,,about ,,the ,,holy ,,bible  ,a        
,lecture  ,by ,robert ,g4 ,ingersoll    
,in the nature of things there can be no
 evidence to establish the claim of     
,inspiration4  #ahid4     ,,about ,,the 
,,holy ,,bible4  ,,there are many       
millions of people who believe the      
,bible to be the inspired word of       
,god--millions who think that this book 
is staff and guide1 counselor and       
consoler2 that it fills the present with
 peace and the future with              
hope--millions who believe that it is   
the fountain of law1 justice and mercy1 
and that to its wise and benign         
teachings the world is indebted for its 
liberty1 wealth and                     
civilization--millions who imagine that 
this book is a revelation from the      
wisdom and love of ,god to the brain and
 heart of man--millions who regard this 
book as a torch that conquers the       
darkness of death1 and pours its        
radiance on another world--a world      
without a tear4 ,they forget its        

ignorance and savagery1 its hatred of   
liberty1 its religious persecution2 they
 remember heaven1 but they forget the   
dungeon of eternal pain4     ,i4 ,,the  
,,origin ,,of ,,the ,,bible4  ,a ,,few  
wandering families--poor1 wretched2     
without education1 art or power2        
descendants of those who had been       
enslaved for four hundred years2        
ignorant as the inhabitants of ,central 
,africa--had just escaped from their    
masters to the desert of ,sinai4  ,their
 leader was ,moses1 a man who had been  
raised in the family of ,pharaoh1 and   
had been taught the law and mythology of
 ,egypt4 ,for the purpose of controlling
 his followers he pretended that he was 
instructed and assisted by ,jehovah1 the
 god of these wanderers4  ,everything   
that happened was attributed to the     
interference of this god4 ,moses        
declared that he met this god face to   
face2 that on ,sinai's top from the     
hands of this god he had received the   
tables of stone on which1 by the finger 

of this god1 the ,ten ,commandments had 
been written1 and that1 in addition to  
this1 ,jehovah had made known the       
sacrifices and ceremonies that were     
pleasing to him and the laws by which   
the people should be governed4  ,in this
 way the ,jewish religion and the       
,mosaic ,code were established4  ,it is 
now claimed that this religion and these
 laws were and are revealed and         
established for all mankind4  ,at that  
time these wanderers had no commerce    
with other nations--they had no written 
language--they could neither read nor   
write4 ,they had no means by which they 
could make this revelation known to     
other nations1 and so it remained buried
 in the jargon of a few ignorant1       
impoverished and unknown tribes for more
 than two thousand years4  ,many        
centuries after ,moses1 the leader1 was 
dead--many centuries after all his      
followers had passed away--the          
,pentateuch was written1 the work of    
many writers1 and to give it force and  

authority it was claimed that ,moses was
 the author4  ,we now know that the     
,pentateuch was not written by ,moses4  
,towns are mentioned that were not in   
existence when ,moses lived4  ,money1   
not coined until centuries after his    
death1 is mentioned4  ,so1 many of the  
laws were not applicable to wanderers on
 the desert--laws about agriculture1    
about the sacrifice of oxen1 sheep and  
doves1 about the weaving of cloth1 about
 ornaments of gold and silver1 about the
 cultivation of land1 about harvest1    
about the threshing of grain1 about     
houses and temples1 about cities of     
refuge1 and about many other subjects of
 no possible application to a few       
starving wanderers over the sands and   
rocks4  ,it is now not only admitted by 
intelligent and honest theologians that 
,moses was not the author of the        
,pentateuch1 but they all admit that no 
one knows who the authors were1 or who  
wrote any one of these books1 or a      
chapter or a line4 ,we know that the    

books were not written in the same      
generation2 that they were not all      
written by one person2 that they are    
filled with mistakes and contradictions4
  ,it is also admitted that ,joshua did 
not write the book that bears his name1 
because it refers to events that did not
 happen until long after his death4  ,no
 one knows1 or pretends to know1 the    
author of ,judges2 all we know is that  
it was written centuries after all the  
judges had ceased to exist4 ,no one     
knows the author of ,ruth1 nor of ,first
 and ,second ,samuel2 all we know is    
that ,samuel did not write the books    
that bear his name4 ,in the #beth       
chapter of ,first ,samuel is an account 
of ,samuel's death1 and in the #bgth    
chapter is an account of the raising of 
,samuel by the ,witch of ,endor4  ,no   
one knows the author of ,first and      
,second ,kings or ,first and ,second    
,chronicles2 all we know is that these  
books are of no value4  ,we know that   
the ,psalms were not written by ,david4 

,in the ,psalms the ,captivity is spoken
 of1 and that did not happen until about
 five hundred years after ,david slept  
with his fathers4  ,we know that        
,solomon did not write the ,proverbs or 
the ,song2 that ,isaiah was not the     
author of the book that bears his name2 
that no one knows the author of ,job1   
,ecclesiastes or ,esther1 or of any book
 in the ,old ,testament1 with the       
exception of ,ezra4  ,we know that ,god 
is not mentioned or in any way referred 
to in the book of ,esther4 ,we know1    
too1 that the book is cruel1 absurd and 
impossible4  ,god is not mentioned in   
the ,song of ,solomon1 the best book in 
the ,old ,testament4  ,and we know that 
,ecclesiastes was written by an         
unbeliever4  ,we know1 too1 that the    
,jews themselves had not decided as to  
what books were inspired--were          
authentic--until the second century     
after ,christ4  ,we know that the idea  
of inspiration was of slow growth1 and  
that the inspiration was determined by  

those who had certain ends to           
accomplish4     ,,ii4 ,,is ,,the ,,old  
,,testament ,,inspired8  ,if it is1 it  
should be a book that no man--no number 
of men--could produce4  ,it should      
contain the perfection of philosophy4   
,it should perfectly accord with every  
fact in nature4  ,there should be no    
mistakes in astronomy1 geology1 or as to
 any subject or science4  ,its morality 
should be the highest1 the purest4  ,its
 laws and regulations for the control of
 conduct should be just1 wise1 perfect1 
and perfectly adapted to the            
accomplishment of the ends desired4  ,it
 should contain nothing calculated to   
make man cruel1 revengeful1 vindictive  
or infamous4  ,it should be filled with 
intelligence1 justice1 purity1 honesty1 
mercy and the spirit of liberty4  ,it   
should be opposed to strife and war1 to 
slavery and lust1 to ignorance1         
credulity and superstition4  ,it should 
develop the brain and civilize the      
heart4  ,it should satisfy the heart and

 brain of the best and wisest4  ,it     
should be true4  ,does the ,old         
,testament satisfy this standard8  ,is  
there anything in the ,old              
,testament--in history1 in theory1 in   
law1 in government1 in morality1 in     
science--above and beyond the ideas1 the
 beliefs1 the customs and prejudices of 
its authors and the people among whom   
they lived8  ,is there one ray of light 
from any supernatural source8  ,the     
ancient ,hebrews believed that this     
earth was the centre of the universe1   
and that the sun1 moon and stars were   
specks in the sky4  ,with this the      
,bible agrees4  ,they thought the earth 
was flat1 with four corners2 that the   
sky1 the firmament1 was solid--the floor
 of ,jehovah's house4  ,the ,bible      
teaches the same4  ,they imagined that  
the sun journeyed about the earth1 and  
that by stopping the sun the day could  
be lengthened4  ,the ,bible agrees with 
this4  ,they believed that ,adam and    
,eve were the first man and woman2 that 

they had been created but a few years   
before1 and that they1 the ,hebrews1    
were their direct descendants4  ,this   
the ,bible teaches4  ,if anything is1 or
 can be1 certain1 the writers of the    
,bible were mistaken about creation1    
astronomy1 geology2 about the causes of 
phenomena1 the origin of evil and the   
cause of death4  ,now1 it must be       
admitted that if an ,infinite ,being is 
the author of the ,bible1 he knew all   
sciences1 all facts1 and could not have 
made a mistake4  ,if1 then1 there are   
mistakes1 misconceptions1 false         
theories1 ignorant myths and blunders in
 the ,bible1 it must have been written  
by finite beings2 that is to say1 by    
ignorant and mistaken men4  ,nothing can
 be clearer than this4  ,for centuries  
the ,church insisted that the ,bible was
 absolutely true2 that it contained no  
mistakes2 that the story of creation was
 true2 that its astronomy and geology   
were in accord with the facts2 that the 
scientists who differed with the ,old   

