,,the ,,gods  ,by ,robert ,g4 ,ingersoll
   ,give ,me ,the ,storm ,and ,tempest  
,of ,thought ,and ,action1 ,rather ,than
 ,the ,dead ,calm ,of ,ignorance ,and   
,faith4 ,banish ,me ,from ,eden ,when   
,you ,will2 ,but ,first ,let ,me ,eat   
,of ,the ,fruit ,of ,the ,tree ,of      
,knowledge4  #ahgh4   ,,to  ,,eva ,a4   
,,ingersoll  ,,my ,,wife1  ,a ,,woman   
,,without ,,superstition1 ,,this        
,,volume  ,,is ,,dedicated4     ,,the   
,,gods  ,,an ,,honest ,,god ,,is ,,the  
,,noblest ,,work ,,of ,,man4  ,,each    
nation has created a god1 and the god   
has always resembled his creators4 ,he  
hated and loved what they hated and     
loved1 and he was invariably found on   
the side of those in power4 ,each god   
was intensely patriotic1 and detested   
all nations but his own4 ,all these gods
 demanded praise1 flattery1 worship4    
,most of them were pleased with         
sacrifice1 and the smell of innocent    
blood has ever been considered a divine 
perfume4 ,all these gods have insisted  

upon having a vast number of priests1   
and the priests have always insisted    
upon being supported by the people1 and 
the principal business of these priests 
has been to boast about their god1 and  
to insist that he could easily vanquish 
all the other gods put together4  ,these
 gods have been manufactured after      
numberless models1 and according to the 
most grotesque fashions4 ,some have a   
thousand arms1 some a hundred heads1    
some are adorned with necklaces of      
living snakes1 some are armed with      
clubs1 some with sword and shield1 some 
with bucklers1 and some have wings as a 
cherub2 some were invisible1 some would 
show themselves entire1 and some would  
only show their backs2 some were        
jealous1 some were foolish1 some turned 
themselves into men1 some into swans1   
some into bulls1 some into doves1 and   
some into ,holy ,ghosts1 and made love  
to the beautiful daughters of men4 ,some
 were married--all ought to have        
been--and some were considered as old   

bachelors from all eternity4 ,some had  
children1 and the children were turned  
into gods and worshiped as their fathers
 had been4 ,most of these gods were     
revengeful1 savage1 lustful1 and        
ignorant4 ,as they generally depended   
upon their priests for information1     
their ignorance can hardly excite our   
astonishment4  ,these gods did not even 
know the shape of the worlds they had   
created1 but supposed them perfectly    
flat ,some thought the day could be     
lengthened by stopping the sun1 that the
 blowing of horns could throw down the  
walls of a city1 and all knew so little 
of the real nature of the people they   
had created1 that they commanded the    
people to love them4 ,some were so      
ignorant as to suppose that man could   
believe just as he might desire1 or as  
they might command1 and that to be      
governed by observation1 reason1 and    
experience was a most foul and damning  
sin4 ,none of these gods could give a   
true account of the creation of this    

little earth4 ,all were wofully         
deficient in geology and astronomy4 ,as 
a rule1 they were most miserable        
legislators1 and as executives1 they    
were far inferior to the average of     
,american presidents4  ,these deities   
have demanded the most abject and       
degrading obedience4 ,in order to please
 them1 man must lay his very face in the
 dust4 ,of course1 they have always been
 partial to the people who created them1
 and have generally shown their         
partiality by assisting those people to 
rob and destroy others1 and to ravish   
their wives and daughters4  ,nothing is 
so pleasing to these gods as the        
butchery of unbelievers4 ,nothing so    
enrages them1 even now1 as to have some 
one deny their existence4  ,few nations 
have been so poor as to have but one    
god4 ,gods were made so easily1 and the 
raw material cost so little1 that       
generally the god market was fairly     
glutted1 and heaven crammed with these  
phantoms4 ,these gods not only attended 

to the skies1 but were supposed to      
interfere in all the affairs of men4    
,they presided over everybody and       
everything4 ,they attended to every     
department4 ,all was supposed to be     
under their immediate control4 ,nothing 
was too small--nothing too large2 the   
falling of sparrows and the motions of  
the planets were alike attended to by   
these industrious and observing deities4
 ,from their starry thrones they        
frequently came to the earth for the    
purpose of imparting information to man4
 ,it is related of one that he came amid
 thunderings and lightnings in order to 
tell the people that they should not    
cook a kid in its mother's milk4 ,some  
left their shining abodes to tell women 
that they should1 or should not1 have   
children1 to inform a priest how to cut 
and wear his apron1 and to give         
directions as to the proper manner of   
cleaning the intestines of a bird4      
,when the people failed to worship one  
of these gods1 or failed to feed and    

clothe his priests1 7which was much the 
same thing17 he generally visited them  
with pestilence and famine4 ,sometimes  
he allowed some other nation to drag    
them into slavery--to sell their wives  
and children2 but generally he glutted  
his vengeance by murdering their        
first-born4 ,the priests always did     
their whole duty1 not only in predicting
 these calamities1 but in proving1 when 
they did happen1 that they were brought 
upon the people because they had not    
given quite enough to them4  ,these gods
 differed just as the nations differed2 
the greatest and most powerful had the  
most powerful gods1 while the weaker    
ones were obliged to content themselves 
with the very off-scourings of the      
heavens4 ,each of these gods promised   
happiness here and hereafter to all his 
slaves1 and threatened to eternally     
punish all who either disbelieved in his
 existence or suspected that some other 
god might be his superior2 but to deny  
the existence of all gods was1 and is1  

the crime of crimes4 ,redden your hands 
with human blood2 blast by slander the  
fair fame of the innocent2 strangle the 
smiling child upon its mother's knees2  
deceive1 ruin and desert the beautiful  
girl who loves and trusts you1 and your 
case is not hopeless4 ,for all this1 and
 for all these you may be forgiven4 ,for
 all this1 and for all these1 that      
bankrupt court established by the       
gospel1 will give you a discharge2 but  
deny the existence of these divine      
ghosts1 of these gods1 and the sweet and
 tearful face of ,mercy becomes livid   
with eternal hate4 ,heaven's golden     
gates are shut1 and you1 with an        
infinite curse ringing in your ears1    
with the brand of infamy upon your brow1
 commence your endless wanderings in the
 lurid gloom of hell--an immortal       
vagrant--an eternal outcast--a deathless
 convict4  ,one of these gods1 and one  
who demands our love1 our admiration and
 our worship1 and one who is worshiped1 
if mere heartless ceremony is worship1  

gave to his chosen people for their     
guidance1 the following laws of war3    
,when thou comest nigh unto a city to   
fight against it1 then proclaim peace   
unto it4 ,and it shall be if it make    
thee answer1 of peace1 and open unto    
thee1 then it shall be that all the     
people that is found therein shall be   
tributaries unto thee1 and they shall   
serve thee4 ,and if it will make no     
peace with thee1 but will make war      
against thee1 then thou shalt besiege   
it4  ,and when the ,lord thy ,god hath  
delivered it into thy hands1 thou shalt 
smite every male thereof with the edge  
of the sword4 ,but the women and the    
little ones1 and the cattle1 and all    
that is in the city1 even all the spoil 
thereof1 shalt thou take unto thyself1  
and thou shalt eat the spoil of thine   
enemies which the ,lord thy ,god hath   
given thee4 ,thus shalt thou do unto all
 the cities which are very far off from 
thee1 which are not of the cities of    
these nations4 ,but of the cities of    

these people which the ,lord thy ,god   
doth give thee for an inheritance1 thou 
shalt save alive nothing that breatheth8
  ,is it possible for man to conceive of
 anything more perfectly infamous8 ,can 
you believe that such directions were   
given by any being except an infinite   
fiend8 ,remember that the army receiving
 these instructions was one of invasion4
 ,peace was offered upon condition that 
the people submitting should be the     
slaves of the invader2 but if any should
 have the courage to defend their homes1
 to fight for the love of wife and      
child1 then the sword was to spare      
none--not even the prattling1 dimpled   
babe4  ,and we are called upon to       
worship such a god2 to get upon our     
knees and tell him that he is good1 that
 he is merciful1 that he is just1 that  
he is love4 ,we are asked to stifle     
every noble sentiment of the soul1 and  
to trample under foot all the sweet     
charities of the heart ,because we      
refuse to stultify ourselves--refuse to 

become liars--we are denounced1 hated1  
traduced and ostracized here1 and this  
same god threatens to torment us in     
eternal fire the moment death allows him
 to fiercely clutch our naked helpless  
souls4 ,let the people hate1 let the god
 threaten--we will educate them1 and we 
will despise and defy him4  ,the book1  
called the bible1 is filled with        
passages equally horrible1 unjust and   
atrocious4 ,this is the book to be read 
in schools in order to make our children
 loving1 kind and gentle6 ,this is the  
book to be recognized in our            
,constitution as the source of all      
authority and justice6  ,strange6 that  
no one has ever been persecuted by the  
church for believing ,god bad1 while    
hundreds of millions have been destroyed
 for thinking him good4 ,the orthodox   
church never will forgive the           
,universalist for saying ,god is love4  
,it has always been considered as one of
 the very highest evidences of true and 
undefined religion to insist that all   

men1 women and children deserve eternal 
damnation4 ,it has always been heresy to
 say1 ,god will at last save all4  ,we  
are asked to justify these frightful    
passages1 these infamous laws of war1   
because the bible is the word of ,god4  
,as a matter of fact1 there never was1  
and there never can be1 an argument1    
even tending to prove the inspiration of
 any book whatever4 ,in the absence of  
positive evidence1 analogy and          
experience1 argument is simply          
impossible1 and at the very best1 can   
amount only to a useless agitation of   
the air4 ,the instant we admit that a   
book is too sacred to be doubted1 or    
even reasoned about1 we are mental      
serfs4 ,it is infinitely absurd to      
suppose that a god would address a      
communication to intelligent beings1 and
 yet make it a crime1 to be punished in 
eternal flames1 for them to use their   
intelligence for the purpose of         
understanding his communication4 ,if we 
have the right to use our reason1 we    

certainly have the right to act in      
accordance with it1 and no god can have 
the right to punish us for such action4 
,the doctrine that future happiness     
depends upon belief is monstrous4 ,it is
 the infamy of infamies4 ,the notion    
that faith in ,christ is to be rewarded 
by an eternity of bliss1 while a        
dependence upon reason1 observation1 and
 experience merits everlasting pain1 is 
too absurd for refutation1 and can be   
relieved only by that unhappy mixture of
 insanity and ignorance1 called faith4  
,what man1 who ever thinks1 can believe 
that blood can appease ,god8 ,and yet1  
our entire system of religion is based  
upon that belief4 ,the ,jews pacified   
,jehovah with the blood of animals1 and 
according to the ,christian system1 the 
blood of ,jesus softened the heart of   
,god a little1 and rendered possible the
 salvation of a fortunate few4 ,it is   
hard to conceive how the human mind can 
give assent to such terrible ideas1 or  
how any sane man can read the bible and 

still believe in the doctrine of        
inspiration4  ,whether the bible is true
 or false1 is of no consequence in      
comparison with the mental freedom of   
the race4  ,salvation through slavery is
 worthless4 ,salvation from slavery is  
inestimable4  ,as long as man believes  
the bible to be infallible1 that book is
 his master4 ,the civilization of this  
century is not the child of faith1 but  
of unbelief--the result of free thought4
  ,all that is necessary1 as it seems to
 me1 to convince any reasonable person  
that the bible is simply and purely of  
human invention--of barbarian           
invention--is to read it4 ,read it as   
you would any other book2 think of it as
 you would of any other2 get the bandage
 of reverence from your eyes2 drive from
 your heart the phantom of fear2 push   
from the throne of your brain the cowled
 form of superstition--then read the    
holy bible1 and you will be amazed that 
you ever1 for one moment1 supposed a    
being of infinite wisdom1 goodness and  

