,,hell  ,,warm ,,words ,,on ,,the       
,,cheerful ,,and ,,comforting ,,doctrine
 ,,of ,,eternal ,,damnation   ,,col4    
,,ingersoll',s ,,american ,,secular     
,,lectures   ,by ,col4 ,robert ,g4      
,ingersoll  ,minister ,of ,the ,gospel  
,of ,free ,thought ,in ,america   ,rev4 
,,henry ,,ward ,,beecher says3--,i      
admire ,ingersoll because he is not     
afraid to speak what he honestly thinks1
 and ,i am only sorry he does not think 
as ,i do4 ,i never heard so much        
brilliancy and pith put into a two      
hours' ,speech as ,i did on that night4 
,i wish my whole ,congregation had been 
there to hear it4 ,i regard him as one  
of the greatest ,men of the ,age4--,new 
,york ,herald4     ,,hell4  ,,the idea  
of a hell was born of revenge and       
brutality on the one side1 and cowardice
 on the other4 ,in my judgment the      
,american people are too brave1 too     
charitable1 too generous1 too           
magnanimous1 to believe in the infamous 
dogma of an eternal hell4 ,i have no    

respect for any human being who believes
 in it4 ,i have no respect for any man  
who preaches it4 ,i have no respect for 
the man who will pollute the imagination
 of childhood with that infamous lie4 ,i
 have no respect for the man who will   
add to the sorrows of this world with   
the frightful dogma4 ,i have no respect 
for any man who endeavours to put that  
infinite cloud1 that infinite shadow1   
over the heart of humanity4  ,for a good
 many years the learned intellects of   
,christendom have been examining into   
the religions of other countries in the 
world1 the religions of the thousands   
that have passed away4 ,they examined   
into the religions of ,egypt1 the       
religion of ,greece1 the religion of    
,rome and of the ,scandinavian          
countries4 ,in the presence of the ruins
 of those religions the learned men of  
,christendom insisted that those        
religions were baseless1 that they were 
fraudulent4 ,but they have all passed   
away4 ,while this was being done the    

,christianity of our day applauded1 and 
when the learned men got through with   
the religions of other countries they   
turned their attention to our religion4 
,by the same mode of reasoning1 by the  
same methods1 by the same arguments that
 they used with the old religions1 they 
were overturning the religion of our    
day4 ,why8 ,every religion in this world
 is the work of man4 ,every book has    
been written by man4 ,men existed before
 the books4 ,if books had existed before
 man1 ,i might admit there was such a   
thing as a sacred volume4 ,man never had
 an idea--man will never have an idea1  
except those supplied to him by his     
surroundings4 ,every idea in the world  
that man has came to him by nature4 ,you
 can imagine an animal with the hoof of 
a bison1 with the pouch of the kangaroo1
 with the wings of an eagle1 with the   
beak of a bird1 and with the tail of the
 lion2 and yet every point of this      
monster you borrowed from nature4 ,every
 thing you can think of1 every thing you

 can dream of1 is borrowed from your    
surroundings4 ,and there is nothing on  
this earth coming from any other sphere 
whatever4 ,man has produced every       
religion in the world4 ,and why8        
,because each religion bodes forth the  
knowledge and the belief of the people  
at the time it was made1 and in no book 
is there any knowledge found1 except    
that of the people who wrote it4 ,in no 
book is there found any knowledge1      
except that of the time in which it was 
written4 ,barbarians have produced1 and 
always will produce barbarian religions2
 barbarians have produced and always    
will produce ideas in harmony with their
 surroundings1 and all the religions of 
the past were produced by barbarians4   
,we are making religions to-day4 ,that  
is to say1 we are changing them1 and the
 religion of to-day is not the religion 
of one year ago4 ,what changed it8      
,science has done it2 education and the 
growing heart of man has done it4 ,and  
just to the extent that we become       

civilized ourselves1 will we improve the
 religion of our fathers4 ,if the       
religion of one hundred years ago1      
compared with the religion of to-day is 
so low1 what will it be in one thousand 
years8  ,if we continue making the      
inroads upon orthodoxy which we have    
been making during the last twenty-five 
years1 what will it be fifty years from 
to-night8 ,it will have to be           
remonetized by that time1 or else it    
will not be legal tender4 ,in my        
judgment1 every religion that stands by 
appealing to miracles is dishonoured4   
,every religion in the world has        
denounced every other religion as a     
fraud4 ,that proves to me that they all 
tell the truth--about others4 ,why8     
suppose ,mr4 ,smith should tell ,mr4    
,brown that he--,smith--saw a corpse get
 out of the grave1 and that when he     
first saw it1 it was covered with the   
worms of death1 and that in his presence
 it was re-clothed in healthy1 beautiful
 flesh4 ,and then suppose ,mr4 ,brown   

should tell ,mr4 ,smith1 ,i saw the same
 thing myself4 ,i was in a graveyard    
once1 and ,i saw a dead man rise4       
,suppose then that ,smith should say to 
,brown1 ,you're a liar1 and ,brown      
should reply to ,smith1 ,and you're a   
liar1 what would you think8 ,it would   
simply be because ,smith1 never having  
seen it himself1 didn't believe ,brown2 
and ,brown1 never having seen it1 didn't
 believe ,smith had4 ,now1 if ,smith had
 really seen it1 and ,brown told him he 
had seen it too1 then ,smith would      
regard it as a corroboration of his     
story1 and he would regard ,brown as one
 of his principal witnesses4 ,but1 on   
the contrary1 he says1 ,you never saw   
it4 ,so when a man says1 ,i was upon    
,mount ,sinai1 and there ,i met ,god1   
and he told me1 ',stand aside and let me
 drown these people2' and another man   
says to him1 ,i was up upon a mountain1 
and there ,i met the ,supreme ,brahma1  
and ,moses says1 ,that's not true1 and  
contends that the other man never did   