,testament were infidels and atheists4  
,now this has changed4 ,the educated    
,christians admit that the writers of   
the ,bible were not inspired as to any  
science4 ,they now say that ,god1 or    
,jehovah1 did not inspire the writers of
 his book for the purpose of instructing
 the world about astronomy1 geology or  
any science4 ,they now admit that the   
inspired men who wrote the ,old         
,testament knew nothing about any       
science1 and that they wrote about the  
earth and stars1 the sun and moon1 in   
accordance with the general ignorance of
 the time4  ,it required many centuries 
to force the theologians to this        
admission4 ,reluctantly1 full of malice 
and hatred1 the priests retired from the
 field1 leaving the victory with        
science4  ,they took another position3  
,they declared that the authors1 or     
rather the writers1 of the ,bible were  
inspired in spiritual and moral things2 
that ,jehovah wanted to make known to   
his children his will and his infinite  

love for his children2 that ,jehovah1   
seeing his people wicked1 ignorant and  
depraved1 wished to make them merciful  
and just1 wise and spiritual1 and that  
the ,bible is inspired in its laws1 in  
the religion it teaches and in its ideas
 of government4  ,this is the issue now4
 ,is the ,bible any nearer right in its 
ideas of justice1 of mercy1 of morality 
or of religion than in its conception of
 the sciences8  ,is it moral8  ,it      
upholds slavery--it sanctions polygamy4 
,could a devil have done worse8  ,is it 
merciful8  ,in war it raised the black  
flag2 it commanded the destruction1 the 
massacre1 of all--of the old1 infirm1   
and helpless--of wives and babes4  ,were
 its laws inspired8  ,hundreds of       
offenses were punished with death4 ,to  
pick up sticks on ,sunday1 to murder    
your father on ,monday1 were equal      
crimes4 ,there is in the literature of  
the world no bloodier code4 ,the law of 
revenge--of retaliation--was the law of 
,jehovah4 ,an eye for an eye1 a tooth   

for a tooth1 a limb for a limb4  ,this  
is savagery--not philosophy4  ,is it    
just and reasonable8  ,the ,bible is    
opposed to religious toleration--to     
religious liberty4 ,whoever differed    
with the majority was stoned to death4  
,investigation was a crime4 ,husbands   
were ordered to denounce and to assist  
in killing their unbelieving wives4  ,it
 is the enemy of ,art4 ,thou shalt make 
no graven image4 ,this was the death of 
,art4  ,palestine never produced a      
painter or a sculptor4  ,is the ,bible  
civilized8  ,it upholds lying1 larceny1 
robbery1 murder1 the selling of diseased
 meat to strangers1 and even the        
sacrifice of human beings to ,jehovah4  
,is it philosophical8  ,it teaches that 
the sins of a people can be transferred 
to an animal--to a goat4 ,it makes      
maternity an offense1 for which a sin   
offering had to be made4  ,it was wicked
 to give birth to a boy1 and twice as   
wicked to give birth to a girl4  ,to    
make hair-oil like that used by the     

priests was an offense punishable with  
death4  ,the blood of a bird killed over
 running water was regarded as medicine4
  ,would a civilized ,god daub his      
altars with the blood of oxen1 lambs and
 doves8 ,would he make all his priests  
butchers8 ,would he delight in the smell
 of burning flesh8     ,,iii4 ,,the     
,,ten ,,commandments4  ,,some ,christian
 lawyers--some eminent and stupid       
judges--have said and still say1 that   
the ,ten ,commandments are the          
foundation of all law4  ,nothing could  
be more absurd4 ,long before these      
,commandments were given there were     
codes of laws in ,india and ,egypt--laws
 against murder1 perjury1 larceny1      
adultery and fraud4 ,such laws are as   
old as human society2 as old as the love
 of life2 as old as industry2 as the    
idea of prosperity2 as old as human     
love4  ,all of the ,ten ,commandments   
that are good were old2 all that were   
new are foolish4 ,if ,jehovah had been  
civilized he would have left out the    

commandment about keeping the ,sabbath1 
and in its place would have said3 ,thou 
shalt not enslave thy fellow-men4 ,he   
would have omitted the one about        
swearing1 and said3 ,the man shall have 
but one wife1 and the woman but one     
husband4 ,he would have left out the one
 about graven images1 and in its stead  
would have said3 ,thou shalt not wage   
wars of extermination1 and thou shalt   
not unsheathe the sword except in       
self-defense4  ,if ,jehovah had been    
civilized1 how much grander the ,ten    
,commandments would have been4  ,all    
that we call progress--the              
enfranchisement of man1 of labor1 the   
substitution of imprisonment for death1 
of fine for imprisonment1 the           
destruction of polygamy1 the            
establishing of free speech1 of the     
rights of conscience2 in short1 all that
 has tended to the development and      
civilization of man2 all the results of 
investigation1 observation1 experience  
and free thought2 all that man has      

accomplished for the benefit of man     
since the close of the ,dark ,ages--has 
been done in spite of the ,old          
,testament4  ,let me further illustrate 
the morality1 the mercy1 the philosophy 
and goodness of the ,old ,testament3    
,,the ,,story ,,of ,,achan4  ,joshua    
took the ,city of ,jericho4 ,before the 
fall of the city he declared that all   
the spoil taken should be given to the  
,lord4  ,in spite of this order ,achan  
secreted a garment1 some silver and     
gold4  ,afterwards ,joshua tried to take
 the city of ,ai4 ,he failed and many of
 his soldiers were slain4  ,joshua      
sought for the cause of his defeat and  
he found that ,achan had secreted a     
garment1 two hundred shekels of silver  
and a wedge of gold4 ,to this ,achan    
confessed4  ,and thereupon ,joshua took 
,achan1 his sons and his daughters1 his 
oxen and his sheep--stoned them all to  
death and burned their bodies4  ,there  
is nothing to show that the sons and    
daughters had committed any crime4      

,certainly1 the oxen and sheep should   
not have been stoned to death for the   
crime of their owner4 ,this was the     
justice1 the mercy1 of ,jehovah6  ,after
 ,joshua had committed this crime1 with 
the help of ,jehovah he captured the    
city of ,ai4     ,,the ,,story ,,of     
,,elisha4  ,and he went up thence unto  
,bethel1 and as he was going up by the  
way there came forth little children out
 of the city and mocked him1 and said   
unto him1 ',go up1 thou baldhead4  ,and 
he turned back and looked at them1 and  
cursed them in the name of the ,lord4   
,and there came forth two she-bears out 
of the wood and tore forty and two      
children of them4  ,this was the work of
 the good ,god--the merciful ,jehovah6  
,,the ,,story ,,of ,,daniel4  ,king     
,darius had honored and exalted ,daniel1
 and the native princes were jealous4   
,so they induced the ,king to sign a    
decree to the effect that any man who   
should make a petition to any god or man
 except to ,king ,darius1 for thirty    

days1 should be cast into the den of    
lions4  ,afterwards these men found that
 ,daniel1 with his face toward          
,jerusalem1 prayed three times a day to 
,jehovah4  ,thereupon ,daniel was cast  
into the den of lions2 a stone was      
placed at the mouth of the den and      
sealed with the ,king's seal4  ,the     
,king passed a bad night4 ,the next     
morning he went to the den and cried out
 to ,daniel4 ,daniel answered and told  
the ,king that ,god had sent his angel  
and shut the mouths of the lions4       
,daniel was taken out alive and well1   
and the ,king was converted and believed
 in ,daniel's god4  ,darius1 being then 
a believer in the true ,god1 sent for   
the men who had accused ,daniel1 and for
 their wives and their children1 and    
cast them all into the lions' den4  ,and
 the lions had the mastery of them1 and 
brake all their bones in pieces1 or ever
 they came at the bottom of the pit4    
,what had the wives and little children 
done8 ,how had they offended ,king      

,darius1 the believer in ,jehovah8 ,who 
protected ,daniel8 ,jehovah6 ,who failed
 to protect the innocent wives and      
children8 ,jehovah6     ,,the ,,story   
,,of ,,joseph4  ,pharaoh had a dream1   
and this dream was interpreted by       
,joseph4  ,according to this            
interpretation there was to be in ,egypt
 seven years of plenty1 followed by     
seven years of famine4 ,joseph advised  
,pharaoh to buy all the surplus of the  
seven plentiful years and store it up   
against the years of famine4  ,pharaoh  
appointed ,joseph as his minister or    
agent1 and ordered him to buy the grain 
of the plentiful years4  ,then came the 
famine4 ,the people came to the ,king   
for help4 ,he told them to go to ,joseph
 and do as he said4  ,joseph sold corn  
to the ,egyptians until all their money 
was gone--until he had it all4  ,when   
the money was gone the people said3     
,give us corn and we will give you our  
cattle4  ,joseph let them have corn     
until all their cattle1 their horses and

 their flocks had been given to him4    
,then the people said3 ,give us corn and
 we will give you our lands4  ,so       
,joseph let them have corn until all    
their lands were gone4  ,but the famine 
continued1 and so the poor wretches sold
 themselves1 and they became the        
servants of ,pharoah4  ,then ,joseph    
gave them seed1 and made an agreement   
with them that they should forever give 
one-fifth of all they raised to         
,pharaoh4  ,who enabled ,joseph to      
interpret the dream of ,pharaoh8        
,jehovah6 ,did he know at the time that 
,joseph would use the information thus  
given to rob and enslave the people of  
,egypt8 ,yes4 ,who produced the famine8 
,jehovah6  ,it is perfectly apparent    
that the ,jews did not think of ,jehovah
 as the ,god of ,egypt--the ,god of all 
the world4 ,he was their ,god1 and      
theirs alone4 ,other nations had gods1  
but ,jehovah was the greatest of all4   
,he hated other nations and other gods1 
and abhorred all religions except the   

worship of himself4      ,,iv4 ,,what   
,,is ,,it ,,all ,,worth8  ,,will some   
,christian scholar tell us the value of 
,genesis8  ,we know that it is not      
true--that it contradicts itself4 ,there
 are two accounts of the creation in the
 first and second chapters4 ,in the     
first account birds and beasts were     
created before man4  ,in the second1 man
 was created before the birds and       
beasts4  ,in the first1 fowls are made  
out of the water4  ,in the second1 fowls
 are made out of the ground4  ,in the   
first1 ,adam and ,eve are created       
together4  ,in the second1 ,adam is     
made2 then the beasts and birds1 and    
then ,eve is created from one of ,adam's
 ribs4  ,these stories are far older    
than the ,pentateuch4  ,persian3 ,god   
created the world in six days1 a man    
called ,adama1 a woman called ,evah1 and
 then rested4  ,the ,etruscan1          
,babylonian1 ,phoenician1 ,chaldean and 
the ,egyptian stories are much the same4
  ,the ,persians1 ,greeks1 ,egyptians1  