purity1 to be the author of such        
ignorance and of such atrocity4  ,our   
ancestors not only had their            
god-factories1 but they made devils as  
well4 ,these devils were generally      
disgraced and fallen gods4 ,some had    
headed unsuccessful revolts2 some had   
been caught sweetly reclining in the    
shadowy folds of some fleecy cloud1     
kissing the wife of the god of gods4    
,these devils generally sympathized with
 man4 ,there is in regard to them a most
 wonderful fact3 ,in nearly all the     
theologies1 mythologies and religions1  
the devils have been much more humane   
and merciful than the gods4 ,no devil   
ever gave one of his generals an order  
to kill children and to rip open the    
bodies of pregnant women4 ,such         
barbarities were always ordered by the  
good gods4 ,the pestilences were sent by
 the most merciful gods4 ,the frightful 
famine1 during which the dying child    
with pallid lips sucked the withered    
bosom of a dead mother1 was sent by the 

loving gods4 ,no devil was ever charged 
with such fiendish brutality4  ,one of  
these gods1 according to the account1   
drowned an entire world1 with the       
exception of eight persons4 ,the old1   
the young1 the beautiful and the        
helpless were remorsely devoured by the 
shoreless sea4 ,this1 the most fearful  
tragedy that the imagination of ignorant
 priests ever conceived1 was the act1   
not of a devil1 but of a god1 so-called1
 whom men ignorantly worship unto this  
day4 ,what a stain such an act would    
leave upon the character of a devil6    
,one of the prophets of one of these    
gods1 having in his power a captured    
king1 hewed him in pieces in the sight  
of all the people4 ,was ever any imp of 
any devil guilty of such savagery8  ,one
 of these gods is reported to have given
 the following directions concerning    
human slavery3 ,if thou buy a ,hebrew   
servant1 six years shall he serve1 and  
in the seventh he shall go out free for 
nothing4 ,if he came in by himself1 he  

shall go out by himself2 if he were     
married1 then his wife shall go out with
 him4 ,if his master have given him a   
wife1 and she have borne him sons or    
daughters1 the wife and her children    
shall be her master's1 and he shall go  
out by himself4 ,and if the servant     
shall plainly say1 ,i love my master1 my
 wife and my children2 ,i will not go   
out free4 ,then his master shall bring  
him unto the judges2 he shall also bring
 him unto the door1 or unto the         
door-post2 and his master shall bore his
 ear through with an awl2 and he shall  
serve him forever4  ,according to this1 
a man was given liberty upon condition  
that he would desert forever his wife   
and children4 ,did any devil ever force 
upon a husband1 upon a father1 so cruel 
and so heartless an alternative8 ,who   
can worship such a god8 ,who can bend   
the knee to such a monster8 ,who can    
pray to such a fiend8  ,all these gods  
threatened to torment forever the souls 
of their enemies4 ,did any devil ever   

make so infamous a threat8 ,the basest  
thing recorded of the devil1 is what he 
did concerning ,job and his family1 and 
that was done by the express permission 
of one of these gods1 and to decide a   
little difference of opinion between    
their serene highnesses as to the       
character of my servant ,job4 ,the first
 account we have of the devil is found  
in that purely scientific book called   
,genesis1 and is as follows3 ,now the   
serpent was more subtile than any beast 
of the field which the ,lord ,god had   
made1 and he said unto the woman1 ,yea1 
hath ,god said1 ,ye shall not eat of the
 fruit of the trees of the garden8 ,and 
the woman said unto the serpent1 ,we may
 eat of the fruit of the trees of the   
garden2 but of the fruit of the tree    
which is in the midst of the garden ,god
 hath said1 ,ye shall not eat of it1    
neither shall ye touch it1 lest ye die4 
,and the serpent said unto the woman1   
,ye shall not surely die4 ,for ,god doth
 know that in the day ye eat thereof1   

then your eyes shall be opened and ye   
shall be as gods1 knowing good and evil4
 ,and when the woman saw that the tree  
was good for food1 and that it was      
pleasant to the eyes1 and a tree to be  
desired to make one wise1 she took of   
the fruit thereof and did eat1 and gave 
also unto her husband with her1 and he  
did eat4 99 99 ,and the ,lord ,god said1
 ,behold the man is become as one of us1
 to know good and evil2 and now1 lest he
 put forth his hand1 and take also of   
the tree of life and eat1 and live      
forever4 ,therefore the ,lord ,god sent 
him forth from the garden of ,eden to   
till the ground from which he was taken4
 ,so he drove out the man1 and he placed
 at the east of the garden of ,eden     
cherubim and a flaming sword1 which     
turned every way to keep the way of the 
tree of life4  ,according to this       
account the promise of the devil was    
fulfilled to the very letter4 ,adam and 
,eve did not die1 and they did become as
 gods1 knowing good and evil4  ,the     

account shows1 however1 that the gods   
dreaded education and knowledge then    
just as they do now4 ,the church still  
faithfully guards the dangerous tree of 
knowledge1 and has exerted in all ages  
her utmost power to keep mankind from   
eating the fruit thereof4 ,the priests  
have never ceased repeating the old     
falsehood and the old threat3 ,ye shall 
not eat of it1 neither shall ye touch   
it1 lest ye die4 ,from every pulpit     
comes the same cry1 born of the same    
fear3 ,lest they eat and become as gods1
 knowing good and evil4 ,for this       
reason1 religion hates science1 faith   
detests reason1 theology is the sworn   
enemy of philosophy1 and the church with
 its flaming sword still guards the     
hated tree1 and like its supposed       
founder1 curses to the lowest depths the
 brave thinkers who eat and become as   
gods4  ,if the account given in ,genesis
 is really true1 ought we not1 after    
all1 to thank this serpent8 ,he was the 
first schoolmaster1 the first advocate  

of learning1 the first enemy of         
ignorance1 the first to whisper in human
 ears the sacred word liberty1 the      
creator of ambition1 the author of      
modesty1 of inquiry1 of doubt1 of       
investigation1 of progress and of       
civilization4  ,give me the storm and   
tempest of thought and action1 rather   
than the dead calm of ignorance and     
faith6 ,banish me from ,eden when you   
will2 but first let me eat of the fruit 
of the tree of knowledge6  ,some nations
 have borrowed their gods2 of this      
number1 we are compelled to say1 is our 
own4 ,the ,jews having ceased to exist  
as a nation1 and having no further use  
for a god1 our ancestors appropriated   
him and adopted their devil at the same 
time4 ,this borrowed god is still an    
object of some adoration1 and this      
adopted devil still excites the         
apprehensions of our people4 ,he is     
still supposed to be setting his traps  
and snares for the purpose of catching  
our unwary souls1 and is still1 with    

reasonable success1 waging the old war  
against our god4  ,to me1 it seems easy 
to account for these ideas concerning   
gods and devils4 ,they are a perfectly  
natural production4 ,man has created    
them all1 and under the same            
circumstances would create them again4  
,man has not only created all these     
gods1 but he has created them out of the
 materials by which he has been         
surrounded4 ,generally he has modeled   
them after himself1 and has given them  
hands1 heads1 feet1 eyes1 ears1 and     
organs of speech4 ,each nation1 made its
 gods and devils speak its language not 
only1 but put in their mouths the same  
mistakes in history1 geography1         
astronomy1 and in all matters of fact1  
generally made by the people4 ,no god   
was ever in advance of the nation that  
created him4 ,the negroes represented   
their deities with black skins and curly
 hair4 ,the ,mongolian gave to his a    
yellow complexion and dark almond-shaped
 eyes4 ,the ,jews were not allowed to   

paint theirs1 or we should have seen    
,jehovah with a full beard1 an oval     
face1 and an aquiline nose4 ,zeus was a 
perfect ,greek1 and ,jove looked as     
though a member of the ,roman senate4   
,the gods of ,egypt had the patient face
 and placid look of the loving people   
who made them4 ,the gods of northern    
countries were represented warmly clad  
in robes of fur2 those of the tropics   
were naked4 ,the gods of ,india were    
often mounted upon elephants2 those of  
some islanders were great swimmers1 and 
the deities of the ,arctic zone were    
passionately fond of whale's blubber4   
,nearly all people have carved or       
painted representations of their gods1  
and these representations were1 by the  
lower classes1 generally treated as the 
real gods1 and to these images and idols
 they addressed prayers and offered     
sacrifice4  ,in some countries1 even at 
this day1 if the people after long      
praying do not obtain their desires1    
they turn their images off as impotent  

gods1 or upbraid them in a most         
reproachful manner1 loading them with   
blows and curses4 ',how now1 dog of a   
spirit1' they say1 'we give you lodging 
in a magnificent temple1 we gild you    
with gold1 feed you with the choicest   
food1 and offer incense to you2 yet1    
after all this care1 you are so         
ungrateful as to refuse us what we ask4'
  ,hereupon they will pull the god down 
and drag him through the filth of the   
street4 ,if1 in the meantime1 it happens
 that they obtain their request1 then1  
with a great deal of ceremony1 they wash
 him clean1 carry him back and place him
 in his temple again1 where they fall   
down and make excuses for what they have
 done4 ',of a truth1' they say1 'we were
 a little too hasty1 and you were a     
little too long in your grant4 ,why     
should you bring this beating on        
yourself4 ,but what is done cannot be   
undone4 ,let us not think of it any     
more4 ,if you will forget what is past1 
we will gild you over brighter again    

than before4'  ,man has never been at a 
loss for gods4 ,he has worshiped almost 
everything1 including the vilest and    
most disgusting beasts4 ,he has         
worshiped fire1 earth1 air1 water1      
light1 stars1 and for hundreds of ages  
prostrated himself before enormous      
snakes4 ,savage tribes often make gods  
of articles they get from civilized     
people4 ,the ,to-das worship a cow-bell4
 ,the ,kotas worship two silver plates1 
which they regard as husband and wife1  
and another tribe manufactured a god out
 of a king of hearts4  ,man1 having     
always been the physical superior of    
woman1 accounts for the fact that most  
of the high gods have been males4 ,had  
woman been the physical superior1 the   
powers supposed to be the rulers of     
,nature would have been women1 and      
instead of being represented in the     
apparel of man1 they would have         
luxuriated in trains1 low-necked        
dresses1 laces and back-hair4  ,nothing 
can be plainer than that each nation    

gives to its god its peculiar           
characteristics1 and that every         
individual gives to his god his personal
 peculiarities4  ,man has no ideas1 and 
can have none1 except those suggested by
 his surroundings4 ,he cannot conceive  
of anything utterly unlike what he has  
seen or felt4 ,he can exaggerate1       
diminish1 combine1 separate1 deform1    
beautify1 improve1 multiply and compare 
what he sees1 what he feels1 what he    
hears1 and all of which he takes        
cognizance through the medium of the    
senses2 but he cannot create4 ,having   
seen exhibitions of power1 he can say1  
omnipotent4 ,having lived1 he can say1  
immortality4 ,knowing something of time1
 he can say1 eternity4 ,conceiving      
something of intelligence1 he can say1  
,god ,having seen exhibitions of malice1
 he can say1 devil4 ,a few gleams of    
happiness having fallen athwart the     
gloom of his life1 he can say1 heaven4  
,pain1 in its numberless forms1 having  
been experienced1 he can say1 hell4 ,yet

