,,ingersoll ,,in ,,canada ,a ,,reply ,,to ,,wendling1 ,,archbishop ,,lynch1 ,,bystander2 ,,and ,,others4 ,by ,allen ,pringle ,if all mankind1 minus one1 were of one opinion1 mankind would no more justified in silencing that one person than he1 if he had the power1 would be justified in silencing mankind4--,j4 ,s4 ,mill1 ,on ,liberty4 ,here's freedom to him that would read1 ,here's freedom to him that would write2 ,thert's nane ever feared that the truth should be heard1 ,but they whom the truth would indite4--,burns4 ,he who will not reason is a bigot2 he who cannot is a a fool2 and he who dares not is a slave4--,philosopher4 ,,per ,,contra3 ,do not try to reason or you are lost4--,moody1 the ,evangelist4 ,hew to the line1 let the chips fall where they may4 ,fear first made ,gods in the world4--,lucretius ,theology ,i define to be the art of teaching what nobody knows4--,lord ,brougham ,it matters not to me whether my neighbors believe in one ,god or twenty--,jefferson ,the natural world is infinite and eternal4 ,the universe was not called into being from non-entity4--,plato ,to assert that ,christianity communicated to man moral truths previously unknown1 argues1 on the part of the assertor1 either gross ignorance or else wilful fraud4--,buckle ,nature is seen to do all things of herself without the meddling of the ,gods4--,lucretius ,is there no 'inspiration1' then1 but an ancient ,jewish1 ,greekish1 ,roman one1 with big revenues1 loud liturgies1 and red stockings8--,thos4 ,carlyle ,inanity well tailored and upholstered1 mild-spoken ,ambiguity1 decorous ,hypocrisy1 which is astonished you should1 think it hypocritical1 taking their room and drawing their wages3 from zenith to nadir you have ,cant1 ,cant--a universe of incredibilities which are not even credited1 which each man at best only tries to persuade himself that he credits4--,thomas ,carlyle ,the highest possible welfare of all present mankind is my religion2 the perfectibility of the future of our race here upon this planet is my faith2 and ,i would the time had come1 as it yet will come1 that this faith were the religion of all mankind4--,lord ,queensbury 7who was recently excluded from the ,english ,house of ,lords because of his unorthodox opinions47 ,,preface ,,to ,,second ,,edition4 ,,to ,,the ,,clergy ,,and ,,college ,,students ,,of ,,ontario4 ,gentlemen1--,through the generous and voluntary liberality of a highly esteemed and estimable ,freethought friend1 and at his suggestion1 ,i have been enabled to get out this ,second ,edition of my pamphlet1 of upwards of #d1jjj copies1 chiefly for gratuitous distribution among yourselves4 ,the gentleman referred to conceived the project of supplying every ,minister in the ,province with a copy1 and it was further decided to also supply the ,college ,students4 ,the compliment to pamphlet and author1 which this action on the part of an intelligent and discriminating ,liberal implies1 ,i1 of course1 duly appreciate4 ,when the work was written a few months ago1 at the request of fellow-liberals1 ,i had no expectation that it would ultimately go before so critical and learned a body of readers as the ,clergy1 ,graduates1 and ,college ,students of ,ontario4 ,i supposed one modest edition of #b1jjj copies would be all that would ever see the light4 ,but it has been otherwise desired by my readers4 ,i have1 therefore1 no further apology to make for presenting you with the work 7my object being the advancement of truth71 and ,i earnestly submit for your best consideration its subject matter rather than its literary merits or demerits4 ,the time has come when these great questions must be examined1 for they will come to the front in spite of the most tenacious conservatism4 ,everywhere1 thoughtful men are earnestly looking into them4 ,that the old landmarks in religious belief are being effaced and the ,creeds and ,confessions rapidly breaking up is becoming every day more and more apparent4 ,goldwin ,smith1 a man of great historical acumen1 has recently said ,a collapse of religious belief1 of the most complete and tremendous kind1 is1 apparently1 now at hand499 ,the ,rev4 ,hugh ,pedley1 ,b4,a41 ,cobourg1 in a very able paper in the ,july 7#ahhj7 number of the ,canadian ,monthly1 on ,theological ,students and the ,times1 says3 ,there can be no doubt that all forms of thought1 all systems of belief1 however venerable with age1 are being3 handled with the utmost freedom4 ,skepticism is becoming more general1 and is protean in its adaptibility to circumstances4 ,there is the philosophical skepticism for the cultured1 and popular skepticism for the masses3 the ,reviews for the select1 ,col4 ,ingersoll for the people4 ,no ,index ,expurgatorius1 whether ,catholic or ,protestant1 whether ecclesiastical or domestic1 is barrier strong enough to stem the incoming tide4 ,he also says3 ,i would advocate a manly1 courageous dealing with the doubts of the age in all our theological schools4 99 99 99 ,let there be no timid reserve4 ,let our young ministers face the whole strength of the rationalistic position4 99 99 99 ,it is not enough that ministers should be well read in church history1 not enough that they should be able to expound in logical fashion the church doctrines of the ,trinity1 the ,atonement1 c1 not enough that they should understand the architecture of a model sermon4 ,these matters are quite right in their place1 but the minister should go further4 ,he must go down to the root question1 and enquire whether the history1 the systematic theology1 and the homilectics are based on a really ,divine ,revelation1 or only on a series of beautiful legends which foolish1 but reverent1 hands have wreathed about the person of ,jesus of ,nazareth1 a wonderful1 religious genius that long ago illumined the land of ,palestine4 ,further1 ,mr4 ,pedley says3 ,we find men talking as if thoroughness of investigation would inevitably lead to a loosened hold on ,christianity4 ,so much the worse then for ,christianity4 ,if young men of average intellect1 and more than average morality1 find that the more keenly they study ,christianity1 the less able they are to accept it1 and preach it1 then must ,christianity be relegated to the dusty lumber-room of worn-out and superseded religious systems4 99 ,the ,prospect of a ,moral ,interregnum4 --,atlantic ,monthly1 ,nov41 #ahgi4 ,mr4 ,pedley then goes on to point out the effects of ignorance1 on the part of the minister1 of the arguments and writings of ,freethinkers4 ,he says3 ,if he be pastor in a reading community1 he will know less than his congregation about matters which it is his special business to understand4 ,he will stand towards the ,bible1 as an ignorant ,priest stands towards the ,pope1 accepting an infallibility that he has never proved4 ,he will appear before the intelligent world as a spiritual coward1 a craven-hearted man1 who dare not face the enemy who is slowly mastering his domains4 ,he will become a by-word and a reproach to the generation which he is confessedly unable to lead1 and which sweeps by with disdainful tread1 leaving him far in the rear4 ,these are brave words and frank admissions1 which should be well pondered by every clergyman1 minister and priest1 and every theological student1 for should they fail to acquaint themselves with the doctrines and arguments of their opponents1 they will speedily find themselves1 as ,mr4 ,pedley warns them1 preaching to people who know more than they about matters which it is their special business to know4 ,yours earnestly for ,truth1 ,a4 ,p4 ,selby1 ,nov4 #bbnd1 #ahhj4 ,,introductory ,col4 ,robt4 ,g4 ,ingersoll1 the ,american ,freethinker and eloquent iconoclast1 visited ,canada in ,april last and lectured on theological subjects in various places1 including ,toronto1 ,montreal1 ,ottawa1 ,belleville and ,napanee1 thereby agitating the theological caldron as it has never been agitated before in this country4 ,and when ,mars was gone the dogs of war were let loose6 ,since ,ingersoll's departure there has been a profuse shower of ,replies and ,refutations from the press1 and a tempest of denunciation and misrepresentation from the pulpit4 ,indeed1 before the departure of the redoubtable idol-smasher1 the vituperation and slander commenced1 under the aegis of ,a warning against the ,fallacies of ,ingersoll4 ,the pious ,evangelists of the ,y4 ,m4 ,c4 ,a41 of ,toronto1 7abetted