,chinese and ,hindus have their ,garden 
of ,eden and the ,tree of ,life4  ,so   
the ,persians1 the ,babylonians1 the    
,nubians1 the people of ,southern       
,india1 all had the story of the ,fall  
of ,man and the subtle serpent4  ,the   
,chinese say that sin came into the     
world by the disobedience of woman4 ,and
 even the ,tahitians tell us that man   
was created from the earth1 and the     
first woman from one of his bones4  ,all
 these stories are equally authentic and
 of equal value to the world1 and all   
the authors were equally inspired4  ,we 
know also that the story of the ,flood  
is much older than the book of ,genesis1
 and we know besides that it is not     
true4  ,we know that this story in      
,genesis was copied from the ,chaldean4 
,there you find all about the rain1 the 
ark1 the animals1 the dove that was sent
 out three times1 and the mountain on   
which the ark rested4  ,so the ,hindus1 
,chinese1 ,parsees1 ,persians1 ,greeks1 
,mexicans and ,scandinavians have       

substantially the same story4  ,we also 
knew that the account of the ,tower of  
,babel is an ignorant and childish      
fable4  ,what then is left in this      
inspired book of ,genesis8 ,is there a  
word calculated to develop the heart or 
brain8 ,is there an elevated            
thought--any great principle--anything  
poetic--any word that bursts into       
blossom8  ,is there anything except a   
dreary and detailed statement of things 
that never happened8  ,is there anything
 in ,exodus calculated to make men      
generous1 loving and noble8  ,is it well
 to teach children that ,god tortured   
the innocent cattle of the              
,egyptians--bruised them to death with  
hailstones--on account of the sins of   
,pharoah8  ,does it make us merciful to 
believe that ,god killed the firstborn  
of the ,egyptians--the firstborn of the 
poor and suffering people--of the poor  
girl working at the mill--because of the
 wickedness of the ,king8  ,can we      
believe that the gods of ,egypt worked  

miracles8 ,did they change water into   
blood1 and sticks into serpents8  ,in   
,exodus there is not one original       
thought or line of value4  ,we know1 if 
we know anything1 that this book was    
written by savages--savages who believed
 in slavery1 polygamy and wars of       
extermination4 ,we know that the story  
told is impossible1 and that the        
miracles were never performed4 ,this    
book admits that there are other gods   
besides ,jehovah4 ,in the #agth chapter 
is this verse3 ,now ,i know that the    
,lord is greater than all gods1 for1 in 
the thing wherein they dealt proudly1 he
 was above them4  ,so1 in this blessed  
book is taught the duty of human        
sacrifice--the sacrifice of babes4  ,in 
the #bb;d chapter is this command3 ,thou
 shalt not delay to offer the first of  
thy ripe fruits and of thy liquors3 the 
first born of thy sons thou shalt give  
unto me4  ,has ,exodus been a help or a 
hindrance to the human race8  ,take from
 ,exodus the laws common to all nations1

 and is there anything of value left8   
,is there anything in ,leviticus of     
importance8 ,is there a chapter worth   
reading8 ,what interest have we in the  
clothes of priests1 the curtains and    
candles of the tabernacle1 the tongs and
 shovels of the altar or the hair-oil   
used by the ,levites8  ,of what use the 
cruel code1 the frightful punishments1  
the curses1 the falsehoods and the      
miracles of this ignorant and infamous  
book8  ,and what is there in the book of
 ,numbers--with its sacrifices and water
 of jealousy1 with its shew-bread and   
spoons1 its kids and fine flour1 its oil
 and candlesticks1 its cucumbers1 onions
 and manna--to assist and instruct      
mankind8 ,what interest have we in the  
rebellion of ,korah1 the water of       
separation1 the ashes of a red heifer1  
the brazen serpent1 the water that      
followed the people uphill and down for 
forty years1 and the inspired donkey of 
the prophet ,balaam8 ,have these        
absurdities and cruelties--these        

childish1 savage superstitions--helped  
to civilize the world8  ,is there       
anything in ,joshua--with its wars1 its 
murders and massacres1 its swords       
dripping with the blood of mothers and  
babes1 its tortures1 maimings and       
mutilations1 its fraud and fury1 its    
hatred and revenge--calculated to       
improve the world8  ,does not every     
chapter shock the heart of a good man8  
,is it a book to be read by children8   
,the book of ,joshua is as merciless as 
famine1 as ferocious as the heart of a  
wild beast4 ,it is a history--a         
justification--a sanctification of      
nearly every crime4  ,the book of       
,judges is about the same1 nothing but  
war and bloodshed2 the horrible story of
 ,jael and ,sisera2 of ,gideon and his  
trumpets and pitchers2 of ,jephtha and  
his daughter1 whom he murdered to please
 ,jehovah4  ,here we find the story of  
,samson1 in which a sun-god is changed  
to a ,hebrew giant4  ,read this book of 
,joshua--read of the slaughter of women1

 of wives1 of mothers and babes--read   
its impossible miracles1 its ruthless   
crimes1 and all done according to the   
commands of ,jehovah1 and tell me       
whether this book is calculated to make 
us forgiving1 generous and loving4  ,i  
admit that the history of ,ruth is in   
some respects a beautiful and touching  
story2 that it is naturally told1 and   
that her love for ,naomi was deep and   
pure4 ,but in the matter of courtship we
 would hardly advise our daughters to   
follow the example of ,ruth4 ,still1 we 
must remember that ,ruth was a widow4   
,is there anything worth reading in the 
first and second books of ,samuel8      
,ought a prophet of ,god to hew a       
captured king in pieces8 ,is the story  
of the ark1 its capture and return of   
importance to us8 ,is it possible that  
it was right1 just and merciful to kill 
fifty thousand men because they had     
looked into a box8 ,of what use to us   
are the wars of ,saul and ,david1 the   
stories of ,goliath and the ,witch of   

,endor8 ,why should ,jehovah have killed
 ,uzzah for putting forth his hand to   
steady the ark1 and forgiven ,david for 
murdering ,uriah and stealing his wife8 
,according to ,samuel1 ,david took a    
census of the people4 ,this excited the 
wrath of ,jehovah1 and as a punishment  
he allowed ,david to choose seven years 
of famine1 a flight of three months from
 pursuing enemies1 or three days of     
pestilence4 ,david1 having confidence in
 ,god1 chose the three days of          
pestilence2 and1 thereupon1 ,god1 the   
compassionate1 on account of the sin of 
,david1 killed seventy thousand innocent
 men6  ,under the same circumstances1   
what would a devil have done8  ,is there
 anything in ,first and ,second ,kings  
that suggests the idea of inspiration8  
,when ,david is dying he tells his son  
,solomon to murder ,joab--not to let his
 hoar head go down to the grave in      
peace4 ,with his last breath he commands
 his son to bring down the hoar head of 
,shimei to the grave with blood4 ,having

 uttered these merciful words1 the good 
,david1 the man after ,god's heart1     
slept with his fathers4  ,was it        
necessary to inspire the man who wrote  
the history of the building of the      
temple1 the story of the visit of the   
,queen of ,sheba1 or to tell the number 
of ,solomon's wives8  ,what care we for 
the withering of ,jereboam's hand1 the  
prophecy of ,jehu1 or the story of      
,elijah and the ravens8  ,can we believe
 that ,elijah brought flames from       
heaven1 or that he went at last to      
,paradise in a chariot of fire8  ,can we
 believe in the multiplication of the   
widow's oil by ,elisha1 that an army was
 smitten with blindness1 or that an axe 
floated in the water8  ,does it civilize
 us to read about the beheading of the  
seventy sons of ,ahab1 the putting out  
of the eyes of ,zedekiah and the murder 
of his sons8 ,is there one word in      
,first and ,second ,kings calculated to 
make men better8  ,first and ,second    
,chronicles is but a re-telling of what 

is told in ,first and ,second ,kings4   
,the same old stories--a little left    
out1 a little added1 but in no respect  
made better or worse4  ,the book of     
,ezra is of no importance4 ,he tells us 
that ,cyrus1 ,king of ,persia1 issued a 
proclamation for building a temple at   
,jerusalem1 and that he declared        
,jehovah to be the real and only ,god4  
,nothing could be more absurd4 ,ezra    
tells us about the return from          
captivity1 the building of the temple1  
the dedication1 a few prayers1 and this 
is all4 ,this book is of no importance1 
of no use4  ,nehemiah is about the same1
 only it tells of the building of the   
wall1 the complaints of the people about
 taxes1 a list of those who returned    
from ,babylon1 a catalogue of those who 
dwelt at ,jerusalem1 and the dedication 
of the walls4  ,not a word in ,nehemiah 
worth reading4  ,then comes the book of 
,esther3  ,in this we are told that     
,king ,ahasueras was intoxicated2 that  
he sent for his ,queen1 ,vashti1 to come

