,,individuality  ,by ,robert ,g4        
,ingersoll     ,,individuality  ,,his   
,,soul ,,was ,,like ,a ,,star ,,and     
,,dwelt ,,apart4  ,,on every hand are   
the enemies of individuality and mental 
freedom4 ,custom meets us at the cradle 
and leaves us only at the tomb4 ,our    
first questions are answered by         
ignorance1 and our last by superstition4
 ,we are pushed and dragged by countless
 hands along the beaten track1 and our  
entire training can be summed up in the 
word--suppression4 ,our desire to have a
 thing or to do a thing is considered as
 conclusive evidence that we ought not  
to have it1 and ought not to do it4 ,at 
every turn we run against cherubim and a
 flaming sword guarding some entrance to
 the ,eden of our desire4 ,we are       
allowed to investigate all subjects in  
which we feel no particular interest1   
and to express the opinions of the      
majority with the utmost freedom4 ,we   
are taught that liberty of speech should
 never be carried to the extent of      

contradicting the dead witnesses of a   
popular superstition4 ,society offers   
continual rewards for self-betrayal1 and
 they are nearly all earned and claimed1
 and some are paid4  ,we have all read  
accounts of ,christian gentlemen        
remarking1 when about to be hanged1 how 
much better it would have been for them 
if they had only followed a mother's    
advice4 ,but after all1 how fortunate it
 is for the world that the maternal     
advice has not always been followed4    
,how fortunate it is for us all that it 
is somewhat unnatural for a human being 
to obey4 ,universal obedience is        
universal stagnation2 disobedience is   
one of the conditions of progress4      
,select any age of the world and tell me
 what would have been the effect of     
implicit obedience4 ,suppose the ,church
 had had absolute control of the human  
mind at any time1 would not the words   
liberty and progress have been blotted  
from human speech8 ,in defiance of      
advice1 the world has advanced4         

,suppose the astronomers had controlled 
the science of astronomy2 suppose the   
doctors had controlled the science of   
medicine2 suppose kings had been left to
 fix the forms of government2 suppose   
our fathers had taken the advice of     
,paul1 who said1 be subject to the      
powers that be1 because they are        
ordained of ,god2 suppose the ,church   
could control the world to-day1 we would
 go back to chaos and old night4        
,philosophy would be branded as         
infamous2 ,science would again press its
 pale and thoughtful face against the   
prison bars1 and round the limbs of     
liberty would climb the bigot's flame4  
,it is a blessed thing that in every age
 some one has had individuality enough  
and courage enough to stand by his own  
convictions1--some one who had the      
grandeur to say his say4 ,i believe it  
was ,magellan who said1 ,the ,church    
says the earth is flat2 but ,i have seen
 its shadow on the moon1 and ,i have    
more confidence even in a shadow than in

 the ,church4 ,on the prow of his ship  
were disobedience1 defiance1 scorn1 and 
success4  ,the trouble with most people 
is they bow to what is called authority2
 they have a certain reverence for the  
old because it is old4 ,they think a man
 is better for being dead1 especially if
 he has been dead a long time4 ,they    
think the fathers of their nation were  
the greatest and best of all mankind4   
,all these things they implicitly       
believe because it is popular and       
patriotic1 and because they were told so
 when they were very small1 and remember
 distinctly of hearing mother read it   
out of a book4 ,it is hard to           
over-estimate the influence of early    
training in the direction of            
superstition4 ,you first teach children 
that a certain book is true--that it was
 written by ,god himself--that to       
question its truth is a sin1 that to    
deny it is a crime1 and that should they
 die without believing that book they   
will be forever damned without benefit  

of clergy4 ,the consequence is1 that    
long before they read that book1 they   
believe it to be true4 ,when they do    
read it their minds are wholly unfitted 
to investigate its claims4 ,they accept 
it as a matter of course4  ,in this way 
the reason is overcome1 the sweet       
instincts of humanity are blotted from  
the heart1 and while reading its        
infamous pages even justice throws aside
 her scales1 shrieking for revenge and  
charity1 with bloody hands1 applauds a  
deed of murder4 ,in this way we are     
taught that the revenge of man is the   
justice of ,god2 that mercy is not the  
same everywhere4 ,in this way the ideas 
of our race have been subverted4 ,in    
this way we have made tyrants1 bigots1  
and inquisitors4 ,in this way the brain 
of man has become a kind of palimpsest  
upon which1 and over the writings of    
nature1 superstition has scrawled her   
countless lies4 ,one great trouble is   
that most teachers are dishonest4 ,they 
teach as certainties those things       

concerning which they entertain doubts4 
,they do not say1 we think this is so1  
but we know this is so4 ,they do not    
appeal to the reason of the pupil1 but  
they command his faith4 ,they keep all  
doubts to themselves2 they do not       
explain1 they assert4 ,all this is      
infamous4 ,in this way you may make     
,christians1 but you cannot make men2   
you cannot make women4 ,you can make    
followers1 but no leaders2 disciples1   
but no ,christs4 ,you may promise power1
 honor1 and happiness to all those who  
will blindly follow1 but you cannot keep
 your promise4  ,a monarch said to a    
hermit1 ,come with me and ,i will give  
you power4  ,i have all the power that  
,i know how to use1 replied the hermit  
,come1 said the king1 ,i will give you  
wealth4  ,i have no wants that money can
 supply1 said the hermit ,i will give   
you honor1 said the monarch4  ,ah1 honor
 cannot be given1 it must be earned1 was
 the hermit's answer4  ,come1 said the  
king1 making a last appeal1 and ,i will 

