,,an ,,atheist ,,manifesto  ,,by        
,,joseph ,,lewis  ,,the ,,freethought   
,,press ,,association3 ,,new ,,york     
,,copyrighted1 #aied1 ,,and ,,in ,,the  
#agh,,th ,,year ,,of ,,american         
,,independence ,,by ,,joseph ,,lewis    
,all rights reserved  ,second ,edition1 
#aief ,third ,edition1 #aieh  ,,printed 
,,in ,,the ,,united ,,states ,,of       
,,america     ,,joseph ,,lewis  ,author 
of  ,,the ,,tyranny ,,of ,,god ,,the    
,,bible ,,unmasked ,,voltaire3 ,,the    
,,incomparable ,,infidel ,,spain3 ,a    
,,land ,,blighted ,,by ,,religion       
,,burbank ,,the ,,infidel ,,atheism     
,,the ,,bible ,,and ,,the ,,public      
,,schools ,,franklin ,,the ,,freethinker
 ,,lincoln ,,the ,,freethinker ,,mexico 
,,and ,,the ,,catholic ,,church ,,soviet
 ,,russia ,,and ,,the ,,catholic        
,,church ,,shall ,,children ,,receive   
,,religious ,,instruction8 ,,the ,,ten  
,,commandments ,,thomas ,,paine3        
,,author ,,of ,,the ,,declaration ,,of  
,,independence ,,in ,,the ,,name ,,of   

,,humanity ,,the ,,tragic ,,patriot     
,,inspiration ,,and ,,wisdom ,,from     
,,the ,,writings ,,of ,,thomas ,,paine  
,,an ,,atheist ,,manifesto ,,ingersoll  
,,the ,,magnificent     ,,an ,,atheist  
,,manifesto   ,many ask what difference 
does it make whether man believes in a  
,god or not4  ,it makes a big           
difference4  ,it makes all the          
difference in the world4  ,it is the    
difference between being right and being
 wrong2 it is the difference between    
truth and surmises--facts or delusion4  
,it is the difference between the earth 
being flat1 and the earth being round4  
,it is the difference between the earth 
being the center of the universe1 or a  
tiny speck in this vast and uncharted   
sea of multitudinous suns and galaxies4 
,it is the difference in the proper     
concept of life1 or conclusions based   
upon illusion4  ,it is the difference   
between verified knowledge and the faith
 of religion4  ,it is a question of     
,progress or the ,dark ,ages4  ,the     

history of man proves that religion     
perverts man's concept of life and the  
universe1 and has made him a cringing   
coward before the blind forces of       
nature4  ,if you believe that there is a
 ,god2 that man was created2 that he was
 forbidden to eat of the fruit of the   
tree of knowledge2 that he disobeyed2   
that he is a fallen angel2 that he is   
paying the penalty for his sins1 then   
you devote your time praying to appease 
an angry and jealous ,god4  ,if1 on the 
other hand1 you believe that the        
universe is a great mystery2 that man is
 the product of evolution2 that he is   
born without knowledge2 that            
intelligence comes from experience1 then
 you devote your time and energies to   
improving his condition with the hope of
 securing a little happiness here for   
yourself and your fellow man4  ,that is 
the difference4  ,if man was created1   
then someone made a grievous mistake4   
,it is inconceivable that any form of   
intelligence would waste so much time   

and effort to make such an inferior     
piece of life--with all the ills that   
flesh is heir to1 and with all the      
misery and suffering that is so         
essential a part of living4  ,if man is 
a fallen angel1 by the commission of a  
sin1 then disease and sorrow are part of
 ,god's inscrutable plan as a penalty   
imposed upon him for his disobedience1  
and man's entire life is devoted to the 
expiation of that sin so as to soften   
the indictment before the ,throne of    
,god4  ,man's atonement consists in     
making himself as miserable as possible 
by praying1 fasting1 masochism1         
flagellations and other forms of        
torture4  ,this sadistic delusion causes
 him to insist that others--under pain  
of punishment--be as miserable as       
himself1 for fear that if others fail to
 do as he does1 it will provoke the     
wrath of his tyrant ,god to a more      
severe chastisement4  ,the inevitable   
result is that ,man devotes his life1   
not to the essentials of living and the 

making of a happy home1 but to the      
building of temples and churches where  
he can lift his voice to ,god in a      
frenzy of fanaticism1 and eventually he 
becomes a victim of hysteria4  ,his time
 and energy are wasted to cleanse his   
soul1 which he does not possess1 and to 
save himself from a future punishment in
 hell which exists only in his          
imagination4  ,religious hallucinations 
take on many forms4  ,some do not wash  
themselves2 some wash only their        
fingers2 some think that the filthier   
they are1 the holier they are2 some cut 
off their hair1 while others let it grow
 long2 some refuse to stand up1 while   
others refuse to sit down2 some amputate
 their genitals1 and some their breasts2
 some pull out their teeth1 and others  
wither their limbs2 some fast1 and      
others gorge themselves2 some cover     
their heads with sand1 and others with  
sackcloth and ashes2 some talk          
continuously1 and others remain silent2 
some are celibates1 and others are      

profligates2 some stand on their heads2 
some brand themselves1 while others     
pierce their nose1 eyes and ears4  ,nuns
 cut off their hair to make themselves  
as unsightly as possible--to make       
themselves repulsive to the opposite    
sex2 there are monks who have vowed     
never to look upon the face of a woman1 
and ,franciscans still wear ropes around
 their bodies as a symbol of            
flagellation4  ,there is hardly a form  
of insanity or delusion that has not    
been induced by some sort of religious  
belief4  ,to laugh on the ,sabbath1 at  
one time1 was considered the sin of     
sins4  ,how rightfully ,robert ,g4      
,ingersoll said that1 ,christianity has 
made more lunatics than it ever provided
 asylums for4  ,on the other hand1 we do
 not believe that ,man is a depraved    
human being4 ,we do not believe that    
there is a tyrant ,god1 or that there is
 a hell1 and that man will suffer the   
pains and penalties of eternal torment4 
,we do not believe that you should make 

