,,heretics ,,and ,,heresies    ,by      
,robert ,g4 ,ingersoll                  
,,heretics ,,and ,,heresies             
,,liberty1 ,a ,,word ,,without ,,which  
,,all ,,other ,,words ,,are ,,vain4     
,,whoever has an opinion of his own1 and
 honestly expresses it1 will be  guilty 
of heresy4 ,heresy is what the minority 
believe2 it is the name  given by the   
powerful to the doctrine of the weak4   
,this word was born of  the hatred1     
arrogance and cruelty of those who love 
their enemies1 and  who1 when smitten on
 one cheek1 turn the other4 ,this word  
was born of  intellectual slavery in the
 feudal ages of thought4 ,it was an     
epithet  used in the place of argument4 
,from the commencement of the ,christian
  era1 every art has been exhausted and 
every conceivable punishment  inflicted 
to force all people to hold the same    
religious opinions4 ,this  effort was   
born of the idea that a certain belief  
was necessary to the  salvation of the  
soul4 ,christ taught1 and the ,church   

still teaches1  that unbelief is the    
blackest of crimes4 ,god is supposed to 
hate with  an infinite and implacable   
hatred1 every heretic upon the earth1   
and the  heretics who have died are     
supposed at this moment to be suffering 
the  agonies of the damned4 ,the ,church
 persecutes the living and her ,god     
burns the dead4    ,it is claimed that  
,god wrote a book called the ,bible1 and
 it is  generally admitted that this    
book is somewhat difficult to           
understand4  ,as long as the ,church had
 all the copies of this book1 and the   
people  were not allowed to read it1    
there was comparatively little heresy in
  the world2 but when it was printed and
 read1 people began honestly to  differ 
as to its meaning4 ,a few were          
independent and brave enough to  give   
the world their real thoughts1 and for  
the extermination of these  men the     
,church used all her power4 ,protestants
 and ,catholics vied with  each other in
 the work of enslaving the human mind4  

,for ages they were  rivals in the      
infamous effort to rid the earth of     
honest people4 ,they  infested every    
country1 every city1 town1 hamlet and   
family4 ,they  appealed to the worst    
passions of the human heart4 ,they sowed
 the seeds  of discord and hatred in    
every land4 ,brother denounced brother1 
wives  informed against their husbands1 
mothers accused their children1         
dungeons were crowded with the innocent2
 the flesh of the good and true  rotted 
in the clasp of chains2 the flames      
devoured the heroic1 and in  the name of
 the most merciful ,god1 his children   
were exterminated with  famine1 sword1  
and fire4 ,over the wild waves of battle
 rose and fell  the banner of ,jesus    
,christ4 ,for sixteen hundred years the 
robes of the  ,church were red with     
innocent blood4 ,the ingenuity of       
,christians was  exhausted in devising  
punishment severe enough to be inflicted
 upon  other ,christians who honestly   
and sincerely differed with them upon   

any  point whatever4    ,give any       
orthodox church the power1 and to-day   
they would punish heresy  with whip1 and
 chain1 and fire4 ,as long as a church  
deems a certain  belief essential to    
salvation1 just so long it will kill and
 burn if it  has the power4 ,why should 
the ,church pity a man whom her ,god    
hates8 ,why  should she show mercy to a 
kind and noble heretic whom her ,god    
will burn  in eternal fire8 ,why should 
a ,christian be better than his ,god8   
,it is  impossible for the imagination  
to conceive of a greater atrocity than  
has been perpetrated by the ,church4    
,every nerve in the human body  capable 
of pain has been sought out and touched 
by the ,church4    ,let it be remembered
 that all churches have persecuted      
heretics to the  extent of their power4 
,toleration has increased only when and 
where the  power of the church has      
diminished4 ,from ,augustine until now  
the  spirit of the ,christians has      
remained the same4 ,there has been the  

same  intolerance1 the same undying     
hatred of all who think for themselves1 
and the same determination to crush out 
of the human brain all knowledge        
inconsistent with an ignorant creed4    
,every church pretends that it has a    
revelation from ,god1 and that this     
revelation must be given to the people  
through the ,church2 that the  ,church  
acts through its priests1 and that      
ordinary mortals must be  content with a
 revelation--not from ,god--but from the
 ,church4 ,had  the people submitted to 
this preposterous claim1 of course there
 could  have been but one church1 and   
that church never could have advanced4  
,it might have retrograded1 because it  
is not necessary to think or            
investigate in order to forget4 ,without
 heresy there could have been no        
progress4    ,the highest type of the   
orthodox ,christian does not forget2    
neither  does he learn4 ,he neither     
advances nor recedes4 ,he is a living   
fossil  embedded in that rock called    

faith4 ,he makes no effort to better his
  condition1 because all his strength is
 exhausted in keeping other people  from
 improving theirs4 ,the supreme desire  
of his heart is to force all  others to 
adopt his creed1 and in order to        
accomplish this object he  denounces    
free-thinking as a crime1 and this crime
 he calls heresy4 ,when  he had power1  
heresy was the most terrible and        
formidable of words4 ,it  meant         
confiscation1 exile1 imprisonment1      
torture1 and death4    ,in those days   
the cross and rack were inseparable     
companions4 ,across  the open bible lay 
the sword and fagot4 ,not content with  
burning such  heretics as were alive1   
they even tried the dead1 in order that 
the  ,church might rob their wives and  
children4 ,the property of all heretics 
was confiscated1 and on this account    
they charged the dead with being        
heretical--indicted1 as it were1 their  
dust--to the end that the  ,church might
 clutch the bread of orphans4 ,learned  

divines discussed  the propriety of     
tearing out the tongues of heretics     
before they were  burned1 and the       
general opinion was1 that this ought to 
be done so that  the heretics should not
 be able1 by uttering blasphemies1 to   
shock  the ,christians who were burning 
them4 ,with a mixture of ferocity and   
,christianity1 the priests insisted that
 heretics ought to be burned at  a slow 
fire1 giving as a reason that more time 
was given them for  repentance4    ,no  
wonder that ,jesus ,christ said1 ,i came
 not to bring peace1 but a  sword4      
,every priest regarded himself as the   
agent of ,god4 ,he answered all         
questions by authority1 and to treat him
 with disrespect was an insult  offered 
to ,god4 ,no one was asked to think1 but
 all were commanded to  obey4    ,in    
#abjh the ,inquisition was established4 
,seven years afterward1 the  fourth     
council of the ,lateran enjoined all    
kings and rulers to swear  an oath that 
they would exterminate heretics from    