give you happiness4  ,no1 said the man  
of solitude1 there is no happiness      
without liberty1 and he who follows     
cannot be free4  ,you shall have liberty
 too1 said the king4  ,then ,i will stay
 where ,i am1 said the old man4  ,and   
all the king's courtiers thought the    
hermit a fool4  ,now and then somebody  
examines1 and in spite of all keeps his 
manhood1 and has the courage to follow  
where his reason leads4 ,then the pious 
get together and repeat wise saws1 and  
exchange knowing nods and most prophetic
 winks4 ,the stupidly wise sit owl-like 
on the dead limbs of the tree of        
knowledge1 and solemnly hoot4 ,wealth   
sneers1 and fashion laughs1 and         
respectability passes by on the other   
,side1 and scorn points with all her    
skinny fingers1 and all the snakes of   
superstition writhe and hiss1 and       
slander lends her tongue1 and infamy her
 brand1 and perjury her oath1 and the   
law its power1 and bigotry tortures1 and
 the ,church kills4  ,the ,church hates 

a thinker precisely for the same reason 
a robber dislikes a sheriff1 or a thief 
despises the prosecuting witness4       
,tyranny likes courtiers1 flatterers1   
followers1 fawners1 and superstition    
wants believers1 disciples1 zealots1    
hypocrites1 and subscribers4 ,the       
,church demands worship--the very thing 
that man should give to no being1 human 
or divine4 ,to worship another is to    
degrade yourself4 ,worship is awe and   
dread and vague fear and blind hope4 ,it
 is the spirit of worship that elevates 
the one and degrades the many2 that     
builds palaces for robbers1 erects      
monuments to crime1 and forges manacles 
even for its own hands4 ,the spirit of  
worship is the spirit of tyranny4 ,the  
worshiper always regrets that he is not 
the worshiped4 ,we should all remember  
that the intellect has no knees1 and    
that whatever the attitude of the body  
may be1 the brave soul is always found  
erect ,whoever worships1 abdicates4     
,whoever believes at the command of     

power1 tramples his own individuality   
beneath his feet1 and voluntarily robs  
himself of all that renders man superior
 to the brute4  ,the despotism of faith 
is justified upon the ground that       
,christian countries are the grandest   
and most prosperous of the world4 ,at   
one time the same thing could have been 
truly said in ,india1 in ,egypt1 in     
,greece1 in ,rome1 and in every other   
country that has1 in the history of the 
world1 swept to empire4 ,this argument  
proves too much not only1 but the       
assumption upon which it is based is    
utterly false4 ,numberless circumstances
 and countless conditions have pro-duced
 the prosperity of the ,christian world4
 ,the truth is1 we have advanced in     
spite of religious zeal1 ignorance1 and 
opposition4 ,the ,church has won no     
victories for the rights of man4 ,luther
 labored to reform the                  
,church--,voltaire1 to reform men4 ,over
 every fortress of tyranny has waved1   
and still waves1 the banner of the      

,church4 ,wherever brave blood has been 
shed1 the sword of the ,church has been 
wet4 ,on every chain has been the sign  
of the cross4 ,the altar and throne have
 leaned against and supported each      
other4  ,all that is good in our        
civilization is the result of commerce1 
climate1 soil1 geographical position1   
industry1 invention1 discovery1 art1 and
 science4 ,the ,church has been the     
enemy of progress1 for the reason that  
it has endeavored to prevent man        
thinking for himself4 ,to prevent       
thought is to prevent all advancement   
except in the direction of faith4  ,who 
can imagine the infinite impudence of a 
,church assuming to think for the human 
race8 ,who can imagine the infinite     
impudence of a ,church that pretends to 
be the mouthpiece of ,god1 and in his   
name1 threatens to inflict eternal      
punishment upon those who honestly      
reject its claims and scorn its         
pretensions8 ,by what right does a man1 
or an organization of men1 or a god1    

claim to hold a brain in bondage8 ,when 
a fact can be demonstrated1 force is    
unnecessary2 when it cannot be          
demonstrated1 an appeal to force is     
infamous4 ,in the presence of the       
unknown all have an equal right to      
think4  ,over the vast plain1 called    
life1 we are all travelers1 and not one 
traveler is perfectly certain that he is
 going in the right direction4 ,true it 
is that no other plain is so well       
supplied with guide-boards4 ,at every   
turn and crossing you will find them1   
and upon each one is written the exact  
direction and distance4 ,one great      
trouble is1 however1 that these boards  
are all different1 and the result is    
that most travelers are confused in     
proportion to the number they read4     
,thousands of people are around each of 
these signs1 and each one is doing his  
best to convince the traveler that his  
particular board is the only one upon   
which the least reliance can be placed1 
and that if his road is taken the reward

 for so doing will be infinite and      
eternal1 while all the other roads are  
said to lead to hell1 and all the makers
 of the other guide-boards are declared 
to be heretics1 hypocrites and liars4   
,well1 says a traveler1 you may be right
 in what you say1 but allow me at least 
to read some of the other directions and
 examine a little into their claims4 ,i 
wish to rely a little upon my own       
judgment in a matter of so great        
importance4 ,no1 sir1 shouts the zealot1
 that is the very thing you are not     
allowed to do4 ,you must go my way      
without investigation1 or you are as    
good as damned already4 ,well1 says the 
traveler1 if that is so1 ,i believe ,i  
had better go your way4 ,and so most of 
them go along1 taking the word of those 
who know as little as themselves4 ,now  
and then comes one who1 in spite of all 
threats1 calmly examines the claims of  
all1 and as calmly rejects them all4    
,these travelers take roads of their    
own1 and are denounced by all the       