 and show herself to him and his guests4
 ,vashti refused to appear4  ,this      
maddened the ,king1 and he ordered that 
from every province the most beautiful  
girls should be brought before him that 
he might choose one in place of ,vashti4
  ,among others was brought ,esther1 a  
,jewess4 ,she was chosen and became the 
wife of the ,king4 ,then a gentleman by 
the name of ,haman wanted to have all   
the ,jews killed1 and the ,king1 not    
knowing that ,esther was of that race1  
signed a decree that all the ,jews      
should be killed4  ,through the efforts 
of ,mordecai and ,esther the decree was 
annulled and the ,jews were saved4      
,haman prepared a gallows on which to   
have ,mordecai hanged1 but the good     
,esther so managed matters that ,haman  
and his ten sons were hanged on the     
gallows that ,haman had built1 and the  
,jews were allowed to murder more than  
seventy-five thousand of the ,king's    
subjects4  ,this is the inspired story  
of ,esther4  ,in the book of ,job we    

find some elevated sentiments1 some     
sublime and foolish thoughts1 something 
of the wonder and sublimity of nature1  
the joys and sorrows of life2 but the   
story is infamous4  ,some of the ,psalms
 are good1 many are indifferent1 and a  
few are infamous4 ,in them are mingled  
the vices and virtues4 ,there are verses
 that elevate2 verses that degrade4     
,there are prayers for forgiveness and  
revenge4 ,in the literature of the world
 there is nothing more heartless1 more  
infamous1 than the #ajith ,psalm4  ,in  
the ,proverbs there is much shrewdness1 
many pithy and prudent maxims1 many wise
 sayings4 ,the same ideas are expressed 
in many ways--the wisdom of economy and 
silence1 the dangers of vanity and      
idleness4 ,some are trivial1 some are   
foolish1 and many are wise4 ,these      
proverbs are not generous--not          
altruistic4 ,sayings to the same effect 
are found among all nations4            
,ecclesiastes is the most thoughtful    
book in the ,bible4 ,it was written by  

an unbeliever--a philosopher--an        
agnostic4 ,take out the interpolations1 
and it is in accordance with the thought
 of the ,nineteenth ,century4 ,in this  
book are found the most philosophic and 
poetic passages in the ,bible4  ,after  
crossing the desert of death and        
crime--after reading the ,pentateuch1   
,joshua1 ,judges1 ,samuel1 ,kings and   
,chronicles--it is delightful to reach  
this grove of palms1 called the ,song of
 ,solomon4 ,a drama of love--of human   
love2 a poem without ,jehovah--a poem   
born of the heart and true to the divine
 instincts of the soul4  ,i sleep1 but  
my heart waketh4  ,isaiah is the work of
 several4 ,its swollen words1 its vague 
imagery1 its prophecies and curses1 its 
ravings against kings and nations1 its  
laughter at the wisdom of man1 its      
hatred of joy1 have not the slightest   
tendency to increase the well-being of  
man4  ,in this book is recorded the     
absurdest of all miracles4 ,the shadow  
on the dial is turned back ten degrees1 

in order to satisfy ,hezekiah that      
,jehovah will add fifteen years to his  
life4  ,in this miracle the world1      
turning from west to east at the rate of
 more than a thousand miles an hour1 is 
not only stopped1 but made to turn the  
other way until the shadow on the dial  
went back ten degrees6 ,is there in the 
whole world an intelligent man or woman 
who believes this impossible falsehood8 
,jeremiah contains nothing of           
importance--no facts of value2 nothing  
but faultfinding1 lamentations1         
croakings1 wailings1 curses and         
promises2 nothing but famine and prayer1
 the prosperity of the wicked1 the ruin 
of the ,jews1 the captivity and return1 
and at last ,jeremiah1 the traitor1 in  
the stocks and in prison4  ,and         
,lamentations is simply a continuance of
 the ravings of the same insane         
pessimist2 nothing but dust and         
sackcloth and ashes1 tears and howls1   
railings and revilings4  ,and           
,ezekiel--eating manuscripts1           

prophesying siege and desolation1 with  
visions of coals of fire1 and cherubim1 
and wheels with eyes1 and the type and  
figure of the boiling pot1 and the      
resurrection of dry bones--is of no use1
 of no possible value4  ,with ,voltaire1
 ,i say that any one who admires        
,ezekiel should be compelled to dine    
with him4  ,daniel is a disordered      
dream--a nightmare4  ,what can be made  
of this book with its image with a      
golden head1 with breast and arms of    
silver1 with belly and thighs of brass1 
with legs of iron1 and with feet of iron
 and clay2 with its writing on the wall1
 its den of lions1 and its vision of the
 ram and goat8  ,is there anything to be
 learned from ,hosea and his wife8 ,is  
there anything of use in ,joel1 in      
,amos1 in ,obadiah8 ,can we get any good
 from ,jonah and his gourd8 ,is it      
possible that ,god is the real author of
 ,micah and ,nahum1 of ,habakuk and     
,zephaniah1 of ,haggai and ,malachi and 
,zechariah1 with his red horses1 his    

four horns1 his four carpenters1 his    
flying roll1 his mountains of brass and 
the stone with four eyes8  ,is there    
anything in these inspired books that   
has been of benefit to man8  ,have they 
taught us how to cultivate the earth1 to
 build houses1 to weave cloth1 to       
prepare food8 ,have they taught us to   
paint pictures1 to chisel statues1 to   
build bridges1 or ships1 or anything of 
beauty or of use8 ,did we get our ideas 
of government1 of religious freedom1 of 
the liberty of thought1 from the ,old   
,testament8 ,did we get from any of     
these books a hint of any science8 ,is  
there in the sacred volume a word1 a    
line1 that has added to the wealth1 the 
intelligence and the happiness of       
mankind8 ,is there one of the books of  
the ,old ,testament as entertaining as  
,robinson ,crusoe1 the ,travels of      
,gulliver1 or ,peter ,wilkins and his   
,flying ,wife8 ,did the author of       
,genesis know as much about nature as   
,humboldt1 or ,darwin1 or ,haeckel8 ,is 

what is called the ,mosaic ,code as wise
 or as merciful as the code of any      
civilized nation8 ,were the writers of  
,kings and ,chronicles as great         
historians1 as great writers1 as ,gibbon
 and ,draper8 ,is ,jeremiah or ,habakuk 
equal to ,dickens or ,thackeray8 ,can   
the authors of ,job and the ,psalms be  
compared with ,shakespeare8 ,why should 
we attribute the best to man and the    
worst to ,god8     ,v4 ,,was ,,jehovah  
,a ,,god ,,of ,,love8  ,,did these words
 come from the heart of love8--,when the
 ,lord thy ,god shall drive them before 
thee1 thou shalt smite them and utterly 
destroy them2 thou shalt make no        
covenant with them1 or show mercy unto  
them4  ,i will heap mischief upon them4 
,i will send mine arrows upon them2 they
 shall be burned with hunger and        
devoured with burning heat and with     
bitter destruction4  ,i will send the   
tooth of beasts upon them1 with the     
poison of serpents of the dust4  ,the   
sword without1 and terror within1 shall 

destroy both the young man and the      
virgin2 the suckling also with the man  
of gray hairs4  ,let his children be    
fatherless and his wife a widow2 let his
 children be continually vagabonds and  
beg2 let them seek their bread also out 
of their desolate places2 let the       
extortioner catch all that he hath1 and 
let the stranger spoil his labor2 let   
there be none to extend mercy unto him1 
neither let there be any to favor his   
fatherless children4  ,and thou shalt   
eat the fruit of thine own body--the    
flesh of thy sons and daughters4  ,and  
the heaven that is over thee shall be   
brass1 and the earth that is under thee 
shall be iron4  ,cursed shalt thou be in
 the city1 and cursed shalt thou be in  
the field4  ,i will make my arrows drunk
 with blood4  ,i will laugh at their    
calamity4  ,did these curses1 these     
threats1 come from the heart of love or 
from the mouth of savagery8  ,was       
,jehovah god or devil8  ,why should we  
place ,jehovah above all the gods8  ,has

 man in his ignorance and fear ever     
imagined a greater monster8  ,have the  
barbarians of any land1 in any time1    
worshipped a more heartless god8        
,brahma was a thousand times nobler1 and
 so was ,osiris and ,zeus and ,jupiter4 
,so was the supreme god of the ,aztecs1 
to whom they offered only the perfume of
 flowers4 ,the worst god of the ,hindus1
 with his necklace of skulls and his    
bracelets of living snakes1 was kind and
 merciful compared with ,jehovah4       
,compared with ,marcus ,aurelius1 how   
small ,jehovah seems4 ,compared with    
,abraham ,lincoln1 how cruel1 how       
contemptible1 is this god4     ,,vi4    
,,jehovah',s ,,administration  ,,he     
created the world1 the hosts of heaven1 
a man and woman--placed them in a       
garden4 ,then the serpent deceived them1
 and they were cast out and made to earn
 their bread4  ,jehovah had been        
thwarted4  ,then he tried again4 ,he    
went on for about sixteen hundred years 
trying to civilize the people4  ,no     