yourself as miserable as possible ,here 
in the hope of securing some happiness  
,hereafter4  ,we do not believe that    
disease is a punishment for sin4  ,we   
believe that disease is a natural       
consequence of the processes of life1   
and that the ills of the flesh          
inevitably follow where one form of life
 lives upon another1 and where at the   
banquet of life each in turn is a guest 
and a dish4  ,it is only by             
understanding the nature of disease that
 man has been able1 even in a small     
degree1 to protect himself from the     
ravages of its destruction4  ,the use of
 prayer to cure disease has been        
responsible for epidemics that have1 on 
many occasions1 almost wiped out the    
human race4 ,prayer has had no more     
effect upon disease than it has upon    
health4 ,it merely permits the disease  
to continue its course and increase the 
suffering of the victim4  ,if           
priests--of all clans--were free of     
disease and immune to death1 then there 

might be some basis for the claim of the
 religionists4 ,but these men of ,god   
are victims of the natural course of    
life1 even as you and ,i4 ,they enjoy no
 exemptions4 ,they suffer the same ills2
 they feel the same sensations2 they are
 subject to the same passions of the    
body1 the same frailties of the mind1   
are victims of circumstances and        
misfortune1 and they meet inevitable    
death just as every other person4 ,they 
commit the same kind of crimes as other 
mortals1 and especially1 because of     
their calling1 many are notoriously     
involved in the embezzlement of church  
funds4 ,nor does their calling protect  
them from the passions of the flesh4    
,the scandalous conduct of many men of  
the cloth1 in the realm of moral        
turpitude1 often ends in murder4 ,that  
is why there are so many men of ,god in 
our jails1 and why so many have paid the
 supreme penalty in the death chair4    
,they are not free from a single rule of
 life2 what others must endure1 they    

likewise must experience4 ,they cannot  
protect themselves from the forces of   
nature1 and the laws of life1 any more  
than you can4 ,what they can do1 you can
 do1 too4 ,their claims of being        
anointed and vicars of ,god on earth are
 false and hypocritical4  ,if they      
cannot fulfill their promises while you 
are alive1 how can they accomplish them 
when you are dead8  ,if they are        
impotent ,here1 where they could        
demonstrate their powers1 how ridiculous
 are their promises to accomplish them  
in the ,hereafter1 the mythical abode   
which exists only in their dishonest or 
deluded imagination8  ,the illusions of 
life are many and varied4  ,things are  
not always what they seem to be1 and it 
is well known that appearances are      
deceiving4  ,that is why it is so       
difficult for some people to understand 
the nature of disease1 and why it has   
taken man so long to comprehend the true
 conditions of life4  ,this deception   
prevails in matters of great importance1

 as well as in matters of little        
consequence4  ,there is no voice of     
nature to tell man that which is true   
and that which is false1 nor to warn him
 of the dangers of life4 ,he must find  
the truth for himself1 and only after   
very bitter experiences4  ,the first    
piece of deception of man1 after his    
so-called mental awakening1 was his     
inability to conceive of any scheme of  
life except from his own primitive      
concept of limited intelligence4  ,he   
could not conceive the earth and the    
universe except as being created1 and   
from his own feeling of revenge1 he     
could not conceive of the suffering of  
life except as a punishment for some    
disobedience4 ,primitive though he be1  
he did not inflict pain and punishment  
upon the innocent4 ,this diabolical     
scheme could only come from a merciful  
,god4  ,as an illustration of this      
concept of primitive man in this respect
 is the delusion he experiences when he 
believes that the sun rises and sets1   

when as a matter of fact1 it is the sun 
which is stationary as far as the earth 
is concerned1 and it is the earth that  
moves1 as ,galileo so courageously      
maintained--at the cost of his liberty4 
,there is a delusion that the sun shines
 and the water falls from the clouds to 
make the flowers bloom4  ,to the        
religionist this is an indication of the
 beauty in nature4  ,it is nothing of   
the kind4  ,poisonous plants and        
obnoxious weeds are equally nourished by
 the warmth of the sun and the moisture 
of the water4  ,is this1 then1 an       
indication of the ugliness of nature8   
,certainly not4  ,both are inevitable   
consequences of the environment in which
 they live4 ,it could not be otherwise4 
,is the hippopotamus one of nature's    
masterpieces8  ,is its face and form the
 perfection of beauty and grace8  ,would
 you consider this animal a work of     
living art if you were responsible for  
it8  ,and yet1 if this beast could talk1
 it would probably say that its         

environment was made for its benefit and
 that its marvelous features1           
particularly its mouth1 was especially  
designed for its enjoyment1 and that its
 whole body was made in the image and   
likeness of ,god4  ,the fact that the   
hippopotamus has survived these millions
 of years of the evolutionary process   
and still thrives today is proof that it
 is equally as favored by ,nature as is 
man4  ,to nature the blossoms of the    
flowers and the obnoxious weeds are     
identical1 and the fragrance of the one 
and the stench of the other are equally 
alike2 both1 if they could talk1 would  
boast of ,nature's preference for them4 
,while1 as a matter of fact1 both would 
be wrong4  ,the sun does not shine to   
bring us its necessary light and warmth 
without also bringing to light some new 
burden for our overtroubled hearts to   
bear2 and everything in the universe    
shares the same and inevitable          
consequences4  ,while it is true that it
 is an ill wind that blows no good1 it  