their dominions4 ,the  sword of the     
,church was unsheathed1 and the world   
was at the mercy of  ignorant and       
infuriated priests1 whose eyes feasted  
upon the agonies  they inflicted4       
,acting1 as they believed1 or pretended 
to believe1 under  the command of ,god2 
stimulated by the hope of infinite      
reward in another  world--hating        
heretics with every drop of their       
bestial blood2 savage  beyond           
description2 merciless beyond           
conception1--these infamous  priests1 in
 a kind of frenzied joy1 leaped upon the
 helpless victims of  their rage4 ,they 
crushed their bones in iron boots2 tore 
their quivering  flesh with iron hooks  
and pincers2 cut off their lips and     
eyelids2  pulled out their nails1 and   
into the bleeding quick thrust needles2 
tore  out their tongues2 extinguished   
their eyes2 stretched them upon racks2  
flayed them alive2 crucified them with  
their heads downward2 exposed  them to  
wild beasts2 burned them at the stake2  

mocked their cries and  groans2 ravished
 their wives2 robbed their children1 and
 then prayed ,god  to finish the holy   
work in hell4    ,millions upon millions
 were sacrificed upon the altars of     
bigotry4 ,the  ,catholic burned the     
,lutheran1 the ,lutheran burned the     
,catholic1 the  ,episcopalian tortured  
the ,presbyterian1 the ,presbyterian    
tortured the  ,episcopalian4 ,every     
denomination killed all it could of     
every other2 and  each ,christian felt  
in duty bound to exterminate every other
 ,christian  who denied the smallest    
fraction of his creed4    ,in the reign 
of ,henry ,,viii--that pious and moral  
founder of the  apostolic ,episcopal    
,church1--there was passed by the       
parliament of  ,england an act entitled 
,an act for abolishing of diversity of  
opinion4  ,and in this act was set forth
 what a good ,christian was obliged to  
believe3    ,first1 ,that in the        
sacrament was the real body and blood of
 ,jesus  ,christ4    ,second1 ,that the 

body and blood of ,jesus ,christ was in 
the bread1 and  the blood and body of   
,jesus ,christ was in the wine4         
,third1 ,that priests should not marry4 
,fourth1 ,that vows of chastity were of 
perpetual obligation4    ,fifth1 ,that  
private masses ought to be continued2   
and1    ,sixth1 ,that auricular         
confession to a priest must be          
maintained4    ,this creed was made by  
law1 in order that all men might know   
just what  to believe by simply reading 
the statute4 ,the ,church hated to see  
the  people wearing out their brains in 
thinking upon these subjects4 ,it was   
thought far better that a creed should  
be made by parliament1 so that  whatever
 might be lacking in evidence might be  
made up in force4 ,the  punishment for  
denying the first article was death by  
fire4 ,for  the denial of any other     
article1 imprisonment1 and for the      
second  offense--death4    ,your        
attention is called to these six        
articles1 established during the  reign 

of ,henry ,,viii1 and by the ,church of 
,england1 simply because not  one of    
these articles is believed by that      
church to-day4 ,if the law then  made by
 the church could be enforced now1 every
 ,episcopalian would be  burned at the  
stake4    ,similar laws were passed in  
most ,christian countries1 as all       
orthodox  churches firmly believed that 
mankind could be legislated into heaven4
  ,according to the creed of every      
church1 slavery leads to heaven1 liberty
  leads to hell4 ,it was claimed that   
,god had founded the ,church1 and that  
to deny the authority of the ,church was
 to be a traitor to ,god1 and           
consequently an ally of the devil4 ,to  
torture and destroy one of the  soldiers
 of ,satan was a duty no good ,christian
 cared to neglect4 ,nothing  can be     
sweeter than to earn the gratitude of   
,god by killing your own  enemies4 ,such
 a mingling of profit and revenge1 of   
heaven for yourself  and damnation for  
those you dislike1 is a temptation that 

your ordinary  ,christian never resists4
    ,according to the theologians1 ,god1
 the ,father of us all1 wrote a letter  
to his children4 ,the children have     
always differed somewhat as to the      
meaning of this letter4 ,in consequence 
of these honest differences1  these     
brothers began to cut out each other's  
hearts4 ,in every land1  where this     
letter from ,god has been read1 the     
children to whom and for  whom it was   
written have been filled with hatred and
 malice4 ,they have  imprisoned and     
murdered each other1 and the wives and  
children of each  other4 ,in the name of
 ,god every possible crime has been     
committed1 every  conceivable outrage   
has been perpetrated4 ,brave men1 tender
 and loving  women1 beautiful girls1 and
 prattling babes have been exterminated 
in  the name of ,jesus ,christ4 ,for    
more than fifty generations the ,church 
has carried the black flag4 ,her        
vengeance has been measured only by  her
 power4 ,during all these years of      

infamy no heretic has ever been         
forgiven4 ,with the heart of a fiend she
 has hated2 with the clutch of  avarice 
she has grasped2 with the jaws of a     
dragon she has devoured2  pitiless as   
famine1 merciless as fire1 with the     
conscience of a serpent3  such is the   
history of the ,church of ,god4    ,i do
 not say1 and ,i do not believe1 that   
,christians are as bad as their  creeds4
 ,in spite of ,church and dogma1 there  
have been millions and  millions of men 
and women true to the loftiest and most 
generous  promptings of the human heart4
 ,they have been true to their          
convictions1  and1 with a self-denial   
and fortitude excelled by none1 have    
labored  and suffered for the salvation 
of men4 ,imbued with the spirit of      
self-sacrifice1 believing that by       
personal effort they could rescue at    
least a few souls from the infinite     
shadow of hell1 they have  cheerfully   
endured every hardship and scorned every
 danger4 ,and yet1  notwithstanding all 

this1 they believed that honest error   
was a crime4  ,they knew that the bible 
so declared1 and they believed that all 
unbelievers would be eternally lost4    
,they believed that religion was  of    
,god1 and all heresy of the devil4 ,they
 killed heretics in defense  of their   
own souls and the souls of their        
children4 ,they killed them  because1   
according to their idea1 they were the  
enemies of ,god1 and  because the bible 
teaches that the blood of the unbeliever
 is a most  acceptable sacrifice to     
heaven4    ,nature never prompted a     
loving mother to throw her child into   
the  ,ganges4 ,nature never prompted men
 to exterminate each other for a        
difference of opinion concerning the    
baptism of infants4 ,these crimes  have 
been produced by religions filled with  
all that is illogical1  cruel and       
hideous4 ,these religions were produced 
for the most part by  ignorance1 tyranny
 and hypocrisy4 ,under the impression   
that the infinite  ruler and creator of 