schools1 no churches1 no ,bible1 no     
tracts--nobody taught to read or write4 
,no ,ten ,commandments4 ,the people grew
 worse and worse1 until the merciful    
,jehovah sent the flood and drowned all 
the people except ,noah and his family1 
eight in all4  ,then he started again1  
and changed their diet4 ,at first ,adam 
and ,eve were vegetarians4 ,after the   
flood ,jehovah said3 ,every moving thing
 that liveth shall be meat for          
you--snakes and buzzards4  ,then he     
failed again1 and at the ,tower of      
,babel he dispersed and scattered the   
people4  ,finding that he could not     
succeed with all the people1 he thought 
he would try a few1 so he selected      
,abraham and his descendants4 ,again he 
failed1 and his chosen people were      
captured by the ,egyptians and enslaved 
for four hundred years4  ,then he tried 
again--rescued them from ,pharaoh and   
started for ,palestine4  ,then he       
changed their diet1 allowing them to eat
 only the beasts that parted the hoof   

and chewed the cud4 ,again he failed4   
,the people hated him1 and preferred the
 slavery of ,egypt to the freedom of    
,jehovah4 ,so he kept them wandering    
until nearly all who came from ,egypt   
had died4 ,then he tried again--took    
them into ,palestine and had them       
governed by judges4  ,this1 too1 was a  
failure--no schools1 no ,bible4 ,then he
 tried kings1 and the kings were mostly 
idolaters4  ,then the chosen people were
 conquered and carried into captivity by
 the ,babylonians4  ,another failure4   
,then they returned1 and ,jehovah tried 
prophets--howlers and wailers--but the  
people grew worse and worse4 ,no        
schools1 no sciences1 no arts1 no       
commerce4 ,then ,jehovah took upon      
himself flesh1 was born of a woman1 and 
lived among the people that he had been 
trying to civilize for several thousand 
years4 ,then these people1 following the
 law that ,jehovah had given them in the
 wilderness1 charged this               
,jehovah-man--this ,christ--with        

blasphemy2 tried1 convicted and killed  
him4  ,jehovah had failed again4  ,then 
he deserted the ,jews and turned his    
attention to the rest of the world4     
,and now the ,jews1 deserted by         
,jehovah1 persecuted by ,christians1 are
 the most prosperous people on the      
earth4 ,again has ,jehovah failed4      
,what an administration6     ,,vii4     
,,the ,,new ,,testament  ,,who wrote the
 ,new ,testament8  ,christian scholars  
admit that they do not know4 ,they admit
 that1 if the four gospels were written 
by-,matthew1 ,mark1 ,luke and ,john1    
they must have been written in ,hebrew4 
,and yet a ,hebrew manuscript of any one
 of these gospels has never been found4 
,all have been and are in ,greek4 ,so1  
educated theologians admit that the     
,epistles1 ,james and ,jude1 were       
written by persons who had never seen   
one of the four gospels4 ,in these      
,epistles--in ,james and ,jude--no      
reference is made to any of the gospels1
 nor to any miracle recorded in them4   

,the first mention that has been found  
of one of our gospels was made about one
 hundred and eighty years after the     
birth of ,christ1 and the four gospels  
were first named and quoted from at the 
beginning of the ,third ,century1 about 
one hundred and seventy years after the 
death of ,christ4  ,we now know that    
there were many other gospels besides   
our four1 some of which have been lost4 
,there were the gospels of ,paul1 of the
 ,egyptians1 of the ,hebrews1 of        
,perfection1 of ,judas1 of ,thaddeus1 of
 the ,infancy1 of ,thomas1 of ,mary1 of 
,andrew1 of ,nicodemus1 of ,marcion and 
several others4  ,so there were the     
,acts of ,pilate1 of ,andrew1 of ,mary1 
of ,paul and ,thecla and of many others4
 ,another book called the ,shepherd of  
,hermes4  ,at first not one of all the  
books was considered as inspired4 ,the  
,old ,testament was regarded as divine2 
but the books that now constitute the   
,new ,testament were regarded as human  
productions4 ,we now know that we do not

 know who wrote the four gospels4  ,the 
question is1 ,were the authors of these 
four gospels inspired8  ,if they were   
inspired1 then the four gospels must be 
true4 ,if they are true1 they must      
agree4  ,the four gospels do not agree4 
,matthew1 ,mark and ,luke knew nothing  
of the ,atonement1 nothing of salvation 
by faith4 ,they knew only the gospel of 
good deeds--of charity4 ,they teach that
 if we forgive others ,god will forgive 
us4  ,with this the gospel of ,john does
 not agree4  ,in that gospel we are     
taught that we must believe on the ,lord
 ,jesus ,christ2 that we must be born   
again2 that we must drink the blood and 
eat the flesh of ,christ4 ,in this      
gospel we find the doctrine of the      
,atonement and that ,christ died for us 
and suffered in our place4  ,this gospel
 is utterly at variance with the other  
three4 ,if the other three are true1 the
 gospel of ,john is false4 ,if the      
gospel of ,john was written by an       
inspired man1 the writers of the other  

three were uninspired4 ,from this there 
is no possible escape4 ,the four cannot 
be true4  ,it is evident that there are 
many interpolations in the four gospels4
  ,for instance1 in the #bhth chapter of
 ,matthew is an account to the effect   
that the soldiers at the tomb of ,christ
 were bribed to say that the disciples  
of ,jesus stole away his body while     
they1 the soldiers1 slept4  ,this is    
clearly an interpolation4 ,it is a break
 in the narrative4  ,the #ajth verse    
should be followed by the #afth4 ,the   
#ajth verse is as follows3  ,then ,jesus
 said unto them1 ',be not afraid2 go    
tell my brethren that they go unto      
,galilee and there shall they see me4'  
,the #afth verse3  ,then the eleven     
disciples went away unto ,galilee into a
 mountain1 where ,jesus had appointed   
them4  ,the story about the soldiers    
contained in the #aath1 #abth1 #acth1   
#adth and #aeth verses is an            
interpolation--an afterthought--long    
after4 ,the #aeth verse demonstrates    

this4  ,fifteenth verse3 ,so they took  
the money and did as they were taught4  
,and this saying is commonly reported   
among the ,jews until this day4         
,certainly1 this account was not in the 
original gospel1 and certainly the #aeth
 verse was not written by a ,jew4 ,no   
,jew could have written this3 ,and this 
saying is commonly reported among the   
,jews until this day4  ,mark1 ,john and 
,luke never heard that the soldiers had 
been bribed by the priests2 or1 if they 
had1 did not think it worth while       
recording4 ,so the accounts of the      
,ascension of ,jesus ,christ in ,mark   
and ,luke are interpolations4 ,matthew  
says nothing about the ,ascension4      
,certainly there never was a greater    
miracle1 and yet ,matthew1 who was      
present--who saw the ,lord rise1 ascend 
and disappear--did not think it worth   
mentioning4  ,on the other hand1 the    
last words of ,christ1 according to     
,matthew1 contradict the ,ascension3 ,lo
 ,i am with you always1 even unto the   

end of the world4  ,john1 who was       
present1 if ,christ really ascended1    
says not one word on the subject4  ,as  
to the ,ascension1 the gospels do not   
agree4  ,mark gives the last            
conversation that ,christ had with his  
disciples1 as follows3  ,go ye into all 
the world and preach the gospel to every
 creature4 ,he that believeth and is    
baptised shall be saved2 but he that    
believeth not shall be damned4 ,and     
these signs shall follow them that      
believe3 ,in my name shall they cast out
 devils2 they shall speak with new      
tongues4 ,they shall take up serpents1  
and if they drink any deadly thing it   
shall not hurt them2 they shall lay     
hands on the sick and they shall        
recover4 ,so1 then1 after the ,lord had 
spoken unto them1 he was received up    
into heaven and sat on the right hand of
 ,god4  ,is it possible that this       
description was written by one who      
witnessed this miracle8  ,this miracle  
is described by ,luke as follows3 ,and  

it came to pass while he blessed them he
 was parted from them and carried up    
into heaven4  ,brevity is the soul of   
wit4  ,in the ,acts we are told that3   
,when he had spoken1 while they beheld1 
he was taken up1 and a cloud received   
him out of their sight4  ,neither ,luke1
 nor ,matthew1 nor ,john1 nor the writer
 of the ,acts1 heard one word of the    
conversation attributed to ,christ by   
,mark4 ,the fact is that the ,ascension 
of ,christ was not claimed by his       
disciples4  ,at first ,christ was a     
man--nothing more4 ,mary was his mother1
 ,joseph his father4 ,the genealogy of  
his father1 ,joseph1 was given to show  
that he was of the blood of ,david4     
,then the claim was made that he was the
 son of ,god1 and that his mother was a 
virgin1 and that she remained a virgin  
until her death4  ,then the claim was   
made that ,christ rose from the dead and
 ascended bodily to heaven4  ,it        
required many years for these           
absurdities to take possession of the   

minds of men4  ,if ,christ rose from the
 dead1 why did he not appear to his     
enemies8 ,why did he not call on        
,caiphas1 the high priest8 ,why did he  
not make another triumphal entry into   
,jerusalem8  ,if he really ascended1 why
 did he not do so in public1 in the     
presence of his persecutors8 ,why should
 this1 the greatest of miracles1 be done
 in secret in a corner8  ,it was a      
miracle that could have been seen by a  
vast multitude--a miracle that could not
 be simulated--one that would have      
convinced hundreds of thousands4  ,after
 the story of the ,resurrection1 the    
,ascension became a necessity4 ,they had
 to dispose of the body4  ,so there are 
many other interpolations in the gospels
 and epistles4  ,again ,i ask3 ,is the  
,new ,testament true8 ,does anybody now 
believe that at the birth of ,christ    
there was a celestial greeting2 that a  
star led the ,wise ,men of the ,east2   
that ,herod slew the babes of ,bethlehem
 of two years old and under8  ,the      