others1 as infidels and atheists4       
,around all of these guide-boards1 as   
far as the eye can reach1 the ground is 
covered with mountains of human bones1  
crumbling and bleaching in the rain and 
sun4 ,they are the bones of murdered men
 and women--fathers1 mothers and babes4 
,in my judgment1 every human being      
should take a road of his own4 ,every   
mind should be true to itself--should   
think1 investigate and conclude for     
itself4 ,this is a duty alike incumbent 
upon pauper and prince4 ,every soul     
should repel dictation and tyranny1 no  
matter from what source they come--from 
earth or heaven1 from men or gods4      
,besides1 every traveler upon this vast 
plain should give to every other        
traveler his best idea as1 to the road  
that should be taken4 ,each is entitled 
to the honest opinion of all4 ,and there
 is but one way to get an honest opinion
 upon any subject whatever4 ,the person 
giving the opinion must be free from    
fear4 ,the merchant must not fear to    

lose his custom1 the doctor his         
practice1 nor the preacher his pulpit   
,there can be no advance without        
liberty4 ,suppression of honest inquiry 
is retrogression1 and must end in       
intellectual night4 ,the tendency of    
orthodox religion to-day is toward      
mental slavery and barbarism4 ,not one  
of the orthodox ministers dare preach   
what he thinks if he knows a majority of
 his congregation think otherwise4 ,he  
knows that every member of his church   
stands guard over his brain with a      
creed1 like a club1 in his hand4 ,he    
knows that he is not expected to search 
after the truth1 but that he is employed
 to defend the creed4 ,every pulpit is a
 pillory1 in which stands a hired       
culprit1 defending the justice of his   
own imprisonment4  ,is it desirable that
 all should be exactly alike in their   
religious convictions8 ,is any such     
thing possible8 ,do we not know that    
there are no two persons alike in the   
whole world8 ,no two trees1 no two      

leaves1 no two anythings that are alike8
 ,infinite diversity is the law4        
,religion tries to force all minds into 
one mould4 ,knowing that all cannot     
believe1 the ,church endeavors to make  
all say they believe4 ,she longs for the
 unity of hypocrisy1 and detests the    
splendid diversity of individuality and 
freedom4  ,nearly all people stand in   
great horror of annihilation1 and yet to
 give up your individuality is to       
annihilate yourself4 ,mental slavery is 
mental death1 and every man who has     
given up his intellectual freedom is the
 living coffin of his dead soul4 ,in    
this sense1 every church is a cemetery  
and every creed an epitaph4  ,we should 
all remember that to be like other      
people is to be unlike ourselves1 and   
that nothing can be more detestable in  
character than servile imitation4 ,the  
great trouble with imitation is1 that we
 are apt to ape those who are in reality
 far below us4 ,after all1 the poorest  
bargain that a human being can make1 is 

to give his individuality for what is   
called respectability4  ,there is no    
saying more degrading than this3 ,it is 
better to be the tail of a lion than the
 head of a dog4 ,it is a responsibility 
to think and act for yourself4 ,most    
people hate responsibility2 therefore   
they join something and become the tail 
of some lion4 ,they say1 ,my party can  
act for me--my church can do my         
thinking4 ,it is enough for me to pay   
taxes and obey the lion to which ,i     
belong1 without troubling myself about  
the right1 the wrong1 or the why or the 
wherefore of anything whatever4 ,these  
people are respectable4 ,they hate      
reformers1 and dislike exceedingly to   
have their minds disturbed4 ,they regard
 convictions as very disagreeable things
 to have4 ,they love forms1 and enjoy1  
beyond everything else1 telling what a  
splendid tail their lion has1 and what a
 troublesome dog their neighbor is4     
,besides this natural inclination to    
avoid personal responsibility1 is and   

always has been1 the fact1 that every   
religionist has warned men against the  
presumption and wickedness of thinking  
for themselves4 ,the reason has been    
denounced by all ,christendom as the    
only unsafe guide4 ,the ,church has left
 nothing undone to prevent man following
 the logic of his brain4 ,the plainest  
facts have been covered with the mantle 
of mystery4 ,the grossest absurdities   
have been declared to be self-evident   
facts4 ,the order of nature has been1 as
 it were1 reversed1 that the            
hypocritical few might govern the honest
 many4 ,the man who stood by the        
conclusion of his reason was denounced  
as a scorner and hater of ,god and his  
holy ,church4 ,from the organization of 
the first ,church until this moment1 to 
think your own thoughts has been        
inconsistent with membership4 ,every    
member has borne the marks of collar1   
and chain1 and whip4 ,no man ever       
seriously attempted to reform a ,church 
without being cast out and hunted down  