the universe had commanded the          
destruction of  heretics and infidels1  
the ,church perpetrated all these       
crimes4    ,men and women have been     
burned for thinking there is but one    
,god2 that  there was none2 that the    
,holy ,ghost is younger than ,god2 that 
,god was  somewhat older than his son2  
for insisting that good works will save 
a  man without faith2 that faith will do
 without good works2 for declaring  that
 a sweet babe will not be burned        
eternally1 because its parents  failed  
to have its head wet by a priest2 for   
speaking of ,god as  though he had a    
nose2 for denying that ,christ was his  
own father2 for  contending that three  
persons1 rightly added together1 make   
more than  one2 for believing in        
purgatory2 for denying the reality of   
hell2 for  pretending that priests can  
forgive sins2 for preaching that ,god is
 an  essence2 for denying that witches  
rode through the air on sticks2  for    
doubting the total depravity of the     

human heart2 for laughing  at           
irresistible grace1 predestination and  
particular redemption2 for  denying that
 good bread could be made of the body of
 a dead man2 for  pretending that the   
pope was not managing this world for    
,god1 and in the  place of ,god2 for    
disputing the efficacy of a vicarious   
atonement2 for  thinking the ,virgin    
,mary was born like other people2 for   
thinking that a  man's rib was hardly   
sufficient to make a good-sized woman2  
for denying  that ,god used his finger  
for a pen2 for asserting that prayers   
are not  answered1 that diseases are not
 sent to punish unbelief2 for denying   
the authority of the bible2 for having a
 bible in their possession2 for         
attending mass1 and for refusing to     
attend2 for wearing a surplice2 for     
carrying a cross1 and for refusing2 for 
being a ,catholic1 and for being  a     
,protestant2 for being an ,episcopalian1
 a ,presbyterian1 a ,baptist1 and  for  
being a ,quaker4 ,in short1 every virtue

 has been a crime1 and every  crime a   
virtue4 ,the ,church has burned honesty 
and rewarded hypocrisy4  ,and all this1 
because it was commanded by a book--a   
book that men had  been taught          
implicitly to believe1 long before they 
knew one word that  was in it4 ,they had
 been taught that to doubt the truth of 
this  book--to examine it1 even--was a  
crime of such enormity that it could    
not be forgiven1 either in this world or
 in the next4    ,the bible was the real
 persecutor4 ,the bible burned heretics1
 built  dungeons1 founded the           
,inquisition1 and trampled upon all the 
liberties  of men4    ,how long1 ,o how 
long will mankind worship a book8 ,how  
long will they  grovel in the dust      
before the ignorant legends of the      
barbaric past8  ,how long1 ,o how long  
will they pursue phantoms in a darkness 
deeper than  death8    ,unfortunately   
for the world1 about the beginning of   
the sixteenth  century1 a man by the    
name of ,gerard ,chauvin was married to 

,jeanne  ,lefranc1 and still more       
unfortunately for the world1 the fruit  
of this  marriage was a son1 called     
,john ,chauvin1 who afterwards became   
famous as  ,john ,calvin1 the founder of
 the ,presbyterian ,church4    ,this man
 forged five fetters for the brain4     
,these fetters he called  points4 ,that 
is to say1 predestination1 particular   
redemption1 total  depravity1           
irresistible grace1 and the perseverance
 of the saints4 ,about  the neck of each
 follower he put a collar bristling with
 these five iron  points4 ,the presence 
of all these points on the collar is    
still the test  of orthodoxy in the     
church he founded4 ,this man1 when in   
the flush of  youth1 was elected to the 
office of preacher in ,geneva4 ,he at   
once1  in union with ,farel1 drew up a  
condensed statement of the ,presbyterian
  doctrine1 and all the citizens of     
,geneva1 on pain of banishment1 were    
compelled to take an oath that they     
believed this statement4 ,of this       

proceeding ,calvin very innocently      
remarked that it produced great         
satisfaction4 ,a man named ,caroli had  
the audacity to dispute with  ,calvin4  
,for this outrage he was banished4      
,to show you what great subjects        
occupied the attention of ,calvin1 it is
  only necessary to state that he       
furiously discussed the question as to  
whether the sacramental bread should be 
leavened or unleavened4 ,he drew  up    
laws regulating the cut of the citizens'
 clothes1 and prescribing  their diet1  
and all those whose garments were not in
 the ,calvin fashion  were refused the  
sacrament ,at last1 the people becoming 
tired of this  petty theological        
tyranny1 banished ,calvin4 ,in a few    
years1 however1  he was recalled and    
received with great enthusiasm4 ,after  
this he was  supreme1 and the will of   
,calvin became the law of ,geneva4      
,under his  benign administration1      
,james ,gruet was beheaded because he   
had written  some profane verses4 ,the  

slightest word against ,calvin or his   
absurd  doctrines was punished as a     
crime4 ,in #aeec a man was tried at     
,vienne by  the ,catholic ,church for   
heresy4 ,he was convicted and sentenced 
to death  by burning4 ,it was apparently
 his good fortune to escape4 ,pursued by
 the  sleuth hounds of intolerance he   
fled to ,geneva for protection4 ,a dove 
flying from hawks1 sought safety in the 
nest of a vulture4 ,this fugitive  from 
the cruelty of ,rome asked shelter from 
,john ,calvin1 who had written  a book  
in favor of religious toleration4       
,servetus had forgotten that  this book 
was written by ,calvin when in the      
minority2 that it was  written in       
weakness to be forgotten in power2 that 
it was produced by  fear instead of     
principle4 ,he did not know that ,calvin
 had caused his  arrest at ,vienne1 in  
,france1 and had sent a copy of his     
work1 which was  claimed to be          
blasphemous1 to the archbishop1 ,he did 
not then know  that the ,protestant     