 all these ideas have a foundation in   
fact1 and only a foundation4 ,the       
superstructure has been reared by       
exaggerating1 diminishing1 combining1   
separating1 deforming1 beautifying1     
improving or multiplying realities1 so  
that the edifice or fabric is but the   
incongruous grouping of what man has    
perceived through the medium of the     
senses4 ,it is as though we should give 
to a lion the wings of an eagle1 the    
hoofs of a bison1 the tail of a horse1  
the pouch of a kangaroo1 and the trunk  
of an elephant4 ,we have in imagination 
created an impossible monster4 ,and yet 
the various parts of this monster really
 exist4 ,so it is with all the gods that
 man has made4  ,beyond nature man      
cannot go even in thought--above nature 
he cannot rise--below nature he cannot  
fall4  ,man1 in his ignorance1 supposed 
that all phenomena were produced by some
 intelligent powers1 and with direct    
reference to him4 ,to preserve friendly 
relations with these powers was1 and    

still is1 the object of all religions4  
,man knelt through fear and to implore  
assistance1 or through gratitude for    
some favor which he supposed had been   
rendered4 ,he endeavored by supplication
 to appease some being who1 for some    
reason1 had1 as he believed1 become     
enraged4 ,the lightning and thunder     
terrified him4 ,in the presence of the  
volcano he sank upon his knees4 ,the    
great forests filled with wild and      
ferocious beasts1 the monstrous serpents
 crawling in mysterious depths1 the     
boundless sea1 the flaming comets1 the  
sinister eclipses1 the awful calmness of
 the stars1 and1 more than all1 the     
perpetual presence of death1 convinced  
him that he was the sport and prey of   
unseen and malignant powers4 ,the       
strange and frightful diseases to which 
he was subject1 the freezings and       
burnings of fever1 the contortions of   
epilepsy1 the sudden palsies1 the       
darkness of night1 and the wild1        
terrible and fantastic dreams that      

filled his brain1 satisfied him that he 
was haunted and pursued by countless    
spirits of evil4 ,for some reason he    
supposed that these spirits differed in 
power--that they were not all alike     
malevolent--that the higher controlled  
the lower1 and that his very existence  
depended upon gaining the assistance of 
the more powerful4 ,for this purpose he 
resorted to prayer1 to flattery1 to     
worship and to sacrifice4  ,these ideas 
appear to have been almost universal in 
savage man4  ,for ages all nations      
supposed that the sick and insane were  
possessed by evil spirits4 ,for         
thousands of years the practice of      
medicine consisted in frightening these 
spirits away4 ,usually the priests would
 make the loudest and most discordant   
noises possible4 ,they would blow horns1
 beat upon rude drums1 clash cymbals1   
and in the meantime utter the most      
unearthly yells4 ,if the noise-remedy   
failed1 they would implore the aid of   
some more powerful spirit4  ,to pacify  

these spirits was considered of infinite
 importance4 ,the poor barbarian1       
knowing that men could be softened by   
gifts1 gave to these spirits that which 
to him seemed of the most value4 ,with  
bursting heart he would offer the blood 
of his dearest child4 ,it was impossible
 for him to conceive of a god utterly   
unlike himself1 and he naturally        
supposed that these powers of the air   
would be affected a little at the sight 
of so great and so deep a sorrow4 ,it   
was with the barbarian then as with the 
civilized now--one class lived upon and 
made merchandise of the fears of        
another4 ,certain persons took it upon  
themselves to appease the gods1 and to  
instruct the people in their duties to  
these unseen powers4 ,this was the      
origin of the priesthood4 ,the priest   
pretended to stand between the wrath of 
the gods and the helplessness of man4   
,he was man's attorney at the court of  
heaven4 ,he carried to the invisible    
world a flag of truce1 a protest and a  

request4 ,he came back with a command1  
with authority and with power4 ,man fell
 upon his knees before his own servant1 
and the priest1 taking advantage of the 
awe inspired by his supposed influence  
with the gods1 made of his fellow-man a 
cringing hypocrite and slave4 ,even     
,christ1 the supposed son of ,god1      
taught that persons were possessed of   
evil spirits1 and frequently1 according 
to the account1 gave proof of his divine
 origin and mission by frightening      
droves of devils out of his unfortunate 
countrymen4 ,casting out devils was his 
principal employment1 and the devils    
thus banished generally took occasion to
 acknowledge him as the true ,messiah2  
which was not only very kind of them1   
but quite fortunate for him4 ,the       
religious people have always regarded   
the testimony of these devils as        
perfectly conclusive1 and the writers of
 the ,new ,testament quote the words of 
these imps of darkness with great       
satisfaction4  ,the fact that ,christ   

could withstand the temptations of the  
devil was considered as conclusive      
evidence that he was assisted by some   
god1 or at least by some being superior 
to man4 ,st4 ,matthew gives an account  
of an attempt made by the devil to tempt
 the supposed son of ,god2 and it has   
always excited the wonder of ,christians
 that the temptation was so nobly and   
heroically withstood4 ,the account to   
which ,i refer is as follows3  ,then was
 ,jesus led up of the spirit into the   
wilderness to be tempted of the devil4  
,and when the tempter came to him1 he   
said3 ',if thou be the son of ,god1     
command that these stones be made       
bread4' ,but he answered1 and said3 ',it
 is written3 man shall not live by bread
 alone1 but by every word that          
proceedeth out of the mouth of ,god4'   
,then the devil taketh him up into the  
holy city and setteth him upon a        
pinnacle of the temple and saith unto   
him3 ',if thou be the son of ,god1 cast 
thyself down1 for it is written1 ,he    

shall give his angels charge concerning 
thee1 lest at any time thou shalt dash  
thy foot against a stone4' ,jesus said  
unto him3 ',it is written again1 thou   
shalt not tempt the ,lord thy ,god4'    
,again the devil taketh him up into an  
exceeding high mountain and sheweth him 
all the kingdoms of the world and the   
glory of them1 and saith unto him3 ',all
 these will ,i give thee if thou wilt   
fall down and worship me4'  ,the        
,christians now claim that ,jesus was   
,god4 ,if he was ,god1 of course the    
devil knew that fact1 and yet1 according
 to this account1 the devil took the    
omnipotent ,god and placed him upon a   
pinnacle of the temple1 and endeavored  
to induce him to dash himself against   
the earth4 ,failing in that1 he took the
 creator1 owner and governor of the     
universe up into an exceeding high      
mountain1 and offered him this          
world--this grain of sand--if he1 the   
,god of all the worlds1 would fall down 
and worship him1 a poor devil1 without  

even a tax title to one foot of dirt6   
,is it possible the devil was such an   
idiot8 ,should any great credit be given
 to this deity for not being caught with
 such chaff8 ,think of it6 ,the         
devil--the prince of sharpers--the king 
of cunning--the master of finesse1      
trying to bribe ,god with a grain of    
sand that belonged to ,god6  ,is there  
in all the religious literature of the  
world anything more grossly absurd than 
this8  ,these devils1 according to the  
bible1 were of various kinds--some could
 speak and hear1 others were deaf and   
dumb4 ,all could not be cast out in the 
same way4 ,the deaf and dumb spirits    
were quite difficult to deal with4 ,st4 
,mark tells of a gentleman who brought  
his son to ,christ ,the boy1 it seems1  
was possessed of a dumb spirit1 over    
which the disciples had no control4     
,jesus said unto the spirit3 ',thou dumb
 and deaf spirit1 ,i charge thee come   
out of him1 and enter no more into him4'
 ,whereupon1 the deaf spirit 7having    

heard what was said7 cried out 7being   
dumb7 and immediately vacated the       
premises4 ,the ease with which ,christ  
controlled this deaf and dumb spirit    
excited the wonder of his disciples1 and
 they asked him privately why they could
 not cast that spirit out4 ,to whom he  
replied3 ,this kind can come forth by   
nothing but prayer and fasting4 ,is     
there a ,christian in the whole world   
who would believe such a story if found 
in any other book8 ,the trouble is1     
these pious people shut up their reason1
 and then open their bible4  ,in the    
olden times the existence of devils was 
universally admitted4 ,the people had no
 doubt upon that subject1 and from such 
belief it followed as a matter of       
course1 that a person1 in order to      
vanquish these devils1 had either to be 
a god1 or to be assisted by one4 ,all   
founders of religions have established  
their claims to divine origin by        
controlling evil spirits and suspending 
the laws of nature4 ,casting out devils 

was a certificate of divinity4 ,a       
prophet1 unable to cope with the powers 
of darkness was regarded with contempt  
,the utterance of the highest and       
noblest sentiments1 the most blameless  
and holy life1 commanded but little     
respect1 unless accompanied by power to 
work miracles and command spirits4      
,this belief in good and evil powers had
 its origin in the fact that man was    
surrounded by what he was pleased to    
call good and evil phenomena4 ,phenomena
 affecting man pleasantly were ascribed 
to good spirits1 while those affecting  
him unpleasantly or injuriously1 were   
ascribed to evil spirits4 ,it being     
admitted that all phenomena were        
produced by spirits1 the spirits were   
divided according to the phenomena1 and 
the phenomena were good or bad as they  
affected man4  ,good spirits were       
supposed to be the authors of good      
phenomena1 and evil spirits of the      
evil--so that the idea of a devil has   
been as universal as the idea of a god4 

,many writers maintain that an idea to  
become universal must be true2 that all 
universal ideas are innate1 and that    
innate ideas cannot be false4 ,if the   
fact that an idea has been universal    
proves that it is innate1 and if the    
fact that an idea is innate proves that 
it is correct1 then the believers in    
innate ideas must admit that the        
evidence of a god superior to nature1   
and of a devil superior to nature1 is   
exactly the same1 and that the existence
 of such a devil must be as self-evident
 as the existence of such a god4 ,the   
truth is1 a god was inferred from good2 
and a devil from bad1 phenomena4 ,and it
 is just as natural and logical to      
suppose that a devil would cause        
happiness as to suppose that a god would
 produce misery4 ,consequently1 if an   
intelligence1 infinite and supreme1 is  
the immediate author of all phenomena1  
it is difficult to determine whether    
such intelligence is the friend or enemy
 of man4 ,if phenomena were all good1 we

 might say they were all produced by a  
perfectly beneficent being4 ,if they    
were all bad1 we might say they were    
produced by a perfectly malevolent      
power2 but1 as phenomena are1 as they   
affect man1 both good and bad1 they must
 be produced by different and           
antagonistic spirits2 by one who is     
sometimes actuated by kindness1 and     
sometimes by malice2 or all must be     
produced of necessity1 and without      
reference to their consequences upon    
man4  ,the foolish doctrine that all    
phenomena can be traced to the          
interference of good and evil spirits1  
has been1 and still is1 almost          
universal4 ,that most people still      
believe in some spirit that can change  
the natural order of events1 is proven  
by the fact that nearly all resort to   
prayer4 ,thousands1 at this very moment1
 are probably imploring some supposed   
power to interfere in their behalf4     
,some want health restored2 some ask    
that the loved and absent be watched    

over and protected1 some pray for       
riches1 some for rain1 some want        
diseases stayed1 some vainly ask for    
food1 some ask for revivals1 a few ask  
for more wisdom1 and now and then one   
tells the ,lord to do as he may think   
best4 ,thousands ask to be protected    
from the devil2 some1 like ,david1 pray 
for revenge1 and some implore1 even     
,god1 not to lead them into temptation4 
,all these prayers rest upon1 and are   
produced by1 the idea that some power   
not only can1 but probably will1 change 
the order of the universe4 ,this belief 
has been among the great majority of    
tribes and nations4 ,all sacred books   
are filled with the accounts of such    
interferences1 and our own bible is no  
exception to this rule4  ,if we believe 
in a power superior to nature1 it is    
perfectly natural to suppose that such  
power can and will interfere in the     
affairs of this world4 ,if there is no  
interference1 of what practical use can 
such power be8 ,the scriptures give us  