by the hounds of hypocrisy4 ,the highest
 crime against a creed is to change it4 
,reformation is treason4  ,thousands of 
young men are being educated at this    
moment by the various ,churches4 ,what  
for8 ,in order that they may be prepared
 to investigate the phenomena by which  
we are surrounded8 ,no6 ,the object1 and
 the only object1 is that they may be   
prepared to defend a creed2 that they   
may learn the arguments of their        
respective churches1 and repeat them in 
the dull ears of a thoughtless          
congregation4 ,if one1 after being thus 
trained at the expense of the           
,methodists1 turns ,presbyterian or     
,baptist1 he is denounced as an         
ungrateful wretch4 ,honest investigation
 is utterly impossible within the pale  
of any ,church1 for the reason1 that if 
you think the ,church is right you will 
not investigate1 and if you think it    
wrong1 the ,church will investigate you4
 ,the consequence of this is1 that most 
of the theological literature is the    

result of suppression1 of fear1 tyranny 
and hypocrisy4  ,every orthodox writer  
necessarily said to himself1  ,if ,i    
write that1 my wife and children may    
want for bread4 ,i will be covered with 
shame and branded with infamy2 but if ,i
 write this1 ,i will gain position1     
power1 and honor4 ,my ,church rewards   
defenders1 and burns reformers4  ,under 
these conditions all your ,scotts1      
,henrys1 and ,mc,knights have written2  
and weighed in these scales1 what are   
their commentaries worth8 ,they are not 
the ideas and decisions of honest       
judges1 but the sophisms of the paid    
attorneys of superstition4 ,who can tell
 what the world has lost by this        
infamous system of suppression8 ,how    
many grand thinkers have died with the  
mailed hand of superstition upon their  
lips8 ,how many splendid ideas have     
perished in the cradle of the brain1    
strangled in the poison-coils of that   
python1 the ,church6  ,for thousands of 
years a thinker was hunted down like an 

escaped convict4 ,to him who had braved 
the ,church1 every door was shut1 every 
knife was open4 ,to shelter him from the
 wild storm1 to give him a crust when   
dying1 to put a cup of water to his     
cracked and bleeding lips2 these were   
all crimes1 not one of which the ,church
 ever did forgive2 and with the justice 
taught of her ,god1 his helpless        
children were exterminated as scorpions 
and vipers4  ,who at the present day can
 imagine the courage1 the devotion to   
principle1 the intellectual and moral   
grandeur it once required to be an      
infidel1 to brave the ,church1 her      
racks1 her fagots1 her dungeons1 her    
tongues of fire1--to defy and scorn her 
heaven and her hell--her devil and her  
,god8 ,they were the noblest sons of    
earth4 ,they were the real saviors of   
our race1 the destroyers of superstition
 and the creators of ,science4 ,they    
were the real ,titans who bared their   
grand foreheads to all the thunderbolts 
of all the gods4  ,the ,church has been1

 and still is1 the great robber4 ,she   
has rifled not only the pockets but the 
brains of the world4 ,she is the stone  
at the sepulchre of liberty2 the upas   
tree1 in whose shade the intellect of   
man has withered2 the ,gorgon beneath   
whose gaze the human heart has turned to
 stone4 ,under her influence even the   
,protestant mother expects to be happy  
in heaven1 while her brave boy1 who fell
 fighting for the rights of man1 shall  
writhe in hell4  ,it is said that some  
of the ,indian tribes place the heads of
 their children between pieces of bark  
until the form of the skull is          
permanently changed4 ,to us this seems a
 most shocking custom2 and yet1 after   
all1 is it as bad as to put the souls of
 our children in the strait-jacket of a 
creed8 to so utterly deform their minds 
that they regard the ,god of the bible  
as a being of infinite mercy1 and really
 consider it a virtue to believe a thing
 just because it seems unreasonable8    
,every child in the ,christian world has

 uttered its wondering protest against  
this outrage4 ,all the machinery of the 
,church is constantly employed in       
corrupting the reason of children4 ,in  
every possible way they are robbed of   
their own thoughts and forced to accept 
the statements of others4 ,every ,sunday
 school has for its object the crushing 
out of every germ of individuality4 ,the
 poor children are taught that nothing  
can be more acceptable to ,god than     
unreasoning obedience and eyeless faith1
 and that to believe ,god did an        
impossible act1 is far better than to do
 a good one yourself4 ,they are told    
that all religions have been simply the 
,john-the-,baptists of ours2 that all   
the gods of antiquity have withered and 
shrunken into the ,jehovah of the ,jews2
 that all the longings and aspirations  
of the race are realized in the motto of
 the ,evangelical ,alliance1 ,liberty in
 non-essentials2 that all there is1 or  
ever was1 of religion can be found in   
the apostles' creed2 that there is      

nothing left to be discovered2 that all 
the thinkers are dead1 and all the      
living should simply be believers2 that 
we have only to repeat the epitaph found
 on the grave of wisdom2 that           
grave-yards are the best possible       
universities1 and that the children must
 be forever beaten with the bones of the
 fathers4  ,it has always seemed absurd 
to suppose that a god would choose for  
his companions1 during' all eternity1   
the dear souls whose highest and only   
ambition is to obey4 ,he certainly would
 now and then be tempted to make the    
same remark made by an ,english         
gentleman to his poor guest4 ,the       
gentleman had invited a man in humble   
circumstances to dine with him4 ,the man
 was so overcome with the honor that to 
everything the gentleman said he replied
 ,yes4 ,tired at last with the monotony 
of acquiescence1 the gentleman cried    
out1 ,for ,god's sake1 my good man1 say 
',no1' just once1 so there will be two  
of us4  ,is it possible that an infinite