,calvin was acting as one of the        
detectives of the  ,catholic ,church1   
and had been instrumental in procuring  
his conviction  for heresy4 ,ignorant of
 all this unspeakable infamy1 he put    
himself  in the power of this very      
,calvin4 ,the maker of the ,presbyterian
 creed  caused the fugitive ,serve-tus  
to be arrested for blasphemy4 ,he was   
tried4 ,calvin was his accuser4 ,he was 
convicted and condemned to death  by    
fire4 ,on the morning of the fatal day1 
,calvin saw him1 and ,servetus1  the    
victim1 asked forgiveness of ,calvin1   
the murderer4 ,servetus was  bound to   
the stake1 and the fagots were lighted4 
,the wind carried the  flames somewhat  
away from his body1 so that he slowly   
roasted for hours4  ,vainly he implored 
a speedy death4 ,at last the flames     
climbed round his  form2 through smoke  
and fire his murderers saw a white      
heroic face4  ,and there they watched   
until a man became a charred and        
shriveled mass4  ,liberty was banished  

from ,geneva1 and nothing but           
,presbyterianism was  left4 ,honor1     
justice1 mercy1 reason and charity were 
all exiled2 but  the five points of     
predestination1 particular redemption1  
irresistible  grace1 total depravity1   
and the certain perseverance of the     
saints  remained instead4    ,calvin    
founded a little theocracy1 modeled     
after the ,old ,testament1 and          
succeeded in erect-ing the most         
detestable government that ever existed1
  except the one from which it was      
copied4    ,against all this            
intolerance1 one man1 a minister1 raised
 his voice4 ,the  name of this man      
should never be forgotten4 ,it was      
,castellio4 ,this brave  man had the    
goodness and the courage to declare the 
innocence of honest  error4 ,he was the 
first of the so-called reformers to take
 this noble  ground4 ,i wish ,i had the 
genius to pay a fitting tribute to his  
memory4  ,perhaps it would be impossible
 to pay him a grander compliment than to

  say1 ,castellio was in all things the 
opposite of ,calvin4 ,to plead for  the 
right of individual judgment was        
considered a crime1 and ,castellio  was 
driven from ,geneva by ,john ,calvin4   
,by him he was denounced as a  child of 
the devil1 as a dog of ,satan1 as a     
beast from hell1 and as  one who1 by    
this horrid blasphemy of the innocence  
of honest error1  crucified ,christ     
afresh1 and by him he was pursued until 
rescued by the  hand of death4    ,upon 
the name of ,castellio1 ,calvin heaped  
every epithet1 until his  malice was    
nearly satisfied and his imagination    
entirely exhausted4 ,it  is impossible  
to conceive how human nature can become 
so frightfully  perverted as to pursue a
 fellow man with the malignity of a     
fiend1  simply because he is good1 just1
 and generous ,calvin was of a pallid1  
bloodless complexion1 thin1 sickly1     
irritable1 gloomy1 impatient1           
egotistic1 tyrannical1 heartless1 and   
infamous4 ,he was a strange  compound of

 revengeful morality1 malicious         
forgiveness1 ferocious  charity1        
egotistic humility1 and a kind of       
hellish justice4 ,in other  words1 he   
was as near like the ,god of the ,old   
,testament as his health  permitted4    
,the best thing1 however1 about the     
,presbyterians of ,geneva was1 that     
they denied the power of the ,pope1 and 
the best thing about the ,pope  was1    
that he was not a ,presbyterian4    ,the
 doctrines of ,calvin spread rapidly1   
and were eagerly accepted by  multitudes
 on the continent2 but ,scotland1 in a  
few years1 became the  real fortress of 
,presbyterianism4 ,the ,scotch succeeded
 in establishing  the same kind of      
theocracy that flourished in ,geneva4   
,the clergy took  possession and control
 of everybody and everything4 ,it is    
impossible to  exaggerate the mental    
degradation1 the abject superstition of 
the people  of ,scotland during the     
reign of ,presbyterianism4 ,heretics    
were hunted  and devoured as though they

 had been wild beasts4 ,the gloomy      
insanity of  ,presbyterianism took      
possession of a great majority of the   
people4 ,they  regarded their ministers 
as the ,jews did ,moses and ,aaron4     
,they believed  that they were the      
especial agents of ,god1 and that       
whatsoever they  bound in ,scotland     
would be bound in heaven4 ,there was not
 one particle  of intellectual freedom4 
,no man was allowed to differ with the  
,church1  or to even contradict a       
priest4 ,had ,presbyterianism maintained
 its  ascendency1 ,scotland would have  
been peopled by savages to-day4    ,the 
revengeful spirit of ,calvin took       
possession of the ,puritans1 and  caused
 them to redden the soil of the ,new    
,world with the brave blood of  honest  
men4 ,clinging to the five points of    
,calvin1 they too established           
governments in accordance with the      
teachings of the ,old ,testament4 ,they 
too attached the penalty of death to the
 expression of honest thought4  ,they   

too believed their church supreme1 and  
exerted all their power to  curse this  
continent with a spiritual despotism as 
infamous as it was  absurd4 ,they       
believed with ,luther that universal    
toleration is universal  error1 and     
universal error is universal hell4      
,toleration was denounced  as a crime4  
,fortunately for us1 civilization has   
had a softening effect even upon  the   
,presbyterian ,church4 ,to the ennobling
 influence of the arts and  sciences the
 savage spirit of ,calvinism has1 in    
some slight degree1  succumbed4 ,true1  
the old creed remains substantially as  
it was written1  but by a kind of tacit 
understanding it has come to be regarded
 as a  relic of the past4 ,the cry of   
heresy has been growing fainter and     
fainter1 and1 as a consequence1 the     
ministers of that denomination  have    
ventured1 now and then1 to express      
doubts as to the damnation of  infants1 
and the doctrine of total depravity4    
,the fact is1 the old ideas  became a   

little monotonous to the people4 ,the   
fall of man1 the scheme of  redemption  
and irresistible grace1 began to have a 
familiar sound4 ,the  preachers told the
 old stories while the congregations    
slept4 ,some of  the ministers became   
tired of these stories themselves4 ,the 
five points  grew dull1 and they felt   
that nothing short of irresistible grace
 could  bear this endless repetition4   
,the outside world was full of progress1
  and in every direction men advanced1  
while this church1 anchored to a  creed1
 idly rotted at the shore4 ,other       
denominations1 imbued some little  with 
the spirit of investigation1 were       
springing up on every side1 while  the  
old ,presbyterian ark rested on the     
,ararat of the past1 filled with  the   
theological monsters of another age4    
,lured by the splendors of the outer    
world1 tempted by the achievements  of  
science1 longing to feel the throb and  
beat of the mighty march of  the human  
race1 a few of the ministers of this    

conservative denomination  were         
compelled1 by irresistible sense1 to say
 a few words in harmony  with the       
splendid ideas of to-day4    ,these     
utterances have upon several occasions  
so nearly wakened some of  the members  
that1 rubbing their eyes1 they have     
feebly inquired whether  these grand    
ideas were not somewhat heretical4      
,these ministers found  that just in the
 proportion that their orthodoxy        
decreased1 their  congregations         
increased4 ,those who dealt in the pure 
unadulterated  article found themselves 
demonstrating the five points to a less 
number  of hearers than they had points4
 ,stung to madness by this bitter truth1
  this galling contrast1 this harassing 
fact1 the really orthodox have  raised  
the cry of heresy1 and expect with this 
cry to seal the lips  of honest men4    
,one of the ,presbyterian ministers1 and
 one who has been  enjoying the luxury  
of a little honest thought1 and the real
 rapture of  expressing it1 has already 