the most wonderful accounts of divine   
interference3 ,animals talk like men2   
springs gurgle from dry bones2 the sun  
and moon stop in the heavens in order   
that ,general ,joshua may have more time
 to murder2 the shadow on a dial goes   
back ten degrees to convince a petty    
king of a barbarous people that he is   
not going to die of a boil2 fire refuses
 to burn2 water positively declines to  
seek its level1 but stands up like a    
wall2 grains of sand become lice2 common
 walking-sticks1 to gratify a mere      
freak1 twist themselves into serpents1  
and then swallow each other by way of   
exercise2 murmuring streams1 laughing at
 the attraction of gravitation1 run up  
hill for years1 following wandering     
tribes from a pure love of frolic2      
prophecy becomes altogether easier than 
history2 the sons of ,god become        
enamored of the world's girls2 women are
 changed into salt for the purpose of   
keeping a great event fresh in the minds
 of men2 an excellent article of        

brimstone is imported from heaven free  
of duty2 clothes refuse to wear out for 
forty years2 birds keep restaurants and 
feed wandering prophets free of expense2
 bears tear children in pieces for      
laughing at old men without wigs2       
muscular development depends upon the   
length of one's hair2 dead people come  
to life1 simply to get a joke on their  
enemies and heirs2 witches and wizards  
converse freely with the souls of the   
departed1 and ,god himself becomes a    
stone-cutter and engraver1 after having 
been a tailor and dressmaker4  ,the veil
 between heaven and earth was always    
rent or lifted4 ,the shadows of this    
world1 the radiance of heaven1 and the  
glare of hell mixed and mingled until   
man became uncertain as to which country
 he really inhabited4 ,man dwelt in an  
unreal world4 ,he mistook his ideas1 his
 dreams1 for real things4 ,his fears    
became terrible and malicious monsters4 
,he lived in the midst of furies and    
fairies1 nymphs and naiads1 goblins and 

ghosts1 witches and wizards1 sprites and
 spooks1 deities and devils4 ,the       
obscure and gloomy depths were filled   
with claw and wing--with beak and       
hoof--with leering looks and sneering   
mouths--with the malice of              
deformity--with the cunning of hatred1  
and with all the slimy forms that fear  
can draw and paint upon the shadowy     
canvas of the dark4  ,it is enough to   
make one almost insane with pity to     
think what man in the long night has    
suffered2 of the tortures he has        
endured1 surrounded1 as he supposed1 by 
malignant powers and clutched by the    
fierce phantoms of the air4 ,no wonder  
that he fell upon his trembling         
knees--that he built altars and reddened
 them even with his own blood4 ,no      
wonder that he implored ignorant priests
 and impudent magicians for aid4 ,no    
wonder that he crawled groveling in the 
dust to the temple's door1 and there1 in
 the insanity of despair1 besought the  
deaf gods to hear his bitter cry of     

agony and fear4  ,the savage1 as he     
emerges from a state of barbarism1      
gradually loses faith in his idols of   
wood and stone1 and in their place puts 
a multitude of spirits4 ,as he advances 
in knowledge1 he generally discards the 
petty spirits1 and in their stead       
believes in one1 whom he supposes to be 
infinite and supreme4 ,supposing this   
great spirit to be superior to nature1  
he offers worship or flattery in        
exchange for assistance4 ,at last1      
finding that he obtains no aid from this
 supposed deity--finding that every     
search after the absolute must of       
necessity end in failure--finding that  
man cannot by any possibility conceive  
of the conditionless--he begins to      
investigate the facts by which he is    
surrounded1 and to depend upon himself  
,the people are beginning to think1 to  
reason and to investigate4 ,slowly1     
painfully1 but surely1 the gods are     
being driven from the earth4 ,only upon 
rare occasions are they1 even by the    

most religious1 supposed to interfere in
 the affairs of men4 ,in most matters we
 are at last supposed to be free4 ,since
 the invention of steamships and        
railways1 so that the products of all   
countries can be easily interchanged1   
the gods have quit the business of      
producing famine4 ,now and then they    
kill a child because it is idolized by  
its parents4 ,as a rule they have given 
up causing accidents on railroads1      
exploding boilers1 and bursting kerosene
 lamps4 ,cholera1 yellow fever1 and     
small-pox are still considered heavenly 
weapons2 but measles1 itch and ague are 
now attributed to natural causes4 ,as a 
general thing1 the gods have stopped    
drowning children1 except as a          
punishment for violating the ,sabbath4  
,they still pay some attention to the   
affairs of kings1 men of genius and     
persons of great wealth2 but ordinary   
people are left to shirk for themselves 
as best they may4 ,in wars between great
 nations1 the gods still interfere2 but 

in prize fights1 the best man with an   
honest referee1 is almost sure to win4  
,the church cannot abandon the idea of  
special providence4 ,to give up that    
doctrine is to give up all4 ,the church 
must insist that prayer is              
answered--that some power superior to   
nature hears and grants the request of  
the sincere and humble ,christian1 and  
that this same power in some mysterious 
way provides for all4  ,a devout        
clergyman sought every opportunity to   
impress upon the mind of his son the    
fact1 that ,god takes care of all his   
creatures2 that the falling sparrow     
attracts his attention1 and that his    
loving kindness is over all his works4  
,happening1 one day1 to see a crane     
wading in quest of food1 the good man   
pointed out to his son the perfect      
adaptation of the crane to get his      
living in that manner4 ,see1 said he1   
how his legs are formed for wading6     
,what a long slender bill he has6       
,observe how nicely he folds his feet   

when putting them in or drawing them out
 of the water6 ,he does not cause the   
slightest ripple4 ,he is thus enabled to
 approach the fish without giving them  
any notice of his arrival4 ,my son1 said
 he1 it is impossible to look at that   
bird without recognizing the design1 as 
well as the goodness of ,god1 in thus   
providing the means of subsistence4     
,yes1 replied the boy1 ,i think ,i see  
the goodness of ,god1 at least so far as
 the crane is concerned2 but after all1 
father1 don't you think the arrangement 
a little tough on the fish8  ,even the  
advanced religionist1 although          
disbelieving in any great amount of     
interference by the gods in this age of 
the world1 still thinks1 that in the    
beginning1 some god made the laws       
governing the universe4 ,he believes    
that in consequence of these laws a man 
can lift a greater weight with1 than    
without1 a lever2 that this god so made 
matter1 and so established the order of 
things1 that two bodies cannot occupy   

the same space at the same time2 so that
 a body once put in motion will keep    
moving until it is stopped2 so that it  
is a greater distance around1 than      
across a circle2 so that a perfect      
square has four equal sides1 instead of 
five or seven4 ,he insists that it took 
a direct interposition of providence to 
make the whole greater than a part1 and 
that had it not been for this power     
superior to nature1 twice one might have
 been more than twice two1 and sticks   
and strings might have had only one end 
apiece4 ,like the old ,scotch divine1 he
 thanks ,god that ,sunday comes at the  
end instead of in the middle of the     
week1 and that death comes at the close 
instead of at the commencement of life1 
thereby giving us time to prepare for   
that holy day and that most solemn event
 ,these religious people see nothing but
 design everywhere1 and personal1       
intelligent interference in everything4 
,they insist that the universe has been 
created1 and that the adaptation of     

means to ends is perfectly apparent4    
,they point us to the sunshine1 to the  
flowers1 to the ,april rain1 and to all 
there is of beauty and of use in the    
world4 ,did it ever occur to them that a
 cancer is as beautiful in its          
development as is the reddest rose8     
,that what they are pleased to call the 
adaptation of means to ends1 is as      
apparent in the cancer as in the ,april 
rain8 ,how beautiful the process of     
digestion6 ,by what ingenious methods   
the blood is poisoned so that the cancer
 shall have food6 ,by what wonderful    
contrivances the entire system of man is
 made to pay tribute to this divine and 
charming cancer6 ,see by what admirable 
instrumentalities it feeds itself from  
the surrounding quivering1 dainty flesh6
 ,see how it gradually but surely       
expands and grows6 ,by what marvelous   
mechanism it is supplied with long and  
slender roots that reach out to the most
 secret nerves of pain for sustenance   
and life6 ,what beautiful colors it     

presents6 ,seen through the microscope  
it is a miracle of order and beauty4    
,all the ingenuity of man cannot stop   
its growth4 ,think of the amount of     
thought it must have required to invent 
a way by which the life of one man might
 be given to produce one cancer8 ,is it 
possible to look upon it and doubt that 
there is design in the universe1 and    
that the inventor of this wonderful     
cancer must be infinitely powerful1     
ingenious and good8  ,we are told that  
the universe was designed and created1  
and that it is absurd to suppose that   
matter has existed from eternity1 but   
that it is perfectly self-evident that a
 god has4  ,if a god created the        
universe1 then1 there must have been a  
time when he commenced to create4 ,back 
of that time there must have been an    
eternity1 during which there had existed
 nothing--absolutely nothing--except    
this supposed god4 ,according to this   
theory1 this god spent an eternity1 so  
to speak1 in an infinite vacuum1 and in 

perfect idleness4  ,admitting that a god
 did create the universe1 the question  
then arises1 of what did he create it8  
,it certainly was not made of nothing4  
,nothing1 considered in the light of a  
raw material1 is a most decided failure4
 ,it follows1 then1 that the god must   
have made the universe out of himself1  
he being the only existence4 ,the       
universe is material1 and if it was made
 of god1 the god must have been         
material4 ,with this very thought in his
 mind1 ,anaximander of ,miletus said3   
,creation is the decomposition of the   
infinite4  ,it has been demonstrated    
that the earth would fall to the sun1   
only for the fact1 that it is attracted 
by other worlds1 and those worlds must  
be attracted by other worlds still      
beyond them1 and so on1 without end4    
,this proves the material universe to be
 infinite4 ,if an infinite universe has 
been made out of an infinite god1 how   
much of the god is left8  ,the idea of a
 creative deity is gradually being      

abandoned1 and nearly all truly         
scientific minds admit that matter must 
have existed from eternity4 ,it is      
indestructible1 and the indestructible  
cannot be created4 ,it is the crowning  
glory of our century to have            
demonstrated the indestructibility and  
the eternal persistence of force4       
,neither matter nor force can be        
increased nor diminished4 ,force cannot 
exist apart from matter4 ,matter exists 
only in connection with force1 and      
consequently1 a force apart from matter1
 and superior to nature1 is a           
demonstrated impossibility4  ,force1    
then1 must have also existed from       
eternity1 and could not have been       
created4 ,matter in its countless forms1
 from dead earth to the eyes of those we
 love1 and force1 in all its            
manifestations1 from simple motion to   
the grandest thought1 deny creation and 
defy control4  ,thought is a form of    
force4 ,we walk with the same force with
 which we think4 ,man is an organism1   

that changes several forms of force into
 thought-force4 ,man is a machine into  
which we put what we call food1 and     
produce what we call thought4 ,think of 
that wonderful chemistry by which bread 
was changed into the divine tragedy of  
,hamlet6  ,a god must not only be       
material1 but he must be an organism1   
capable of changing other forms of force
 into thought-force4 ,this is what we   
call eating4 ,therefore1 if the god     
thinks1 he must eat1 that is to say1 he 
must of necessity have some means of    
supplying the force with which to think4
 ,it is impossible to conceive of a     
being who can eternally impart force to 
matter1 and yet have no means of        
supplying the force thus imparted4  ,if 
neither matter nor force were created1  
what evidence have we1 then1 of the     
existence of a power superior to nature8
 ,the theologian will probably reply1   
,we have law and order1 cause and       
effect1 and beside all this1 matter     
could not have put itself in motion4    