 ,god created this world simply to be   
the dwelling-place of slaves and serfs8 
simply for the purpose of raising       
orthodox ,christians8 ,that he did a few
 miracles to astonish them2 that all the
 evils of life are simply his           
punishments1 and that he is finally     
going to turn heaven into a kind of     
religious museum filled with ,baptist   
barnacles1 petrified ,presbyterians and 
,methodist mummies8 ,i want no heaven   
for which ,i must give my reason2 no    
happiness in exchange for my liberty1   
and no immortality that demands the     
surrender of my individuality4 ,better  
rot in the windowless tomb1 to which    
there is no door but the red mouth of   
the pallid worm1 than wear the jeweled  
collar even of a god4  ,religion does   
not1 and cannot1 contemplate man as     
free4 ,she accepts only the homage of   
the prostrate1 and scorns the offerings 
of those who stand erect4 ,she cannot   
tolerate the liberty of thought4 ,the   
wide and sunny fields belong not to her 

domain4 ,the star-lit heights of genius 
and individuality are above and beyond  
her appreciation and power4 ,her        
subjects cringe at her feet1 covered    
with the dust of obedience4  ,they are  
not athletes standing posed by rich life
 and brave endeavor like antique        
statues1 but shriveled deformities1     
studying with furtive glance the cruel  
face of power4  ,no religionist seems   
capable of comprehending this plain     
truth4 ,there is this difference between
 thought and action3 for our actions we 
are responsible to ourselves and to     
those injuriously affected2 for         
thoughts1 there can1 in the nature of   
things1 be no responsibility to gods or 
men1 here or hereafter4 ,and yet the    
,protestant has vied with the ,catholic 
in denouncing freedom of thought2 and   
while ,i was taught to hate ,catholicism
 with every drop of my blood1 it is only
 justice to say1 that in all essential  
particulars it is precisely the same as 
every other religion1 ,luther denounced 

mental liberty with all the coarse and  
brutal vigor of his nature2 ,calvin     
despised1 from the very bottom of his   
petrified heart1 anything that even     
looked like religious toleration1 and   
solemnly declared that to advocate it   
was to crucify ,christ afresh4 ,all the 
founders of all the orthodox churches   
have advocated the same infamous tenet4 
,the truth is that what is called       
religion is necessarily inconsistent    
with free thought4  ,a believer is a    
bird in a cage1 a free-thinker is an    
eagle parting the clouds with tireless  
wing4  ,at present1 owing to the inroads
 that have been made by liberals and    
infidels1 most of the churches pretend  
to be in favor of religious liberty4 ,of
 these churches1 we will ask this       
question3 ,how can a man1 who           
conscientiously believes in religious   
liberty1 worship a ,god who does not8   
,they say to us3 ,we will not imprison  
you on account of your belief1 but our  
,god will4 ,we will not burn you because

 you throw away the sacred scriptures1  
but their author will4 ,we think it an  
infamous crime to persecute our brethren
 for opinion's sake1--but the ,god1 whom
 we ignorantly worship1 will on that    
account1 damn his own children forever4 
,why is it that these ,christians not   
only detest the infidels1 but cordially 
despise each other8 ,why do they refuse 
to worship in the temples of each other8
 ,why do they care so little for the    
damnation of men1 and so much for the   
baptism of children8 ,why will they     
adorn their churches with the money of  
thieves and flatter vice for the sake of
 subscriptions8 ,why will they attempt  
to bribe ,science to certify to the     
writings of ,god8 ,why do they torture  
the words of the great into an          
acknowledgment of the truth of          
,christianity8 ,why do they stand with  
hat in hand before presidents1 kings1   
emperors1 and scientists1 begging1 like 
,lazarus1 for a few crumbs1 of religious
 comfort8 ,why are they so delighted to 

find an allusion to ,providence in the  
message of ,lincoln8 ,why are they so   
afraid that some one will find out that 
,paley wrote an essay in favor of the   
,epicurean philosophy1 and that ,sir    
,isaac ,newton was once an infidel8 ,why
 are they so anxious to show that       
,voltaire recanted2 that ,paine died    
palsied with fear2 that the ,emperor    
,julian cried out ,galilean1 thou hast  
conquered2 that ,gibbon died a          
,catholic2 that ,agassiz had a little   
confidence in ,moses2 that the old      
,napoleon was once complimentary enough 
to say that he thought ,christ greater  
than himself or ,caesar2 that           
,washington was caught on his knees at  
,valley ,forge2 that blunt old ,ethan   
,allen told his child to believe the    
religion of her mother2 that ,franklin  
said1 ,don't unchain the tiger1 and that
 ,volney got frightened in a storm at   
sea8  ,is it because the foundation of  
their temple is crumbling1 because the  
walls are cracked1 the pillars leaning1 

the great dome swaying to its fall1 and 
because ,science has written over the   
high altar its mene1 mene1 tekel1       
upharsin--the old words1 destined to be 
the epitaph of all religions8  ,every   
assertion of individual independence has
 been a step toward infidelity4 ,luther 
started toward ,humboldt1--,wesley1     
toward ,john ,stuart ,mill4 ,to really  
reform the ,church is to destroy it4    
,every new religion has a little less   
superstition than the old1 so that the  
religion of ,science is but a question  
of time ,i will not say the ,church has 
been an unmitigated evil in all         
respects4 ,its history is infamous and  
glorious4 ,it has delighted in the      
production of extremes4 ,it has         
furnished murderers for its own martyrs4
 ,it has sometimes fed the body1 but has
 always starved the soul4 ,it has been a
 charitable highwayman--a profligate    
beggar--a generous pirate4 ,it has      
produced some angels and a multitude of 
devils4 ,it has built more prisons than 