been indicted1 and is about to be tried 
by  the ,presbytery of ,illinois4 ,he is
 charged--    ,first4 ,with having      
neglected to preach that most comforting
 and  consoling truth1 the eternal      
damnation of the soul4    ,surely1 that 
man must be a monster who could wish to 
blot this blessed  doctrine out and rob 
earth's wretched children of this       
blissful hope6    ,who can estimate the 
misery that has been caused by this most
 infamous  doctrine of eternal          
punishment8 ,think of the lives it has  
blighted--of  the tears it has          
caused--of the agony it has produced4   
,think of the  millions who have been   
driven to insanity by this most terrible
 of  dogmas4 ,this doctrine renders ,god
 the basest and most cruel being in  the
 universe4 ,compared with him1 the most 
frightful deities of the most  barbarous
 and degraded tribes are miracles of    
goodness and mercy4 ,there  is nothing  
more degrading than to worship such a   
god4 ,lower than this  the soul can     

never sink4 ,if the doctrine of eternal 
damnation is true1  let me share the    
fate of the unconverted2 let me have my 
portion in  hell1 rather than in heaven 
with a god infamous enough to inflict   
eternal misery upon any of the sons of  
men4    ,second4 ,with having spoken a  
few kind words of ,robert ,collyer and  
,john  ,stuart ,mill4    ,i have the    
honor of a slight acquaintance with     
,robert ,collyer4 ,i have  read with    
pleasure some of his exquisite          
productions4 ,he has a brain  full of   
the dawn1 the head of a philosopher1 the
 imagination of a poet  and the sincere 
heart of a child4    ,is a minister to  
be silenced because he speaks fairly of 
a noble and  candid adversary8 ,is it a 
crime to compliment a lover of justice1 
an  advocate of liberty2 one who devotes
 his life to the elevation of man1  the 
discovery of truth1 and the promulgation
 of what he believes to be  right8      
,can that tongue be palsied by a        
presbytery that praises a self-denying  

and heroic life8 ,is it a sin to speak a
 charitable word over the grave  of     
,john ,stuart ,mill8 ,is it heretical to
 pay a just and graceful tribute  to    
departed worth8 ,must the true          
,presbyterian violate the sanctity of   
the tomb1 dig open the grave and ask his
 ,god to curse the silent dust8  ,is    
,presbyterianism so narrow that it      
conceives of no excellence1 of no       
purity of intention1 of no spiritual and
 moral grandeur outside of its  barbaric
 creed8 ,does it still retain within its
 stony heart all the  malice of its     
founder8 ,is it still warming its       
fleshless hands at the  flames that     
consumed ,servetus8 ,does it still glory
 in the damnation of  infants1 and does 
it still persist in emptying the cradle 
in order that  perdition may be filled8 
,is it still starving the soul and      
famishing  the heart8 ,is it still      
trembling and shivering1 crouching and  
crawling  before its ignorant           
,confession of ,faith8    ,had such men 

as ,robert ,collyer and ,john ,stuart   
,mill been present at the  burning of   
,servetus1 they would have extinguished 
the flames with their  tears4 ,had the  
presbytery of ,chicago been there1 they 
would have quietly  turned their backs1 
solemnly divided their coat tails1 and  
warmed  themselves4    ,third1 ,with    
having spoken disparagingly of the      
doctrine of  predestination4    ,if     
there is any dogma that ought to be     
protected by law1 predestination  is    
that doctrine4 ,surely it is a cheerful1
 joyous thing1 to one who is  laboring1 
struggling1 and suffering in this weary 
world1 to think that  before he existed2
 before the earth was2 before a star had
 glittered in  the heavens2 before a ray
 of light had left the quiver of the    
sun1 his  destiny had been irrevocably  
fixed1 and that for an eternity before  
his  birth he had been doomed to bear   
eternal pain4    ,fourth4 ,with failing 
to preach the efficacy of a vicarious   
sacrifice4    ,suppose a man had been   

convicted of murder1 and was about to be
  hanged--the governor acting as the    
executioner2 and suppose that just as   
the doomed man was about to suffer death
 some one in the crowd should  step     
forward and say1 ,i am willing to die in
 the place of that  murderer4 ,he has a 
family1 and ,i have none4 ,and suppose  
further1 that  the governor should      
reply1 ,come forward1 young man1 your   
offer is  accepted4 ,a murder has been  
committed and somebody must be hung1 and
  your death will satisfy the law just  
as well as the death of the  murderer4  
,what would you then think of the       
doctrine of vicarious  sacrifice8       
,this doctrine is the consummation of   
two outrages--forgiving one crime  and  
committing another4    ,fifth1 ,with    
having inculcated a phase of the        
doctrine commonly known as  evolution1  
or development4    ,the ,church believes
 and teaches the exact opposite of this 
doctrine4  ,according to the philosophy 
of theology1 man has continued to       

degenerate  for six thousand years4 ,to 
teach that there is that in nature which
  impels to higher forms and grander    
ends1 is heresy1 of course4 ,the  ,deity
 will damn ,spencer and his ,evolution1 
,darwin and his ,origin  of ,species1   
,bastian and his ,spontaneous           
,generation1 ,huxley and his            
,protoplasm ,tyndall and his ,prayer    
,gauge and will save those1 and  those  
only1 who declare that the universe has 
been cursed1 from the  smallest atom to 
the grandest star2 that everything tends
 to evil and to  that only1 and that the
 only perfect thing in nature is the    
,presbyterian  ,confession of ,faith4   
,sixth1 ,with having intimated that the 
reception of ,socrates and ,penelope  at
 heaven's gate was1 to say the least1 a 
trifle more cordial than that  of       
,catharine ,,ii4    ,penelope1 waiting  
patiently and trustfully for her lord's 
return1  delaying her suitors1 while    
sadly weaving and unweaving the shroud  
of  ,laertes1 is the most perfect type  

of wife and woman produced by the       
civilization of ,greece4    ,socrates1  
whose life was above reproach and whose 
death was beyond all  praise1 stands    
to-day1 in the estimation of every      
thoughtful man1 at  least the peer of   
,christ4    ,catharine ,,ii assassinated
 her husband4 ,stepping upon his corpse1
 she  mounted the throne4 ,she was the  
murderess of ,prince ,iwan1 grand nephew
  of ,peter the ,great1 who was         
imprisoned for eighteen years1 and who  
during all that time saw the sky but    
once4 ,taken all in all1 ,catharine  was
 probably one of the most intellectual  
beasts that ever wore a crown4          
,catharine1 however1 was the head of the
 ,greek ,church1 ,socrates was  a       
heretic and ,penelope lived and died    
without having once heard of  particular
 redemption or of irresistible grace4   
,seventh1 ,with repudiating the idea of 
a call to the ministry1 and  pretending 
that men were called to preach as they  
were to the other  avocations of life4  

