,,the ,,christian ,,religion4  ,,an     
,,enquiry  ,by ,r4 ,g4 ,ingersoll       
,,introduction4  ,,england is now for   
the first time offering to the toiling  
portion of its people a fair modicum of 
the education which was in old time the 
exclusive privilege of the rich4 ,in    
doing so it has acted with a keen eye to
 self-preservation1 for the history of  
every fallen nation shows that the      
unaided ignorance of the masses has been
 a principal and fatal element in its   
downfall4  ,this truth would seem to be 
not yet fully realized by all of higher 
education in the country2 for the       
teaching that many of them counsel for  
the poor is clogged with ignorance and  
clouded with error from which their own 
higher culture has long been free4 ,it  
is distressing to see men who no longer 
regard the ,bible as anything more than 
a curious and interesting record1 a     
compound of reflections of ancient myths
 and poetry1 commingled with a          
considerable amount of fabulous history 

and absurd theology--to see any such man
 still arguing that for the poor and for
 the young it is a necessary subject of 
study1 and 7for them7 a useful article  
of belief6  ,do those who argue thus    
deem the light of reason too clear1 too 
pure1 too delightful1 for mankind at    
large2 or is it that they trust that the
 useful ignorance of the workers will   
continue to supply them with unmerited  
or unworthy luxuries8  ,in neither case 
can the position endure4 ,the refinement
 of ,rome might loftily echo       ,odi 
profanum vulgus et arceo3  but ,rome has
 herself fallen2 and not on the portals 
of future science or of humanity shall  
any such motto be written4 ,freedom of  
,knowledge is the corollary to ,freedom 
of ,thought3 in the society of the      
future no hierarchy or oligarchy of     
intellect will close its doors upon the 
masses2 none will find delight in either
 sensuous or intellectual pleasure      
obtained at the cost of the baser       
condition of others4  ,the following    

,reprint will be found a clear          
exposition of the incongruities of creed
 and record and dogma taught to the poor
 as a system of ethics for the whole of 
their life2 and held as a convenient    
thing up to a certain age for the young1
 and especially the female young1 of the
 moneyed classes4  ,it is time that such
 warfare as this should be aggressive2  
that such books as the present should be
 part of the food of our children4 ,our 
truest feelings and our tenderest years 
have been enslaved to blind faith1      
unreasoning credulity and degrading     
fear2 our infant lips have been trained 
to link in loving accents the gentle and
 holy names of ,mother and of ,father   
with that of a ,god of jealousy1 of     
vengeance1 and brutality2 our growing   
mind has been warned to look to a       
,hebrew ascetic as the noblest type of  
the divine1 and to a ,hebrew profligate 
and murderer as the highest type of the 
human4 ,as the opening thought of youth 
has striven to turn to the light of     

reason1 it has been constantly          
threatened back and thrust back into the
 dark of superstition4 ,it has been told
 that eternal misery is the doom of     
those who leave the paths of dogma2 and 
it has been falsely and persistently    
taught that ,free-thinkers are evil and 
unclean1 men without care for right1    
scoffers at every good thing4  ,but it  
is not scoffers who wage this war of the
 rational against the supernatural3 let 
none deceive themselves with that vain  
thought1 or perpetuate the incorrect    
assertion4 ,of such books as the        
present1 such writings as the present1  
some at least are the words of men and  
women who have been born to1 and striven
 toward a godly life1 with intense      
effort1 with groanings not to be        
uttered3 who1 nursed in the bosom of the
 ,church1 and partakers in all her most 
sacred ordinances1 crushed down as      
unholy the first and the repeated       
breathings of doubt and of reasoning    
their minds2 who held to the falseness  

of their early teachings1--till there   
came that final struggle1 when they     
wrestled with ,god1--to hold him1--not  
to lose him2 gasping with fevered lips  
and shut teeth and scalding eyelids1 ,i 
will not let thee go 3 and who won a    
blessing they knew not of in that they  
proved the ,jehovah of ,hebraism1 the   
,god of ,christianity1 to be an         
,apollyon of ,superstition3 who cast him
 off in disgust1 in loathing1 in half   
despair2 who lay faint and bleeding     
through a night of darkness3 but to     
whom1 with the dawn1 has come the free  
and bracing air of reason1 and then the 
deep warm glow of true life1 and        
humanity1 and universal love1--love     
given this time not to a fetish1 but to 
every fellow being1 to man and beast1 to
 tree and moss1 to stone and star4      
,with a great price obtained we this    
freedom1 and we will that our ,sons and 
that our ,daughters be free born4 ,to   
such a liberator as ,robert ,g4         
,ingersoll the thanks of present parents

 are lovingly offered2 his name will be 
cherished by our children1 and his      
memory hallowed in the gratitude of     
generations yet unborn4  ,b4 ,e4        
,rudyard3  #ith ,month1 #ahha4          
,,bouquet ,,garni4       ,it is the     
curse of ,england that its intellect can
 see truths      which its heart will   
not embody4      --,laurence ,oliphant  
,the root of all tyranny and oppression1
 of all social and      human ills1 is  
found in witholding from the masses of  
each      community mental culture1 or  
knowledge that may be conferred      on 
all4      --,rd4 ,carlile4              
,atheism leaves to man reason1          
philosophy1 natural piety1      laws1   
reputation1 and every thing that can    
serve to conduct      him to virtue2 but
 superstition destroys all these1 and   
erects itself into tyranny over the     
understandings of men4      --,bacon4   
,a healthy poetic nature wants1 as you  
yourself say1 no ,moral      ,law1 no   
,rights of ,man1 no ,political          

,metaphysics4 ,you might      have added
 as well1 it wants no ,deity1 no        
,immortality1 to      stay and uphold   
itself withal4      --,letter from      
,schiller to ,goethe4       ,never to   
blend our pleasure or our pride ,with   
sorrow of the      meanest thing that   
feels4      --,wordsworth4            99
 ,a ,bouquet ,garni is a little bundle  
of herbs1 some bitter           some    
sweet1 but all salutary4     ,,the      
,,christian ,,religion     ,i4  ,a      
,,profound change has taken place in the
 world of thought1 ,the pews are trying 
to set themselves somewhat above the    
pulpit4 ,the layman discusses theology  
with the minister1 and smiles4          
,christians excuse themselves for       
belonging to the ,church1 by denying a  
part of the creed4 ,the idea is abroad  
that they who know the most of nature   
believe the least about theology4 ,the  
sciences are regarded as infidels1 and  
facts as scoffers4 ,thousands of most   
excellent people avoid churches1 and1   