doubtless by the clergy7 issued this propagandist gospel-manifesto containing slanderous statements against ,mr4 ,ingersoll4 ,this1 with much more zeal than courtesy1 they thrust upon all entering the ,royal ,opera ,house on the first evening of the lectures4 ,the lecturer1 in opening1 branded the base slander of this ,christian document that he 7,ingersoll7 had signed a petition to allow obscene matter to pass through the mails1 as a wilful and malicious falsehood4 ,as this calumny is yet reiterated from press and pulpit1 implicating all ,freethinkers as being in favor of obscenity1 the ,resolution on this subject which ,col4 ,ingersoll submitted to the ,cincinnati ,convention of ,freethinkers in ,september1 #ahgi1 will not be out of place here4 ,it was as follows1 and passed unanimously3-- ,resolved1--,that we are utterly opposed to the dissemination through the mails1 or by any other means1 of all obscene literature1 whether inspired or uninspired1 holding in measureless contempt its authors1 publishers1 and disseminators2 that we call upon the ,christian world to expunge from the so-called sacred ,bible every passage that cannot be read without covering the cheek of modesty with the blush of shame4 ,the cowardly conduct of the ,toronto press1 with one or two exceptions1 in reference to ,ingersoll's lectures1 was as astonishing to liberal-minded men as it was deplorable to all1 especially in the ,queen ,city of the ,west1 which is1 or ought to be1 the centre of intellectual activity and progress in ,canada4 ,this exhibition of narrow-minded bigotry on the part of the ,toronto press excited 7rather unexpectedly to them1 no doubt7 great surprise and severe animadversion from many quarters4 ,the daily ,globe and ,mail have1 of course1 a very wide circulation1 and being the leading newspapers in the country1 their numerous patrons look to them for all the news on all public questions and events4 ,imagine1 therefore1 their surprise and indignation on opening their papers and looking for reports of ,col4 ,ingersoll's lectures in ,toronto1 to find not a word there6 ,not a syllable by these puritanical publishers is vouchsafed to their expectant patrons1 who pay their money for--not merely what suits the religious whims and prejudices of publishers and editors--but for all the news4 ,but they would scarcely repeat this mistake--or rather imposition on their readers4 ,they have since unmistakably learned that in this act of pusillanimous servility to the priesthood1 they took a false measure of their constituencies2 and lamentably failed to gauge correctly the intellectual and moral status of a majority of their patrons4 ,the honorable exceptions to this servility of the ,toronto press1 were the ,evening ,telegram1 ,weekly ,graphic1 and ,national4 ,in ,belleville1 also1 there was1 ,i believe1 one commendable exception to the narrowness of the press in reference to ,ingersoll's lectures4 ,this was the ,free ,press1 which has on former occasions proved itself broader than most of its contemporaries4 ,the ,montreal ,canadian ,spectator is another notable exception to this vassalage of the ,canadian press2 for1 though edited by a clergyman1 it has proved itself in favor of freedom of speech and liberty of conscience1 and boldly denounces the narrow prejudice and bigotry which would gag ,ingersoll to-day if it could1 and would have burned him two or three centuries ago at the stake4 ,chief among the ,replies1 and ,refutations which have issued from the press in ,canada since ,ingersoll's departure1 is that by ,hon4 ,geo4 ,r4 ,wendling4 ,this honorable gentleman has1 for some months past1 been shadowing ,mr4 ,ingersoll from place to place with his reply from a secular stand point2 albeit in ,toronto he preceded his opponent1 and replied 787 before the people of that city to a lecture of ,ingersoll's which they had never heard4 ,but1 as with the ,dutch judge1 so with our ,christian friends1 one side of the case was enough to hear in order to be able to give a verdict1 and ,mr4 ,wendling was duly applauded for his satisfactory answer to the absent heretic6 ,subsequently1 however1 ,mr4 ,ingersoll put in an appearance in the ,queen ,city1 and