see ,brahma1 and he contends that ,moses
 never did see ,god1 that is in my      
judgment proof that they both speak     
truly4  ,every religion1 then1 has      
charged every other religion with having
 been an unmitigated fraud2 and yet1 if 
any man had ever seen the miracle       
himself1 his mind would be prepared to  
believe that another man had seen the   
same thing4 ,whenever a man appeals to a
 miracle he tells what is not true4     
,truth relies upon reason1 and the      
undeviating course of all the laws of   
nature4  ,now1 we have a religion--that 
is1 some people have4 ,i do not pretend 
to have religion myself4 ,i believe in  
living for this world--that's my        
doctrine--to make everybody happy that  
you can4 ,let the future take care of   
itself1 and if ,i ever touch the shores 
of another world1 ,i will be just as    
ready and anxious to get into some      
remunerative employment as anybody else4
 ,now1 we have got in this country a    
religion which men have preached for    

about eighteen hundred years1 and just  
in proportion as their belief in that   
religion has grown great1 men have grown
 mean and wicked2 just in proportion as 
they have ceased to believe it1 men have
 become just and charitable4 ,and if    
they believed it to-night as they once  
believed it1 ,i wouldn't be allowed to  
speak in the city of ,new ,york4 ,it is 
from the coldness and infidelity of the 
churches that ,i get my right to preach2
 and ,i say it to their credit4 ,now we 
have a religion4 ,what is it8 ,they say 
in the first place that all this vast   
universe was created by a ,deity4 ,i    
don't know whether it was or not4 ,they 
say1 too1 that had it not been for the  
first sin of ,adam there would never    
have been any devil in this world1 and  
if there had been no devil there would  
have been no sin1 and if there had been 
no sin there never would have been any  
death4 ,for my part ,i am glad there was
 death in this world1 because that gave 
me a chance4 ,somebody had to die to    

give me room1 and when my turn comes    
,i'll be willing to let somebody else   
take my place4 ,but whether there is    
another life or not1 if there is any    
being who gave me this1 ,i shall thank  
him from the bottom of my heart1        
because1 upon the whole1 my life has    
been a joy4 ,now they say1 because of   
this first sin all man was consigned to 
eternal hell4 ,and this because ,adam   
was our representative4 ,well1 ,i always
 had an idea that my representative     
ought to live somewhere about the same  
time ,i do4 ,i always had an idea that  
,i should have some voice in choosing my
 representative4 ,and if ,i had a voice 
,i never should have voted for the old  
gentleman called ,adam4 ,now in order to
 regain man from the frightful hell of  
eternity1 ,christ himself came to this  
world and took upon himself flesh1 and  
in order that we might know the road to 
eternal salvation he gave us a book1 and
 that book is called the ,bible1 and    
wherever that ,bible has been read men  

have immediately commenced cutting each 
others' throats4 ,wherever that ,bible  
has been circulated1 they have invented 
inquisitions and instruments of torture1
 and have commenced hating each other   
with all their hearts4 ,but ,i am told  
now1 we are all told1 that this ,bible  
is the foundation of civilization2 ,i   
say that this ,bible is the foundation  
of hell1 and we never shall get rid of  
the dogma of hell until we get rid of   
the idea that it is an inspired book4   
,now1 what does the ,bible teach8 ,i am 
not going to talk about what this       
minister or that minister says it       
teaches2 the question is1 ,ought a man  
to be sent to eternal hell for not      
believing this ,bible to be the work of 
a merciful ,father8 and the only way to 
find out is to read it2 and as very few 
people do read it now1 ,i will read a   
few passages4 ,this is the book to be   
read in the schools1 in order to make   
our children charitable and good2 this  
is the book that we must read in order  

that our children may have ideas of     
mercy1 charity1 and justice4  ,does the 
,bible teach mercy8 ,now be honest4 ,i  
read3 ,i will make mine arrows drunk    
with blood2 and my sword shall devour   
flesh8 7,deut4 xxxii4 #db47 ,pretty good
 start for a merciful ,god6 ,that thy   
foot may be dipped in the blood of thine
 enemies1 and the tongue of thy dogs in 
the same8 7,ps4 lxviii4 #bc47 ,again3   
,and the ,lord thy ,god will put out    
those nations before thee by little and 
little2 thou mayest not consume them at 
once1 lest the beasts of the field      
increase upon thee8 7,deut vii4 #bb47   
,read the glorious exploits of ,joshua1 
chosen captain of the ,lord1 and note   
how1 having coveted the fertile land of 
,goshen1 he smote the people1 houghed   
their horses1 despoiled their cities1   
and put all that breathed to the edge of
 the sword1 as the moral ,god had       
commanded4 ,moreover he came against    
them suddenly1 not a solitary trumpet   
blast from the celestial orchestra was  

there calling upon the people to yield1 
or to move out their country1 bag and   
baggage4 ,no2 instantaneous fire and    
butchery4 ,observe1 too1 the charming   
naivete of the statement3 ,there was not
 a city that made peace with the        
children of ,israel1 save the ,hivites4 
,why8 ,because the ,lord hardened their 
hearts1 that they should come against   
,israel in battle that he might destroy 
them utterly4  ,do you wish further     
examples of a ,god of mercy8 ,read in   
,exodus how the ,lord ordered the       
harrying of cities and the wholesale    
slaughter of the inhabitants4 ,thou     
shalt save alive nothing that breatheth2
 but thou shalt utterly destroy them4   
,the old men and the maidens1 and the   
sweet dimpled babe smiling upon the lap 
of its mother4  ,recollect1 these       
instructions were given to an army of   
invasion1 and the people who were       
fighting were guilty of the crime of    
fighting for their homes4 ,the ,old     
,testament is full of curses1 vengeance1