with few exceptions1 only those attend  
prayer-meetings who wish to be alone4   
,the pulpit is losing because the people
 are growing4  ,of course it is still   
claimed that we are a ,christian people1
 indebted to something called           
,christianity for all the progress we   
have made4 ,there is still a vast       
difference of opinion as to what        
,christianity really is1 although many  
warring sects have been discussing that 
question1 with fire and sword1 through  
centuries of creed and crime4 ,every new
 sect has been denounced at its birth as
 illegitimate1 as a something born out  
of orthodox wedlock and that should have
 been allowed to perish on the steps    
where it was found4 ,of the relative    
merits of the various denominations1 it 
is sufficient to say that each claims to
 be right ,among the evangelical        
churches there is a substantial         
agreement upon what they consider the   
fundamental truths of the ,gospel4      
,these fundamental truths1 as ,i        

understand them1 are3  ,that there is a 
personal ,god1 the creator of the       
material universe2 that he made man of  
the dust1 and woman from part of the    
man2 that the man and woman were tempted
 by the ,devil2 that they were turned   
out of the garden of ,eden2 that1 about 
fifteen hundred years afterward1 ,god's 
patience having been exhausted by the   
wickedness of mankind1 he drowned his   
children with the exception of eight    
persons2 that afterward he selected from
 their descendants ,abraham1 and through
 him the ,jewish people2 that he gave   
laws to these people1 and tried to      
govern them in all things2 that he made 
known his will in many ,ways2 that he   
wrought a vast number of miracles2 that 
he inspired men to write the ,bible2    
that1 in the fulness of time1 it having 
been found impossible to reform man1    
this ,god came upon earth as a child    
born of the ,virgin ,mary2 that he lived
 in ,palestine2 that he preached for    
about three years1 going from place to  

place1 ,occasionally raising the dead1  
curing the blind and the halt2 that he  
was crucified--for the crime of         
blasphemy1 as the ,jews supposed1 but   
that1 as a matter of fact1 he was       
offered as a sacrifice for the sins of  
all who might have faith in him2 that he
 was raised from the dead and ascended  
into heaven where he now is1 making     
intercession for his followers2 that he 
will forgive the sins of all who believe
 on him1 and that those who do not      
believe will be consigned to the        
dungeons of eternal pain4 ,these--it may
 be with the addition of the sacraments 
of ,baptism and the ,last               
,supper--constitute what is generally   
known as the ,christian religion4  ,it  
is most cheerfully admitted that a vast 
number of people not only believe these 
things1 but hold them in exceeding      
reverence1 and imagine them to be of the
 utmost importance to mankind4 ,they    
regard the ,bible as the only light that
 ,god has given for the guidance of his 

children2 that it is the one star in    
nature's sky--the foundation of all     
morality1 of all law1 of all order1 and 
of all individual and national progress4
 ,they regard it as the only means we   
have for ascertaining the will of ,god1 
the origin of man1 and the destiny of   
the soul4  ,it is needless to enquire   
into the causes that have led so many   
people1 to believe in the inspiration of
 the ,scriptures4 ,in my opinion1 they  
were and are mistaken1 and the mistake  
has hindered1 in countless ways1 the    
civilization of man4 ,the ,bible has    
been the fortress and defence of nearly 
every crime4 ,no civilized country could
 re-enact its laws1 and in many respects
 its moral code is abhorrent to every   
good and tender man4 ,it is admitted    
that many of its precepts are pure1 that
 many of its laws are wise and just1 and
 that many of its statements are        
absolutely true4  ,without desiring to  
hurt the feelings of anybody1 ,i propose
 to give a few reasons for thinking that

 a few passages1 at least1 in the ,old  
,testament are the product of a         
barbarous people1 ,in all civilized     
countries it is not only admitted1 but  
it is passionately asserted1 that       
slavery is and always was a hideous     
crime2 that a war of conquest is simply 
murder2 that polygamy is the enslavement
 of woman1 the degradation of man1 and  
the destruction of home2 that nothing is
 more infamous than the slaughter of    
decrepit men1 of helpless women1 and of 
prattling babes2 that captured maidens  
should not be given to soldiers2 that   
wives should not be stoned to death on  
account of their religious opinions1 and
 that the death penalty ought not to be 
inflicted for a violation of the        
,sabbath4 ,we know that there was a     
time1 in the history of almost every    
nation1 when slavery1 polygamy1 and wars
 of extermination were regarded as      
divine institutions2 when women were    
looked upon as beasts of burden1 and    
when1 among some people1 it was         

considered the duty of the husband to   
murder the wife for differing with him  
on the subject of religion4 ,nations    
that entertain these views to-day are   
regarded as savage1 and1 probably1 with 
the exception of the ,south ,sea        
,islanders1 the ,feejees1 some citizens 
of ,delaware1 and a few tribes in       
,central ,africa1 no human beings can be
 found degraded enough to agree upon    
these subjects with the ,jehovah of the 
ancient ,jews4 ,the only evidence we    
have1 or can have1 that a nation has    
ceased to be savage is the fact that it 
has abandoned these doctrines4 ,to every
 one1 except the theologian1 it is      
perfectly easy to account for the       
mistakes1 atrocities1 and crimes of the 
past1 by saying that civilization is a  
slow and painful growth2 that the moral 
perceptions are cultivated through ages 
of tyranny1 of want1 of crime1 and of   
heroism2 that it requires centuries for 
man to put out the eyes of self and hold
 in lofty and in equal poise the scales 

of justice2 that conscience is born of  
suffering2 that mercy is the child of   
the imagination---of the power to put   
oneself in the sufferer's place1 and    
that man advances only as he becomes    
acquainted with his surroundings1 with  
the mutual obligations of life1 and     
learns to take advantage of the forces  
of nature4  ,but the believer in the    
inspiration of the ,bible is compelled  
to declare that there was a time when   
slavery was right--when men could buy1  
and women could sell1 their babes4 ,he  
is compelled to insist that there was a 
time when polygamy was the highest form 
of virtue2 when wars of extermination   
were waged with the sword of mercy2 when
 religious toleration was a crime1 and  
when death was the just penalty for     
having expressed an honest thought4 ,he 
must maintain that ,jehovah is just as  
bad now as he was four thousand years   
ago1 or that he was just as good then as
 he is now1 but that human conditions   
have so changed that slavery1 polygamy1 