gospels are filled with accounts of     
miracles4 ,were they ever performed8    
,matthew gives the particulars of about 
twenty-two miracles1 ,mark of about     
nineteen1 ,luke of about eighteen and   
,john of about seven4  ,according to the
 gospels1 ,christ healed diseases1 cast 
out devils1 rebuked the sea1 cured the  
blind1 fed multitudes with five loaves  
and two fishes1 walked on the sea1      
cursed a fig tree1 turned water into    
wine and raised the dead4  ,matthew is  
the only one that tells about the ,star 
and the ,wise ,men--the only one that   
tells about the murder of babes4  ,john 
is the only one who says anything about 
the resurrection of ,lazarus1 and ,luke 
is the only one giving an account of the
 raising from the dead the widow of     
,nain's son4  ,how is it possible to    
substantiate these miracles8  ,the      
,jews1 among whom they were said to have
 been performed1 did not believe them4  
,the diseased1 the palsied1 the leprous1
 the blind who were cured1 did not      

become followers of ,christ4 ,those that
 were raised from the dead were never   
heard of again4  ,does any intelligent  
man believe in the existence of devils8 
,the writer of three of the gospels     
certainly did4 ,john says nothing about 
,christ having cast out devils1 but     
,matthew1 ,mark and ,luke give many     
instances4  ,does any natural man now   
believe that ,christ cast out devils8   
,if his disciples said he did1 they were
 mistaken4 ,if ,christ said he did1 he  
was insane or an impostor4  ,if the     
accounts of casting out devils are      
false1 then the writers were ignorant or
 dishonest4 ,if they wrote through      
ignorance1 then they were not inspired4 
,if they wrote what they knew to be     
false1 they were not inspired4 ,if what 
they wrote is untrue1 whether they knew 
it or not1 they were not inspired4  ,at 
that time it was believed that palsy1   
epilepsy1 deafness1 insanity and many   
other diseases were caused by devils2   
that devils took possession of and lived

 in the bodies of men and women4 ,christ
 believed this1 taught this belief to   
others1 and pretended to cure diseases  
by casting devils out of the sick and   
insane4 ,we know now1 if we know        
anything1 that diseases are not caused  
by the presence of devils4 ,we know1 if 
we know anything1 that devils do not    
reside in the bodies of men4  ,if       
,christ said and did what the writers of
 the three gospels say he said and did1 
then ,christ was mistaken4 ,if he was   
mistaken1 certainly he was not ,god4    
,and1 if he was mistaken1 certainly he  
was not inspired4  ,is it a fact that   
the ,devil tried to bribe ,christ8  ,is 
it a fact that the ,devil carried       
,christ to the top of the temple and    
tried to induce him to leap to the      
ground8  ,how can these miracles be     
established8  ,the principals have      
written nothing1 ,christ has written    
nothing1 and the ,devil has remained    
silent4  ,how can we know that the      
,devil tried to bribe ,christ8 ,who     

wrote the account8 ,we do not know4 ,how
 did the writer get his information8 ,we
 do not know4  ,somebody1 some seventeen
 hundred years ago1 said that the ,devil
 tried to bribe ,god2 that the ,devil   
carried ,god to the top of the temple   
and tried to induce him to leap to the  
earth and that ,god was intellectually  
too keen for the ,devil4  ,this is all  
the evidence we have4  ,is there        
anything in the literature of the world 
more perfectly idiotic8  ,intelligent   
people no longer believe in witches1    
wizards1 spooks and devils1 and they are
 perfectly satisfied that every word in 
the ,new ,testament about casting out   
devils is utterly false4  ,can we       
believe that ,christ raised the dead8   
,a widow living in ,nain is following   
the body of her son to the tomb4 ,christ
 halts the funeral procession and raises
 the young man from the dead and gives  
him back to the arms of his mother4     
,this young man disappears4 ,he is never
 heard of again4 ,no one takes the      

slightest interest in the man who       
returned from the realm of death4 ,luke 
is the only one who tells the story4    
,maybe ,matthew1 ,mark and ,john never  
heard of it1 or did not believe it and  
so failed to record it4  ,john says that
 ,lazarus was raised from the dead2     
,matthew1 ,mark and ,luke say nothing   
about it4  ,it was more wonderful than  
the raising of the widow's son4 ,he had 
not been laid in the tomb for days4 ,he 
was only on his way to the grave1 but   
,lazarus was actually dead4 ,he had     
begun to decay4  ,lazarus did not excite
 the least interest4 ,no one asked him  
about the other world4 ,no one inquired 
of him about their dead friends4  ,when 
he died the second time no one said3 ,he
 is not afraid4 ,he has traveled that   
road twice and knows just where he is   
going4  ,we do not believe in the       
miracles of ,mohammed1 and yet they are 
as well attested as this4 ,we have no   
confidence in the miracles performed by 
,joseph ,smith1 and yet the evidence is 

far greater1 far better4  ,if a man     
should go about now pretending to raise 
the dead1 pretending to cast out devils1
 we would regard him as insane4 ,what1  
then1 can we say of ,christ8 ,if we wish
 to save his reputation we are compelled
 to say that he never pretended to raise
 the dead2 that he never claimed to have
 cast out devils4  ,we must take the    
ground that these ignorant and          
impossible things were invented by      
zealous disciples1 who sought to deify  
their leader4  ,in those ignorant days  
these falsehoods added to the fame of   
,christ4 ,but now they put his character
 in peril and belittle the authors of   
the gospels4  ,can we now believe that  
water was changed into wine8 ,john tells
 of this childish miracle1 and says that
 the other disciples were present1 yet  
,matthew1 ,mark and ,luke say nothing   
about it4  ,take the miracle of the man 
cured by the pool of ,bethseda4 ,john   
says that an angel troubled the waters  
of the pool of ,bethseda1 and that      

whoever got into the pool first after   
the waters were troubled was healed4    
,does anybody now believe that an angel 
went into the pool and troubled the     
waters8 ,does anybody now think that the
 poor wretch who got in first was       
healed8 ,yet the author of the gospel   
according to ,john believed and asserted
 these absurdities4 ,if he was mistaken 
about that he may have been about all   
the miracles he records4  ,john is the  
only one who tells about this pool of   
,bethseda4 ,possibly the other disciples
 did not believe the story4  ,how can we
 account for these pretended miracles8  
,in the days of the disciples1 and for  
many centuries after1 the world was     
filled with the supernatural4 ,nearly   
everything that happened was regarded as
 miraculous4 ,god was the immediate     
governor of the world4 ,if the people   
were good1 ,god sent seed time and      
harvest2 but if they were bad he sent   
flood and hail1 frost and famine4 ,if   
anything wonderful happened it was      

exaggerated until it became a miracle4  
,of the order of events--of the unbroken
 and the unbreakable chain of causes and
 effects--the people had no knowledge   
and no thought4  ,a miracle is the badge
 and brand of fraud4 ,no miracle ever   
was performed4 ,no intelligent1 honest  
man ever pretended to perform a miracle1
 and never will4  ,if ,christ had       
wrought the miracles attributed to him2 
if he had cured the palsied and insane2 
if he had given hearing to the deaf1    
vision to the blind2 if he had cleansed 
the leper with a word1 and with a touch 
had given life and feeling to the       
withered limb2 if he had given pulse and
 motion1 warmth and thought1 to cold and
 breathless clay2 if he had conquered   
death and rescued from the grave its    
pallid prey--no word would have been    
uttered1 no hand raised1 except in      
praise and honor4 ,in his presence all  
heads would have been uncovered--all    
knees upon the ground4  ,is it not      
strange that at the trial of ,christ no 

one was found to say a word in his      
favor8 ,no man stood forth and said3 ,i 
was a leper1 and this man cured me with 
a touch4 ,no woman said3 ,i am the widow
 of ,nain and this is my son whom this  
man raised from the dead4  ,no man said3
 ,i was blind1 and this man gave me     
sight4  ,all silent4     ,,viii4 ,,the  
,,philosophy ,,of ,,christ  ,,millions  
assert that the philosophy of ,christ is
 perfect--that he was the wisest that   
ever uttered speech4  ,let us see3      
,resist not evil4 ,if smitten on one    
cheek turn the other4  ,is there any    
philosophy1 any wisdom in this8 ,christ 
takes from goodness1 from virtue1 from  
the truth1 the right of self-defense4   
,vice becomes the master of the world1  
and the good become the victims of the  
infamous4  ,no man has the right to     
protect himself1 his property1 his wife 
and children4 ,government becomes       
impossible1 and the world is at the     
mercy of criminals4 ,is there any       
absurdity beyond this8  ,love your      

enemies4  ,is this possible8 ,did any   
human being ever love his enemies8 ,did 
,christ love his1 when he denounced them
 as whited sepulchers1 hypocrites and   
vipers8  ,we cannot love those who hate 
us4 ,hatred in the hearts of others does
 not breed love in ours4 ,not to resist 
evil is absurd2 to love your enemies is 
impossible4  ,take no thought for the   
morrow4  ,the idea was that ,god would  
take care of us as he did of sparrows   
and lilies4 ,is there the least sense in
 that belief8  ,does ,god take care of  
anybody8  ,can we live without taking   
thought for the morrow8 ,to plow1 to    
sow1 to cultivate1 to harvest1 is to    
take thought for the morrow4 ,we plan   
and work for the future1 for our        
children1 for the unborn generations to 
come4 ,without this forethought there   
could be no progress1 no civilization4  
,the world would go back to the caves   
and dens of savagery4  ,if thy right eye
 offend thee1 pluck it out4 ,if thy     
right hand offend thee1 cut it off4     