is also true that what is one man's meat
 is another man's poison4  ,to ,nature  
matters of great importance and matters 
of little consequence are on an equal   
basis4 ,the one is not favored above the
 other4 ,it is the survival of the      
fittest1 and not the most desirable that
 survives4  ,when conditions are        
favorable to the wild animals1 they     
thrive by killing the other forms of    
life upon which they live1 and when     
conditions are favorable to man1 he     
kills and lives upon the forms of life  
which he considers exist solely for his 
pleasure and benefit4  ,to nature the   
germs of disease1 as a form of life1 are
 equally as important as the other forms
 of life that breathe and have their    
being4  ,when conditions are favorable  
to the virus of influenza and pneumonia1
 we have what is known as an epidemic1  
and when conditions are favorable to the
 growth of cancer1 it has what we might 
term a ,roman ,holiday by destroying a  
third of our population4  ,germs of     

disease are merely invisible wild       
animals4  ,they are forms of life that  
thrive upon the soil of the human body4 
,prayer has about as much effect upon   
them as it would have upon the hungry   
tiger ready to devour you4  ,a bullet   
from a gun would be far more effective  
against the tiger1 and knowledge of the 
nature of the germs of disease1 and the 
discovery of the methods of destroying  
them1 are comparable to the invention of
 the gun and its use against the        
ferocious animal4  ,the knowledge of the
 one protects you against the invisible 
enemies of destruction1 while the       
invention of the gun protects you       
against being destroyed by the wild     
beasts4  ,the germs of disease and the  
hungry tiger are both determined upon   
the same objective--your                
destruction--one by eating you in chunks
 and the other by minutely gnawing you  
away piecemeal4  ,the results are       
identical4  ,it is not necessary to     
moralize upon the difference4  ,but this

 we know1 that in our present scheme of 
life1 as ,ingersoll so eloquently       
states1 ,the hands that help are better 
far than lips that pray4  ,our bodies   
are as much meat for the disease germs  
that eat us as the animal that furnishes
 the meat for our appetites4  ,or as    
,shakespeare puts it3       444 in the  
sweetest bud     ,the eating canker     
dwells4   ,in a broader and more        
comprehensive concept of disease1       
,shakespeare says1 it is1 as if a       
,god omnipotent     ,is mustering in his
 clouds444     ,armies of pestilence2   
and they shall strike     ,your children
 yet unborn and unbegot4444   ,who are  
you to say which one is the more favored
 in this scheme of life--the germs of   
disease or man--which one is preferred  
by nature2 which one is more important  
than the other1 since the ends          
accomplished are the same8  ,the life of
 the disease germ came into existence by
 the same process as did the life of    
man4  ,it is just as much a part of     

nature as is the dimpled babe4  ,if we  
cannot live without sunshine and water1 
neither can the germs of disease4  ,it  
might well be that we are nothing more  
than disease germs in the environment in
 which we live4 ,the same basic         
construction by which they live forms   
the same pattern upon which our life is 
built4  ,to nature the night is just as 
important as the day1 and the life of   
the germ we call disease is as important
 as the life of the body upon which it  
feeds4  ,it follows the same law of     
life2 it is born1 reproduces and dies4  
,there are forms of life that live by   
night that are equally as favored by    
nature as those which live by day4      
,freaks of all kinds exist in           
nature--from the utterly ridiculous to  
the terrifying monstrosities4 ,this is  
proof of the lack of design in ,nature  
as far as man is concerned4  ,when man  
comes to the realization that he is not 
the favorite of ,god2 that he was not   
specially created1 that the universe was

 not made for his benefit1 and that he  
is subject to the same laws of nature as
 all other forms of life1 then1 and not 
until then1 will he understand that he  
must rely upon himself1 and himself     
alone1 for whatever benefits he is to   
enjoy2 and devote his time and energies 
to helping himself and his fellow men to
 meet the exigencies of life and to set 
about to solve the difficult and        
intricate problems of living4  ,the     
recognition of a problem is the first   
step to its solution--  ,we are not     
fallen angels1 nor were we created      
perfect4  ,on the contrary1 we are the  
product of millions of years of an      
unpurposed evolution4  ,we are the      
descendants and inheritors of all the   
defects of our primitive ancestry--the  
evolution of the myriad forms of life   
from the infinitesimal to the           
mammoth--from the worm to the dinosaur4 
,the most important step in the         
development of man is the recognition of
 the fact that we are born without      

knowledge1 and that the acquisition of  
knowledge is a slow and painful process4
  ,if all man needed upon earth was a   
knowledge of ,god1 then why the         
necessity of establishing educational   
institutions8  ,unless a child is taught
 to talk1 it will never be able to speak
 the language of our tongue4 ,without   
teaching the child the rudiments of     
speech1 he would be unable to           
communicate his thoughts to others4     
,without proper training his grunts of  
expression would be meaningless1 and the
 only way he could express himself would
 be by the primitive instinct of making 
signs and by pointing4  ,the brain needs
 the same kind of training as any other 
part of the body that requires exercise 
for development4 ,nourishment for the   
mind is just as necessary as nourishment
 for the body4  ,just as there are some 
foods which have been so adulterated and
 refined that when eaten they add no    
nourishment to the body1 so there are   
truths which have been adulterated by   

religion and superstition so as to be   
utterly valueless in nourishing the mind
 with intelligence4  ,education becomes 
the primary object of civilization4  ,as
 ,thomas ,paine says3 ,wisdom is not the
 purchase of a day4  ,the church knows  
that an educated man is an unbeliever4  
,that is why there is a continual       
struggle on the part of the clergy to   
adulterate education with superstition4 
,to maintain their untenable position   
they must keep the people shackled to a 
form of mental slavery4  ,both fear and 
superstition are forms of a contagious  
disease4  ,the ignorance of man produced
 natural fears of the elements of       
nature4 ,what he could not understand he
 attributed to malevolent spirits whose 
primary purpose was to punish and harm  
him4 ,under this spell it seems almost  
incredible that he ever advanced from   
his state of primitive ignorance4  ,his 
fears produced such fantastic monsters  
of the air that it was first necessary  
to relieve his tormented mind of these  