,suppose1 for the sake of the argument1 
that there is no being superior to      
nature1 and that matter and force have  
existed from eternity4 ,now suppose that
 two atoms should come together1 would  
there be an effect8 ,yes4 ,suppose they 
came in exactly opposite directions with
 equal force1 they would be stopped1 to 
say the least4 ,this would be an effect4
 ,if this is so1 then you have matter1  
force and effect without a being        
superior to nature4 ,now suppose that   
two other atoms1 just like the first    
two1 should come together under         
precisely the same circumstances1 would 
not the effect be exactly the same8     
,yes4 ,like causes1 producing like      
effects1 is what we mean by law and     
order4 ,then we have matter1 force1     
effect1 law and order without a being   
superior to nature4 ,now1 we know that  
every effect must also be a cause1 and  
that every cause must be an effect4 ,the
 atoms coming together did produce an   
effect1 and as every effect must also be

 a cause1 the effect produced by the    
collision of the atoms1 must as to      
something else have been a cause4 ,then 
we have matter1 force1 law1 order1 cause
 and effect without a being superior    
to-nature4 ,nothing is left for the     
supernatural but empty space4 ,his      
throne is a void1 and his boasted realm 
is without matter1 without force without
 law1 without cause1 and without effect4
  ,but what put all this matter in      
motion8 ,if matter and force have       
existed from eternity1 then matter must 
have always been in motion4 ,there can  
be no force without motion4 ,force is   
forever active1 and there is1 and there 
can be no cessation4 ,if1 therefore1    
matter and force have existed from      
eternity1 so has motion4 ,in the whole  
universe there is not even one atom in a
 state of rest4  ,a deity outside of    
nature exists in nothing1 and is        
nothing4 ,nature embraces with infinite 
arms all matter and all force4 ,that    
which is beyond her grasp is destitute  

of both1 and can hardly be worth the    
worship and adoration even of a man4    
,there is but one way to demonstrate the
 existence of a power independent of and
 superior to nature1 and that is by     
breaking1 if only for one moment1 the   
continuity of cause and effect ,pluck   
from the endless chain of existence one 
little link2 stop for one instant the   
grand procession1 and you have shown    
beyond all contradiction that nature has
 a master4 ,change the fact1 just for   
one second1 that matter attracts matter1
 and a god appears4  ,the rudest savage 
has always known this fact1 and for that
 reason always demanded the evidence of 
miracle4 ,the founder of a religion must
 be able to turn water into wine--cure  
with a word the blind and lame1 and     
raise with a simple touch the dead to   
life4 ,it was necessary for him to      
demonstrate to the satisfaction of his  
barbarian disciple1 that he was superior
 to nature4 ,in times of ignorance this 
was easy to do4 ,the credulity of the   

savage was almost boundless4 ,to him the
 marvelous was the beautiful1 the       
mysterious was the sublime4             
,consequently1 every religion has for   
its foundation a miracle--that is to    
say1 a violation of nature--that is to  
say1 a falsehood4  ,no one1 in the      
world's whole history1 ever attempted to
 substantiate a truth by a miracle4     
,truth scorns the assistance of miracle4
 ,nothing but falsehood ever attested   
itself by signs and wonders4 ,no miracle
 ever was performed1 and no sane man    
ever thought he had performed one1 and  
until one is performed1 there can be no 
evidence of the existence of any power  
superior to1 and independent of nature4 
,the church wishes us to believe4 ,let  
the church1 or one of its intellectual  
saints1 perform a miracle1 and we will  
believe4 ,we are told that nature has a 
superior1 ,let this superior1 for  one  
single instant1 control nature1 and we  
will admit the truth of your assertions4
  ,we have heard talk enough4 ,we have  

listened to all the drowsy1 idealess1   
vapid sermons that we wish to hear4 ,we 
have read your bible and the works of   
your best minds4 ,we have heard your    
prayers1 your solemn groans and your    
reverential amens4 ,all these amount to 
less than nothing4 ,we want one fact4   
,we beg at the doors of your churches   
for just one little fact ,we pass our   
hats along your pews and under your     
pulpits and implore you for just one    
fact ,we know all about your mouldy     
wonders and your stale miracles4 ,we    
want a this year's fact ,we ask only    
one4 ,give us one fact for charity4     
,your miracles are too ancient ,the     
witnesses have been dead for nearly two 
thousand years4 ,their reputation for   
truth and veracity in the neighborhood  
where they resided is wholly unknown to 
us4 ,give us a new miracle1 and         
substantiate it by witnesses who still  
have the cheerful habit of living in    
this world4 ,do not send us to ,jericho 
to hear the winding horns1 nor put us in

 the fire with ,shadrach1 ,meshech1 and 
,abednego4 ,do not compel us to navigate
 the sea with ,captain ,jonah1 nor dine 
with ,mr4 ,ezekiel4 ,there is no sort of
 use in sending us fox-hunting with     
,samson4 ,we have positively lost all   
interest in that little speech so       
eloquently delivered by ,balaam's       
inspired donkey4 ,it is worse than      
useless to show us fishes with money in 
their mouths1 and call our attention to 
vast multitudes stuffing themselves with
 five crackers and two sardines4 ,we    
demand a new miracle1 and we demand it  
now4 ,let the church furnish at least   
one1 or forever after hold her peace4   
,in the olden time1 the church1 by      
violating the order of nature1 proved   
the existence of her ,god4 ,at that time
 miracles were performed with the most  
astonishing ease4 ,they became so common
 that the church ordered her priests to 
desist4 ,and now this same church--the  
people having found some little         
sense--admits1 not only1 that she cannot

 perform a miracle1 but insists that the
 absence of miracle--the steady1        
unbroken march of cause and effect1     
proves the existence of a power superior
 to nature4 ,the fact is1 however1 that 
the indissoluble chain of cause and     
effect proves exactly the contrary4     
,sir ,william ,hamilton1 one of the     
pillars of modern theology1 in          
discussing this very subject1 uses the  
following language3 ,the phenomena of   
matter taken by themselves1 so far from 
warranting any inference to the         
existence of a god1 would on the        
contrary ground even an argument to his 
negation4 ,the phenomena of the material
 world are subjected to immutable laws2 
are produced and reproduced in the same 
invariable succession1 and manifest only
 the blind force of a mechanical        
necessity4  ,nature is but an endless   
series of efficient causes4 ,she cannot 
create1 but she eternally transforms4   
,there was no beginning1 and there can  
be no end4  ,the best minds1 even in the

 religious world1 admit that in material
 nature there is no evidence of what    
they are pleased to call a god4 ,they   
find their evidence in the phenomena of 
intelligence1 and very innocently assert
 that intelligence is above1 and in     
fact1 opposed to nature4 ,they insist   
that man1 at least1 is a special        
creation2 that he has somewhere in his  
brain a divine spark1 a little portion  
of the ,great ,first ,cause4 ,they say  
that matter cannot produce thought2 but 
that thought can produce matter4 ,they  
tell us that man has intelligence1 and  
therefore there must be an intelligence 
greater than his4 ,why not say1 ,god has
 intelligence1 therefore there must be  
an intelligence greater than his8 ,so   
far as we know1 there is no intelligence
 apart from matter4 ,we cannot conceive 
of thought1 except as produced within a 
brain4  ,the science1 by means of which 
they demonstrate the existence of an    
impossible intelligence1 and an         
incomprehensible power is called1       

metaphysics or theology4 ,the           
theologians admit that the phenomena of 
matter tend1 at least1 to disprove the  
existence of any power superior to      
nature1 because in such phenomena we see
 nothing but an endless chain of        
efficient causes--nothing but the force 
of a mechanical necessity4 ,they        
therefore appeal to what they denominate
 the phenomena of mind to establish this
 superior power4  ,the trouble is1 that 
in the phenomena of mind we find the    
same endless chain of efficient causes2 
the same mechanical necessity4 ,every   
thought must have had an efficient      
cause4 ,every motive1 every desire1     
every fear1 hope and dream must have    
been necessarily produced4 ,there is no 
room in the mind of man for providence  
or chance4 ,the facts and forces        
governing thought are as absolute as    
those governing the motions of the      
planets4 ,a poem is produced by the     
forces of nature1 and is as necessarily 
and naturally produced as mountains and 

seas4 ,you will seek in vain for a      
thought in man's brain without its      
efficient cause4 ,every mental operation
 is the necessary result of certain     
facts and conditions4 ,mental phenomena 
are considered more complicated than    
those of matter1 and consequently more  
mysterious4 ,being more mysterious1 they
 are considered better evidence of the  
existence of a god4 ,no one infers a god
 from the simple1 from the known1 from  
what is understood1 but from the        
complex1 from the unknown1 and          
incomprehensible4 ,our ignorance is     
,god2 what we know is science4  ,when we
 abandon the doctrine that some infinite
 being created matter and force1 and    
enacted a code of laws for their        
government1 the idea of interference    
will be lost4 ,the real priest will then
 be1 not the mouth-piece of some        
pretended deity1 but the interpreter of 
nature4 ,from that moment the church    
ceases to exist ,the tapers will die out
 upon the dusty altar2 the moths will   

eat the fading velvet of pulpit and pew2
 the ,bible will take its place with the
 ,shastras1 ,puranas1 ,vedas1 ,eddas1   
,sagas and ,korans1 and the fetters of a
 degrading faith will fall from the     
minds of men4  ,but1 says the           
religionist1 you cannot explain         
everything2 you cannot understand       
everything2 and that which you cannot   
explain1 that which you do not          
comprehend1 is my ,god4  ,we are        
explaining more every day4 ,we are      
understanding more every day2           
consequently your ,god is growing       
smaller every day4  ,nothing daunted1   
the religionist then insists that       
nothing can exist without a cause1      
except cause1 and that this uncaused    
cause is ,god4  ,to this we again reply3
 ,every cause must produce an effect1   
because until it does produce an effect1
 it is not a cause4 ,every effect must  
in its turn become a cause4 ,therefore1 
in the nature of things1 there cannot be
 a last cause1 for the reason that a    

so-called last cause would necessarily  
produce an effect1 and that effect must 
of necessity become a cause4 ,the       
converse of these propositions must be  
true4 ,every effect must have had a     
cause1 and every cause must have been an
 effect4 ,therefore1 there could have   
been no first cause4 ,a first cause is  
just as impossible as a last effect     
,beyond the universe there is nothing1  
and within the universe the supernatural
 does not and cannot exist ,the moment  
these great truths are understood and   
admitted1 a belief in general or special
 providence becomes impossible4 ,from   
that instant men will cease their vain  
efforts to please an imaginary being1   
and will give their time and attention  
to the affairs of this world4 ,they will
 abandon the idea of attaining any      
object by prayer and supplication4 ,the 
element of uncertainty will1 in a great 
measure1 be removed from the domain of  
the future1 and man1 gathering courage  
from a succession of victories over the 

obstructions of nature1 will attain a   
serene grandeur unknown to the disciples
 of any superstition4 ,the plans of     
mankind will no longer be interfered    
with by the finger of a supposed        
omnipotence1 and no one will believe    
that nations or individuals are         
protected or destroyed by any deity     
whatever4 ,science1 freed from the      
chains of pious custom and evangelical  
prejudice1 will1 within her sphere1 be  
supreme4 ,the mind will investigate     
without reverence1 and publish its      
conclusions without fear4 ,agassiz will 
no longer hesitate to declare the       
,mosaic cosmogony utterly inconsistent  
with the demonstrated truths of geology1
 and will cease pretending any reverence
 for the ,jewish scriptures4 ,the moment
 science succeeds in rendering the      
church powerless for evil1 the real     
thinkers will be outspoken4 ,the little 
flags of truce carried by timid         
philosophers will disappear1 and the    
cowardly parley will give place to      