 jealousy1 and hatred2 of barbarity and 
brutality4 ,now1 do not for one moment  
believe that these words were written by
 the most merciful ,god4 ,don't pluck   
from the heart the sweet flowers of     
piety and crush them by superstition4   
,do not believe that ,god ever ordered  
the murder of innocent women and        
helpless babes4 ,do not let this        
supposition turn your hearts into stone4
 ,when anything is said to have been    
written by the most merciful ,god1 and  
the thing is not merciful1 then ,i deny 
it1 and say he never wrote it4 ,i will  
live by the standard of reason1 and if  
thinking in accordance with reason takes
 me to perdition1 then ,i will go to    
hell with my reason rather than to      
heaven without it4  ,now1 does this     
,bible teach political freedom1 or does 
it teach political tyranny8 ,does it    
teach a man to resist oppression8 ,does 
it teach a man to tear from the throne  
of tyranny the crowned thing and robber 
called a king8 ,let us see4 ,let every  

soul be subject to the higher powers2   
for there is no power but of ,god3 the  
powers that be are ordained of ,god4    
7,rom4 xiii4 #a47 ,all the kings1 and   
princes1 and governors1 and thieves1 and
 robbers that happened to be in         
authority were placed there by the      
infinite father of all6 ,whosoever      
therefore resisteth the power1 resisteth
 the ordinance of ,god4 ,and when       
,george ,washington resisted the power  
of ,george the ,third1 he resisted the  
power of ,god4 ,and when our fathers    
said resistance to tyrants is obedience 
to ,god1 they falsified the ,bible      
itself4 ,for he is the minister of ,god 
to thee for good4 ,but if thou do that  
which is evil1 be afraid2 for he beareth
 not the sword in vain2 for he is the   
minister of ,god1 revenger to execute   
wrath upon him that doeth evil4         
,wherefore ye must needs be subject not 
only for wrath1 but also for            
conscience's sake4 7,rom4 xiii4 #d4 #e47
  ,i deny this wretched doctrine4       

,wherever the sword of rebellion is     
drawn to protect the rights of man1 ,i  
am a rebel4 ,wherever the sword of      
rebellion is drawn to give man liberty1 
to clothe him in all his just rights1 ,i
 am on the side of that rebellion4 ,i   
deny that rulers are crowned by the     
,most ,high2 the rulers are the people1 
and the presidents and others are but   
the servants of the people4 ,all        
authority comes from the people1 and not
 from the aristocracy of the air4 ,upon 
these texts of ,scripture which ,i have 
just read rest the thrones of ,europe1  
and these are the voices that are       
repeated from age to age by brainless   
kings and heartless kings4  ,does the   
,bible give woman her rights8 ,is this  
,bible humane8 ,does it treat woman as  
she ought to be treated1 or is it       
barbarian8 ,let us see4 ,let women learn
 in silence with all subjection4 7#a    
,timothy ii4 #aa47 ,if a woman would    
know anything let her ask her husband4  
,imagine the ignorance of a lady who had

 only that source of information4 ,but  
,i suffer not a woman to teach1 nor to  
usurp authority over the man1 but be in 
silence4 ,observe the magnificent       
reason4 ,for ,adam was first formed1    
then ,eve1 ,and ,adam was not deceived1 
but the woman being deceived1 was in the
 transgression4 ,splendid6 ,but ,i would
 have you know that the head of every   
man is ,christ2 and the head of the     
woman is the man2 and the head of       
,christ is ,god4 ,that is to say1 there 
is as much difference between the woman 
and the man as there is between ,christ 
and man4 ,there is the liberty of woman4
 ,for the man is not of the woman1 but  
the woman is of the man4 ,neither was   
the man created for the woman4 ,well1   
what was he created for8 ,but the woman 
was created for the man4 ,wives1 submit 
yourselves unto your husbands1 as unto  
the ,lord4 ,there's liberty6 ,for the   
husband is the head of the wife1 even as
 ,christ is the head of the church2 and 
he is the saviour of the body4          

,therefore1 as the church is subject    
unto ,christ so let the wives to be     
their own husbands in every thing4 ,even
 the ,saviour didn't put man and woman  
upon any equality4 ,the man could       
divorce the wife1 but the wife could not
 divorce the husband1 and according to  
the ,old ,testament1 the mother had to  
ask forgiveness for being the mother of 
babes4 ,splendid6  ,here is something   
from the ,old ,testament3 ,when thou    
goest forth to war against thine        
enemies1 and the ,lord thy ,god hath    
delivered them into thine hands1 and    
thou hast taken them captive4 ,and seest
 among the captives a beautiful woman1  
and hast a desire unto her1 that thou   
wouldst have her to thy wife4 ,then thou
 shalt bring her home to thine house2   
and she shall shave her head1 and pare  
her nails1 7,deut4 xxi4 #aj1 #aa1 #ab47 
,that is in self-defence1 ,i suppose6   
,this sacred book1 this foundation of   
human liberty1 of morality1 does it     
teach concubinage and polygamy8 ,read   