terrifying myths of ghosts and gods     
before he was able to acquire even the  
simplest rudiments of knowledge4  ,man's
 ignorance and fears made him an easy   
prey of priests4  ,his gullibility was  
such that he believed everything he was 
told4  ,he soon became a slave to these 
liars and hypocrites4  ,and what did the
 priests tell him8  ,they told him that 
,god had made a special revelation in a 
book called the ,bible1 and that it was 
necessary to believe every word in that 
book in order that he might save his    
soul4 ,they told him that if he         
disobeyed their commands1 he would      
suffer eternal damnation in a hell where
 the fire never ceases1 and where the   
worm never dies4  ,they also told him   
that it was a sin for him to read that  
book1 and that the priest was especially
 ordained by ,god to interpret the      
meaning of each and every word4  ,and   
what was the priest's interpretation of 
the text of that book8  ,it was that man
 was a corrupt and sinful being1 and    

that in order to be saved from          
punishment after death1 he had to give a
 substantial part of the fruits of his  
labor to the priest to pray for him1 and
 intercede with ,god on his behalf1 so  
as to mitigate the punishment to which  
he had already been doomed4  ,what a    
diabolical scheme of fraud by which to  
live upon the sweat and labor of others4
  ,it was such a profitable scheme that 
the priests began to maintain their     
power by the force of arms4  ,as a      
result there came into existence the    
twin tyrannies of church and state4  ,it
 seems incredible that such nonsense was
 ever imposed upon suffering humanity1  
and nonsense it would be were it not so 
tragic4  ,so fearful did he become that 
he thought that he could not live       
without the protection of the priests1  
and as ,ingersoll said1 as long as      
people wanted ,popes1 plenty of         
hypocrites will be found to take their  
place4444  ,ingersoll further declared3 
,the priests pretended to stand between 

the wrath of the gods and the           
helplessness of man4 ,he was man's      
attorney at the court of heaven4 ,he    
carried to the invisible world a flag of
 truce1 a protest and a request4 ,he    
came back with a command1 with authority
 and power4 ,man fell upon his knees    
before his own servant1 and the priest1 
taking advantage of the awe inspired by 
his supposed influence with the gods1   
made of his fellow-man a cringing       
hypocrite and slave4  ,as long as there 
is one person suffering an injustice2 as
 long as one person is forced to bear an
 unnecessary sorrow2 as long as one     
person is subject to an undeserved pain1
 the worship of a ,god is a demoralizing
 humiliation4  ,as long as there is one 
mistake in the universe2 as long as one 
wrong is permitted to exist2 as long as 
there is hatred and antagonism among    
mankind1 the existence of a ,god is a   
moral impossibility4  ,ingersoll said3  
,injustice upon earth renders the       
justice of heaven impossible4  ,man's   

inhumanity to man will continue as long 
as man loves ,god more than he loves his
 fellow man4  ,the love of ,god means   
wasted love4  ,for ,god and ,country    
means a divided allegiance--a #ej per   
cent patriot4  ,the most abused word in 
the language of man is the word ,god4   
,the reason for this is that it is      
subject to so much abuse4  ,there is no 
other word in the human language that is
 as meaningless and incapable of        
explanation as is the word ,god4  ,it is
 the beginning and end of nothing4  ,it 
is the ,alpha and ,omega of ,ignorance4 
,it has as many meanings as there are   
minds4 ,and as each person has an       
opinion of what the word ,god ought to  
mean1 it is a word without premise1     
without foundation1 and without         
substance4  ,it is without validity4    
,it is all things to all people1 and is 
as meaningless as it is indefinable4    
,it is the most dangerous in the hands  
of the unscrupulous1 and is the joker   
that trumps the ace4  ,it is the        

poisoned word that has paralyzed the    
brain of man4  ,the fear of the ,lord is
 not the beginning of wisdom2 on the    
contrary1 it has made man a groveling   
slave2 it has made raving lunatics of   
those who have attempted to interpret   
what ,god is and what is supposed to be 
our duty to ,god4  ,it has made man     
prostitute the most precious things of  
life--it has made him sacrifice wife1   
and child1 and home4  ,in the name of   
,god means in the name of nothing--it   
has caused man to be a wastrel with the 
precious elixir of life1 because there  
is no ,god4  ,ingersoll could not       
understand the mind of those who1 once  
having been told the truth1 preferred to
 remain under the spell of superstition 
and in ignorance4 ,he could not         
understand why people would not accept  
new truths with gladness4  ,he also     
knew1 however1 that once a person's mind
 had been poisoned with religious       
superstition1 it was almost impossible  
to free it from the paralyzing fear     

which destroyed its ability to think4   
,it is now established by verifiable    
evidence that religion stultifies the   
brain and is the great obstacle in the  
path of intellectual progress4  ,the    
more religious a person is1 the more he 
is steeped in ignorance and             
superstition1 the less is his sense of  
moral responsibility4 ,the more         
intelligent a person1 the less religious
 he is4 ,there is an old saying that    
where there are three scientists1 there 
are two atheists4  ,the countries whose 
governments are dominated by religion   
and religious institutions are the most 
backward4 ,by the same token1 the       
countries whose people are the most     
enlightened1 and whose governments are  
based upon the principle of             
secularism--the separation of church and
 state--are the most progressive4  ,and 
let me tell you3 ,when man is           
intellectually free1 the progress he    
will make is beyond calculation4  ,what 
better illustration than this3 ,more    

