
that there was a fac
, was as distinct, as
s origin and in its
mathematics, for mumight call it the de
ere were men whose
in other regions of
geniuses, geniuses
with God, and from t
the faculty were d
humble, not gentle
rs, one who could l
f belief which had
ture, past and pres
n a religiou
mbols. "There is a faculty-we may call it the devotional or religious facu
of God as if he were talking of the Postmaster-General. He postulates a God, and he postulates a region, and he postulates a communication,
entered that "region"? Who
hers it takes the form of devotion to men. In some it is coloured by imagination, or distorted by a love of the marvellous; in others it is lighted by reason, and directed by love of
a God, and if there is, He does not need my adoration. But I know there are men in darkness and women in trouble
qualified for the expression of any opinion on spiritual truths." This is what John calls "humi
ose reason tells him religion is not true is incapable of believing religion is true. But what he means it to mean is that a man whose reason rejects religion is unfit to criticise religion, and that only those who ac
me faculties as ideas relating to material things. That is to say, man can on
man with a good intellect is a better judge on religious matters than a man, with an infer
eligious, the Saints ought to have been better judges of spiritual truth than other men. But was it so? The Saints believed in angels, and devils, and witches, and hell-fire and Jo
s any longer. The Saints, then, were mistaken. They were mistaken about thes
one. Why? Because science has killed those errors. What is science? It is reason applied to knowledge. The fa
easy to mult
tion, as evidenced in his works, was fearfully at fault. He believed in hell-fire, and in hell-fir
ion. Very well. But I have enough mental acuteness to see that t
witchcraft. Luther believed in burning heretics. Wesley said if w
cernment had led them wrong. Their superstition and
ernment" are really men of abnormally credulous an
e religious plane as a lower one than our own. I think the Christian idea of G
e for food or forgiveness; and I am a mere earthly father. Yet Christ, who came direct from God-who was God-to teach all men God's will, directed us to pray to God fo
owards God? This good man prays: for what? He prays that something be given to h
like sending flowers and jewels to the king? The king is so rich already: but there are many poor outside his gat
es a passage from "Lux Mundi"; and although I ca
n of faith to reason,
st sight to the phil
critical characteri
intellectual defence
osophical apology, a
ovel scientific gen
ionate struggle to re
bandons it, and take
had happened. It di
adapted for its purpo
t, only it has unfo
es on again and agai
growl at those hu
ster bearing upon the Christia
artyrdom, persecution, and torture; we have destroyed the claims for the infallibility of the Scriptures, and have taken the fetters of the Church from the limbs of Science and Thought, and before long we shall have demolished the belief in miracles. The Christian religion has defended all these dogmas, and has done inhuman murder in defence of them; and has been wrong in every instance, and has been final
THER A
d, vastly improved the r
Christianity was at the zenith of its power? How is it we have twelve millions of Christians on the verge of starvation in England to-day, with a Church rolling in wealth and an
ly wars. The wars in the Netherlands were holy wars. The Spanish Armada was a holy expedition. Some of these holy wars lasted for centuri
and ruthless. To-day Europe is an armed camp, and it is not long since t
e under Buddhism. It was King Asoka, and not Jesus Christ or St. Paul, who fi
t by Christian hunger for territory, Christian lust of conquest, Christian avarice for the opening up of "new m
e of character. The answer stares us in the face. How can
are told, origi
wo centuries before Chri
first broke down the barr
ristians treating Jews to-day in Holy Russia? How long is it since
say, applies to the false and
is preaching about Sin, Sin, Sin. It is praying to God to do for Man what Man ought to do for himself, what M
ristian-attitude towards life does not lie in the Christi
ather, and a future recompense that leads the Christian wr
LS OF
nd not a very moral one. Because a moral man would not say: "If I give up my religion, what will you pay me?" He would say: "I will never give, up my religion unless I a
ligiously-minded man could not profess a religion which he did not believe to be true. To him the
but he has no right to ask me for a new promise. Suppose I say this thing is not true, and to believe anything which is untrue is useless. Then, the believer may j
r this queer questio
Heaven," nor that the soul is not immortal. There is not
hose subjects, t
" there may be an immortal soul. And a man might accept all I say about relig
despair" the question puz
cited about it. If there is another innings, we will go in and play our best; and we hope we shall be very much better and kinder than we have been. But if it is sleep: well, sleep is rest, and as I feel that I have had a really good time, on the whole, I should consider it greedy to cry because I could not have it all over again. That is how I feel about it. Despair? I am one of the happiest old fogeys in all London. I have found life agreeable and amusing, and I'm glad I c
hat do you offer them? You offer them an everlasting bliss, not because they were starved or outraged here-not at all. For your religion admits the probability that those who came into
to Heaven will get there, not because they have been wronged and mus
life and there may not be a future life. If there is a future life, a man will deserve it no less, and enjoy it no less, for having
see that all our fellow-creatures ar
nged in this world, for it is immoral and weak so to submit; but hold up your he
man of his hope of Heaven; I am only
and wise to "shake the faith of the poor work
dea? But I do not want the working man to endure patiently the ills and wrongs of this life. I want him, for his own sake, his wife's sake, his
rking-man of his faith: I want
re those "whom we have loved long since and lost awhile," and tha
or pretty children "lost awhile"? It is human love and natural longing for the dead darlings, whose wish is father to the thought of Heaven.