the thirty-first chapter of ,numbers1   
read the twenty-first chapter of        
,deuteronomy1 read the blessed lives of 
,abraham1 of ,david1 or of ,solomon1 and
 then tell me that the sacred scripture 
does not teach polygamy and concubinage8
 ,all the language of the world is not  
sufficient to express the infamy of     
polygamy2 it makes man a beast and woman
 a stone4 ,it destroys the fireside and 
makes virtue an outcast4 ,and yet it is 
the doctrine of the ,bible4 ,the        
doctrine defended by ,luther and        
,melancthon6 ,it takes from our language
 those sweetest words--father1 husband1 
wife1 and mother1 and takes us back to  
barbarism and fills our hearts with the 
crawling1 slimy serpents4  ,does the    
,bible teach the existence of devils8   
,of course it does4 ,yes1 it teaches not
 only the existence of a good ,being1   
but a bad being4 ,this good ,being had  
to have a home2 that home was heaven4   
,this bad being had to have a home2 and 
that home was hell4 ,this hell is       

supposed to be nearer to earth than ,i  
would care to have it1 and to be peopled
 with spirits1 hobgoblins1 and all the  
fiery shapes with which the imagination 
of ignorance and fear could people that 
horrible place2 and the ,bible teaches  
the existence of hell and this big devil
 and all these little devils4 ,the      
,bible teaches the doctrine of          
witchcraft1 and makes us believe that   
there are sorcerers and witches1 and    
that the dead could be raised by the    
power of sorcery4 ,read the account of  
the spiritual seance at which ,saul and 
the ,witch of ,endor assisted1 and which
 resulted in the calling up of ,samuel4 
,does any one believe that now8  ,in    
another place it is declared that       
witchcraft is an abomination unto the   
,lord4 ,he wanted no rivals in this     
business4 ,now what does the ,new       
,testament teach8 ,turn to the story of 
,jesus being led into the wilderness for
 the devil to experiment upon him4 ,he  
was starved forty days and forty nights1

 and then asked to work a miracle6      
,after that the devil placed him on the 
pinnacle of the temple1 and asked him to
 cast himself down to prove that he was 
the ,son of ,god4 ,is it possible that  
any one can believe that the devil      
absolutely took ,god ,almighty1 and put 
him on the pinnacle of the temple1 and  
endeavoured to persuade him to jump     
down8 ,again the devil taketh him into  
an exceeding high mountain1 and showeth 
him all the kingdoms of the world1 and  
the glory of them2 and saith unto him1  
,all these things will ,i give thee1 if 
thou wilt fall down and worship me4     
,then saith ,jesus unto him1 ,get thee  
hence1 ,satan1 for it is written1 ,thou 
shalt worship the ,lord thy ,god1 and   
him only shalt thou serve4 7,matt4 iv4  
#h-aa47 ,now1 the devil must have known 
at that time that he was ,god1 and ,god 
at that time must have known that the   
other was the devil4 ,how could the     
latter be conceived to have the         
impudence to promise ,god a world in    

which he did not have a tax-title to an 
inch of land4  ,then there is that pig  
story4 ,when the boss devil had left    
,jesus and angels had ministered unto   
him1 and he had taken a short sea       
voyage1 there came out to meet him a man
 possessed of a number of minor devils1 
and a man whom no one could tame1 nor   
bind1 no not with chains1 and who dwelt 
among the tombs4 ,a nice quiet citizen  
truly6 ,and after some parley the devils
 beseech ,jesus1 saying3--,send us into 
the swine that we may enter into them4  
,and forthwith ,jesus gave them leave4  
,and the unclean spirits went out1 and  
entered into the swine2 and the herd ran
 violently down a steep place into the  
sea 7there were about two thousand7 and 
were choked in the sea4 ,no doubt a good
 riddance2 but what the owner of the    
swine thought of the transaction1 or    
whether he was indemnified for the loss 
of his porkers deponent cannot say4 ,are
 we reasonable men in the nineteenth    
century in the ,united ,states of       

,america and believe this8 ,i deny it4  
,these fables of devils have covered the
 world with blood2 they have filled the 
world with fear1 and ,i am going to do  
what ,i can to free the world of these  
insatiate monsters4 ,small and great    
they have filled the world with         
monsters1 they have made the world a    
synonym of liar and ferocity4  ,and it  
is this book that ought to be read in   
all the schools--this book that teaches 
man to enslave his brother4 ,if it is   
larceny to steal the result of labour1  
how much more is it larceny to steal the
 labourer himself4 ,moreover1 of the    
children of the strangers that do so    
sojourn among you1 of them shall ye buy1
 and of their families that are with    
you1 which they begat in your land2 and 
they shall be your possession4 ,and ye  
shall take them as an inheritance for   
your children after you1 to inherit them
 for a possession2 they shall be your   
bondmen for ever2 but over your brethren
 the children of ,israel1 ye shall not  

rule one over another with rigour4      
7,lev4 xv4 #de1 #df47 ,why8 ,because    
they are not as good as you will buy of 
the heathen roundabout4  ,these are     
edifying texts4 ,consult also ,exod4    
xxi4 #a1 where you will find a complete 
slave code4 ,no detail is wanting4      
,under certain conditions the master is 
to bring his servant to the judges1 then
 he is to lug him to the doorpost and   
bore his ear through with an awl--2 ,and
 he shall serve him for ever4 ,this is  
the doctrine which has ever lent itself 
to the chains of slavery1 and makes a   
man imprison himself rather than desert 
wife and children4 ,i hate it6  ,what   
does this same book with its glad       
tidings of great joy for all people say 
of the rights of children8 ,let us see  
how they are treated by the most        
merciful ,god4 ,if a man hath a stubborn
 and rebellious son1 which will not obey
 the voice of his father1 or the voice  
of his mother1 and that when they have  
chastened him1 will not hearken unto    