progress has been made since the        
,declaration of ,independence and the   
,american ,revolution than was made in  
the previous five thousand years6  ,yes1
 more intellectual and material progress
 has been made by man since the         
establishment of the ,american ,republic
 than during all the intervening years  
from the ,pharaohs of ,egypt up to and  
including the time of the grandeur that 
was ,greece1 and the glory that was     
,rome4  ,and there is a good and valid  
reason for this4  ,it was because in    
#aggf our fathers retired the gods from 
politics4 ,the basic principle of the   
,american ,republic is the freedom of   
man in society4  ,the ,declaration of   
,independence was the product of        
,intellectual ,emancipation1 and that is
 why1 from thenceforth1 our date of     
existence should be recorded1 not from  
the mythical birth of ,jesus ,christ1   
but from the day of our ,independence6  
,this should be the year one hundred and
 seventy-eight in our calendar6         

,despite discouraging signs here and    
there1 the seeds of freedom planted by  
the ,american ,revolution will take     
root1 and throughout the world1 if man  
will learn to zealously guard his       
freedom1 ,peace and ,progress will come 
to all the world4  ,could there be a    
more significant illustration than this3
  ,practically in our own lifetime1 and 
certainly since the ,declaration of     
,independence1 man has wrought the most 
amazing achievements in the field of    
science and progress ever recorded in   
human history4  ,not in their order1 nor
 according to their significance1 do ,i 
record the following3  ,anesthesia was  
discovered4  ,do you know what it means 
to relieve man of his pain and          
suffering8 ,anesthesia is the most      
humane of all of man's accomplishments1 
and what a merciful accomplishment it   
was4  ,for this great discovery we are  
indebted to ,dr4 ,w4 ,t4 ,g4 ,morton4   
,do you know that the religionists      
opposed the use of anesthesia on the    

ground that ,god sent pain as a         
punishment for sin1 and it was          
considered the greatest of sacrileges to
 use it--just think of it1 a sin to     
relieve man of his misery6 ,what a      
monstrous perversion6 ,this one instance
 alone should convince you of the       
difference in believing in ,god or not4 
,no believer in ,god would have spent   
his energies to discover anesthesia4 ,he
 would have been in mortal fear of the  
wrath of his ,god for interfering with  
his divine plan1 of making man suffer   
for having eaten of the fruit of the    
,tree of ,knowledge4  ,the very crux of 
the matter is in this one instance4     
,man seeks to relieve his fellow man    
from the suffering of disease and the   
pangs of mental agony4 ,the believers in
 ,god are content that man's suffering  
is ordained1 and therefore he accepts   
life and its trials and tribulations as 
a penance for living4  ,the fear of the 
wrath of ,god has been a stumbling block
 to progress4  ,when ,dr4 ,james ,young 

,simpson sought to apply anesthesia to a
 woman in childbirth1 the clergymen of  
his day foamed at the mouth and spat    
upon him with vituperation and abuse1   
for attempting to violate ,god's direct 
command that in pain thou shalt bring   
forth children1 as based upon the       
idiotic text of the ,bible4 ,but ,dr4   
,simpson persisted despite the ravings  
of the religious lunatics of his day4   
,the importance of ,dr4 ,simpson's      
application of anesthesia to the relief 
of pain in childbirth1 and his open     
defiance of the religionists1 are beyond
 the measure of words to evaluate4  ,the
 ,x-ray was discovered in our time4     
,professor ,wilhelm ,roentgen deserves  
our everlasting debt of gratitude for   
this contribution4 ,its application     
alone in the field of medicine makes it 
one of the greatest contributions to the
 service of man4  ,dr4 ,karl            
,lansteiner's discovery of the          
composition of the blood--made in our   
time--has been responsible for the      

saving of countless thousands of lives4 
,blood was also feared by the           
religionists1 and a taboo was placed    
upon all those who touched it1 as being 
contaminated4  ,even the dissection of  
the human body was prohibited by        
religion4  ,the study of human anatomy  
is within our own time1 and the fruitful
 results of this scientific exploring of
 man's physical structure are           
incalculable4  ,it is needless1 ,i      
think1 to tell you why the study of     
human body is so recent4 ,until the     
emancipation of the mind of man from the
 thraldom and shackles of religion1 it  
was taught and believed as a religious  
truth1 and maintained under penalty of  
eternal damnation1 that if the human    
body was dissected1 ,god would not be   
able to recognize you on the day of     
resurrection6  ,such has been the       
paralyzing menace of religion that has  
prevailed over the mind of man4  ,the   
discovery of the chemistry of food and  
its application to nutrition has        

contributed more to the health of the   
human race than all the ,gods1 clergymen
 and priests since the dawn of          
existence4  ,preventive medicine has    
accomplished amazing results in bringing
 health to1 and prolonging1 the life of 
the people4  ,hygiene and its           
application have saved millions upon    
millions from disease and premature     
death4 ,it has stayed the hand of ,god  
in his madness in spreading deaths from 
epidemics of disease4  ,charles ,darwin 
published his ,origin of ,species and   
the great principle of evolution was    
promulgated4  ,modern emancipated       
medicine has reduced the infant death   
rate by more than #ej per cent1 and has 
been responsible for more than doubling 
the life span of man within the past    
century4  ,just think of it6 ,all of    
this within our own lifetime6  ,all of  
this and more since the day of ,american
 independence6  ,and listen to these    
words of ,dr4 ,paul ,d4 ,white1 founder 
of the ,american ,heart ,association4   