,if this doctrine is true1 ,god1 to say 
the least of it1 is an exceedingly  poor
 judge of human nature4 ,it is more than
 a century since a man of  true genius  
has been found in an orthodox pulpit    
,every minister is  heretical just to   
the extent that his intellect is above1 
the average4  ,the ,lord seems to be    
satisfied with mediocrity2 but the      
people are not4    ,an old deacon1      
wishing to get rid of an unpopular      
preacher1 advised him  to give up the   
ministry and turn his attention to      
something else4 ,the  preacher replied  
that he could not conscientiously desert
 the pulpit1 as  he had had a call to   
the ministry4 ,to which the deacon      
replied1 ,that  may be so1 but it's very
 unfortunate for you1 that when ,god    
called you  to preach1 he forgot to call
 anybody to hear you4    ,there is      
nothing more stupidly egotistic than the
 claim of the clergy  that they are1 in 
some divine sense1 set apart to the     
service of the  ,lord2 that they have   

been chosen1 and sanctified2 that there 
is an  infinite difference between them 
and persons employed in secular         
affairs4 ,they teach us that all other  
professions must take care of           
themselves2 that ,god allows anybody to 
be a doctor1 a lawyer1 statesman1       
soldier1 or artist2 that the ,motts and 
,coopers--the ,mansfields and           
,marshalls--the ,wilberforces and       
,sumners--the ,angelos and ,raphaels1   
were never honored by a call4 ,they     
chose their professions and won  their  
laurels without the assistance of the   
,lord4 ,all these men were  left free to
 follow their own inclinations1 while   
,god was busily  engaged selecting and  
calling priests1 rectors1 elders1       
ministers and  exhorters4    ,eighth4   
,with having doubted that ,god was the  
author of the #ajith ,psalm4    ,the    
portion of that psalm which carries with
 it the clearest and most  satisfactory 
evidences of inspiration1 and which has 
afforded almost  unspeakable consolation

 to the ,presbyterian church1 is as     
follows3    ,set thou a wicked man over 
him2 and let ,satan stand at his right  
hand4    ,when he shall be judged1 let  
him be condemned2 and let his prayer    
become  sin4    ,let his days be few2   
and let another take his office4    ,let
 his children be fatherless1 and his    
wife a widow4    ,let his children be   
continually vagabonds1 and beg2 let them
 seek their  bread also out of their    
desolate places4    ,let the extortioner
 catch all that he hath2 and let the    
strangers spoil  his labor4    ,let     
there be none to extend mercy unto him2 
neither let there be any to  favor his  
fatherless children4    ,let his        
posterity be cut off3 and in the        
generation following let their  name be 
blotted out4    9999999999    ,but do   
thou for me1 ,o ,god the ,lord1 for ,thy
 name's sake2 because ,thy  mercy is    
good1 deliver ,thou me4 99 99 ,i will   
greatly praise the ,lord with  my mouth4
    ,think of a ,god wicked and         

malicious enough to inspire this prayer4
 ,think  of one infamous enough to      
answer it4    ,had this inspired psalm  
been found in some temple erected for   
the  worship of snakes1 or in the       
possession of some cannibal king1       
written  with blood upon the dried skins
 of babes1 there would have been a      
perfect harmony between its surroundings
 and its sentiments4    ,no wonder that 
the author of this inspired psalm coldly
 received  ,socrates and ,penelope1 and 
reserved his sweetest smiles for        
,catharine  the ,second4    ,ninth4     
,with having said that the battles in   
which the ,israelites  engaged1 with the
 approval and command of ,jehovah1      
surpassed in cruelty  those of ,julius  
,csar4    ,was it ,julius ,csar who     
said1 ,and the ,lord our ,god delivered 
him before  us2 and we smote him1 and   
his sons1 and all his people4 ,and we   
took all  his cities1 and utterly       
destroyed the men1 and the women1 and   
the little  ones1 of every city1 we left

 none to remain8    ,did ,julius ,caesar
 send the following report to the ,roman
 senate8 ,and we  took all his cities at
 that time1 there was not a city which  
we took not  from them1 three-score     
cities1 all the region of ,argob1 the   
kingdom of  ,og in ,bashan4 ,all these  
cities were fenced with high walls1     
gates1 and  bars2 beside unwalled towns 
a great many4 ,and we utterly destroyed 
them1  as we did unto4 ,sihon1 king of  
,heshbon1 utterly destroying the men1   
women1 and children of every city4      
,did ,caesar take the city of ,jericho  
and utterly destroy all that was  in the
 city1 both men and women1 young and    
old8 ,did he smite all the  country of  
the hills1 and of the south1 and of the 
vale1 and of the  springs1 and all their
 kings1 and leave none remaining that   
breathed1 as  the ,lord ,god had        
commanded8    ,search the records of the
 whole world1 find out the history of   
every  barbarous tribe1 and you cart    
find no crime that touched a lower depth

  of infamy than those the bible's ,god 
commanded and approved4 ,for such  a    
,god ,i have no words to express my     
loathing and contempt1 and all the      
words in all the languages of man would 
scarcely be sufficient4 ,away  with such
 a ,god6 ,give me ,jupiter rather1 with 
,io and ,europa1 or even  ,siva with his
 skulls and snakes4    ,tenth4 ,with    
having repudiated the doctrine of total 
depravity4    ,what a precious doctrine 
is that of the total depravity of the   
human  heart6 ,how sweet it is to       
believe that the lives of all the good  
and  great were continual sins and      
perpetual crimes2 that the love a mother
  bears her child is1 in the sight of   
,god1 a sin2 that the gratitude of  the 
natural heart is simple meanness2 that  
the tears of pity are impure2  that for 
the unconverted to live and labor for   
others is an offense to  heaven2 that   
the noblest aspirations of the soul are 
low and groveling  in the sight of ,god2
 that man should fall upon his knees and

 ask  forgiveness1 simply for loving his
 wife and child1 and that even the act  
of asking forgiveness is in fact a      
crime6    ,surely it is a kind of bliss 
to feel that every woman and child in   
the  wide world1 with the exception of  
those who believe the five points1 or   
some other equally cruel creed1 and such
 children as have been baptized1  ought 
at this very moment to be dashed down to
 the lowest glowing gulf  of hell4      
,take from the ,christian the history of
 his own church--leave that  entirely   
out of the question--and he has no      
argument left with which to             
substantiate the total depravity of man4
    ,eleventh4 ,with having doubted the 
perseverance of the saints4    ,i       
suppose the real meaning of this        
doctrine is1 that ,presbyterians are    
just as sure of going to heaven as all  
other folks are of going to hell4  ,the 
real idea being1 that it all depends    
upon the will of ,god1 and not  upon the
 character of the person to be damned or