them4 ,then shall his father and his    
mother lay hold of him1 and bring him   
out unto the elders of his city1 and    
unto the gate of his place4 ,and they   
shall say unto the elders of his city3  
,this our son is stubborn and           
rebellious1 he will not obey our voice1 
he is a glutton1 and a drunkard4 ,and   
all the men of his city shall stone him 
with stones1 that he die2 so shalt thou 
put evil away from among you2 and all   
,israel shall hear and fear4 7,deut4    
xxi4 #ah47  ,abraham was commanded to   
offer his son ,isaac as a sacrifice1 and
 he intended to obey4 ,the boy was not  
consulted4  ,did you ever hear the story
 of ,jepthah's daughter8 ,is there in   
the history of the world a sadder story 
than that8 ,can a ,god who would accept 
such a sacrifice be worthy of the       
worship of civilized men8 ,i believe in 
the rights of children1 ,i plead for the
 republic at home1 for the democracy of 
the fireside1 and for this ,i am called 
a heathen and a devil by those who      

believe in the cheerful and comforting  
doctrine of eternal damnation4 ,read the
 book of ,job6 ,god met the devil and   
asked him where he had been1 and he     
said3 ,walking up and down the country1 
and the ,lord said to him3 ,have you    
noticed my man ,job over here1 how good 
he is8 ,and the devil said3 ,of course  
he's good1 you give him everything he   
wants4 ,just take away his property and 
he'll curse you4 ,you just try it4 ,and 
he did try it1 and took away his goods1 
but ,job still remained good4 ,the devil
 laughed and said that he had not been  
tried enough4 ,then the ,lord touched   
his flesh1 but he was still true4 ,then 
he took away his children1 but he       
remained faithful1 and in the end1 to   
show how much ,job made by this         
fidelity1 his property was all doubled1 
and he had more children than ever4 ,if 
you have a child1 and you love it1 would
 you be satisfied with a ,god who would 
destroy it1 and endeavour to make it up 
by giving you another that was better   

looking8 ,no1 you want that one2 you    
want no other1 and yet this is the idea 
of the love of children taught in the   
,bible4  ,does the ,bible teach you     
freedom of religion8 ,to-day we say that
 every man has a right to worship ,god  
or not1 to worship him as he pleases4   
,is it the doctrine of the ,bible8 ,read
 ,deut4 xii4 #f4 ,if a brother1 or son1 
or daughter1 or wife proposes to serve  
any god but your own1 or that of your   
fathers1 thou shalt not pity1 nor spare1
 nor conceal4 ,thou shalt surely kill   
him2 thine hand shall be the first upon 
him to put him to death1 and thou shalt 
stone him with stones that he die4  ,and
 do you know1 according to that1 if you 
had lived in ,palestine1 and your wife  
that you love as your own soul had said 
to you1 ,let us worship the sun whose   
golden beams clothe the world in glory2 
let us bow to that great luminary2 ,i   
love the sun because it gave me your    
face2 because it gave me the features of
 my babe2 let us worship the sun2 it was

 then your duty to lay your hands upon  
her1 your eye must not pity her1 but it 
was your duty to cast the first stone   
against that tender and loving breast6  
,i hate such doctrine6 ,i hate such     
books6 ,i hate gods that will write such
 books #a ,i tell you that it is        
infamous6 ,that is the religious liberty
 of the ,bible--that's it ,and this ,god
 taught that doctrine to the ,jews1 and 
said to them1 ,any one that teaches a   
different religion1 kill him6 ,now1 let 
me ask1 and ,i want to do it reverently3
  ,if1 as is contended1 ,god gave these 
frightful laws to the ,jews1 and        
afterwards this same ,god took upon     
himself flesh1 and came among the ,jews1
 and taught a different religion1 and   
these ,jews1 in accordance with the laws
 which this same ,god gave them1        
crucified him1 did he not reap what he  
had sown8 ,the mercy of all this comes  
in what is called the plan of salvation4
 ,what is that plan8 ,according to this 
great plan1 the innocent suffer for the 

guilty to satisfy a law4  ,what sort of 
a law must it be that would be satisfied
 with the suffering of innocence8       
,according to this plan1 the salvation  
of the whole world depends upon the     
bigotry of the ,jews and the treachery  
of ,judas4 ,according to the same plan1 
there would have been no death in the   
world if there had been no sin1 and if  
there had been no death you and ,i would
 not have been called into existence1   
and if we did not exist we could not    
have been saved2 so we owe our salvation
 to the bigotry of the ,jews and the    
treachery of ,judas1 and we are indebted
 to the devil for our existence4 ,i     
speak this reverently4 ,it strikes me   
that what they call the atonement is a  
kind of moral bankruptcy4 ,under its    
merciful provisions man is allowed the  
privilege of sinning credit1 and        
whenever he is guilty of a mean action1 
he says1 ,charge it4 ,in my judgment1   
this kind of bookkeeping breeds         
extravagance in sin4  ,suppose we had a 