,he said3  ,those of us doctors who     
graduated from medical school thirty to 
forty years ago1 look back now at the   
almost unbelievable ignorance about     
heart disease that then existed4 ,more  
knowledge has come since then than had  
been acquired in all the centuries      
before4 7,italics mine74  ,man was      
taught in the past that the heart1 like 
the voice1 was the gift of ,god1 and it 
was too sacred for man to probe into its
 workings4 ,what were the results8      
,millions died who could have been      
saved2 millions lived as horrible       
cripples who could have lived a normal  
life if man in the past1 had had the    
courage1 that he has today1 to seek     
relief from the terrors of disease4     
,such is the amazing progress that has  
been made when man relies upon his own  
efforts to solve his problems1 whether  
they concern his health1 or his social  
or political affairs4  ,it was only     
within the past forty years that ,dr4   
,james ,b4 ,herrick properly diagnosed  

the cause of coronary thrombosis from   
which followed the amazing progress that
 has since been attained in combating   
this greatest of killers4  ,i1 for one1 
wish to place upon the brow of ,dr4     
,herrick my laurel leaf of thanks for   
his great accomplishment in medicine4   
,what wonders have been accomplished    
since the invention of the steam engine1
 the automobile1 radio1 television1     
electronic devises1 and the thousand and
 one other discoveries and inventions   
too numerous to mention4  ,the          
educational benefit of the motion       
picture will far outstrip its           
entertainment value1 and its use in     
nearly every department of learning     
makes it one of man's most valuable     
inventions4  ,think of ,benjamin        
,franklin's discovery of the            
relationship of electricity and         
lightning and the condemnation heaped   
upon him for his defiance of ,the       
,prince of the ,power of the ,air4  ,and
 of the ,wright brothers1 and the dire  

penalty they were to suffer for flying  
into the face of ,god4  ,lightning1 once
 feared as the wrathful manifestation of
 an angry ,god1 was reproduced in the   
laboratory by that electrical wizard and
 atheist1 ,charles ,p4 ,steinmetz4  ,the
 telephone1 wireless telegraphy1 the    
steam engine1 refrigeration1 the washing
 and sewing machines1 the mechanical    
weaving of cloth1 and the myriad uses of
 electric and atomic power will make man
 the master of his destiny once he frees
 himself from the myth of a tyrant ,god4
  ,ingersoll best expressed man's       
inventions and their uses when he said  
that1 ,science took the thunderbolt from
 the gods1 and in the electric spark1   
freedom1 with thought1 with intelligence
 and with love1 sweeps under all the    
waves of the sea2 science1 free thought1
 took a tear from the cheek of unpaid   
labor1 converted it into steam1 and     
created the giant that turns1 with      
tireless arms1 the countless wheels of  
toil4  ,deprive man of the use of his   

discoveries and inventions of the past  
century and he will think he has been   
returned to barbarism4  ,look what      
,thomas ,a4 ,edison's invention of the  
electric light did for man--it          
lengthened his life1 it gave more hours 
to the day1 and increased his comforts  
beyond anything previously known or     
imagined1 and added immeasurably to his 
joy of living4  ,even ,joshua's         
fictitious performance of stopping the  
sun and the moon fades into nothingness 
when compared with this sublime         
achievement4  ,nor must we forget       
,edison's invention for reproducing the 
human voice--and please grant me a      
moment's indulgence to say that ,i had  
the great honor to know ,thomas ,a4     
,edison1 and ,edison honored me by      
calling me his friend4  ,if printing has
 been hailed as one of the world's great
 inventions1 what must we say of the    
phonograph8 ,while printing preserves   
man's thoughts on paper1 the phonograph 
preserves not only his thoughts but also

 his voice6  ,the song of the skylark is
 no longer wasted upon the desert air4  
,thomas ,a4 ,edison--the greatest of    
human benefactors--wrested from nature  
her most guarded secret--the mystery of 
the human voice4  ,he disproved1 as it  
was once believed1 that the human voice1
 like the heart1 was the gift of ,god4  
,he demonstrated that the human voice   
was merely the natural mechanism of     
sound produced by air of the lungs      
passing over the cords of the throat and
 larynx in the same manner as are sounds
 produced by the strings of a musical   
instrument4  ,as a result of ,edison's  
invention1 man himself has already      
produced artificially every             
manifestation of the human voice6  ,if  
the voice was part of ,god's plan1 how  
do we account for its absence in the    
giraffe8 ,this animal has no larynx and 
therefore no vocal cords1 and as a      
consequence it cannot talk or make      
sounds with its throat6  ,the giraffe is
 proof of the lack of design in nature  

and the blindness of the forces of      
evolutionary life4  ,to list all the    
great discoveries in the field of       
science and medicine during the past    
century1 such as aspirin1 insulin1      
penicillin1 and the streptomycin drugs  
would require the undivided attention of
 a medical historian and a veritable    
encyclopedia to record them4  ,and yet1 
there are still many diseases that      
plague man of which he has no knowledge4
 ,they eat and ravage his mind and body 
with excruciating pain and torture1 and 
he is utterly helpless against them4 ,he
 not only does not know their origin1   
but has not the slightest inkling of    
their nature or how to fortify himself  
against their attacks4 ,he must sit1    
like a condemned criminal1 in agonizing 
torture1 waiting for blessed death4  ,if
 man1 and the other forms of life upon  
this earth1 are a mere by-product of an 
over-all plan of a supreme intelligence1
 then ,i denounce such a scheme as      
tyrannical and barbaric4  ,why should we

 be made to suffer such excruciating    
pains and penalties of life to satisfy  
that from which we derive no benefit1   
and where death negates all of our      
efforts2 and which makes the purpose of 
life1 our hopes and desires1 our        
ambitions and aspirations1 a cruel      
mockery8  ,o prayer1 thy name is        
failure6  ,o ,god1 thou art a cruel     
myth6  ,you will not find a single      
mention of these great humanitarian     
achievements in the so-called ,book of  
,books2 not a single reference about the
 nature and cure of disease2 not a word 
regarding those inventions that have so 
mercifully lifted the burden of toil    
from the backs of labor4  ,and there is 
good reason for it4  ,the ,biblical     
writers not only had no knowledge of    
these things1 but they had a perverted  
concept of life and the universe4 ,their
 concept was that man was a victim of   
blood pollution and his only salvation  
was by a blood atonement4  ,i remember  
once seeing a small pamphlet entitled1  