in such a case. The poor, tearful desire lays a pale hand on reason's
not mistake a hope for a certainty. No priest, nor pope, nor prophet can tell you more about that mystery than you
it needful, to abandon a single right, to abate one just demand, to neglect one possibility of happiness here and now, in order to fulfil the conditions laid
us and those we love. No theologian knows, nor
ppy here, try to make others happy here, and
THE PARTING
" why I do not "confine myself to my own sphere and work for Sociali
y I beg
ne out of my way" to a
ligion in my way t
or Socialism when I at
ing So
own before we can buil
ding, if only on
e from a misconception o
ostic, or Rationalist, and I am a Determinist, and I am a Socialist. But if I
ationalism are factors in the
ocialist, a Determinist, and a Rationalist because I believe that S
the Christian religion is beneficial to mankind, and be
tack upon religion. My attack is not wanton, but deliberate; not purposeless, but very purposeful and serious. I am not a
differences between Hu
lf with God and Man, putti
Man, so that Man is its first and las
and punishments; while Humanism embraces Determinist doctrines, with their consequ
on, and the drunkard as men and women who have done wrong. But
ation to "sinners." The Humanist remedy is to remove the causes which lea
relations of Man to God, as well as with the relations between man and man
serve each or both of them as well as
rve Man as effectually as he who give
manity, I claim that it is more beneficial to humanity than is the Chr
. For Christians give a great deal
e is like. Whereas they do know very well that there are men, and what they are like. And, secondly, that if there be a God, that
r loving and serving our fellow-creatures (His children) than by our singing and praying to Him, w
e others needed a friend or a meal. And I speak in the same spirit when I add that to build a cathedral, and to spend our tears and pity upon a Saviour who was crucified nearly t
them deliberately and calmly, because I belie
eal about Manchester and London, and about men and women; and if I did not feel the real shames and wrongs of the world more keenly, and if I did not try more earnestly an
sotted and degraded outcast tramp or harlot matters more than all the
question as to the need of Christ as a Savi
ess so transcendent
resence of God. I ha
d Christ, and men wh
forbid that I shoul
m I would venture to
in the presence of
mselves, but I trem
xceed that of such S
ere Christ is talki
odness, such a purit
ess of God in human
at there is but one
man can be holy and
therefore, upon th
salvation, but as t
which God
s to the questions w
here. It is my bel
through the grave
orld which is still
enough to escape, as
sult from a life of
if you are to stand i
e pure, complete, an
n God's most holy sig
the power of our Lo
f God, who came int
hose no other name
eby we may
word has ever reached us across the gulf of death. And while he rhapsodised, with a congregation of honest bread-and-butter citizens under him, trying hard with their blink
adilly, in Houndsditch, in Whitechapel, i
ster, and in Fleet S
, to conquest, to vanity, to ignorance, to
e of famine, with rich fools and richer rogues lording it
ent of manufactured paupers, cripples,
salms and worship ghosts, while dogs and horses are pampered and groomed, and ch
g for craven fear, for exotistical inebriation, for selfish ret
eamy, self-centred, emotional h
, daring agitators, stern reformers, drains, houses, schoo
ing cheated. The people are being lied to. The people ar
t rascals and most impudent liars in the "
honesty, and a "steady supply of men and
; but to prevent their regular manufacture: their systematic manufacture in
ed, and mean lying, and petty ambitions, and sickly sentimentality. Holiness! I should be
ts ethics are too weak, its theories too u
his much-admired pas
defiled is this befo
less and widows in
lf unspotted
at home in our hearts and on our hearths. And who that is a man will work to keep himself unspot
unspotted from the world, to face the awful eyes o
dangers, and the falls, and the temptations. His duty is to work and to help, and no
ng divine worship. He has not time. All the strength and pluck and wit he possesses are needed in the work of
teous: the ingenuity of man is great. He who defends the claims of the ind
egraded woman, a beggar or pauper child is a reproach to Soc
an is doing his duty when he is n
sphere," and why I made "an unprovoked attack" upon reli
wrongly, I am opposed to Imperialism, Militarism, and Conquest. Rightly or wrongly, I am for universal brotherhood and universal freedom. Rightly or wrongly, I am for union against disunion, for collective ownership aga
manity is ignorance. The
fixed authority, is natur
more knowledge. The humblest of unlettered peasants can teach the highest genius something useful. The greatest scientific a
inality in human knowledge and human progress. Fixed authori
l sin." Man is not born in sin. There is no such thing as sin. Man is inna
him who denies the innate goo
re capable of good, and of yet more good. Environment can move mountains. There is a
and our fellow-creatures, and to leave th
The great cause of unhappiness is selfishness. No m
r reward. As the sun shines alike upon the evil and the good, so in the eyes of justice th
e, pride of pedigree, of caste, of
a cloak of solemn affectations should b
d leadership insults his fellow-creatures, and s
onaires, lords, tenor singers, authors, lion-comiques, artists, beauties, statesmen, and actors are spoiled children who sadly need to be taught their place. They should be treated kindly, but not allowed too many toys and sweetmeats, nor too much flattery. Such superior persons are like the
Pe
umane and civ
nd need be no suc
d need be no such
nd need be no suc
d need be no such
and need be no s
nd need be no suc
and need be no s
and need be no s
nd need be no suc
nd need be no suc
d need be no such
and need be no s
d nation, and never will be while it
to give pain to any Christian, I am sorry, and ask to be forgiven. I hav
ness which only a belief in Christ can give we shall only be good enough to barely escape Hell, and, "after
ent instead into those "dark spaces of the world which is still earthly and sensual" and there to be permitted to fight with all my strength against pain and error and injustice and human sorrow. I know I shall be happier so.
ven. I am a man, and an Inf
men, Christiani