law in ,new ,york that every merchant   
should give credit to every man who     
asked it1 under pain and penitentiary1  
and that every man should take the      
benefit of the bankruptcy statute any   
,saturdays night8 ,doesn't the credit   
system in morals breed extravagance in  
sin8 ,that's the question4 ,who's afraid
 of punishment which is so far away8    
,whom does the doctrine of hell stop8   
,the great1 the rich1 the powerful8 ,no2
 the poor1 the weak1 the despised1 the  
mean4 ,did you ever hear of a man going 
to hell who died in ,new ,york worth a  
million of dollars1 or with an income of
 twenty-five thousand a year8 ,did you  
ever hear of a man going to hell who    
rode in a carriage8 ,never4 ,they are   
the gentlemen who talk about their      
assets1 and who say1 ,hell is not for   
me2 it is for the poor4 ,i have all the 
luxuries ,i want1 give that to the poor4
 ,who go to hell8 ,tramps6  ,let me tell
 you a story4 ,there was once a         
frightful rain1 and all the animals held

 a convention1 to see whose fault it    
was1 and the fox nominated the lion for 
chairman4 ,the wolf seconded the motion1
 and the hyena said that suits4 ,when   
the convention was called to order the  
fox was called upon to confess his sins4
 ,he stated1 however1 that it would be  
much more appropriate for the lion to   
commence first4 ,thereupon the lion     
said3 ,i am not conscious of having     
committed evil4 ,it is true ,i have     
devoured a few men1 but for what other  
purpose were men made8 ,and they all    
cheered1 and were satisfied4 ,the fox   
gave his views upon the goose question1 
and the wolf admitted that he had       
devoured sheep1 and occasionally had    
killed a shepherd1 but all acquainted   
with the history of my family will bear 
me out when ,i say that shepherds have  
been the enemies of my family from the  
beginning of the world4  ,then away in  
the rear there arose a simple donkey1   
with a kind of ,abrahamic countenance4  
,he said1 ,i expect it's me1 ,i had     

eaten nothing for three days except     
three thistles4 ,i was passing a        
monastery2 the monks were at mass4 ,the 
gates were open leading to a yard full  
of sweet clover4 ,i knew it was wrong1  
but ,i did slip in and ,i took a        
mouthful1 but my conscience smote me and
 ,i went out1 and all the animals       
shouted1 ,he's the fellow6 and in two   
minutes they had his hide on the fence4 
,that's the kind of people that go to   
hell4  ,now this doctrine of hell1 that 
has been such a comfort to my race1     
which so many ministers are pleading    
for1 has been defended for ages by the  
fathers of the church4 ,your preacher   
says that the sovereignty of ,god       
implies that he has an absolute1        
unlimited1 and independent right to     
dispose of his creatures as he will1    
because he made them4 ,has he8 ,suppose 
,i take this book and change it         
immediately into a servient human being4
 ,would ,i have a right to torture it   
because ,i made it8 ,no2 on the         

contrary4 ,i would say1 having brought  
you into existence1 it is my duty to do 
the best for you ,i can4 ,they say ,god 
has a right to damn me because he made  
me4 ,i deny it4  ,another one says1 ,god
 is not obliged to save even those who  
believe in ,christ1 and that he can     
either bestow salvation upon his        
children or retain it without any       
diminution of his glory4 ,another one   
says1 ,god may save any sinner          
whatsoever1 consistently with his       
justice4 ,let a natural person--and ,i  
claim to be one--moral or immoral1 wise 
or unwise1 let him be as just as he can1
 no matter what his prayers may be1 what
 pains he may have taken to be saved1 or
 whatever circumstances he may be in1   
,god1 according to this writer1 can deny
 him salvation1 without the least       
disparagement of his glory4 ,his glories
 will not be in the least obscured2     
there is no natural man1 be his         
character what it may1 but ,god may cast
 down to hell without being charged with

 unfair dealing in any respect with     
regard to that man4 ,theologians tell us
 that ,god's design in the creation was 
simply to glorify himself4 ,magnificent 
object6 ,the same shall drink of the    
wine of the wrath of ,god1 which is     
poured out without mixture into the cup 
of his indignation2 and he shall be     
tormented with fire and brimstone in the
 presence of the holy angels1 and in the
 presence of the ,lamb4 7,rev4 i4 #aj47 
,do you know nobody would have had an   
idea of hell in this world if it hadn't 
been for volcanoes8 ,they were looked   
upon as the chimneys of hell4 ,the idea 
of eternal fire never would have        
polluted the imagination of man but for 
them4 ,an eminent theologian1 describing
 hell1 says1 ,there is no recounting up 
the million of ages the damned shall    
suffer4 ,all arithmetic ends here--and  
all sense1 too6 ,they shall have nothing
 to do in passing away this eternity but
 to conflict with torments4 ,god shall  
have no other use or employment for     

them4 ,these words were said by         
gentlemen who died ,christians1 and who 
are now in the harp business in the     
world to come4 ,another declares there  
is nothing to keep any man or ,christian
 out of hell except the mere pleasure of
 ,god1 and their pains never grow any   
easier by their becoming accustomed to  
them4 ,it is also declared that the     
devil goes about like a lion1 ready to  
doom the wicked4 ,did it never occur to 
you what a contradiction it is to say   
that the devil will persecute his own   
friends8 ,he wants all the recruits he  
can get2 why then should he persecute   
his friends8 ,in my judgment he should  
give them the best hell affords4  ,it is
 in the very nature of things that      
torments inflicted have no tendency to  
bring a wicked man to repentance4 ,then 
why torment him if it will not do him   
good8 ,it is simply unadulterated       
revenge4 ,all the punishment in the     
world will not reform a man1 unless he  
knows that he who inflicts it upon him  