victory--lasting and universal4  ,if we 
admit that some infinite being has      
controlled the destinies of persons and 
peoples1 history becomes a most cruel   
and bloody farce4 ,age after age1 the   
strong have trampled upon the weak2 the 
crafty and heartless have ensnared and  
enslaved the simple and innocent1 and   
nowhere1 in all the annals of mankind1  
has any god succored the oppressed4     
,man should cease to expect aid from on 
high4 ,by this time he should know that 
heaven has no ear to hear1 and no hand  
to help4 ,the present is the necessary  
child of all the past4 ,there has been  
no chance1 and there can be no          
interference4  ,if abuses are destroyed1
 man must destroy them4 ,if slaves are  
freed1 man must free them4 ,if new      
truths are discovered1 man must discover
 them4 ,if the naked are clothed2 if the
 hungry are fed2 if justice is done2 if 
labor is rewarded2 if superstition is   
driven from the mind2 if the defenseless
 are protected1 and if the right finally

 triumphs1 all must be the work of man4 
,the grand victories of the future must 
be won by man1 and by man alone4        
,nature1 so far as we can discern1      
without passion and without intention1  
forms1 transforms1 and retransforms     
forever4 ,she neither weeps nor         
rejoices4 ,she produces man without     
purpose1 and obliterates him without    
regret4 ,she knows no distinction       
between the beneficial and the hurtful4 
,poison and nutrition1 pain and joy1    
life and death1 smiles and tears are    
alike to her4 ,she is neither merciful  
nor cruel4 ,she cannot be flattered by  
worship nor melted by tears4 ,she does  
not know even the attitude of prayer4   
,she appreciates no difference between  
poison in the fangs of snakes and mercy 
in the hearts of men4 ,only through man 
does nature take cognizance of the good1
 the true1 and the beautiful2 and1 so   
far as we know1 man is the highest      
intelligence4 ,and yet man continues to 
believe that there is some power        

independent of and superior to nature1  
and still endeavors1 by form1 ceremony1 
supplication1 hypocrisy and sacrifice1  
to obtain its aid4 ,his best energies   
have been wasted in the service of this 
phantom4 ,the horrors of witchcraft were
 all born of an ignorant belief in the  
existence of a totally depraved being   
superior to nature1 acting in perfect   
independence of her laws2 and all       
religious superstition has had for its  
basis a belief in at least two beings1  
one good and the other bad1 both of whom
 could arbitrarily change the order of  
the universe4 ,the history of religion  
is simply the story of man's efforts in 
all ages to avoid one of these powers1  
and to pacify the other4 ,both powers   
have inspired little else than1 abject  
fear4 ,the cold1 calculating sneer of   
the devil1 and the frown of1 ,god1 were 
equally terrible4 ,in any event1 man's  
fate was to be arbitrarily fixed forever
 by an unknown power superior to all    
law1 and to all fact4 ,until this belief

 is thrown aside1 man must consider     
himself the slave of phantom            
masters--neither of whom promise liberty
 in this world nor in the next4  ,man   
must learn to rely upon himself4        
,reading bibles will not protect him    
from the blasts of winter1 but houses1  
fires1 and clothing will4 ,to prevent   
famine1 one plow is worth a million     
sermons1 and even patent medicines will 
cure more diseases than all the prayers 
uttered since the beginning of the      
world4  ,although many eminent men have 
endeavored to harmonize necessity and   
free will1 the existence of evil1 and   
the infinite power and goodness of ,god1
 they have succeeded only in producing  
learned and ingenious failures4 ,immense
 efforts have been made to reconcile    
ideas utterly inconsistent with the     
facts by which we are surrounded1 and   
all persons who have failed to perceive 
the pretended reconciliation1 have been 
denounced as infidels1 atheists and     
scoffers4 ,the whole power of the church

 has been brought to bear against       
philosophers and scientists in order to 
compel a denial of the authority of     
demonstration1 and to induce some ,judas
 to betray ,reason1 one of the saviors  
of mankind4  ,during that frightful     
period known as the ,dark ,ages ,faith  
reigned1 with scarcely a rebellious     
subject4 ,her temples were carpeted with
 knees1 and the wealth of nations       
adorned her countless shrines4 ,the     
great painters prostituted their genius 
to immortalize her vagaries1 while the  
poets enshrined them in song4 ,at her   
bidding1 man covered the earth with     
blood4 ,the scales of ,justice were     
turned with her gold1 and for her use   
were invented all the cunning           
instruments of pain4 ,she built         
cathedrals for ,god1 and dungeons for   
men4 ,she peopled the clouds with angels
 and the earth with slaves4 ,for        
centuries the world was retracing its   
steps--going steadily back towards      
barbaric night6 ,a few infidels--a few  

heretics cried1 ,halt6 to the great     
rabble of ignorant devotion1 and made it
 possible for the genius of the         
nineteenth century to revolutionize the 
cruel creeds and superstitions of       
mankind4  ,the thoughts of man1 in order
 to be of any real worth1 must be free4 
,under the influence of fear the brain  
is paralyzed1 and instead of bravely    
solving a problem for itself1           
tremblingly adopts the solution of      
another4 ,as long as a majority of men  
will cringe to the very earth before    
some petty prince or king1 what must be 
the infinite abjectness of their little 
souls in the presence of their supposed 
creator and ,god8 ,under such           
circumstances1 what can their thoughts  
be worth8  ,the originality of          
repetition1 and the mental vigor of     
acquiescence1 are all that we have any  
right to expect from the ,christian     
world4 ,as long as every question is    
answered by the word god1 scientific    
inquiry is simply impossible4 ,as fast  

as phenomena are satisfactorily         
explained the domain of the power1      
supposed to be superior to nature must  
decrease1 while the horizon of the known
 must as constantly continue to enlarge4
  ,it is no longer satisfactory to      
account for the fall and rise of nations
 by saying1 ,it is the will of ,god4    
,such an explanation puts ignorance and 
education upon an exact equality1 and   
does away with the idea of really       
accounting for anything whatever4  ,will
 the religionist pretend that the real  
end of science is to ascertain how and  
why ,god acts8 ,science1 from such a    
standpoint would consist in             
investigating the law of arbitrary      
action1 and in a grand endeavor to      
ascertain the rules necessarily obeyed  
by infinite caprice4  ,from a           
philosophical point of view1 science is 
knowledge of the laws of life2 of the   
conditions of happiness2 of the facts by
 which we are surrounded1 and the       
relations we sustain to men and         

things--by means of which1 man1 so to   
speak1 subjugates nature and bends the  
elemental powers to his will1 making    
blind force the servant of his brain4   
,a belief in special providence does    
away with the spirit of investigation1  
and is inconsistent with personal effort
 ,why should man endeavor to thwart the 
designs of ,god8 ,which of your by      
taking thought1 can add one cubit to his
 stature8 ,under the influence of this  
belief1 man1 basking in the sunshine of 
a delusion1 considers the lilies of the 
field and refuses to take any-thought   
for the morrow4 ,believing himself in   
the power of an infinite being1 who can1
 at any moment1 dash him to the lowest  
hell or raise him to the highest heaven1
 he necessarily abandons the idea of    
accomplishing anything by his own       
efforts4 ,as long as this belief was    
general1 the world was filled with      
ignorance1 superstition and misery4 ,the
 energies of man were wasted in a vain  
effort to obtain the aid of this power1 

supposed to be superior to nature4 ,for 
countless ages1 even men were sacrificed
 upon the altar of this impossible god4 
,to please him1 mothers have shed the   
blood of their own babes2 martyrs have  
chanted triumphant songs in the midst of
 flame2 priests have gorged themselves  
with blood2 nuns have forsworn the      
ecstacies of love2 old men have         
tremblingly implored2 women have sobbed 
and entreated2 every pain has been      
endured1 and every horror has been      
perpetrated4 ,through the dim long years
 that have fled1 humanity has suffered  
more than can be conceived ,most of the 
misery has been endured by the weak1 the
 loving and the innocent ,women have    
been treated like poisonous beasts1 and 
little children trampled upon as though 
they had been vermin4 ,numberless altars
 have been reddened1 even with the blood
 of babes2 beautiful girls have been    
given to slimy serpents2 whole races of 
men doomed to centuries of slavery1 and 
everywhere there has been outrage beyond

 the power of genius to express4 ,during
 all these years the suffering have     
supplicated2 the withered lips of famine
 have prayed2 the pale victims have     
implored1 and ,heaven has been deaf and 
blind4  ,of what use have the gods been 
to man8  ,it is no answer to say that   
some god created the world1 established 
certain laws1 and then turned his       
attention to other matters1 leaving his 
children weak1 ignorant and unaided1 to 
fight the battle of life alone4 ,it is  
no solution to declare that in some     
other world this god will render a few1 
or even all1 his subjects happy4 ,what  
right have we to expect that a perfectly
 wise1 good and powerful being will ever
 do better than he has done1 and is     
doing8 ,the world is filled with        
imperfections4 ,if it was made by an    
infinite being1 what reason have we for 
saying that he will render it nearer    
perfect than it now is8 ,if the infinite
 ,father allows a majority of his       
children to live in ignorance and       

wretchedness now1 what evidence is there
 that he will ever improve their        
condition8 ,will ,god have more power8  
,will he become more merciful8 ,will his
 love for his poor creatures increase8  
,can the conduct of infinite wisdom1    
power and love ever change8 ,is the     
infinite capable of any improvement     
whatever8  ,we are informed by the      
clergy that this world is a kind of     
school2 that the evils by which we are  
surrounded are for the purpose of       
developing our souls1 and that only by  
suffering can men become pure1 strong1  
virtuous and grand4  ,supposing this to 
be true1 what is to become of those who 
die in infancy8 ,the little children1   
according to this philosophy1 can never 
be developed4 ,they were so unfortunate 
as to escape the ennobling influences of
 pain and misery1 and as a consequence1 
are doomed to an eternity of mental     
inferiority4 ,if the clergy are right on
 this question1 none are so unfortunate 
as the happy1 and we should envy only   

the suffering and distressed4 ,if evil  
is necessary to the development of man1 
in this life1 how is it possible for the
 soul to improve in the perfect joy of  
paradise8  ,since ,paley found his      
watch1 the argument of design has been  
relied upon as unanswerable4 ,the       
,church teaches that this world1 and all
 that it contains1 were created         
substantially as we now see them2 that  
the grasses1 the flowers1 the trees1 and
 all animals1 including man1 were       
special creations1 and that they sustain
 no necessary relation to each other4   
,the most orthodox will admit that some 
earth has been washed into the sea2 that
 the sea has encroached a little upon   
the land1 and that some mountains may be
 a trifle lower than in the morning of  
creation4 ,the theory of gradual        
development was unknown to our fathers2 
the idea of evolution did not occur to  
them4 ,our fathers looked upon the then 
arrangement of things as the primal     
arrangement ,the earth appeared to them 