 saved2 that ,god has the  weakness to  
send ,presbyterians to ,paradise1 and   
the justice to doom the  rest of mankind
 to eternal fire4    ,it is admitted    
that no unconverted brain can see the   
least particle of  sense in this        
doctrine2 that it is abhorrent to all   
who have not been  the recipients of a  
new heart2 that only the perfectly good 
can  justify the perfectly infamous4    
,it is contended that the saints do not 
persevere of their own free  will--that 
they are entitled to no credit for      
persevering2 but that ,god  forces them 
to persevere1 while on the other hand1  
every crime is  committed in accordance 
with the secret will of ,god1 who does  
all things  for his own glory4          
,compared with this doctrine1 there is  
no other idea1 that has ever been       
believed by man1 that can properly be   
called absurd4    ,twelfth1 ,with having
 spoken and written somewhat lightly of 
the idea of  converting the heathen with
 doctrinal sermons4    ,of all the      

failures of which we have any history or
 knowledge1 the  missionary effort is   
the most conspicuous4 ,the whole        
question has been  decided here1 in our 
own country1 and conclusively settled4  
,we have  nearly exterminated the       
,indians1 but we have converted none4   
,from the  days of ,john ,eliot to the  
execution of the last ,modoc1 not one   
,indian  has been the subject of        
irresistible grace or particular        
redemption4  ,the few red men who roam  
the western wilderness have no thought  
or care  concerning the five points of  
,calvin4 ,they are utterly oblivious to 
the great and vital truths contained in 
the ,thirty-nine ,articles1 the         
,saybrook platform1 and the resolutions 
of the ,evangelical ,alliance4 ,no      
,indian has ever scalped another on     
account of his religious belief4 ,this  
of itself shows conclusively that the   
missionaries have had no effect4    ,why
 should we convert the heathen of ,china
 and kill our own8 ,why should  we send 

missionaries across the seas1 and       
soldiers over the plains8  ,why should  
we send bibles to the east and muskets  
to the west8 ,if it  is impossible to   
convert ,indians who have no religion of
 their own2 no  prejudice for or against
 the eternal procession of the ,holy    
,ghost1 how  can we expect to convert a 
heathen who has a religion2 who has     
plenty  of gods and bibles and prophets 
and ,christs1 and who has a religious   
literature far grander than our own8    
,can we hope with the story of  ,daniel 
in the lions' den to rival the          
stupendous miracles of ,india8 ,is      
there anything in our bible as lofty and
 loving as the prayer of the  ,buddhist8
 ,compare your ,confession of ,faith    
with the following3 ,never  will ,i seek
 nor receive private individual         
salvation--never enter into  final peace
 alone2 but forever and everywhere will 
,i live and strive for  the universal   
redemption of every creature throughout 
all worlds4 ,until  all are delivered1  

never will ,i leave the world of sin1   
sorrow1 and  struggle1 but will remain  
where ,i am4    ,think of sending an    
average ,presbyterian to convert a man  
who daily  offers this tender1 this     
infinitely generous1 this incomparable  
prayer4  ,think of reading the #ajith   
,psalm to a heathen who has a bible of  
his own  in which is found this passage3
 ,blessed is that man and beloved of all
  the gods1 who is afraid of no man1 and
 of whom no man is afraid4    ,why      
should you read even the ,new ,testament
 to a ,hindu1 when his own  ,chrishna   
has said1 ,if a man strike thee1 and in 
striking drop his  staff1 pick it up and
 hand it to him again8 ,why send a      
,presbyterian to  a ,sufi1 who says1    
,better one moment of silent            
contemplation and inward  love1 than    
seventy thousand years of outward       
worship8 ,whoso would  carelessly tread 
one worm that crawls on earth1 that     
heartless one is  darkly alienate from  
,god2 but he that1 living1 embraceth all

 things in  his love1 to live with him  
,god bursts all bounds above1 below4    
,why should we endeavor to thrust our   
cruel and heartless theology upon  one  
who prays this prayer3 ,o ,god1 show    
pity toward the wicked2 for on  the good
 thou hast already bestowed thy mercy by
 having created them  virtuous8         
,compare this prayer with the curses and
 cruelties of the ,old  ,testament--with
 the infamies commanded and approved by 
the being whom we  are taught to worship
 as a ,god--and with the following      
tender product  of ,presbyterianism3 ,it
 may seem absurd to human wisdom that   
,god should  harden1 blind1 and deliver 
up some men to a reprobate sense2 that  
he  should first deliver them over to   
evil1 and then condemn them for that    
evil2 but the believing spiritual man   
sees no absurdity in all this1  knowing 
that ,god would be never a whit less    
good even though he should  destroy all 
men4    ,of all the religions that have 
been produced by the egotism1 the       

malice1  the ignorance and ambition of  
man1 ,presbyterianism is the most       
hideous4    ,but what shall ,i say more1
 for the time would fail me to tell of  
,sabellianism1 of a ,modal ,trinity1 and
 the ,eternal ,procession of the  ,holy 
,ghost8    ,upon these charges1 a       
minister is to be tried1 here in        
,chicago2 in this  city of pluck and    
progress--this marvel of energy--this   
miracle of  nerve4 ,the cry of heresy1  
here1 sounds like a wail from the dark  
ages--a shriek from the inquisition1 or 
a groan from the grave of ,calvin4      
,another effort is being made to enslave
 a man4    ,it is claimed that every    
member of the church has solemnly agreed
  never to outgrow the creed2 that he   
has pledged himself to remain an        
intellectual dwarf4 ,upon this condition
 the church agrees to save his  soul1   
and he hands over his brains to bind the
 bargain4 ,should a fact be  found      
inconsistent with the creed1 he binds   
himself to deny the fact  and curse the 

finder4 ,with scraps of dogmas and      
crumbs of doctrine1 he  agrees that his 
soul shall be satisfied forever4 ,what  
an intellectual  feast the ,confession  
of ,faith must be6 ,it reminds one of   
the dinner  described by ,sydney ,smith1
 where everything was cold except the   
water1  and everything sour except the  
vinegar4    ,every member of a church   
promises to remain orthodox1 that is to 
say--stationary4 ,growth is heresy4     
,orthodox ideas are the feathers that   
have been moulted by the eagle of       
progress4 ,they are the dead leaves     
under the majestic palm1 while heresy is
 the bud and blossom at the top4        
,imagine a vine that grows at one end   
and decays at the other4 ,the  end that 
grows is heresy1 the end that rots is   
orthodox4 ,the dead are  orthodox1 and  
your cemetery is the most perfect type  
of a well regulated  church4 ,no        
thought1 no progress1 no heresy there4  
,slowly and silently1  side by side1 the
 satisfied members peacefully decay4    