gave his lecture on ,the ,gods1 to which his honorable opponent had replied in advance4 ,this eloquent and argumentative lecture was greeted with such obvious favor and vociferous applause that the ,willard ,tract ,depository and ,bible ,house of that city deemed it imperative to do something to counteract the poisonous influence that had gone forth4 ,they accordingly hastened forthwith to issue ,wendling's ,reply to ,robert ,ingersoll4 ,this ,christian politico-religious brochure was heralded by some half dozen ,toronto ,professors and ,doctors of ,divinity1 and one ,vice-,chancellor1 to wit3 ,messrs4 ,mc,laren1 ,rainsford1 ,potts1 ,castle1 ,powis1 ,antliff and ,blake4 ,these gentlemen1 in a neat little preface1 certify their approval of and admiration for ,mr4 ,wendling's ,reply to the infidelity advocated by ,col4 ,ingersoll1 and add the hope that it may be circulated by thousands4 ,to this no ,freethinker has1 of course1 any objection1 so long as he enjoys an equal right to circulate his documents too4 ,of this right ,i propose to avail myself1 and briefly review the salient points 7if there are any7 of some of ,ingersoll's ,canadian critics4 ,not that ,i feel called upon to defend ,col4 ,ingersoll4 ,should defence be necessary1 he is amply able to defend himself4 ,but as our ,christian friends1 like drowning men catching at straws1 have1 in their alarm for the safety of their creed1 desperately clutched a layman1 and issued with their unqualified endorsation1 this lay reply of ,mr4 ,wendling1 who comes before the public1 he tells us1 as a citizen1 as a business man1 as a lawyer1 and as a politician1 and withal as a man of the world1 ,i have thought that for another layman--a materialistic layman--7though no lawyer or politician7 to examine some of ,mr4 ,wendling's lay logic and legal sophistry and politico-religious hash would be a move in the right direction in the interests of truth4 ,our ,christian friends1 in issuing their pamphlet1 have very judiciously improved the occasion by a liberal sprinkling of admonitory ,scripture texts1 which adorn the insides of the covers1 etc4 ,by these texts we are reminded that all ,scripture is given by inspiration of ,god1 and that if any man shall add unto these things1 ,god shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book2 and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy1 ,god shall take away his part out of the ,book of ,life1 etc41 etc4 ,but these1 our ,christian opponents1 are not quite consistent4 ,verily1 the ,christian ,church is not willing to take its own medicine--the medicine it mixes for infidels4 ,we are warned that if we criticise that book1 or take away from the words of it1 or ridicule its absurdities1 we will surely incur the wrath and plagues of an angry ,god2 yet these ,christians themselves are complacently doing this very thing4 ,they have already eliminated from its sacred pages infant damnation1 and eternal torture2 while a ,bible ,revision ,committee1 composed of learned and distinguished dignitaries of different branches of the ,christian ,church1 are now actually engaged in taking away from the words of this book699 ,consistency6 thou art a jewel66 ,greg1 ,strauss1 ,colenso1 ,renan1 ,ingersoll1 ,underwood1 and a thousand others1 are consigned to ,hades for their destructive criticism of the ,christians' ,bible2 while those learned ,christian ,doctors of ,divinity of the ,revision ,committee can tamper with the ,word of ,god and alter it to suit the enlightenment of the age with impunity6 ,they can excise whole passages without incurring the plagues we are told shall be visited upon any man who adds to or takes from it4 ,now1 ,i have thought if ,i should adopt the advice contained in the ,latin proverb1 fas est ab hoste doceri1 and take a lesson from the ingenious propagandic tactics of our ,christian friends in placing conspicuously before their readers choice texts from their ,evangelists and ,apostles1 it may not be amiss4 ,hence1 we1 too1 will do a little skirmishing with some choice sayings of some of the most eminent and learned apostles of our school4 ,and to those trenchant utterances of ,huxley1 ,tyndall1 ,mill1 ,carlyle1 etc41 herein