fresh from the hands of a deity4 ,they  
knew nothing of the slow evolutions of  
countless years1 but supposed that the  
almost infinite variety of vegetable and
 animal forms had existed from the      
first4 ,suppose that upon some island we
 should find a man a million years of   
age1 and suppose that we should find him
 in the possession of a most beautiful  
carriage1 constructed upon the most     
perfect model4 ,and suppose1 further1   
that he should tell us that it was the  
result of several hundred thousand years
 of labor and of thought2 that for fifty
 thousand years he used as flat a log as
 he could find1 before it occurred to   
him1 that by splitting the log1 he could
 have the same surface with only half   
the weight2 that it took him many       
thousand years to invent wheels for this
 log2 that the wheels he first used were
 solid1 and that fifty thousand years of
 thought suggested the use of spokes and
 tire2 that for many centuries he used  
the wheels without linch-pins2 that it  

took a hundred thousand years more to   
think of using four wheels1 instead of  
two2 that for ages he walked behind the 
carriage1 when going down hill1 in order
 to hold it back1 and that only by a    
lucky chance he invented the tongue2    
would we conclude that this man1 from   
the very first1 had been an infinitely  
ingenious and perfect mechanic8 ,suppose
 we found him living in an elegant      
mansion1 and he should inform us that he
 lived in that house for five hundred   
thousand years before he thought of     
putting on a roof1 and that he had but  
recently invented windows and doors2    
would we say that from the beginning he 
had been an infinitely accomplished and 
scientific architect8  ,does not an     
improvement in the things created1 show 
a corresponding improvement in the      
creator8  ,would an infinitely wise1    
good and powerful ,god1 intending to    
produce man1 commence with the lowest   
possible forms of life2 with the        
simplest organism that can be imagined1 

and during immeasurable periods of time1
 slowly and almost imperceptibly improve
 upon the rude beginning1 until man was 
evolved8 ,would countless ages thus be  
wasted in the production of awkward     
forms1 afterwards abandoned8 ,can the   
intelligence of man discover the least  
wisdom in covering the earth with       
crawling1 creeping horrors1 that live   
only upon the agonies and pangs of      
others8 ,can we see the propriety of so 
constructing the earth1 that only an    
insignificant portion of its surface is 
capable of producing an intelligent man8
 ,who can appreciate the mercy of so    
making the world that all animals devour
 animals2 so that every mouth is a      
slaughterhouse1 and every stomach a     
tomb8 ,is it possible to discover       
infinite intelligence and love in       
universal and eternal carnage8  ,what   
would we think of a father1 who should  
give a farm to his children1 and before 
giving them possession should plant upon
 it thousands of deadly shrubs and      

vines2 should stock it with ferocious   
beasts1 and poisonous reptiles2 should  
take pains to put a few swamps in the   
neighborhood to breed malaria2 should so
 arrange matters1 that the ground would 
occasionally open and swallow a few of  
his darlings1 and besides all this1     
should establish a few volcanoes in the 
immediate vicinity1 that might at any   
moment overwhelm his children with      
rivers of fire8 ,suppose that this      
father neglected to tell his children   
which of the plants were deadly2 that   
the reptiles were poisonous2 failed to  
say anything about the earthquakes1 and 
kept the volcano business a profound    
secret2 would we pronounce him angel or 
fiend8  ,and yet this is exactly what   
the orthodox ,god has done4  ,according 
to the theologians1 ,god prepared this  
globe expressly for the habitation of   
his loved children1 and yet he filled   
the forests with ferocious beasts2      
placed serpents in every path2 stuffed  
the world with earthquakes1 and adorned 

its surface with mountains of flame4    
,notwithstanding all this1 we are told  
that the world is perfect2 that it was  
created by a perfect being1 and is      
therefore necessarily perfect4 ,the next
 moment1 these same persons will tell us
 that the world was cursed2 covered with
 brambles1 thistles and thorns1 and that
 man was doomed to disease and death1   
simply because our poor1 dear mother ate
 an apple contrary to the command of an 
arbitrary ,god4  ,a very pious friend of
 mine1 having heard that ,i had said the
 world was full of imperfections1 asked 
me if the report was true4 ,upon being  
informed that it was1 he expressed great
 surprise that any one could be guilty  
of such presumption4 ,he said that1 in  
his judgment1 it was impossible to point
 out an imperfection4 ,be kind enough1  
said he1 to name even one improvement   
that you could make1 if you had the     
power4 ,well1 said ,i1 ,i would make    
good health catching1 instead of        
disease4 ,the truth is1 it is impossible

 to harmonize all the ills1 and pains1  
and agonies of this world with the idea 
that we were created by1 and are watched
 over and protected by an infinitely    
wise1 powerful and beneficent ,god1 who 
is superior to and independent of       
nature4  ,the clergy1 however1 balance  
all the real ills of this life with the 
expected joys of the next ,we are       
assured that all is perfection in       
heaven--there the skies are             
cloudless--there all is serenity and    
peace4 ,here empires may be overthrown2 
dynasties may be extinguished in blood2 
millions of slaves may toil 'neath the  
fierce rays of the sun1 and the cruel   
strokes of the lash2 yet all is         
happiness in heaven4 ,pestilences may   
strew the earth with corpses of the     
loved2 the survivors may bend above them
 in agony--yet the placid bosom of      
heaven is unruffled4 ,children may      
expire vainly asking for bread2 babes   
may be devoured by serpents1 while the  
gods sit smiling in the clouds4 ,the    

innocent may languish unto death in the 
obscurity of dungeons2 brave men and    
heroic women may be changed to ashes at 
the bigot's stake1 while heaven is      
filled with song and joy4 ,out on the   
wide sea1 in darkness and in storm1 the 
shipwrecked struggle with the cruel     
waves while the angels play upon their  
golden harps4 ,the streets of the world 
are filled with the diseased1 the       
deformed and the helpless2 the chambers 
of pain are crowded with the pale forms 
of the suffering1 while the angels float
 and fly in the happy realms of day4 ,in
 heaven they are too happy to have      
sympathy2 too busy singing to aid the   
imploring and distressed4 ,their eyes   
are blinded2 their ears are stopped and 
their hearts are turned to stone by the 
infinite selfishness of joy4 ,the saved 
mariner is too happy when he touches the
 shore to give a moment's thought to his
 drowning brothers4 ,with the           
indifference of happiness1 with the     
contempt of bliss1 heaven barely glances

 at the miseries of earth4 ,cities are  
devoured by the rushing lava2 the earth 
opens and thousands perish2 women raise 
their clasped hands towards heaven1 but 
the gods are too happy to aid their     
children4 ,the smiles of the deities are
 unacquainted with the tears of men4    
,the shouts of heaven drown the sobs of 
earth4  ,having shown how man created   
gods1 and how he became the trembling   
slave of his own creation1 the questions
 naturally arise3 ,how did he free      
himself even a little1 from these       
monarchs of the sky1 from these despots 
of the clouds1 from this aristocracy of 
the air8 ,how did he1 even to the extent
 that he has1 outgrow his ignorant1     
abject terror1 and throw off the yoke of
 superstition8  ,probably1 the first    
thing that tended to disabuse his mind  
was the discovery of order1 of          
regularity1 of periodicity in the       
universe4 ,from this he began to suspect
 that everything did not happen purely  
with reference to him4 ,he noticed1 that

 whatever he might do1 the motions of   
the planets were always the same2 that  
eclipses were periodical1 and that even 
comets came at certain intervals4 ,this 
convinced him that eclipses and comets  
had nothing to do with him1 and that his
 conduct had nothing to do with them4   
,he perceived that they were not caused 
for his benefit or injury4 ,he thus     
learned to regard them with admiration  
instead of fear4 ,he began to suspect   
that famine was not sent by some enraged
 and revengeful deity1 but resulted     
often from the neglect and ignorance of 
man4 ,he learned that diseases were not 
produced by evil spirits4 ,he found that
 sickness was occasioned by natural     
causes1 and could be cured by natural   
means4 ,he demonstrated1 to his own     
satisfaction at least1 that prayer is   
not a medicine4 ,he found by sad        
experience that his gods were of no     
practical use1 as they never assisted   
him1 except when he was perfectly able  
to help himself4 ,at last1 he began to  

discover that his individual action had 
nothing whatever to do with strange     
appearances in the heavens2 that it was 
impossible for him to be bad enough to  
cause a whirlwind1 or good enough to    
stop one4 ,after many centuries of      
thought1 he about half concluded that   
making mouths at a priest would not     
necessarily cause an earthquake4 ,he    
noticed1 and no doubt with considerable 
astonishment1 that very good men were   
occasionally struck by lightning1 while 
very bad ones escaped4 ,he was          
frequently forced to the painful        
conclusion 7and it is the most painful  
to which any human being ever was       
forced7 that the right did not always   
prevail4 ,he noticed that the gods did  
not interfere in behalf of the weak and 
innocent4 ,he was now and then          
astonished by seeing an unbeliever in   
the enjoyment of most excellent health4 
,he finally ascertained that1 there     
could be no possible connection between 
an unusually severe winter and his      

failure to give a sheep to a priest4 ,he
 began to suspect that the order of the 
universe was not constantly being       
changed to assist him because he        
repeated a creed4 ,he observed that some
 children would steal after having been 
regularly baptized4 ,he noticed a vast  
difference between religion and justice1
 and that the worshipers of the same    
,god1 took delight in cutting each      
other's throats4 ,he saw that these     
religious disputes filled the world with
 hatred and slavery4 ,at last he had the
 courage to suspect1 that no ,god at any
 time interferes with the order of      
events4 ,he learned a few facts1 and    
these facts positively refused to       
harmonize with the ignorant             
superstitions of his fathers4 ,finding  
his sacred books incorrect and false in 
some particulars1 his faith in their    
authenticity began to be shaken2 finding
 his priests ignorant upon some points1 
he began to lose respect for the cloth4 
,this was the commencement of           

intellectual freedom4  ,the civilization
 of man has increased just to the same  
extent that religious power has         
decreased4 ,the intellectual advancement
 of man depends upon how often he can   
exchange an old superstition for a new  
truth4 ,the ,church never enabled a     
human being to make even one of these   
exchanges2 on the contrary1 all her     
power has been used to prevent them4 ,in
 spite1 however1 of the ,church1 man    
found that some of his religious        
conceptions were wrong4 ,by reading his 
bible1 he found that the ideas of his   
,god were more cruel and brutal than    
those of the most depraved savage4 ,he  
also discovered that this holy book was 
filled with ignorance1 and that it must 
have been written by persons wholly     
unacquainted with the nature of the     
phenomena by which we are surrounded2   
and now and then1 some man had the      
goodness and courage to speak his honest
 thoughts4 ,in every age some thinker1  
some doubter1 some investigator1 some   

hater of hypocrisy1 some despiser of    
sham1 some brave lover of the right1 has
 gladly1 proudly and heroically braved  
the ignorant fury of superstition for   
the sake of man and truth4 ,these divine
 men were generally torn in pieces by   
the worshipers of the gods4 ,socrates   
was poisoned because he lacked reverence
 for some of the deities4 ,christ was   
crucified by a religious rabble for the 
crime of blasphemy4 ,nothing is more    
gratifying to a religionist than to     
destroy his enemies at the command of   
,god4 ,religious persecution springs    
from a due admixture of love towards    
,god and hatred towards man4  ,the      
terrible religious wars that inundated  
the world with blood tended at least to 
bring all religion into disgrace and    
hatred4 ,thoughtful people began to     
question the divine origin of a religion
 that made its believers hold the rights
 of others in absolute contempt4 ,a few 
began to compare ,christianity with the 
religions of heathen people1 and were   