does it for the sake of reformation1 and
 really and truly loves him1 and has his
 good at heart4 ,punishment inflicted   
for gratifying the appetite makes man   
afraid but debases him4 ,various reasons
 are given for punishing the wicked8    
first1 that ,god will vindicate his     
injured majesty4 ,weil1 ,i am glad of   
that6 ,second1 he will glorify his      
justice--think of that4 ,third1 he will 
show and glorify his grace4 ,every time 
the saved shall look upon the damned in 
hell it will cause in them a lively and 
admiring sense of the grace of ,god4    
,every look upon the damned will double 
the ardour and the joy of the saints in 
heaven4 ,can the believing husband in   
heaven look down upon the torments of   
the unbelieving wife in hell and then   
feel a thrill of joy8 ,that is the old  
doctrine--that if you saw your wife in  
hell--the wife you love1 who1 in your   
last sickness1 nursed you1 that perhaps 
supported you by her needle when you    
were ill2 the wife who watched by your  

couch night and day1 and held your      
corpse in her loving arms when you were 
dead--the sight would give you great    
joy4 ,that doctrine is not preached     
to-day4 ,they do not preach that the    
sight would give you joy6 but they do   
preach that it will not diminish your   
happiness4 ,that is the doctrine of     
every orthodox minister in ,new ,york1  
and ,i repeat that ,i have no respect   
for men who preach such doctrines4 ,the 
sight of the torments of the damned in  
hell will increase the ecstasy of the   
saints for ever6 ,on this principle a   
man never enjoys a good dinner so much  
as when a fellow-creature is dying of   
famine before his eyes1 or he never     
enjoys the cheerful warmth of his own   
fireside so greatly as when a poor and  
abandoned wretch is dying on his        
door-step4 ,the saints enjoy the        
ecstasy1 and the groans of the tormented
 are music to them4 ,i say here to-night
 that you cannot commit a sin against an
 infinite being4 ,i can sin against my  

brother or my neighbour1 because ,i can 
injure them4 ,there can be no sin where 
there is no injury4 ,neither can a      
finite being commit infinite sin4  ,an  
old saint believed that hell was in the 
interior of the earth1 and that the     
rotation of the earth was caused by the 
souls trying to get away from the fire4 
,the old church at ,stratford-on-,avon1 
,shakespeare's home1 is adorned with    
pictures of hell and the like4 ,one of  
the pictures represents                 
resurrection-morning4 ,people are       
getting out of their graves1 and devils 
are catching hold of their heels4 ,in   
one place there is a huge brass monster1
 and devils are driving scores of lost  
souls into his mouth4 ,over hot fires   
hang caldrons with fifty or sixty people
 in each1 and devils are poking the     
fires4 ,people are hung up on hooks by  
their tongues1 and devils are lashing   
them4 ,up in the right-hand corner are  
some of the saved1 with grins on their  
faces stretching from ear to ear4 ,they 

seem to say3 ,aha1 what did ,i tell you8
  ,some of the old saints--gentlemen who
 died in the odour of sanctity and are  
now in glory--insisted that heaven and  
hell would be plainly in view of each   
other4 ,only a few years ago1 the ,rev4 
,j4 ,furness 7an appropriate name71     
published a little pamphlet called ,a   
,sight in ,hell ,i remember when ,i     
first read that4 ,my little child1 seven
 years old1 was ill and in bed4 ,i      
thought she would not hear me1 and ,i   
read some of it aloud4 ,she arose and   
asked ,who says that8 ,i answered1      
,that's what they preach in some of the 
churches4 ,i never will enter a church  
as long as ,i live6 she said1 and she   
never has4  ,the doctrine of orthodox   
,christianity is that the damned shall  
suffer torment for ever and for ever4   
,and if you were a wanderer1 footsore1  
weary1 with parched tongue1 dying for a 
drop of water1 and you met one who      
divided his poor portion with you1 and  
died as he saw you reviving --if he was 

an unbeliever and you a believer1 and   
you died and went to heaven1 and he     
called to you from hell for a draught of
 water1 it would be your duty to laugh  
at him4  ,rev4 ,mr ,spurgeon says that  
everywhere in hell will be written the  
words for ever4 ,they will be branded on
 every wave of flame1 they will be      
forged in every link of every chain1    
they will be seen in every lurid flash  
of brimstone--everywhere will be those  
words for ever4 ,everybody will be      
yelling and screaming them4 ,just think 
of that picture of the mercy and justice
 of the eternal ,father of us all4 ,if  
these words are necessary why are they  
not written now everywhere in the world1
 on every tree1 and every field1 and on 
every blade of grass8 ,i say ,i am      
entitled to have it so4 ,i say that1 it 
is ,god's duty to furnish me with the   
evidence4 ,in old times they had to find
 a place for hell1 and they found a     
hundred places for it4 ,one says that it
 was under ,lake ,avernus1 but the      

,christian thought differently4 ,one    
divine tells us that it must be below   
the earth because ,christ descended into
 hell4 ,another gives it as his opinion 
that hell is in the sun1 and he tells us
 that nobody1 without an express        
revelation from ,god1 can prove that it 
is not there4 ,most likely4 ,well1 he   
had the idea at all events of utilizing 
the damned as fuel to warm the earth4   
,another divine preached a sermon no    
further back than #ahgf1 in which he    
said that the damned will grow worse1   
and the same divine says that the devil 
was the first ,universalist4 ,then ,i am
 on the side of the devil4  ,the fact   
is1 that you have got not merely to     
believe the ,bible1 but you must also   
believe in a certain interpretation of  
it1 and1 mind you1 you must also believe
 in the doctrine of the ,trinity4 ,if   
you don't understand it1 it is your own 
fault4 ,you must believe in it all the  
same4 ,if you do not1 all the orthodox  
churches agree in condemning you to     