religious persecutions1 and wars of     
conquest are now perfectly devilish4    
,once they were right--once they were   
commanded by ,god himself2 now1 they are
 prohibited4 ,there has been such a     
change in the conditions of man that1 at
 the present time1 the ,devil is in     
favour of slavery1 polygamy1 religious  
persecution1 and wars of conquest4 ,that
 is to say1 the ,devil entertains the   
same opinion to-day that ,jehovah held  
four thousand years ago1 but in the     
meantime ,jehovah has remained exactly  
the same--changeless and incapable of   
change4  ,we find that other nations    
beside the ,jews had similar laws and   
ideas2 that they believed in and        
practised slavery and polygamy1 murdered
 women and children1 and exterminated   
their neighbours to the extent of their 
power4 ,it is not claimed that they     
received a revelation4 ,it is admitted  
that they had no knowledge of the true  
,god4 ,and yet1 by a strange            
coincidence1 they practised the same    

crimes1 of their own motion1 that the   
,jews did by the command of ,jehovah4   
,from this it would seem that man can do
 wrong without a special revelation4 ,it
 will hardly be claimed1 at this day1   
that the passages in the ,bible         
upholding slavery1 polygamy1 war1 and   
religious persecution are evidences of  
the inspiration of that book4 ,suppose  
that there had been nothing in the ,old 
,testament upholding these crimes1 would
 any modern ,christian suspect that it  
was not inspired1 on account of the     
omission8 ,suppose that there had been  
nothing in the ,old ,testament but laws 
in favour of these crimes1 would any    
intelligent ,christian now contend that 
it was the work of the true ,god8 ,if   
the ,devil had inspired a book1 will    
some believer in the doctrine of        
inspiration tell us in what respect1 on 
the subjects of slavery1 polygamy1 war1 
and liberty1 it would have differed from
 some parts of the ,old ,testament8     
,suppose that we should now discover a  

,hindu book of equal antiquity with the 
,old ,testament1 containing a defence of
 slavery1 polygamy1 wars of             
extermination1 and religious            
persecution1 would we regard it as      
evidence that the writers were inspired 
by an infinitely wise and merciful ,god8
 ,as most other nations at that time    
practised these crimes1 and as the ,jews
 would have practised them all1 even if 
left to themselves1 one can hardly see  
the necessity of any inspired commands  
upon these subjects4 ,is there a        
believer in the ,bible who does not wish
 that ,god1 amid the thunders and       
lightnings of ,sinai1 had distinctly    
said to ,moses that man should not own  
his fellow-man2 that women should not   
sell their babes2 that men should be    
allowed to think and investigate for    
themselves1 and that the sword should   
never be unsheathed to shed the blood of
 honest men8 ,is there a believer in the
 world1 who would not be delighted to   
find that every one of these infamous   

passages are interpolations1 and that   
the skirts of ,god were never reddened  
by the blood of maiden1 wife1 or babe8  
,is there a believer who does not regret
 that ,god commanded a husband to stone 
his wife to death for suggesting the    
worship of the sun or moon8 ,surely1 the
 light of experience is enough to tell  
us that slavery is wrong1 that polygamy 
is infamous1 and that murder is not a   
virtue4 ,no one will now contend that it
 was worth ,god's while to impart the   
information to ,moses or to ,joshua1 or 
to anybody else1 that the ,jewish people
 might purchase slaves of the heathen1  
or that it was their duty to exterminate
 the natives of the ,holy ,land4 ,the   
deists have contended that the ,old     
,testament is too cruel and barbarous to
 be the work of a wise and loving ,god1 
,to this1 the theologians have replied1 
that nature is just as cruel2 that the  
earthquake1 the volcano1 the pestilence 
and storm1 are just as savage as the    
,jewish ,god2 and to my mind this is a  

perfect answer4  ,suppose that we knew  
that after inspired men had finished the
 ,bible1 the ,devil got possession of   
it1 and wrote a few passages2 what part 
of the sacred ,scriptures would         
,chris-tians now pick out as being      
probably his work8 ,which of the        
following passages would naturally be   
selected as having been written by the  
,devil--,love thy neighbour as thyself1 
or1 ,kill all the males among the little
 ones1 and kill every woman2 but all the
 women children keep alive for          
yourselves8  ,it may be that the best   
way to illustrate what ,i have said of  
the ,old ,testament is to compare some  
of the supposed teachings of ,jehovah   
with those of persons who never read an 
inspired line1 and who lived and died   
without having received the light of    
revelation4 ,nothing can be more        
suggestive than a comparison of the     
ideas of ,jehovah--the inspired words of
 the one claimed to be the infinite     
,god1 as recorded in the ,bible--with   

those that have been expressed by men   
who1 all admit1 received no help from   
heaven4  ,in all ages of which any      
record has been preserved1 there have   
been those who gave their ideas of      
justice1 charity1 liberty1 love1 and    
law4 ,now1 if the ,bible is really the  
work of ,god1 it should contain the     
grandest and sublimest truths4 ,it      
should1 in all respects1 excel the works
 of man4 ,within that book should be    
found the best and loftiest definitions 
of justice2 the truest conceptions of   
human liberty2 the clearest outlines of 
duty2 the tenderest1 the highest1 and   
the noblest thoughts1--not that the     
human mind has produced1 but that the   
human mind is capable of receiving4     
,upon every page should be found the    
luminous evidence of its divine origin4 
,unless it contains grander and more    
wonderful things than man has written1  
we are not only justified in saying1 but
 we are compelled to say1 that it was   
written by no being superior to man4 ,it

 may be said that it is unfair to call  
attention to certain bad things in the  
,bible1 while the good are not so much  
as mentioned4 ,to this it may be replied
 that a divine being would not put bad  
things in a book4 ,certainly a being of 
infinite intelligence1 power1 and       
goodness could never fall below the     
ideal of depraved and barbarous man4 ,it
 will not do1 after we find that the    
,bible upholds what we now call crimes1 
to say that it is not verbally inspired4
 ,if the words are not inspired1 what   
is8 ,it may be said that the thoughts   
are inspired4 ,but this would include   
only the thoughts expressed without     
words ,if ideas are inspired they must  
be contained in and expressed only by   
inspired words2 that is1 to say1 the    
arrangement of the words1 with relation1
 to each other1 must have been inspired 
,for the purpose of this perfect2       
arrangement1 the writers1 according to  
the ,christian world1 were inspired4    
,were some sculptor inspired1 of ,god to