,what the ,bible ,teaches about         
,morality4 ,on opening the little       
booklet1 it was discovered to be nothing
 but blank pages6 ,another such pamphlet
 might very appropriately be published  
entitled1 ,what the ,bible ,reveals     
about ,disease1 ,medicine and ,health1  
and blank pages should be used for all  
the ,bible contains about these vital   
subjects4  ,on the contrary1 these      
benefits have been denounced by the     
believers in the ,bible1 and by the     
representatives of the ,bible's deity as
 being contrary to ,god's ,plan4  ,does 
not the ,bible plainly state that only  
by the sweat of his brow is man to labor
 for the bread he eats8  ,here is the   
exact ,biblical quotation3 ,in the sweat
 of thy face thou shalt eat bread444 and
 why8 ,only because he sought knowledge4
  ,and does not the ,bible ,god place a 
curse upon man for the knowledge that   
has been such a solace and benefit to   
him8  ,here is another exact ,biblical  
quotation3 444 cursed be the ground for 

thy sake2 in pain thou shalt eat of it  
all the days of thy life4  ,the ,bible  
is a lie4 ,it is a fake and a fraud4  ,i
 denounce this book and its ,god4  ,i   
hold it in utter detestation4  ,every   
man and woman who has contributed to the
 relief of the pain and suffering of    
humanity has been an infidel to the     
,bible ,god6  ,every new invention1     
every new discovery for the benefit of  
man violates these ,biblical edicts6  ,i
 say1 seek knowledge--defy this tyrant  
,god--it is your only salvation4  ,it is
 because of the ,biblical curse on man's
 search for knowledge1 which has so     
paralyzed his mind during the past ages1
 and its detrimental effect upon        
progress1 that makes the ,bible the most
 wicked1 the most detestable1 the most  
pernicious1 and the most obnoxious book 
ever published4  ,it has been a curse to
 the human race4  ,it is the duty of    
every brave and honest man and woman to 
do everything in his and her power to   
destroy the influence of this utterly   

stupid and vicious book1 with its       
infantile concept of life and its       
nonsense concerning the universe4  ,it  
is their duty to do everything within   
their power to stop its demoralizing and
 paralyzing influence upon the life of  
man4  ,we will never achieve            
intellectual liberty until the          
wickedness of this book has been        
discarded with the belief in the        
flatness of the earth4  ,if you do not  
want to stop the wheels of progress2 if 
you do not want to go back to the ,dark 
,ages2 if you do not want to live again 
under tyranny1 then you must guard your 
liberty1 and you must not let the church
 get control of your government4  ,if   
you do1 you will lose the greatest      
legacy ever bequeathed to the human     
race--intellectual freedom4  ,now let me
 tell you another thing4  ,if all the   
energy and wealth wasted upon           
religion--in all of its varied          
forms--had been spent to understand life
 and its problems1 we would today be    

living under conditions that would seem 
almost like ,utopia4  ,most of our      
social and domestic problems would have 
been solved1 and equally as important1  
our understanding and relations with the
 other peoples of the world would have1 
by now1 brought about universal peace4  
,man would have a better understanding  
of his motives and actions1 and would   
have learned to curb his primitive      
instincts for revenge and retaliation4  
,he would1 by now1 know that wars of    
hate1 aggression1 and aggrandizement are
 only productive of more hate and more  
human suffering4  ,the enlightened and  
completely emancipated man from the     
fears of a ,god and the dogma of hate   
and revenge would make him a brother to 
his fellow man4  ,he would devote his   
energies to discoveries and inventions1 
which theology previously condemned as a
 defiance of ,god1 but which have proved
 so beneficial to him4  ,he would no    
longer be a slave to a ,god and live in 
cringing fear6  ,to build a church when 

a school house is needed is to          
perpetrate a theft upon education4  ,to 
build a church when a hospital is needed
 is to take from the parched lips of the
 sick the cup of relief and from the    
suffering the merciful hand of help4    
,when the object of man's conduct will  
be to improve the conditions of his     
fellow man and not the appeasement of a 
mythical ,god1 he will become more      
understanding and more indulgent of the 
frailties1 mistakes1 and action of      
others1 and by the same token he will   
become more appreciative of their       
efforts4  ,he will develop a greater    
consciousness to avoid mistakes and to  
prevent injury4 ,life and its living    
will take on a greater significance1 and
 our efforts and energies will be       
devoted to creating as much joy and     
happiness as possible for all living    
creatures4  ,unless death is made a     
lesson for the living1 the life lived is
 wasted4  ,why should life come into    
existence only to be destroyed8 ,one    

dies and another is born--for what8 ,a  
few miserable hours of life--then       
oblivion6  ,with this recognition of the
 finality of death1 no one should       
willingly withhold acts that would bring
 benefits1 joy or happiness to others4  
,in death1 the hesitant act can no      
longer be performed--the word of praise 
is as impossible as yesterday's return4 
,what perversity justified inflicting   
pain1 suffering and death upon others   
who have done no wrong8  ,if death ends 
all1 why fight while we are living8 ,why
 shorten life with unnecessary pain and 
suffering8  ,how futile are the petty   
problems of individuals1 with their     
hates and jealousies1 when all vanish   
with death8  ,all the prayers in the    
world cannot wipe out one injustice4    
,every wrong is irreparable4  ,the dead 
cannot forgive4  ,all the tears and     
sighs are of no avail4  ,forgiveness    
cannot be granted when lips cannot move4
 ,praise cannot be heard when ears      
cannot hear2 joy cannot be experienced  