asylums4 ,it made a hundred orphans     
while it cared for one4 ,in one hand it 
has carried the alms-dish and in the    
other a sword4 ,it has founded schools  
and endowed universities for the purpose
 of destroying true learning4 ,it filled
 the world with hypocrites and zealots1 
and upon the cross of its own ,christ it
 crucified the individuality of man4 ,it
 has sought to destroy the independence 
of the soul and put the world upon its  
knees4 ,this is its crime4 ,the         
commission of this crime was necessary  
to its existence4 ,in order to compel   
obedience it declared that it had the   
truth1 and all the truth2 that ,god had 
made it the keeper of his secrets2 his  
agent and his vicegerent4 ,it declared  
that all other religions were false and 
infamous4 ,it rendered all compromise   
impossible and all thought superfluous4 
,thought was its enemy1 obedience was   
its friend4 ,investigation was fraught  
with danger2 therefore investigation was
 suppressed4 ,the holy of holies was    

behind the curtain4 ,all this was upon  
the principle that forgers hate to have 
the signature examined by an expert1 and
 that imposture detests curiosity4  ,he 
that hath ears to hear1 let him hear1   
has always been the favorite text of the
 ,church4  ,in short1 ,christianity has 
always opposed every forward movement of
 the human race4 ,across the highway of 
progress it has always been building    
breastworks of bibles1 tracts1          
commentaries1 prayer-books1 creeds1     
dogmas and platforms1 and at every      
advance the ,christians have gathered   
together behind these heaps of rubbish  
and shot the poisoned arrows of malice  
at the soldiers of freedom4  ,and even  
the liberal ,christian of to-day has his
 holy of holies1 and in the niche of the
 temple of his heart has his idol4 ,he  
still clings to a part of the old       
superstition1 and all the pleasant      
memories of the old belief linger in the
 horizon of his thoughts like a sunset4 
,we associate the memory of those we    

love with the religion of our childhood4
 ,it seems almost a sacrilege to rudely 
destroy the idols that our fathers      
worshiped1 and turn their sacred and    
beautiful truths into the fables of     
barbarism4 ,some throw away the ,old    
,testament and cling to the ,new1 while 
others give up everything except the    
idea that there is a personal ,god1 and 
that in some wonderful way we are the   
objects of his care4  ,even this1 in my 
opinion1 as ,science1 the great         
iconoclast1 marches onward1 will have to
 be abandoned with the rest ,the great  
ghost will surely share the fate of the 
little ones4 ,they fled at the first    
appearance of the dawn1 and the other   
will vanish with the perfect day4 ,until
 then the independence of man is little 
more than a dream4 ,overshadowed by an  
immense personality1 in the presence of 
the irresponsible and the infinite1 the 
individuality of man is lost1 and he    
falls prostrate in the very dust of     
fear4 ,beneath the frown of the         

absolute1 man stands a wretched1        
trembling slave1--beneath his smile he  
is at best only a fortunate serf4       
,governed by a being whose arbitrary    
will is law1 chained to the chariot of  
power1 his destiny rests in the pleasure
 of the unknown4 ,under these           
circumstances1 what wretched object can 
he have in lengthening out his aimless  
life8  ,and yet1 in most minds1 there is
 a vague fear of the gods--a shrinking  
from the malice of the skies4 ,our      
fathers were slaves1 and nearly all     
their children are mental serfs4 ,the   
enfranchisement of the soul is a slow   
and painful process4 ,superstition1 the 
mother of those hideous twins1 ,fear and
 ,faith1 from her throne of skulls1     
still rules the world1 and will until   
the mind of woman ceases to be the      
property of priests4  ,when women       
reason1 and babes sit in the lap of     
philosophy1 the victory of reason over  
the shadowy host of darkness will be    
complete4  ,in the minds of many1 long  

after the intellect has thrown aside as 
utterly fabulous the legends of the     
,church1 there still remains a lingering
 suspicion1 born of the mental habits   
contracted in childhood1 that after all 
there may be a grain of truth in these  
mountains of theological mist1 and that 
possibly the superstitious side is the  
side of safety4  ,a gentleman1 walking  
among the ruins of ,athens1 came upon a 
fallen statue of ,jupiter2 making an    
exceedingly low bow he said3 ,o         
,jupiter6 ,i salute thee4 ,he then      
added3 ,should you ever sit upon the    
throne of heaven again1 do not1 ,i pray 
you1 forget that ,i treated you politely
 when you were prostrate4  ,we have all 
been taught by the ,church that nothing 
is so well calculated to excite the ire 
of the ,deity as to express a doubt as  
to his existence1 and that to deny it is
 an unpardonable sin4 ,numerous         
well-attested instances are referred to 
of atheists being struck dead for       
denying the existence of ,god4          