 make a statue perfect in its every     
part1 we would not say that the marble  
was inspired1 but the statue--the       
relation of part to part1 the married2  
harmony of form and function4 ,the      
language1 the words1 take the place of  
the marble1 and it is the arrangement of
 these words that ,christians claim to  
be inspired4 ,if there is one uninspired
 word1--that is1 one word in the wrong  
place1 or a word that ought not to be   
there1--to that extent the ,bible is an 
uninspired book4 ,the moment it is      
admitted that some words are not1 in    
their arrangement as to other words1    
inspired1 then1 unless with absolute    
certainty these words can be pointed    
out1 a doubt is cast on all the words   
the book contains4 ,if it was worth     
,god's while to make a revelation to man
 at all1 it was certainly worth his     
while to see to it that it was correctly
 made4 ,he would not have allowed the   
ideas and mistakes of pretended prophets
 and designing priests to become so     

mingled with the original text that it  
is impossible to tell where he ceased   
and where the priests and prophets      
began4 ,neither will it do to say that  
,god adapted his revelation to the      
prejudices of mankind4 ,of course it was
 necessary for an infinite being to     
adapt his revelation to the intellectual
 capacity of man2 but why should ,god   
confirm a barbarian in his prejudices8  
,why should he fortify a heathen in his 
crimes8 ,if a revelation is of any      
importance whatever1 it is to eradicate 
prejudices from the human mind4 ,it     
should be a lever with which to raise   
the human race4 ,theologians have       
exhausted their ingenuity in finding    
excuses for ,god4 ,it seems to me that  
they would be better employed in finding
 excuses for men4 ,they tell us that the
 ,jews were so cruel and ignorant that  
,god was compelled to justify1 or nearly
 to justify1 many of their crimes1 in   
order to have any influence with them   
whatever4 ,they tell us that if he had  

declared slavery and polygamy to be     
criminal1 the ,jews would have refused  
to receive the ten commandments4 ,they  
insist that1 under the circumstances1   
,god did the best he could2 that his    
real intention was to lead them along   
slowly1 step by step1 so that1 in a few 
hundred years1 they would be induced to 
admit that it was hardly fair to steal a
 babe from its mother's breast4 ,it has 
always seemed reasonable that an        
infinite ,god ought to have been able to
 make man grand enough to know1 even    
without a ,special revelation1 that it  
is not altogether right to steal the    
labour1 or the wife1 or the child1 of   
another4 ,when the whole question is    
thoroughly examined1 the world will find
 that ,jehovah had the prejudices1 the  
hatreds and the superstitions of his    
day4  ,if there is anything of value1 it
 is liberty4 ,liberty is the air of the 
soul1 the sunshine of life1 ,without it 
the world is a prison and the universe  
an infinite dungeon4  ,if the ,bible is 

really inspired ,jehovah commanded the  
,jewish people to buy the children of   
the strangers that sojourned among them1
 and ordered that the children thus     
bought should be an inheritance for the 
children of the ,jews1 and that they    
should be bondmen and bondwomen forever4
 ,yet ,epictetus1 a man to whom no      
revelation was ever made1 a man whose   
soul followed only the light of nature1 
and who had never heard of the ,jewish  
,god1 was great enough to say3 ,will you
 not remember that your servants are by 
nature your brothers1 the children of   
,god8 ,in saying that you have bought   
them1 you look down on the earth1 and   
into the pit1 on the wretched law of men
 long since dead1 but you see not the   
laws of the gods4  ,we find that        
,jehovah1 speaking to his chosen people1
 assured them that their bondmen and    
their bondmaids must be of the heathen  
that were round about them4 ,of them1   
said ,jehovah1 shall ye buy bondman and 
bondmaid4 ,and yet ,cicero1 a pagan1    

,cicero1 who had never been enlightened 
by reading the ,old ,testament1 had the 
moral grandeur to declare3 ,they who say
 that we should love our                
fellow-citizens1 but not foreigners1    
destroy the universal brotherhood of    
mankind1 with which benevolence and     
justice would perish forever4  ,if the  
,bible is inspired1 ,jehovah ,god of all
 worlds1 actually said3 ,and if a man   
smite his servant or his maid with a    
rod1 and he die-under his hand1 he shall
 be surely punished2 notwithstanding1 if
 he continue a day or two1 he shall not 
be punished1 for he is his money4 ,and  
yet ,zeno1 founder of the ,stoics1      
centuries before ,christ was born1      
insisted that no man could be the owner 
of another1 and that the title was bad1 
whether the slave had become so by      
conquest1 or by purchase4 ,jehovah      
ordered a ,jewish general to make war1  
and gave1 among others1 this command3   
,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 nor show    
mercy unto them4 ,and yet ,epictetus    
whom we have already quoted1 gave this  
marvellous rule for the guidance of     
human conduct3 ,live with thy inferiors 
as thou wouldst have thy superiors live 
with thee4  ,is it possible1 after all1 
that a being of infinite goodness and   
wisdom said3 ,i will heap mischief upon 
them2 ,i will send my arrows upon them2 
they shall be burned with hunger1 and   
devoured with burning heat1 and with    
bitter destruction4 ,i will send the    
tooth of beasts among them1 with the    
poison of serpents of the dust4 ,the    
sword without1 and terror within1 shall 
destroy both the young man and the      
virgin1 the suckling1 also1 with the man
 of grey hairs2 while ,seneca1 an       
uninspired ,roman1 said3 ,the wise man  
will not pardon any crime that ought to 
be punished1 but he will accomplish1 in 
a nobler way1 all that is sought in     
pardoning4 ,he will spare some and watch

 over some1 because of their youth1 and 
others on account of their ignorance4   
,his clemency will not fall short of    
justice1 but will fulfil it perfectly4  
,can we believe that ,god ever said of  
any one3 ,let his children be fatherless
 and his wife a widow2 let his children 
be continually vagabonds1 and beg2 let  
them seek their bread also out of their 
desolate places2 let the extortioner    
catch all that he hath and let the      
stranger spoil his labour2 let there be 
none to extend mercy unto him1 neither  
let there be any to favour his          
fatherless children4 ,if he ever said   
these words1 surely he had never heard  
this line1 this strain of music1 from   
the ,hindu3 ,sweet is the lute to those 
who have not heard the prattle of their 
own children4  ,jehovah1 from the clouds
 and darkness of ,sinai said to the     
,jews3 ,thou shalt have no other gods   
before me4444 ,thou shalt not bow down  
thyself to them nor serve them2 for ,i1 
the ,lord thy ,god1 am a jealous ,god1  