,why8 ,because it is better that one of 
our members should perish than that the 
whole body should be cast into hell4    
,is there any wisdom in putting out your
 eyes or cutting off your hands8 ,is it 
possible to extract from these          
extravagant sayings the smallest grain  
of common sense8  ,swear not at all2    
neither by ,heaven1 for it is ,god's    
throne2 nor by the ,earth1 for it is his
 footstool2 nor by ,jerusalem1 for it is
 his holy city4  ,here we find the      
astronomy and geology of ,christ4       
,heaven is the throne of ,god1 the      
monarch2 the earth is his footstool4 ,a 
footstool that turns over at the rate of
 a thousand miles an hour1 and sweeps   
through space at the rate of over a     
thousand miles a minute6  ,where did    
,christ think heaven was8 ,why was      
,jerusalem a holy city8 ,was it because 
the inhabitants were ignorant1 cruel and
 superstitious8  ,if a man sue thee at  
law and take away your coat1 give him   
your cloak also4  ,is there any         

philosophy1 any good sense1 in that     
commandment8 ,would it not be just as   
sensible to say3 ,if a man obtains a    
judgment against you for one hundred    
dollars1 give him two hundred4  ,only   
the insane could give or follow this    
advice4  ,think not ,i am come to send  
peace on earth1 ,i came not to send     
peace1 but a sword4 ,for ,i am come to  
set a man at variance against his       
father1 and the daughter against her    
mother4  ,if this is true1 how much     
better it would have been had he        
remained away4  ,is it possible that he 
who said1 ,resist not evil1 came to     
bring a sword8 ,that he who said1 ,love 
your enemies1 came to destroy the peace 
of the world8  ,to set father against   
son1 and daughter against father--what a
 glorious mission6  ,he did bring a     
sword1 and the sword was wet for a      
thousand years with innocent blood4 ,in 
millions of hearts he sowed the seeds of
 hatred and revenge4 ,he divided nations
 and families1 put out the light of     

reason1 and petrified the hearts of men4
  ,and every one that hath forsaken     
houses1 or brethren1 or sisters1 or     
father1 or mother1 or wife1 or children1
 or lands1 for my name's sake1 shall    
receive an hundredfold1 and shall       
inherit everlasting life4  ,according to
 the writer of ,matthew1 ,christ1 the   
compassionate1 the merciful1 uttered    
these terrible words4 ,is it possible   
that ,christ offered the bribe of       
eternal joy to those who would desert   
their fathers1 their mothers1 their     
wives and children8 ,are we to win the  
happiness of heaven by deserting the    
ones we love8 ,is a home to be ruined   
here for the sake of a mansion there8   
,and yet it is said that ,christ is an  
example for all the world4 ,did he      
desert his father and mother8 ,he said1 
speaking to his mother3 ,woman1 what    
have ,i to do with thee8  ,the          
,pharisees said unto ,christ3 ,is it    
lawful to pay tribute unto ,caesar8     
,christ said3 ,show me the tribute      

money4 ,they brought him a penny4 ,and  
he saith unto them3 ,whose is the image 
and the superscription8 ,they said3     
,caesar's4 ,and ,christ said3 ,render   
unto ,caesar the things that are        
,caesar's4  ,did ,christ think that the 
money belonged to ,caesar because his   
image and superscription were stamped   
upon it8 ,did the penny belong to       
,caesar or to the man who had earned it8
 ,had ,caesar the right to demand it    
because it was adorned with his image8  
,does it appear from this conversation  
that ,christ understood the real nature 
and use of money8  ,can we now say that 
,christ was the greatest of             
philosophers8     ,,ix4 ,,is ,,christ   
,,our ,,example8  ,,he never said a word
 in favor of education4 ,he never even  
hinted at the existence of any science4 
,he never uttered a word in favor of    
industry1 economy or of any effort to   
better our condition in this world4 ,he 
was the enemy of the successful1 of the 
wealthy4 ,dives was sent to hell1 not   

because he was bad1 but because he was  
rich4 ,lazarus went to heaven1 not      
because he was good1 but because he was 
poor4  ,christ cared nothing for        
painting1 for sculpture1 for            
music--nothing for any art4 ,he said    
nothing about the duties of nation to   
nation1 of king to subject2 nothing     
about the rights of man2 nothing about  
intellectual liberty or the freedom of  
speech4 ,he said nothing about the      
sacredness of home2 not one word for the
 fireside2 not a word in favor of       
marriage1 in honor of maternity4  ,he   
never married4 ,he wandered homeless    
from place to place with a few          
disciples4 ,none of them seem to have   
been engaged in any useful business1 and
 they seem to have lived on alms4  ,all 
human ties were held in contempt2 this  
world was sacrificed for the next2 all  
human effort was discouraged4 ,god would
 support and protect4  ,at last1 in the 
dusk of death1 ,christ1 finding that he 
was mistaken1 cried out3 ,my ,god6 ,my  

,god6 ,why hast thou forsaken me8  ,we  
have found that man must depend on      
himself4 ,he must clear the land2 he    
must build the home2 he must plow and   
plant2 he must invent2 he must work with
 hand and brain2 he must overcome the   
difficulties and obstructions2 he must  
conquer and enslave the forces of nature
 to the end that they may do the work of
 the world4     ,x4 ,,why ,,should ,,we 
,,place ,,christ ,,at ,,the ,,top ,,and 
,,summit ,,of ,,the ,,human ,,race8     
,,was he kinder1 more forgiving1 more   
self-sacrificing than ,buddha8 ,was he  
wiser1 did he meet death with more      
perfect calmness1 than ,socrates8 ,was  
he more patient1 more charitable1 than  
,epictetus8 ,was he a greater           
philosopher1 a deeper thinker1 than     
,epicurus8 ,in what respect was he the  
superior of ,zoroaster8 ,was he gentler 
than ,laotse1 more universal than       
,confucius8 ,were his ideas of human    
rights and duties superior to those of  
,zeno8 ,did he express grander truths   

than ,cicero8 ,was his mind subtler than
 ,spinoza's8 ,was his brain equal to    
,kepler's or ,newton's8 ,was he grander 
in death--a sublimer martyr than ,bruno8
 ,was he in intelligence1 in the force  
and beauty of expression1 in breadth and
 scope of thought1 in wealth of         
illustration1 in aptness of comparison1 
in knowledge of the human brain and     
heart1 of all passions1 hopes and fears1
 the equal of ,shakespeare1 the greatest
 of the human race8  ,if ,christ was in 
fact ,god1 he knew all the future4      
,before him like a panorama moved the   
history yet to be4 ,he knew how his     
words would be interpreted4 ,he knew    
what crimes1 what horrors1 what         
infamies1 would be committed in his     
name4 ,he knew that the hungry flames of
 persecution would climb around the     
limbs of countless martyrs4 ,he knew    
that thousands and thousands of brave   
men and women would languish in dungeons
 in darkness1 filled with pain4 ,he knew
 that his church would invent and use   

instruments of torture2 that his        
followers would appeal to whip and      
fagot1 to chain and rack4 ,he saw the   
horizon of the future lurid with the    
flames of the auto-da-fe4 ,he knew what 
creeds would spring like poisonous fungi
 from every text4 ,he saw the ignorant  
sects waging war against each other4 ,he
 saw thousands of men1 under the orders 
of priests1 building prisons for their  
fellow-men4 ,he saw thousands of        
scaffolds dripping with the best and    
bravest blood4 ,he saw his followers    
using the instruments of pain4 ,he heard
 the groans--saw the faces white with   
agony4 ,he heard the shrieks and sobs   
and cries of all the moaning1 martyred  
multitudes4 ,he knew that commentaries  
would be written on his words with      
swords1 to be read by the light of      
fagots4 ,he knew that the ,inquisition  
would be born of the teachings          
attributed to him4  ,he saw the         
interpolations and falsehoods that      
hypocrisy would write and tell4 ,he saw 

all wars that would be waged1 and he    
knew that above these fields of death1  
these dungeons1 these rackings1 these   
burnings1 these executions1 for a       
thousand years would float the dripping 
banner of the cross4  ,he knew that     
hypocrisy would be robed and            
crowned--that cruelty and credulity     
would rule the world2 knew that liberty 
would perish from the earth2 knew that  
popes and kings in his name would       
enslave the souls and bodies of men2    
knew that they would persecute and      
destroy the discoverers1 thinkers and   
inventors2 knew that his church would   
extinguish reason's holy light and leave
 the world without a star4  ,he saw his 
disciples extinguishing the eyes of men1
 flaying them alive1 cutting out their  
tongues1 searching for all the nerves of
 pain4  ,he knew that in his name his   
followers would trade in human flesh2   
that cradles would be robbed and women's
 breasts unbabed for gold4  ,and yet he 
died with voiceless lips4  ,why did he  