,there is only this  difference--the    
dead do not persecute4    ,and what does
 a trial for heresy mean8 ,it means that
 the ,church says to  a heretic1        
,believe as ,i do1 or ,i will withdraw  
my support4 ,i will not  employ you4 ,i 
will pursue you until your garments are 
rags2 until your  children cry for      
bread2 until your cheeks are furrowed   
with tears4 ,i  will hunt you to the    
very portals of the tomb1 and then my   
,god will do  the rest4 ,i will not     
imprison you4 ,i will not burn you4 ,the
 law prevents  my doing that4 ,i helped 
make the law1 not however to protect    
you1 nor to  deprive me of the right to 
exterminate you2 but in order to keep   
other  churches from exterminating me4  
,a trial for heresy means that the      
spirit of persecution still lingers in  
the ,church2 that it still denies the   
right of private judgment2 that it      
still thinks more of creed than truth1  
and that it is still determined  to     
prevent the intellectual growth of man4 

,it means that churches are  shambles in
 which are bought and sold the souls of 
men4 ,it means that  the ,church is     
still guilty of the barbarity of        
opposing thought with  force4 ,it means 
that if it had the power1 the mental    
horizon would be  bounded by a creed2   
that it would bring again the whips and 
chains and  dungeon keys1 the rack and  
fagot of the past ,but let me tell the  
,church  it lacks the power4 ,there have
 been1 and still are1 too many men who  
own  themselves--too much thought1 too  
much knowledge for the ,church to grasp 
again the sword of power4 ,the ,church  
must abdicate4 ,for the ,eglon of       
superstition ,science has a message from
 ,truth4    ,the heretics have not      
thought and suffered and died in vain4  
,every  heretic has been1 and is1 a ray 
of light ,not in vain did ,voltaire1    
that  great man1 point from the foot of 
the ,alps the finger of scorn at every  
hypocrite in ,europe4 ,not in vain were 
the splendid utterances of the          

infidels1 while beyond all price are the
 discoveries of science4    ,the ,church
 has impeded1 but it has not and it     
cannot stop the onward  march of the    
human race4 ,heresy cannot be burned1   
nor imprisoned1 nor  starved4 ,it laughs
 at presbyteries and synods1 at         
ecumenical councils  and the impotent   
thunders of ,sinai4 ,heresy is the      
eternal dawn1 the  morning star1 the    
glittering herald of the day4 ,heresy is
 the last and  best thought4 ,it is the 
perpetual ,new ,world1 the unknown sea1 
toward  which the brave all sail4 ,it is
 the eternal horizon of progress4       
,heresy extends the hospitalities of the
 brain to a new thought4    ,heresy is a
 cradle2 orthodoxy1 a coffin4    ,why   
should man be afraid to think1 and why  
should he fear to express his  thoughts8
    ,is it possible that an infinite    
,deity is unwilling that a man should   
investigate the phenomena by which he is
 surrounded8 ,is it possible that  a god
 delights in threatening and terrifying 

men8 ,what glory1 what honor  and renown
 a god must win on such a field6 ,the   
ocean raving at a drop2 a  star envious 
of a candle2 the sun jealous of a       
fire-fly4    ,go on1 presbyteries and   
synods1 go on6 ,thrust the heretics out 
of the  ,church--that is to say1 throw  
away your brains1--put out your eyes4   
,the infidels will thank you4 ,they are 
willing to adopt your exiles4  ,every   
deserter from your camp is a recruit for
 the army of progress4  ,cling to the   
ignorant dogmas of the past2 read the   
#ajith ,psalm2 gloat  over the slaughter
 of mothers and babes2 thank ,god for   
total depravity2  shower your honors    
upon hypocrites1 and silence every      
minister who is  touched with that      
heresy called genius4    ,be true to    
your history4 ,turn out the astronomers1
 the geologists1 the  naturalists1 the  
chemists1 and all the honest scientists4
 ,with a whip of  scorpions1 drive them 
all out4 ,we want them all4 ,keep the   
ignorant1  the superstitious1 the       

bigoted1 and the writers of charges and 
specifications4    ,keep them1 and keep 
them all4 ,repeat your pious platitudes 
in the drowsy  ears of the faithful1 and
 read your bible to heretics1 as kings  
read  some forgotten riot-act to stop   
and stay the waves of revolution4  ,you 
are too weak to excite anger4 ,we       
forgive your efforts as the sun         
forgives a cloud--as the air forgives   
the breath you waste4    ,how long1 ,o  
how long1 will man listen to the threats
 of ,god1 and shut  his eyes to the     
splendid possibilities of ,nature8 ,how 
long1 ,o how long  will man remain the  
cringing slave of a false and cruel     
creed8    ,by this time the whole world 
should know that the real bible has not 
yet  been written1 but is being written1
 and that it will never be finished     
until the race begins its downward      
march1 or ceases to exist4    ,the real 
bible is not the work of inspired men1  
nor prophets1 nor  apostles1 nor        
evangelists1 nor of ,christs4 ,every man

 who finds a fact1  adds1 as it were1 a 
word to this great book4 ,it is not     
attested  by prophecy1 by miracles or   
signs4 ,it makes no appeal to faith1 to 
ignorance1 to credulity or fear4 ,it has
 no punishment for unbelief1 and  no    
reward for hypocrisy4 ,it appeals to man
 in the name of demonstration4  ,it has 
nothing to conceal4 ,it has no fear of  
being read1 of being  contradicted1 of  
being investigated and understood4 ,it  
does not pretend  to be holy1 or sacred2
 it simply claims to be true4 ,it       
challenges the  scrutiny of all1 and    
implores every reader to verify every   
line for  himself4 ,it is incapable of  
being blasphemed4 ,this book appeals to 
all the surroundings of man4 ,each thing
 that exists testifies of its           
perfection4 ,the earth1 with its heart  
of fire and crowns of snow2 with  its   
forests and plains1 its rocks and seas2 
with its every wave and  cloud2 with its
 every leaf and bud and flower1 confirms
 its every word1  and the solemn stars1 

shining in the infinite abysses1 are the
 eternal  witnesses of it's truth4