visiting the iniquities of the fathers  
upon the children1 unto the third and   
fourth generation of them that hate me4 
,contrast these with the words put by   
the ,hindu in the mouth of ,brahma3 ,i  
am the same to all mankind4 ,they who   
honestly serve other gods1 involuntarily
 worship me4 ,i am he who partaketh of  
all worship1 and ,i am the reward of all
 worshippers4  ,compare these passages4 
,the first1 a dungeon where crawl the   
things begot of jealous slime2 the      
other1 great as the domed firmament     
inlaid with suns4     ,,ii4  ,,waiving  
the contradictory statements in the     
various books of the ,new ,testament2   
leaving out of the question the history 
of the manuscripts2 saying nothing about
 the errors in translation and the      
interpolations made by the fathers2 and 
admitting1 for the time being1 that the 
books were all written at the times     
claimed1 and by the persons whose names 
they bear1 the questions of inspiration1
 probability1 and absurdity still       

remain4  ,as a rule1 where several      
persons testify to the same transaction1
 while agreeing in the main points1 they
 will disagree upon many minor things1  
and such disagreement upon minor matters
 is generally considered as evidence    
that the witnesses have not agreed among
 themselves upon the story they should  
tell4 ,these differences in statement we
 account for from the facts that all did
 not see alike1 that all did not have   
the same opportunity for seeing1 and    
that all had not equally good memories4 
,but when we claim that the witnesses   
were inspired1 we must admit that he who
 inspired them did know exactly what    
occurred1 and consequently there should 
be no contradiction1 even in the        
minutest detail4 ,the accounts should be
 not only substantially1 but they should
 be actually1 the same4 ,it is          
impossible to account for any           
differences1 or any contradictions1     
except from the weaknesses of human     
nature1 and these weaknesses cannot be  

predicated of divine wisdom4 ,why should
 there be more than one correct account 
of anything8 ,why were four gospels     
necessary8 ,one inspired record of all  
that happened ought to be enough4  ,one 
great objection to the ,old ,testament  
is the cruelty said to have been        
commanded by ,god1 but all the cruelties
 recounted in the ,old ,testament ceased
 with death4 ,the vengeance of ,jehovah 
stopped at the portal of the tomb4 ,he  
never threatened to avenge himself upon 
the dead2 and not one word1 from the    
first mistake in ,genesis to the last   
curse of ,malachi1 contains the         
slightest intimation that ,god will     
punish in another world4 ,it was        
reserved for the ,new ,testament to make
 known the frightful doctrine of eternal
 pain4 ,it was the teacher of universal 
benevolence who rent the veil between   
time and eternity1 and fixed the        
horrified gaze of man on the lurid gulfs
 of hell4 ,within the breast of         
non-resistance was coiled the worm that 

never dies4  ,one great objection to the
 ,new ,testament is that it bases       
salvation upon belief4 ,this1 at least1 
is true of the ,gospel according to     
,john1 and of many of the epistles4 ,i  
admit that ,matthew never heard of the  
,atonement1 and died utterly ignorant of
 the scheme of salvation4 ,i also admit 
that ,mark never dreamed that it was    
necessary for a man to be born again2   
that he knew nothing of the mysterious  
doctrine of ,regeneration1 and that he  
never even suspected that it was        
necessary to believe anything4 ,in the  
sixteenth chapter of ,mark1 we are told 
that ,he that believeth and is baptized 
shall be saved1 but he that believeth   
not shall be damned2 but this passage   
has been shown to be an interpolation1  
and1 consequently1 not a solitary word  
is found in the ,gospel according to    
,mark upon the subject of salvation by  
faith4 ,the same is also true of the    
,gospel of ,luke4 ,it says not one word 
as to the necessity of believing on     

,jesus ,christy not one word as to the  
,atonement1 not one word upon the scheme
 of salvation1 and not the slightest    
hint that it is necessary to believe    
anything here in order to be happy      
hereafter4  ,and ,i here take occasion  
to say1 that with most of the teachings 
of the ,gospels of ,matthew1 ,mark1 and 
,luke ,i most heartily agree4 ,the      
miraculous parts must1 of course1 be    
thrown aside4 ,i admit that the         
necessity of ,belief1 the ,atonement1   
and the scheme of salvation are all set 
forth in the ,gospel of ,john1--a       
,gospel1 in my opinion1 not written     
until long after the others4  ,according
 to the prevailing ,christian belief1   
the ,christian religion rests upon the  
doctrine of the ,atonement4 ,if this    
doctrine is without foundation1 if it is
 repugnant to justice and mercy1 the    
fabric falls4 ,we are told that the     
first man committed a crime for which   
all his posterity are responsible1--in  
other words1 that we are accountable1   

and can be justly punished for a sin we 
never in fact committed4 ,this absurdity
 was the father of another1 namely1 that
 a man can be rewarded for a good action
 done by another4 ,god1 according to the
 modern theologians1 made a law1 with   
the penalty of eternal death for its    
infraction4 ,all men1 they say1 have    
broken that law4 ,in the economy of     
heaven1 this law had to be vindicated4  
,this could be done by damning the whole
 human race4 ,through what is known as  
the ,atonement1 the salvation of a few  
was made possible4 ,they insist that the
 law--whatever that is--demanded the    
extreme penalty1 that justice called for
 its victims1 and that even mercy ceased
 to plead4 ,under these circumstances   
,god1 by allowing the innocent to       
suffer1 satisfactorily settled with the 
law1 and allowed a few of the guilty to 
escape4 ,the law was satisfied with this
 arrangement4 ,to carry out this scheme1
 ,god was born as a babe into this      
world4 ,he grew in stature and increased

 in knowledge4 ,at the age of           
thirty-three1 after having lived a life 
filled with kindness1 charity1 and      
nobility1 after having practised every  
virtue1 he was sacrificed as an         
atonement for man4 ,it is claimed that  
he actually took our place1 and bore our
 sins and our guilt2 that in this way   
the justice of ,god was satisfied1 and  
that the blood of ,christ was an        
atonement1 an expiation1 for the sins of
 all who might believe on him4  ,under  
the ,mosaic dispensation1 there was no  
remission of sin except through the     
shedding of blood4 ,if a man committed  
certain sins1 he must bring to the      
priest a lamb1 a bullock1 a goat1 or a  
pair of turtle-doves4 ,the priest would 
lay his hands upon the animal1 and the  
sin of the man would be transferred4    
,then the animal would be killed in the 
place of the real sinner1 and the blood 
thus shed and sprinkled upon the altar  
would be an atonement4 ,in this way     
,jehovah was satisfied4 ,the greater the