forced to admit that the difference was 
hardly worth dying for4 ,they also found
 that other nations were even happier   
and more prosperous than their own4     
,they began to suspect that their       
religion1 after all1 was not of much    
real value4  ,for three hundred years   
the ,christian world endeavored to      
rescue from the ,infidel the empty      
sepulchre of ,christ ,for three hundred 
years the armies of the cross were      
baffled and beaten by the victorious    
hosts of an impudent impostor4 ,this    
immense fact sowed the seeds of distrust
 throughout all ,christendom1 and       
millions began to lose confidence in a  
,god who had been vanquished            
by-,mohammed4 ,the people also found    
that commerce made friends where        
religion made enemies1 and that         
religious zeal was utterly incompatible 
with peace between nations or           
individuals4 ,they discovered that those
 who loved the gods most were apt to    
love men least2 that the arrogance of   

universal forgiveness was amazing2 that 
the most malicious had the effrontery to
 pray for their enemies1 and that       
humility and tyranny were the fruit of  
the same tree4 ,for ages1 a deadly      
conflict has been waged between a few   
brave men and women of thought and      
genius upon the one side1 and the great 
ignorant religious mass on the other4   
,this is the war between ,science and   
,faith4 ,the few have appealed to       
reason1 to honor1 to law1 to freedom to 
the known1 and to happiness here in this
 world4 ,the many have appealed to      
prejudice1 to fear1 to miracle1 to      
slavery1 to the unknown1 and to misery  
hereafter4 ,the few have said1 ,think6  
,the many have said1 ,believe6  ,the    
first doubt was the womb and cradle of  
progress1 and from the first doubt1 man 
has continued to advance4 ,men began to 
investigate1 and the church began to    
oppose4 ,the astronomer scanned the     
heavens1 while the church branded his   
grand forehead with the word1 ,infidel2 

and now1 not a glittering star in all   
the vast expanse bears a ,christian     
name4 ,in spite of all religion1 the    
geologist penetrated the earth1 read her
 history in books of stone1 and found1  
hidden within her bosom1 souvenirs of   
all the ages4 ,old ideas perished in the
 retort of the chemist1 and useful      
truths took their places4 ,one by one   
religious conceptions have been placed  
in the crucible of science1 and thus    
far1 nothing but dross has been found4  
,a new world has been discovered by the 
microscope2 everywhere has been found   
the infinite2 in every direction man has
 investigated and explored1 and nowhere1
 in earth or stars1 has been found the  
footstep of any being superior to or    
independent of nature4 ,nowhere has been
 discovered the slightest evidence of   
any interference from without4  ,these  
are the sublime truths that enabled man 
to throw off the yoke of superstition4  
,these are the splendid facts that      
snatched the sceptre of authority from  

the hands of priests4  ,in that vast    
cemetery1 called the past1 are most of  
the religions of men1 and there1 too1   
are nearly all their gods4 ,the sacred  
temples of ,india were ruins long ago4  
,over column and cornice2 over the      
painted and pictured walls1 cling and   
creep the trailing vines4 ,brahma1 the  
golden1 with four heads and four arms2  
,vishnu1 the sombre1 the punisher of the
 wicked1 with his three eyes1 his       
crescent1 and his necklace of skulls2   
,siva1 the destroyer1 red with seas of  
blood2 ,kali1 the goddess2 ,draupadi1   
the white-armed1 and ,chrishna1 the     
,christ1 all passed away and left the   
thrones of heaven desolate4 ,along the  
banks of the sacred ,nile1 ,isis no     
longer wandering weeps1 searching for   
the dead ,osiris4 ,the shadow of        
,typhon's scowl falls no more upon the  
waves4 ,the sun rises as of yore1 and   
his golden beams still smite the lips of
 ,memnon1 but ,mem-non is as voiceless  
as the ,sphinx4 ,the sacred fanes are   

lost in desert sands2 the dusty mummies 
are still waiting for the resurrection  
promised by their priests1 and the old  
beliefs1 wrought in curiously sculptured
 stone1 sleep in the mystery of a       
language lost and dead4 ,odin1 the      
author of life and soul1 ,vili and ,ve1 
and the mighty giant ,ymir1 strode long 
ago from the icy halls of the ,north2   
and ,thor1 with iron glove and          
glittering hammer1 dashes mountains to  
the earth no more4 ,broken are the      
circles and cromlechs of the ancient    
,druids2 fallen upon the summits of the 
hills1 and covered with the centuries'  
moss1 are the sacred cairns4 ,the divine
 fires of ,persia and of the ,aztecs1   
have died out in the ashes of the past1 
and there is none to rekindle1 and none 
to feed the holy flames4 ,the harp of   
,orpheus is still2 the drained cup of   
,bacchus has been thrown aside2 ,venus  
lies dead in stone1 and her white bosom 
heaves no more with love4 ,the streams  
still murmur1 but no naiads bathe2 the  

trees still wave1 but in the forest     
aisles no dryads dance4 ,the gods have  
flown from high ,olympus4 ,not even the 
beautiful women can lure them back1 and 
,danse lies unnoticed1 naked to the     
stars4 ,hushed forever are the thunders 
of ,sinai2 lost are the voices of the   
prophets1 and the land once flowing with
 milk and honey1 is but a desert waste4 
,one by one1 the myths have faded from  
the clouds2 one by one1 the phantom host
 has disappeared1 and one by one1 facts1
 truths and realities have taken their  
places4 ,the supernatural has almost    
gone1 but the natural remains4 ,the gods
 have fled1 but man is here4  ,nations1 
like individuals1 have their periods of 
youth1 of manhood and decay4 ,religions 
are the same4 ,the same inexorable      
destiny awaits them all4 ,the gods      
created by the nations must perish with 
their creators4 ,they were created by   
men1 and like men1 they must pass away4 
,the deities of one age are the by-words
 of the next4 ,the religion of our day1 

and country1 is no more exempt from the 
sneer of the future than the others have
 been4 ,when ,india was supreme1 ,brahma
 sat upon the world's throne4 ,when the 
sceptre passed to ,egypt1 ,isis and     
,osiris received the homage of mankind4 
,greece1 with her fierce valor1 swept to
 empire1 and ,zeus put on the purple of 
authority4 ,the earth trembled with the 
tread of ,rome's intrepid sons1 and     
,jove grasped with mailed hand the      
thunderbolts of heaven4 ,rome fell1 and 
,christians from her territory1 with the
 red sword of war1 carved out the ruling
 nations of the world1 and now ,christ  
sits upon the old throne4 ,who will be  
his successor8  ,day by day1 religious  
conceptions grow less and less intense4 
,day by day1 the old spirit dies out of 
book and creed4 ,the burning enthusiasm1
 the quenchless zeal of the early church
 have gone1 never1 never to return4 ,the
 ceremonies remain1 but the ancient     
faith is fading out of the human heart4 
,the worn-out arguments fail to         

convince1 and denunciations that once   
blanched the faces of a race1 excite in 
us only derision and disgust4 ,as time  
rolls on1 the miracles grow mean and    
small1 and the evidences our fathers    
thought conclusive utterly fail to      
satisfy us4 ,there is an irrepressible  
conflict between religion and science1  
and they cannot peaceably occupy the    
same brain nor the same world4  ,while  
utterly discarding all creeds1 and      
denying the truth of all religions1     
there is neither in my heart nor upon my
 lips a sneer for the hopeful1 loving   
and tender souls who believe that from  
all this discord will result a perfect  
harmony2 that every evil will in some   
mysterious way become a good1 and that  
above and over all there is a being who1
 in some way1 will reclaim and glorify  
every one of the children of men2 but   
for those who heartlessly try to prove  
that salvation is almost impossible2    
that damnation is almost certain2 that  
the highway of the universe leads to    

hell2 who fill life with fear and death 
with horror2 who curse the cradle and   
mock the tomb1 it is impossible to      
entertain other than feelings of pity1  
contempt and scorn4  ,reason1           
,observation and ,experience--the ,holy 
,trinity of ,science--have taught us    
that happiness is the only good2 that   
the time to be happy is now1 and the way
 to be happy is to make others so4 ,this
 is enough for us4 ,in this belief we   
are content to live and die4 ,if by any 
possibility the existence of a power    
superior to1 and independent of1 nature 
shall be demonstrated1 there will then  
be time enough to kneel4 ,until then1   
let us stand erect4  ,notwithstanding   
the fact that infidels in all ages have 
battled for the rights of man1 and have 
at all times been the fearless advocates
 of liberty and justice1 we are         
constantly charged by the ,church with  
tearing down without building again4    
,the ,church should by this time know   
that it is utterly impossible to rob men

 of their opinions4 ,the history of     
religious persecution fully establishes 
the fact that the mind necessarily      
resists and defies every attempt to     
control it by violence4 ,the mind       
necessarily clings to old ideas until   
prepared for the new4 ,the moment we    
comprehend the truth1 all erroneous     
ideas are of necessity cast aside4  ,a  
surgeon once called upon a poor cripple 
and kindly offered to render him any    
assistance in his power4 ,the surgeon   
began to discourse very learnedly upon  
the nature and origin of disease2 of the
 curative properties of certain         
medicines2 of the advantages of         
exercise1 air and light1 and of the     
various ways in which health and        
strength could be restored4 ,these      
remarks were so full of good sense1 and 
discovered so much profound thought and 
accurate knowledge1 that the cripple1   
becoming thoroughly alarmed1 cried out1 
,do not1 ,i pray you1 take away my      
crutches4 ,they are my only support1 and

 without them ,i should be miserable    
indeed6 ,i am not going1 said the       
surgeon1 to take away your crutches4 ,i 
am going to cure you1 and then you will 
throw the crutches away yourself4  ,for 
the vagaries of the clouds the infidels 
propose to substitute the realities of  
earth2 for superstition1 the splendid   
demonstrations and achievements of      
science2 and for theological tyranny1   
the chainless liberty of thought4  ,we  
do not say that we have discovered all2 
that our doctrines are the all in all of
 truth4 ,we know of no end to the       
development of man4 ,we cannot unravel  
the infinite complications of matter and
 force4 ,the history of one monad is as 
unknown as that of the universe2 one    
drop of water is as wonderful as all the
 seas2 one leaf1 as all the forests2 and
 one grain of sand1 as all the stars4   
,we are not endeavoring to chain the    
future1 but to free the present4 ,we are
 not forging fetters for our children1  
but we are breaking those our fathers   

made for us4 ,we are the advocates of   
inquiry1 of investigation and thought4  
,this of itself1 is an admission that we
 are not perfectly satisfied with all   
our conclusions4 ,philosophy has not the
 egotism of faith4 ,while superstition  
builds walls and creates obstructions1  
science opens all the highways of       
thought4 ,we do not pretend to have     
circumnavigated everything1 and to have 
solved all difficulties1 but we do      
believe that it is better to love men   
than to fear gods2 that it is grander   
and nobler to think and investigate for 
yourself than to repeat a creed4 ,we are
 satisfied that there can be but little 
liberty on earth while men worship a    
tyrant in heaven4 ,we do not expect to  
accomplish everything in our day2 but we
 want to do what good we can1 and to    
render all the service possible in the  
holy cause of human progress4 ,we know  
that doing away with gods and           
supernatural persons and powers is not  
an end4 ,it is a means to an end3 the   

real end being the happiness of man4    
,felling forests is not the end of      
agriculture4 ,driving pirates from the  
sea is not all there is of commerce4    
,we are laying the foundations of the   
grand temple of the future--not the     
temple of all the gods1 but of all the  
people--wherein1 with appropriate rites1
 will be celebrated the religion of     
,humanity4 ,we are doing what little we 
can to hasten the coming of the day when
 society shall cease producing          
millionaires and mendicants--gorged     
indolence and famished industry--truth  
in rags1 and superstition robed and     
crowned4 ,we are looking for the time   
when the useful shall be the honorable2 
and when ,reason1 throned upon the      
world's brain1 shall be the ,king of    
,kings1 and ,god of ,gods4