everlasting flames4 ,we have got to burn
 through all our lives simply with the  
view of making them happy4 ,we are      
taught to love our enemies1 to pray for 
those that persecute us1 to forgive4    
,should not the merciful ,god practice  
what he preaches8 ,i say that           
reverently4 ,why should he say ,forgive 
your enemies if he will not himself     
forgive8 ,why should he say ,pray for   
those that despise and persecute you1   
but if they refuse to believe my        
doctrine ,i will burn them for ever8 ,i 
cannot believe it4 ,here is a little    
child1 residing in the purlieus of the  
city--some little boy who is taught that
 it is his duty to steal by his mother  
who applauds his success1 and pats him  
on the head and calls him a good        
boy--would it be just to condemn him to 
an eternity of torture8 ,suppose there  
is a ,god2 let us bring to this question
 some common sense4  ,i care nothing    
about the doctrines or religions or     
creeds of the past4 ,let us come to the 

bar of the nineteenth century and judge 
the matter by what we know1 by what we  
think1 by what we love4 ,but they say to
 us1 ,if you throw away the ,bible what 
are we to depend on then8 ,but no two   
persons in the world agree as to what   
the ,bible is1 what they are to believe1
 or what they are not to believe4 ,it is
 like a guide-post that has been thrown 
down in some time of disaster1 and has  
been put up the wrong way4 ,nobody can  
accept its guidance1 for nobody knows   
where it would direct him4 ,i say1 ,tear
 down the useless guide-post1 but they  
answer1 ,oh1 do not do that or we will  
have nothing to go by4 ,i would say1    
,old ,church1 you take that road1 and ,i
 will take this4 ,another minister has  
said that the ,bible is the great       
town-clock1 at which we may all set our 
watches4 ,but ,i have said to a friend  
of that minister1 ,suppose we all should
 set our watches by that town-clock1    
there would be many persons to tell you 
that in old times the long hand was the 

hour hand1 and beside1 the clock hasn't 
been wound up for a long time4 ,i say1  
let us wait till the sun rises and set  
our watches by nature4 ,for my part1 ,i 
am willing to give up heaven to get rid 
of hell4 ,i had rather there should be  
no heaven than that any solitary soul   
should be condemned to suffer for ever  
and ever4 ,but they tell me that the    
,bible is the book of hope4 ,now1 in the
 ,old ,testament there is not1 in my    
judgment1 a single reference to another 
life4 ,is there a burial-service        
mentioned in it in which a word of hope 
is spoken at the grave of the dead8 ,the
 idea of eternal life was not born of   
any book4 ,that wave of hope and joy    
ebbs and flows1 and will continue to ebb
 and flow as long as love kisses the    
lips of death4  ,let me tell you a tale 
of the ,persian religion--of a man who1 
having done good for long years of his  
life1 presented himself at the gates of 
,paradise1 but the gates remained closed
 against him4 ,he went back and followed

 up his good works for seven years      
longer1 and the gates of ,paradise still
 remaining shut against him1 he toiled  
in works of charity until at last they  
were opened unto him4 ,think of that1   
and send out your missionaries among    
those people4 ,there is no religion but 
goodness1 but justice1 but charity4     
,religion is not theory--it is life4 ,it
 is not intellectual conviction--it is  
divine humanity1 and nothing else4      
,there is another tale from the ,hindoo 
of a man who refused to enter ,paradise 
without a faithful dog1 urging that     
ingratitude was the blackest of all     
sins4 ,and the god1 he said1 admitted   
him1 dog and all4 ,compare that religion
 with the orthodox tenets of the city of
 ,new ,york4  ,there is a prayer which  
every ,brahmin prays1 in which he       
declares that he will never enter into a
 final state of bliss alone1 but that   
everywhere he will strive for universal 
redemption2 that never will he leave the
 world of sin and sorrow1 but remain    

suffering and striving and sorrowing    
after universal salvation4 ,compare that
 with the orthodox idea1 and send out   
your missionaries to the benighted      
,hindoos4  ,the doctrine of hell is     
infamous beyond all power to express4 ,i
 wish there were words mean enough to   
express my feelings of loathing on this 
subject4 ,what harm has it not done8    
,what waste places has it not made8 ,it 
has planted misery and wretchedness in  
this world2 it peoples the future with  
selfish joys and lurid abysses of       
eternal flame4 ,but we are getting more 
sense every day4 ,we begin to despise   
those monstrous doctrines4 ,if you want 
to better men and women change their    
conditions here4 ,don't promise them    
something somewhere else4 ,one biscuit  
will do more good than all the tracts   
that were ever peddled in the world4    
,give them more whitewash1 more light1  
more air4 ,you have to change men       
physically before you change them       
intellectually4  ,i believe the time    

will come when every criminal will be   
treated as we now treat the diseased and
 sick1 when every penitentiary will     
become a reformatory2 and that if       
criminals go to them with hatred in     
their bosoms1 they will leave them      
without feelings of revenge4 ,let me    
tell you the story of ,orpheus and      
,eurydice4 ,eurydice had been carried   
away by the god of hell1 and ,orpheus1  
her lover1 went in quest of her4 ,he    
took with him his lyre1 and played such 
exquisite music that all hell was       
amazed4 ,ixion forgot his labours at the
 wheel1 the daughters of ,danaus ceased 
from their hopeless task1 ,tantalus     
forgot his thirst1 even ,pluto smiled1  
and1 for the first time in the history  
of hell1 the eyes of the ,furies were   
wet with tears4 ,as it was with the lyre
 of ,orpheus1 so it is to-day with the  
great harmonies of science1 which are   
rescuing from the prisons of            
superstition the torn and bleeding heart
 of man4