 crime1 the greater the sacrifice--the  
more blood1 the greater the atonement4  
,there was always a certain ratio       
between the value of the animal and the 
enormity of the sin4 ,the most minute   
directions were given about the killing 
of these animals1 and about the         
sprinkling of their blood4 ,every priest
 became a butcher1 and every sanctuary a
 slaughter-house4 ,nothing could be more
 utterly shocking to a refined and      
loving soul4 ,nothing could have been   
better calculated to harden the heart   
than this continual shedding of innocent
 blood4 ,this terrible system is        
supposed to have culminated in the      
sacrifice of ,christ4 ,his blood took   
the place of all other4 ,it is necessary
 to shed no more4 ,the law at last is   
satisfied1 satiated1 surfeited4 ,the    
idea that ,god wants blood is at the    
bottom of the ,atonement1 and rests upon
 the most fearful savagery4 ,how can sin
 be transferred from men to animals1 and
 how can the shedding of the blood of   

animals atone for the sins of men8  ,the
 ,church says that the sinner is in debt
 to ,god1 and that the obligation is    
discharged by the ,saviour4 ,the best   
that can possibly be said of such a     
transaction is1 that the debt is        
transferred1 not paid4 ,the truth is1   
that a sinner is in debt to the person  
he has injured4 ,if a man injures his   
neighbour1 it is not enough for him to  
get the forgiveness of ,god1 but he must
 have the forgiveness of his neighbour4 
,if a man puts his hand in the fire and 
,god forgives him1 his hand will smart  
exactly the same4 ,you must1 after all1 
reap what you sow4 ,no god can give you 
wheat when you sow tares1 and no devil  
can give you tares when you sow wheat4  
,there are in nature neither rewards nor
 punishments--there are consequences4   
,the life of ,christ is worth its       
example1 its moral force1 its heroism of
 benevolence4  ,to make innocence suffer
 is the greatest sin2 how then is it    
possible to make the suffering of the   

innocent a justification for the        
criminal8 ,why should a man be willing  
to let the innocent suffer for him8     
,does not the willingness show that he  
is utterly unworthy of the sacrifice8   
,certainly1 no man would be fit for     
heaven who would consent that an        
innocent person should suffer for his   
sin4 ,what would we think of a man who  
would allow another to die for a crime  
that he himself had committed8 ,what    
would we think of a law that allowed the
 innocent to take the place of the      
guilty8 ,is it possible to vindicate a  
just law by inflicting punishment on the
 innocent8 ,would not that be a second  
violation instead of a vindication8  ,if
 there was no general ,atonement until  
the crucifixion of ,christ1 what became 
of the countless millions who died      
before that time8 ,and it must be       
remembered that the blood shed by the   
,jews was not for other nations4        
,jehovah hated foreigners4 ,the         
,gentiles were left without forgiveness4

 ,what has become of the millions who   
have died since1 without having heard of
 the ,atonement8 ,what becomes of those 
who have heard but have not believed8   
,it seems to me that the doctrine of the
 ,atonement is absurd1 unjust1 and      
immoral4 ,can a law be satisfied by the 
execution of the wrong person8 ,when a  
man commits a crime1 the laws demands   
his punishment1 not that of a           
substitute2 and there can be no law1    
human or divine1 that can be satisfied  
by the punishment of a substitute4 ,can 
there be a ,jaw that demands that the   
guilty be rewarded8 ,and yet1 to reward 
the guilty is far nearer justice than to
 punish the innocent4  ,according to the
 orthodox theology1 there would have    
been no heaven had no ,atonement been   
made4 ,all the children of men would    
have been cast into hell forever4 ,the  
old men bowed with grief1 the smiling   
mothers1 the sweet babes1 the loving    
maidens1 the brave1 the tender1 and the 
just1 would have been given over to     

eternal pain4 ,man1 it is claimed1 can  
make no ,atonement for himself4 ,if he  
commits one sin1 and with that exception
 lives a life of perfect virtue1 still  
that one sin would remain unexpiated1   
unatoned1 and for that one sin he would 
be forever lost ,to be saved by the     
goodness of another1 to be a redeemed   
debtor forever1 has in it something     
repugnant to manhood4  ,we must also    
remember that ,jehovah took special     
charge of the ,jewish people2 and we    
have always been taught that he did so  
for the purpose of civilizing them4 ,if 
he had succeeded in civilizing the      
,jews1 he would have made the damnation 
of the entire human race a certainty2   
because1 if the ,jews had been a        
civilized people when ,christ           
appeared1--a people whose hearts had not
 been hardened by the laws and teachings
 of ,jehovah1--they would not have      
crucified him1 and1 as a consequence1   
the world would have been lost4 ,if the 
,jews had believed in religious         

freedom1--in the right of thought and   
speech1--not a human soul could ever    
have been saved4 ,if1 when ,christ was  
on his way to ,calvary some brave1      
heroic soul had rescued him from the    
holy mob1 he would not only have been   
eternally damned for his pains1 but     
would have rendered impossible the      
salvation of any human being2 and1      
except for the crucifixion of her son1  
the ,virgin ,mary1 if the church is     
right1 would be to-day among the lost4  
,in countless ways the ,christian world 
has endeavoured1 for nearly two thousand
 years1 to explain the ,atonement1 and  
every effort has ended in an admission  
that it cannot be understood1 and a     
declaration that it must be believed4   
,is it not immoral to teach that man can
 sin1 that he can harden his heart and  
pollute his soul1 and that1 by repenting
 and believing something that he does   
not comprehend1 he can avoid the        
consequences of his crimes8 ,has the    
promise and hope of forgiveness ever    

prevented the commission of a sin8      
,should men be taught that sin gives    
happiness here2 that they ought to bear 
the evils of a virtuous life in this    
world for the sake of joy in the next2  
that they can repent between the last   
sin and the last breath2 that after     
repentance every stain of the soul is   
washed away by the innocent blood of    
another2 that the serpent of regret3    
will not hiss in the ear of memory2 that
 the saved will not even pity the       
victims of their own crimes2 that the   
goodness of another can be transferred  
to them2 and that sins forgiven cease to
 affect the unhappy wretches sinned     
against8  ,another objection is that a  
certain belief is necessary to save the 
soul ,it is often asserted that to      
believe is the only safe way4 ,if you   
wish to be safe1 be honest4 ,nothing can
 be safer than that4 ,no matter what his
 belief may be1 no man1 even in the hour
 of death1 can regret having been       
honest4 ,it never can be necessary to   