,according to these1 religious people1  
,god is infinitely above us in every    
respect1 infinitely merciful1 and yet he
 cannot bear to hear a poor finite man  
honestly question his existence4        
,knowing1 as he does1 that his children 
are groping in darkness and struggling  
with doubt and fear2 knowing that he    
could enlighten them if he would1 he    
still holds the expression of a sincere 
doubt as to his existence1 the most     
infamous of crimes4 ,according to       
orthodox logic1 ,god having furnished us
 with imperfect minds1 has a right to   
demand a perfect result4  ,suppose ,mr4 
,smith should overhear a couple of small
 bugs holding a discussion as to the    
existence of ,mr4 ,smith1 and suppose   
one should have the temerity to declare1
 upon the honor of a bug1 that he had   
examined the whole question to the best 
of his ability1 including the argument  
based upon design1 and had come to the  
conclusion that no man by the name of   
,smith had ever lived4 ,think then of   

,mr4 ,smith flying into an ecstacy of   
rage1 crushing the atheist bug beneath  
his iron heel1 while he exclaimed1 ,i   
will teach you1 blasphemous wretch1 that
 ,smith is a diabolical fact6 ,what then
 can we think of a ,god who would open  
the artillery of heaven upon one of his 
own children for simply expressing his  
honest thought8 ,and what man who really
 thinks can help repeating the words of 
,ennius3 ,if there are gods they        
certainly pay no attention to the       
affairs of man4 ,think of the millions  
of men and women who have been destroyed
 simply for loving and worshiping this  
,god4 ,is it possible that this ,god1   
having infinite power1 saw his loving   
and heroic children languishing in the  
darkness of dungeons2 heard the clank of
 their chains when they lifted their    
hands to him in the agony of prayer2 saw
 them stretched upon the bigot's rack1  
where death alone had pity2 saw the     
serpents of flame crawl hissing round   
their shrinking forms--saw all this for 

sixteen hundred years1 and sat as silent
 as a stone8  ,from such a ,god1 why    
should man expect assistance8 ,why      
should he waste his days in fruitless   
prayer8 ,why should he fall upon his    
knees and implore a phantom--a phantom  
that is deaf1 and dumb1 and blind8      
,although we live in what is called a   
free government1--and politically we are
 free1--there is but little religious   
liberty in ,america4 ,society demands1  
either that you belong to some church1  
or that you suppress your opinions4 ,it 
is contended by many that ours is a     
,christian government1 founded upon the 
bible1 and that all who look upon that  
book as false or foolish are destroying 
the foundation of our country4 ,the     
truth is1 our government is not founded 
upon the rights of gods1 but upon the   
rights of men4 ,our ,constitution was   
framed1 not to declare and uphold the   
deity of ,christ1 but the sacredness of 
humanity4 ,ours is the first government 
made by the people and for the people4  

,it is the only nation with which the   
gods have had nothing to do4 ,and yet   
there are some judges dishonest and     
cowardly enough to solemnly decide that 
this is a ,christian country1 and that  
our free institutions are based upon the
 infamous laws of ,jehovah4  ,such      
judges are the ,jeffries of the ,church4
 ,they believe that decisions1 made by  
hirelings at the bidding of kings1 are  
binding upon man forever4 ,they regard  
old law as far superior to modern       
justice4 ,they are what might be called 
orthodox judges4 ,they spend their days 
in finding out1 not what ought to be1   
but what has been4 ,with their backs to 
the sunrise they worship the night4     
,there is only one future event with    
which they concern themselves1 and that 
is their reelection4 ,no honest court   
ever did1 or ever will1 decide that our 
,constitution is ,christian4 ,the bible 
teaches that the powers that be1 are    
ordained of ,god4 ,the bible teaches    
that ,god is the source of all          

authority1 and that all kings have      
obtained their power from him4 ,every   
tyrant has claimed to be the agent of   
the ,most ,high4 ,the ,inquisition was  
founded1 not in the name of man1 but in 
the name of ,god4 ,all the governments  
of ,europe recognize the greatness of   
,god1 and the littleness of the people4 
,in all ages1 hypocrites1 called        
priests1 have put crowns upon the heads 
of thieves1 called kings4  ,the         
,declaration of ,independence announces 
the sublime truth1 that all power comes 
from the people4 ,this was a denial1 and
 the first denial of a nation1 of the   
infamous dogma that ,god confers the    
right upon one man to govern others4 ,it
 was the first grand assertion of the   
dignity of the human race4 ,it declared 
the governed to be the source of power1 
and in fact denied the authority of any 
and all gods4 ,through the ages of      
slavery--through the weary centuries of 
the lash and chain1 ,god was the        
acknowledged ruler of the world4 ,to    

enthrone man1 was to dethrone ,him4  ,to
 ,paine1 ,jefferson1 and ,franklin1 are 
we indebted1 more than to all others1   
for a human government1 and for a       
,constitution in which no ,god is       
recognized superior to the legally      
expressed will of the people4  ,they    
knew that to put ,god in the            
,constitution was to put man out4 ,they 
knew that the recognition of a ,deity   
would be seized upon by fanatics and    
zealots as a pretext for destroying the 
liberty of thought4 ,they knew the      
terrible history of the ,church too well
 to place in her keeping1 or in the     
keeping of her ,god1 the sacred rights  
of man4 ,they intended that all should  
have the right to worship1 or not to    
worship2 that our laws should make no   
distinction on account of creed4 ,they  
intended to found and frame a government
 for man1 and for man alone4 ,they      
wished to preserve the individuality and
 liberty of all2 to prevent the few from
 governing the many1 and the many from  