when the heart no longer beats2 and the 
happiness of an affectionate embrace can
 no longer be felt when arms are limp   
and the eyes are forever closed4  ,you  
are to make up your mind whether it is  
to be ,god or man4  ,whether you are to 
be free or a slave4  ,whether it is to  
be progress or stagnation4  ,as long as 
man loves a phantom in the sky more than
 he loves his fellow man1 there will    
never be peace upon this earth2 so long 
as man worships a ,tyrant as the        
,fatherhood of ,god1 there will never be
 a ,brotherhood of ,man4  ,you must make
 the choice1 you must come to the       
decision4  ,is it to be ,god or ,man8   
,churches or ,homes--preparation for    
death or happiness for the living8  ,if 
ever man needed an example of the       
benefit of the one against the other1 he
 need but read the pages of history for 
proof of how religion retarded progress 
and provoked hatred among the children  
of men4  ,when theology ruled the world1
 man was a slave4  ,the people lived in 

huts and hovels4  ,they were clad in    
rags and skins2 they devoured crusts and
 gnawed bones2 the priests wore garments
 of silk and satin2 carried mitres of   
gold and precious stones1 robbed the    
poor and lived upon the fat of the land6
  ,here and there a brave man appeared  
to question their authority4  ,these    
martyrs to intellectual emancipation    
slowly and painfully broke the spell of 
superstition and ushered in the ,age of 
,reason and the ,dawn of ,science4  ,man
 became the only god that man can know4 
,he no longer fell upon his knees in    
fear4  ,he began to enjoy the fruits of 
his own labor4  ,he discovered a way to 
relieve himself from the drudgery of    
continuous toil2 he began to enjoy a few
 comforts of life--and for the first    
time upon this earth he found a few     
moments for happiness4  ,it is far more 
important to learn how to live than to  
learn how to pray4  ,a new day and a new
 era dawned for him4  ,his labors       
produced enormous dividends4  ,he looked

 at the sky for the first time and saw  
that it was blue6 ,he searched the      
heavens and found no ,god4 ,he no longer
 feared the manifestations of nature4   
,the stars1 however1 are not the        
alphabet upon which to read the destiny 
of man4  ,we not only do not believe    
that man is punished for his sins1 but  
emphatically state that there is no such
 thing as sin4  ,there are wrongs and   
injustices1 but no sin4  ,sin1 like     
purgatory and hell1 was invented by     
priests1 first to frighten1 and then to 
rob the living4  ,we do not fear these  
myths and curses1 and that is why we    
devote our time and energies to help our
 fellow man4  ,that is why we build     
educational institutions and seek1 by a 
slow and painful process1 to teach man  
the true nature of the universe and a   
proper understanding of his place as a  
member in society4 ,at the same time we 
try to fortify his mind with courage to 
withstand the rebuffs1 the trials and   
tribulations of life4 ,that it is a     

difficult and arduous task no one can   
deny because we cannot correct all of   
,god's mistakes in one life time4  ,as  
,ingersoll so succinctly states3 ,nature
 cannot pardon4  ,remember this3 ,you   
are not a depraved human being4  ,you   
have no sins to atone for4  ,there is no
 need for fear4  ,there are no          
ghosts--holy or otherwise4  ,stop making
 yourself miserable for the love of     
,god4  ,drive this monster of tyrannic  
fear from your mind1 and enjoy the      
inestimable freedom of an emancipated   
human being4  ,the only duty you owe is 
to yourself and to your family4  ,the   
duty you owe to yourself is to do the   
best you can1 and the duty you owe to   
your family is to endeavor to make them 
happy4  ,emancipate yourself from these 
stultifying creeds1 and protect your    
children from the contamination of      
religion4  ,get off your knees1 stand   
erect1 and look the whole world in the  
face4  ,get all the joy and happiness   
you can out of life4  ,enjoy the fruits 

of your labor and waste it not upon the 
myth of heaven2 support not the         
parasites of ,god4  ,do not knowingly   
harm another human being2 do not        
knowingly injure your fellow man4  ,all 
forms of life have feeling1 do not make 
them suffer4  ,as ,shakespeare says3    
,the poor beetle1 that we tread upon1   
,in corporal sufferance finds a pang as 
great     ,as when a giant dies4        
,kindness is a magic solvent4  ,while we
 know that sometimes ingratitude is more
 strong than traitor's arms1 we also    
know that mercy is twice blest2 it      
blesses him that gives and him that     
takes1 and1 it should be remembered that
 while ,loyalty is the most important of
 the virtues1 ,patience is the most     
valuable4  ,become a courageous human   
being and do the best you can under any 
and all circumstances in this imperfect 
and troublesome world4  ,be brave enough
 to live and be brave enough to die1    
knowing that when the ,grim ,reaper     
comes1 you did the best you could and   

that the world is better for your having
 lived4  ,a ,god could do no more4  ,i  
will stand between you and the hosts of 
heaven4  ,i am not afraid4  ,i will act 
as your attorney before the ,bar of     
,judgment4  ,i will assume all          
responsibility4  ,my services are free4 
,put the blame on me4  ,break the chains
 of mental slavery to religious         
superstition4  ,arise and become a free 
and independent human being4  ,dignify  
yourself as a ,man1 and justify your    
living by being a ,brother to ,all      
,mankind and a ,citizen of the          
,universe4