throw away your reason to save your     
soul4 ,a soul without reason is scarcely
 worth saving4 ,there is no more        
degrading doctrine than that of mental  
non-resistance4 ,the soul has a right to
 defend its castle--the brain1 and he   
who waives that right becomes a serf and
 slave4 ,neither can ,i admit that a    
man1 by doing me an injury1 can place me
 under obligation to do him a service4  
,to render benefits for injuries is to  
ignore all distinctions between actions4
 ,he who treats his friends and enemies 
alike has neither love nor justice4 ,the
 idea of non-resistance never occurred  
to a man with power to protect himself4 
,this doctrine was the child of         
weakness1 born when resistance was      
impossible4 ,to allow a crime to be     
committed when you can prevent it1 is   
next to committing the crime yourself4  
,and yet1 under the banner of           
non-resistance1 the ,church has shed the
 blood of millions1 and in the folds of 
her sacred ,vestments have gleamed the  

daggers of assassination4 ,with her     
cunning hands she wove the purple for   
hypocrisy1 and placed the crown upon the
 brow of crime4 ,for a thousand years   
larceny held the scales of justice1     
while beggars scorned the princely sons 
of toil1 and ignorant fear denounced the
 liberty of thought4  ,if ,christ was in
 fact ,god1 he knew all the future4     
,before him1 like a panorama1 moved the 
history yet to be4 ,he knew exactly how 
his words would be interpreted4 ,he knew
 what crimes1 what horrors1 what        
infamies would be committed in his name4
 ,he knew that the fires of persecution 
would climb around the limbs of         
countless martyrs4 ,he knew that brave  
men would languish in dungeons1 in      
darkness1 filled with pain2 that the    
,church would use instruments of        
torture1 that his followers would appeal
 to whip and chain4 ,he must have seen  
the horizon of the future red with the  
flames of the ,auto-da-,fe4 ,he knew all
 the creeds that would spring like      

poison fungi from every text4 ,he saw   
the sects waging war against each other4
 ,he saw thousands of men1 under the    
orders of priests1 building dungeons for
 their fellow-men4 ,he saw them using   
instruments of pain4 ,he heard the      
groans1 saw the faces white with agony1 
the tears1 the blood--heard the shrieks 
and sobs 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 teachings attributed to
 him4 ,he saw all the interpolations and
 falsehoods that hypocrisy would write  
and tell4 ,he knew that above these     
fields of death1 these dungeons1 these  
burnings1 for a thousand years would    
float the dripping banner of the cross4 
,he knew that in his name his followers 
would trade in human flesh1 that cradles
 would be robbed1 and women's breasts   
unbabed for gold1 and yet he died with  
voiceless lips4 ,why did he fail to     

speak8 ,why did he not tell his         
disciples1 and through them the world1  
that man should not persecute1 for      
opinion's sake1 his fellow-man8 ,why did
 he not cry1 ,you shall not persecute in
 my name2 you shall not burn and torment
 those who differ from you in creed8    
,why did he not plainly say1 ,i am the  
,son of ,god8 ,why did he not explain   
the doctrine of the ,trinity8 ,why did  
he not tell the manner of baptism that  
was pleasing to him8 ,why did he not say
 something positive1 definite1 and      
satisfactory about another world8 ,why  
did he not turn the tear-stained hope of
 heaven to the glad knowledge of another
 life8 ,why did he go dumbly to his     
death1 leaving the world to misery and  
to doubt8  ,he came1 they tell us1 to   
make a revelation1 and what did he      
reveal8 ,love thy neighbour as thyself8 
,that was in the ,old ,testament1 ,love 
,god with all thy heart8 ,that was in   
the ,old ,testament1 ,return good for   
evil 8 ,that was said by ,buddha seven  

hundred years before he was born1 ,do   
unto others as ye would that they should
 do unto you8 ,this was the doctrine of 
,laotse4 ,did he come to give a rule of 
action8 ,zoroaster had done this1 long  
before3 ,whenever thou art in doubt as  
to whether an action is good or bad1    
abstain from it4 ,did he come to teach  
us of another world8 ,the immortality of
 the soul had been taught by ,hindus1   
,egyptians1 ,greeks1 and ,romans        
hundreds of years before he was born4   
,long before1 the world had been told by
 ,socrates that3 ,one who is injured    
ought not to return the injury1 for on  
no account can it be right to do an     
injustice2 and it is not right to return
 an injury1 or to do evil to any man1   
however much we may have suffered from  
him4 ,and ,cicero had said3 ,let us not 
listen to those who think that we ought 
to be angry with our enemies and who    
believe this to be great and manly3     
nothing is more praiseworthy1 nothing so
 clearly shows a great and noble soul1  

as clemency and readiness to forgive4   
,is there anything nearer perfect than  
this from ,confucius3 ,for benefits     
return benefits2 for injuries return    
justice without any admixture of        
revenge8  ,the dogma of eternal         
punishment rests upon passages in the   
,new ,testament1 ,this infamous belief  
subverts every idea of justice4 ,around 
the angel of immortality the ,church has
 coiled this serpent4 ,a finite being   
can neither commit an infinite sin1 nor 
a sin against the infinite4 ,a being of 
infinite goodness and wisdom has no     
right1 according to the human standard  
of justice1 to create any being destined
 to suffer eternal pain4 ,a being of    
infinite wisdom would not create a      
failure1 and surely a man destined to   
everlasting agony is not a success4     
,how long1 according to the universal   
benevolence of the ,new ,testament1 can 
a man be reasonably punished in the next
 world for failing to believe something 
unreasonable in this8 ,can it be        

possible that any punishment can endure 
forever8 ,suppose that every flake of   
snow that ever fell was a figure nine1  
and that the first flake was multiplied 
by the second1 and that product by the  
third1 and so on to the last flake4 ,and
 then suppose that this total should be 
multiplied by every drop of rain that   
ever fell1 calling each drop a figure   
nine2 and that total by each blade of   
grass that ever helped to weave a carpet
 for the earth1 calling each blade a    
figure nine1 and that again by every    
grain of sand on every shore1 so that   
the grand total would make a line of    
nines so long that it would require     
millions upon millions of years for     
light1 travelling at the rate of one    
hundred and eighty-five thousand miles  
per second1 to reach the end4 ,and      
suppose1 further1 that each unit in this
 almost infinite total stood for        
billions of ages--still that vast and   
almost endless time1 measured by all the
 years beyond1 is as one flake1 one     

drop1 one leaf1 one blade1 one grain1   
compared with all the flakes1 and drops1
 and leaves1 and blades1 and grains4    
,upon love's breast the ,church has     
placed the eternal asp4 ,and yet1 in the
 same book in which is taught this most 
infamous of doctrines1 we are assured   
that ,the ,lord is good to all1 and his 
tender mercies are over all his works4  
,,so ,,far as we know1 man is the author
 of all books4 ,if a book had been found
 on the earth by the first man1 he might
 have regarded it as the work of ,god2  
but as men were here a good while before
 any books were found1 and as man has   
produced a great many books1 the        
probability is that the ,bible is no    
exception4  ,most nations1 at the time  
the ,old ,testament was written1        
believed in slavery1 polygamy1 wars of  
extermination1 and religious            
persecution2 and it is not wonderful    
that the book contained nothing contrary
 to such belief4 ,the fact that it was  
in exact accord with the morality of its