persecuting and destroying the few4     
,notwithstanding all this1 the spirit of
 persecution still lingers in our laws4 
,in many of the ,states1 only those who 
believe in the existence of some kind of
 ,god1 are under the protection of the  
law4  ,the supreme court of ,illinois   
decided1 in the year of grace #ahef1    
that an unbeliever in the existence of  
an intelligent ,first ,cause could not  
be allowed to testify in any court4 ,his
 wife and children might have been      
murdered before his very face1 and yet  
in the absence of other witnesses1 the  
murderer could not have even been       
indicted4 ,the atheist was a legal      
outcast4 ,to him1 ,justice was not only 
blind1 but deaf4 ,he was liable1 like   
other men1 to support the government1   
and was forced to contribute his share  
towards paying the salaries of the very 
judges who decided that under no        
circumstances could his voice be heard  
in any court4 ,this was the law of      
,illinois1 and so remained until the    

adoption of the new ,constitution4 ,by  
such infamous means has the ,church     
endeavored to chain the human mind1 and 
protect the majesty of her ,god4 ,the   
fact is1 we have no national religion1  
and no national ,god2 but every citizen 
is allowed to have a religion and a ,god
 of his own1 or to reject all religions 
and deny the existence of all gods4 ,the
 ,church1 however1 never has1 and never 
will understand and appreciate the      
genius of our government4  ,last year1  
in a convention of ,protestant bigots1  
held in the city of ,new ,york for the  
purpose of creating public opinion in   
favor of a religious amendment to the   
federal constitution1 a reverend doctor 
of divinity1 speaking of atheists1 said3
 ,what are the rights of the atheist8 ,i
 would tolerate him as ,i would tolerate
 a poor lunatic4 ,i would tolerate him  
as ,i would tolerate a conspirator4 ,he 
may live and go free1 hold his lands and
 enjoy his home--he may even vote2 but  
for any higher or more advanced         

citizenship1 he is1 as ,i hold1 utterly 
disqualified4 ,these are the sentiments 
of the ,church to-day4  ,give the       
,church a place in the ,constitution1   
let her touch once more the sword of    
power1 and the priceless fruit of all   
the ages will turn to ashes on the lips 
of men4  ,in religious ideas and        
conceptions there has been for ages a   
slow and steady development4 ,at the    
bottom of the ladder 7speaking of modern
 times7 is ,catholicism1 and at the top 
is ,science4 ,the intermediate rounds of
 this ladder are occupied by the various
 sects1 whose name is legion4  ,but     
whatever may be the truth upon any      
subject has nothing to do with our right
 to investigate that subject1 and       
express any opinion we may form4 ,all   
that ,i ask1 is the same right ,i freely
 accord to all others4  ,a few years ago
 a ,methodist clergyman took it upon    
himself to give me a piece of friendly  
advice4  ,although you may disbelieve   
the bible1 said he1 you ought not to say

 so4 ,that1 you should keep to yourself4
  ,do you believe the bible1 said ,i4   
,he replied1 ,most assuredly4  ,to which
 ,i retorted1 ,your answer conveys no   
information to me4 ,you may be following
 your own advice4 ,you told me to       
suppress my opinions4 ,of course a man  
who will advise others to dissimulate   
will not always be particular about     
telling the truth himself4  ,there can  
be nothing more utterly subversive of   
all that is really valuable than the    
suppression of honest thought4 ,no man1 
worthy of the form he bears1 will at the
 command of ,church or ,state solemnly  
repeat a creed his reason scorns4 ,it is
 the duty of each and every one to      
maintain his individuality4 ,this1 above
 all1 to thine ownself be true1 and it  
must follow as the night the day1 thou  
canst not then be false to any man4 ,it 
is a magnificent thing to be the sole   
proprietor of yourself4 ,it is a        
terrible thing to wake up at night and  
say1 ,there is nobody in this bed4 ,it  

is humiliating to know that your ideas  
are all borrowed2 that you are indebted 
to your memory for your principles2 that
 your religion is simply one of your    
habits1 and that you would have         
convictions if they were only           
contagious4 ,it is mortifying to feel   
that you belong to a mental mob and cry 
crucify him1 because the others do2 that
 you reap what the great and brave have 
sown1 and that you can benefit the world
 only by leaving it4  ,surely every     
human being ought to attain to the      
dignity of the unit4 ,surely it is worth
 something to be one1 and to feel that  
the census of the universe would be     
incomplete without counting you4 ,surely
 there is grandeur in knowing that in   
the realm of thought1 at least1 you are 
without a chain2 that you have the right
 to explore all heights and all depths2 
that there are no walls nor fences1 nor 
prohibited places1 nor sacred corners in
 all the vast expanse of thought2 that  
your intellect owes no allegiance to any

 being1 human or divine2 that you hold  
all in fee and upon no condition and by 
no tenure whatever2 that in the world of
 mind you are relieved from all personal
 dictation1 and from the ignorant       
tyranny of majorities4 ,surely it is    
worth something to feel that there are  
no priests1 no popes1 no parties1 no    
governments1 no kings1 no gods1 to whom 
your intellect can be compelled to pay a
 reluctant homage4 ,surely it is a joy  
to know that all the cruel ingenuity of 
bigotry can devise no prison1 no        
dungeon1 no cell in which for one       
instant to confine a thought2 that ideas
 cannot be dislocated by racks1 nor     
crushed in iron boots1 nor burned with  
fire4 ,surely it is sublime to think    
that the brain is a castle1 and that    
within its curious bastions and winding 
halls the soul1 in spite of all worlds  
and all beings1 is the supreme sovereign
 of itself4