fail to speak8 ,why did he not tell his 
disciples1 and through them the world3  
,you shall not burn1 imprison and       
torture in my name4 ,you shall not      
persecute your fellow-men4  ,why did he 
not plainly say3 ,i am the ,son of ,god1
 or1 ,i am ,god8 ,why did he not explain
 the ,trinity8 ,why did he not tell the 
mode of baptism that was pleasing to    
him8 ,why did he not write a creed8 ,why
 did he not break the chains of slaves8 
,why did he not say that the ,old       
,testament was or was not the inspired  
word of ,god8 ,why did he not write the 
,new ,testament himself8 ,why did he    
leave his words to ignorance1 hypocrisy 
and chance8 ,why did he not say         
something positive1 definite and        
satisfactory about another world8 ,why  
did he not turn the tear-stained hope of
 heaven into the glad knowledge of      
another life8 ,why did he not tell us   
something of the rights of man1 of the  
liberty of hand and brain8  ,why did he 
go dumbly to his death1 leaving the     

world to misery and to doubt8  ,i will  
tell you why4 ,he was a man1 and did not
 know4     ,,xi4 ,,inspiration4  ,,not  
before about the ,third ,century was it 
claimed or believed that the books      
composing the ,new ,testament were      
inspired4  ,it will be remembered that  
there were a great number of books1 of  
,gospels1 ,epistles and ,acts1 and that 
from these the inspired ones were       
selected by uninspired men4  ,between   
the ,fathers there were great           
differences of opinion as to which books
 were inspired2 much discussion and     
plenty of hatred4 ,many of the books now
 deemed spurious were by many of the    
,fathers regarded as divine1 and some   
now regarded as inspired were believed  
to be spurious4 ,many of the early      
,christians and some of the ,fathers    
repudiated the gospel of ,john1 the     
,epistle to the ,hebrews1 ,jude1 ,james1
 ,peter1 and the ,revelation of ,st4    
,john4 ,on the other hand1 many of them 
regarded the ,gospel of the ,hebrews1 of

 the ,egyptians1 the ,preaching of      
,peter1 the ,shepherd of ,hermas1 the   
,epistle of ,barnabus1 the ,pastor of   
,hermas1 the ,revelation of ,peter1 the 
,revelation of ,paul1 the ,epistle of   
,clement1 the ,gospel of ,nicodemus1    
inspired books1 equal to the very best4 
,from all these books1 and many others1 
the ,christians selected the inspired   
ones4  ,the men who did the selecting   
were ignorant and superstitious4 ,they  
were firm believers in the miraculous4  
,they thought that diseases had been    
cured by the aprons and handkerchiefs of
 the apostles1 by the bones of the dead4
 ,they believed in the fable of the     
,phoenix1 and that the hyenas changed   
their sex every year4  ,were the men who
 through many centuries made the        
selections inspired8 ,were              
they--ignorant1 credulous1 stupid and   
malicious--as well qualified to judge of
 inspiration as the students of our     
time8 ,how are we bound by their        
opinion8 ,have we not the right to judge

 for ourselves8  ,erasmus1 one of the   
leaders of the ,reformation1 declared   
that the ,epistle to the ,hebrews was   
not written by ,paul1 and he denied the 
inspiration of ,second and ,third ,john1
 and also of ,revelation4 ,luther was of
 the same opinion4 ,he declared ,james  
to be an epistle of straw1 and denied   
the inspiration of ,revelations4        
,zwinglius rejected the book of         
,revelation1 and even ,calvin denied    
that ,paul was the author of ,hebrews4  
,the truth is that the ,protestants did 
not agree as to what books are inspired 
until #afdg1 by the ,assembly of        
,westminster4  ,to prove that a book is 
inspired you must prove the existence of
 ,god4 ,you must also prove that this   
,god thinks1 acts1 has objects1 ends and
 aims4 ,this is somewhat difficult4  ,it
 is impossible to conceive of an        
infinite being4 ,having no conception of
 an infinite being1 it is impossible to 
tell whether all the facts we know tend 
to prove or disprove the existence of   

such a being4  ,god is a guess4 ,if the 
existence of ,god is admitted1 how are  
we to prove that he inspired the writers
 of the books of the ,bible8  ,how can  
one man establish the inspiration of    
another8 ,how can an inspired man prove 
that he is inspired8 ,how can he know   
himself that he is inspired8 ,there is  
no way to prove the fact of inspiration4
 ,the only evidence is the word of some 
man who could by no possibility know    
anything on the subject4  ,what is      
inspiration8 ,did ,god use men as       
instruments8 ,did he cause them to write
 his thoughts8 ,did he take possession  
of their minds and destroy their wills8 
,were these writers only partly         
controlled1 so that their mistakes1     
their ignorance and their prejudices    
were mingled with the wisdom of ,god8   
,how are we to separate the mistakes of 
man from the thoughts of ,god8 ,can we  
do this without being inspired          
ourselves8 ,if the original writers were
 inspired1 then the translators should  

have been1 and so should be the men who 
tell us what the ,bible means4  ,how is 
it possible for a human being to know   
that he is inspired by an infinite      
being8 ,but of one thing we may be      
certain3 ,an inspired book should       
certainly excel all the books produced  
by uninspired men4 ,it should1 above    
all1 be true1 filled with wisdom1       
blossoming in beauty--perfect4          
,ministers wonder how ,i can be wicked  
enough to attack the ,bible4  ,i will   
tell them3  ,this book1 the ,bible1 has 
persecuted1 even unto death1 the wisest 
and the best4 ,this book stayed and     
stopped the onward movement of the human
 race4 ,this book poisoned the fountains
 of learning and misdirected the        
energies of man4  ,this book is the     
enemy of freedom1 the support of        
slavery4 ,this book sowed the seeds of  
hatred in families and nations1 fed the 
flames of war1 and impoverished the     
world4 ,this book is the breastwork of  
kings and tyrants--the enslaver of women

 and children4 ,this book has corrupted 
parliaments and courts4 ,this book has  
made colleges and universities the      
teachers of error and the haters of     
science4 ,this book has filled          
,christendom with hateful1 cruel1       
ignorant and warring sects4 ,this book  
taught men to kill their fellows for    
religion's sake4 ,this book founded the 
inquisition1 invented the instruments of
 torture1 built the dungeons in which   
the good and loving languished1 forged  
the chains that rusted in their flesh1  
erected the scaffolds whereon they died4
 ,this book piled fagots about the feet 
of the just4 ,this book drove reason    
from the minds of millions and filled   
the asylums with the insane4  ,this book
 has caused fathers and mothers to shed 
the blood of their babes4 ,this book was
 the auction block on which the         
slave-mother stood when she was sold    
from her child4 ,this book filled the   
sails of the slave-trader and made      
merchandise of human flesh4 ,this book  

lighted the fires that burned witches   
and wizards4 ,this book filled the      
darkness with ghouls and ghosts1 and the
 bodies of men and women with devils4   
,this book polluted the souls of men    
with the infamous dogma of eternal pain4
 ,this book made credulity the greatest 
of virtues1 and investigation the       
greatest of crimes4 ,this book filled   
nations with hermits1 monks and         
nuns--with the pious and the useless4   
,this book placed the ignorant and      
unclean saint above the philosopher and 
philanthropist4 ,this book taught man to
 despise the joys of this life1 that he 
might be happy in another--to waste this
 world for the sake of the next4  ,i    
attack this book because it is the enemy
 of human liberty--the greatest         
obstruction across the highway of human 
progress4  ,let me ask the ministers one
 question3 ,how can you be wicked enough
 to defend this book8     ,,xii4 ,,the  
,,real ,,bible  ,,for thousands of years
 men have been writing the real ,bible1 

and it is being written from day to day1
 and it will never be finished while man
 has life4 ,all the facts that we know1 
all the truly recorded events1 all the  
discoveries and inventions1 all the     
wonderful machines whose wheels and     
levers seem to think1 all the poems1    
crystals from the brain1 flowers from   
the heart1 all the songs of love and    
joy1 of smiles and tears1 the great     
dramas of ,imagination's world1 the     
wondrous paintings1 miracles of form and
 color1 of light and shade1 the         
marvellous marbles that seem to live and
 breathe1 the secrets told by rock and  
star1 by dust and flower1 by rain and   
snow1 by frost and flame1 by winding    
stream and desert sand1 by mountain     
range and billowed sea4  ,all the wisdom
 that lengthens and ennobles life--all  
that avoids or cures disease1 or        
conquers pain--all just and perfect laws
 and rules that guide and shape our     
lives1 all thoughts that feed the flames
 of love1 the music that transfigures1  

enraptures and enthralls1 the victories 
of heart and brain1 the miracles that   
hands have wrought1 the deft and cunning
 hands of those who worked for wife and 
child1 the histories of noble deeds1 of 
brave and useful men1 of faithful loving
 wives1 of quenchless mother-love1 of   
conflicts for the right1 of sufferings  
for the truth1 of all the best that all 
the men and women of the world have     
said1 and thought and done through all  
the years4  ,these treasures of the     
heart and brain--these are the ,sacred  
,scriptures of the human race4