 time proves that it was not the product
 of any being superior to man4 ,the     
inspired writers upheld or established  
slavery1 countenanced polygamy1         
commanded wars of extermination1 and    
ordered the slaughter of women and      
babes4 ,in these respects they were     
precisely like the uninspired savages by
 whom they were surrounded4 ,they also  
taught and commanded religious          
persecution as a duty1 and visited the  
most trivial offences with the          
punishment of death4 ,in these          
particulars they were in exact accord   
with their barbarian neighbours4 ,they  
were utterly ignorant of geology and    
astronomy1 and knew no more of what had 
happened than of what would happen2 and1
 so far as accuracy is concerned1 their 
history and prophecy were about equal2  
in other words1 they were just as       
ignorant as those who lived and died in 
,nature's night4  ,does any ,christian  
believe that if ,god were to write a    
book now1 he would uphold the crimes    

commanded in the ,old ,testament8 ,has1 
,jehovah improved8 ,has infinite mercy  
become more merciful8 ,has infinite     
wisdom intellectually advanced8 ,will   
any one claim that the passages         
upholding slavery have liberated        
mankind2 that we are indebted for our   
modern homes to the texts that made     
polygamy a virtue2 or that religious    
liberty found its soil1 its light1 and  
rain1 in the infamous verse wherein the 
husband is commanded to stone to death  
the wife for worshipping an unknown     
,god8  ,the usual answer to these       
objection is that no country has ever   
been civilized without the ,bible4  ,the
 ,jews were the only people to whom     
,jehovah made his will directly         
known1--the only people who had the ,old
 ,testament4 ,other nations were utterly
 neglected by their ,creator4 ,yet1 such
 was the effect of the ,old ,testament  
on the ,jews1 that they crucified a     
kind1 loving1 and perfectly innocent    
man4 ,they could not have done much     

worse without a ,bible4 ,in the         
crucifixion of ,christ1 they followed   
the teachings of his ,father4 ,if1 as it
 is now alleged by the theologians1 no  
nation can be civilized without a       
,bible1 certainly ,god must have known  
the fact six thousand years ago1 as well
 as the theologians know it now4 ,why   
did he not furnish every nation with a  
,bible8  ,as to the ,old ,testament1 ,i 
insist that all the bad passages were   
written by men2 that those passages were
 not inspired4 ,i insist that a being of
 infinite goodness never commanded man  
to enslave his fellow-man1 never told a 
mother to sell her babe1 never          
established polygamy1 never ordered one 
nation to exterminate another1 and never
 told a husband to kill his wife because
 she suggested the worshipping of some  
other ,god4  ,i also insist that the    
,old ,testament would be a much better  
book with all of these passages left    
out2 and1 whatever may be said of the   
rest1 the passages to which attention   

has been drawn can with vastly more     
propriety be attributed to a ,devil than
 to a ,god4  ,take from the ,new        
,testament all passages upholding the   
idea that belief is necessary to        
salvation2 that ,christ was offered as  
an atonement for the sins of the world2 
that the punishment of the human soul   
will go on forever2 that heaven is the  
reward of faith1 and hell the penalty of
 honest investigation2 take from it all 
miraculous stories1--and ,i admit that  
all the good passages are true4 ,if they
 are true1 it makes no difference       
whether they are ,inspired or not4      
,inspiration is only necessary to give  
authority to that which is repugnant to 
human reason4  ,only that which never   
happened needs to be substantiated by   
miracles4 ,the universe is natural4     
,the ,church must cease to insist that  
the passages upholding the institutions 
of savage men were inspired of ,god1    
,the dogma of the ,atonement must be    
abandoned4 ,good deeds must take the    

place of faith4 ,the savagery of eternal
 punishment must be renounced4          
,credulity is not a virtue1 and         
investigation is not a crime4 ,miracles 
are the children of mendacity4 ,nothing 
can be more wonderful than the majestic1
 unbroken1 sublime1 and eternal         
procession of causes and effects4       
,reason must be the final arbiter1      
,inspired books attested by miracles    
cannot stand against a demonstrated     
fact4 ,a religion that does not command 
the respect of the greatest minds will1 
in a little while1 excite the mockery of
 all4 ,every civilized man believes in  
the liberty of thought4 ,is it possible 
that ,god is intolerant8 ,is an act     
infamous in man one of the virtues of   
the ,deity8 ,could there be progress in 
heaven without intellectual liberty8 ,is
 the freedom of the future to exist only
 in perdition8 ,is it not1 after all1   
barely possible that a man acting like  
,christ can be saved8 ,is a man to be   
eternally rewarded for believing        

according to evidence1 with out         
evidence1 or against evidence8 ,are we  
to be saved because we are good1 or     
because another was virtuous8 ,is       
credulity to be winged and crowned1     
while honest doubt is chained ana       
damned8  ,do not misunderstand me4 ,my  
position is that the cruel passages in  
the ,old ,testament are not inspired2   
that slavery1 polygamy1 wars of         
extermination1 and religious            
persecution1 always have been1 are1 and 
forever will be1 abhorred and cursed by 
the honest1 the virtuous1 and the       
loving2 that the innocent cannot justly 
suffer for the guilty1 and that         
vicarious vice and vicarious virtue are 
equally absurd2 that eternal punishment 
is eternal revenge2 that only the       
natural can happen2 that miracles prove 
the dishonesty of the few and the       
credulity of the many2 and that1        
according to ,matthew1 ,mark1 and ,luke1
 salvation does not depend upon belief1 
nor the ,atonement1 nor a second birth1 

but that these gospel are in exact      
harmony with the declaration of the     
great ,persian3 ,taking the first       
footstep with the good thought1 the     
second with the good word1 and the third
 with the good deed1 ,i entered         
paradise4  ,the dogmas of the past no   
longer reach the level of the highest   
thought1 nor satisfy the hunger of the  
heart4 ,while dusty faiths1 embalmed and
 sepulchered in ancient texts1 remain   
the same1 the sympathies of men enlarge2
 the brain no longer kills its young2   
the happy lips give liberty to honest   
thoughts2 the mental firmament expands  
and lifts2 the broken clouds drift by2  
the hideous dreams1 the foul1 misshapen 
children of the monstrous night1        
dissolve and fade4