given1 ,i beg to direct the careful attention of the reader4 ,to disarm possible criticism1 ,i may say that this little pamphlet has been written by request1 amidst a pressure of farm work1 in snatches of time intervening between other more imperative duties3 and to the advanced ,materialist who has gone over the same ground on the different subjects as myself1 ,i may say it is not written for him1 as he does not require it4 ,but it is for another class of quasi liberals1 and ,christians who have read ,wendling and the others replied to1 and are in an inquiring mood after truth4 ,and if the arguments are not wholly new ,i would simply urge in extenuation that there is scarcely anything new under the sun1 and also my entire agreement with ,montaigne1 when he declares he has as clear a right to think ,plato's thoughts as ,plato had4 ,,allen ,,pringle4 ,selby1 ,ont41 ,june #be1 #ahhj4 99 ,the following appears in the press3--,the ,new ,testament ,revision ,committee have struck out as spurious the last seven verses of the last chapter of ,st4 ,mark4 ,now why have they done this thing8 ,to an outside barbarian the true reason would appear to be that according to those seven verses there are no ,christians on the earth to-day1 as not one from the ,pope of ,rome or the ,archbishop of ,canterbury down to the humblest follower of ,jesus can prove himself a ,christian by the plain test therein given4 ,,reply ,,to ,,wendling ,on reading ,mr4 ,wendling's ,reply to ,robert ,ingersoll1 it is difficult to determine precisely its theological status1 or what are ,mr4 ,wendling's positions1 doctrinally1 in reference to ,christianity4 ,by the flexibility of doctrine1 and dubious orthodoxy1 displayed therein1 it is no easy matter to place ,mr4 ,wendling2 and his uncertain positions and theological gyrations remind one of the famous mathematical definition of ,infinity--a sphere whose circumference is everywhere and whose centre is anywhere4 ,mr4 ,wendling says he champions no creed1 no sect1 and he assures us he places humanity above all creeds4 ,now1 ,christianity is undoubtedly a creed2 albeit1 some modern theologians1 seeing that the dogmas on which it rests are fast crumbling away1 have discovered that ,christianity is simply a life4 ,as to placing humanity above all creeds1 this move is decidedly rationalistic and utilitarian4 ,it is clearly a positive doctrine of the ,atheistic philosophy2 and it looks more than suspicious that this shrewd lawyer has been stealing our thunder1 for he will find no such doctrine in the ,bible1 and it certainly has no place in ,christian ethics or philosophy4 ,the ,bible represents man as below everything else rather than above--a mere worm of the dust ,it represents him as utterly depraved1 deceitful above all things and desperately wicked1 and without any good in him4 ,christianity1 instead of holding humanity above all creeds1 has1 without compunction1 immolated man by scores of thousands on the bloody altar of creed and dogma4 ,to maintain its creeds intact1 ,christianity has reddened the surface of the earth with human blood4 ,therefore1 whatever ,mr4 ,wendling may think about the elevation of man above creeds1 ,christianity does not hold humanity above its creeds4 ,with respect to the authenticity and inspiration of the ,bible1 ,mr4 ,wendling's position is extremely dubious4 ,he tells us that so much of that book 7the ,bible7 as properly records ,his 7,christ's7 works and truthfully reports ,his sayings1 must be true4 ,but who is to decide which the particular portions are which properly record and truthfully report ,christ's works1 especially as these records and reports are self-contradictory1 and more especially as nothing was recorded in ,christ's time of ,his sayings or doings1 nor until half a century or more after ,his death1 as historical criticism and research abundantly prove8 ,if ,mr4 ,wendling believes the ,bible to be an inspired book1 wholly authentic and true1 the foregoing statement about so much of it as truthfully reports1 c1 is surely a most extraordinary one4 ,again1 ,mr4 ,w4 says1 ,i say so much of that book as bears upon the ,ideal ,man 7,christ7 and so much of that book as the ,ideal ,man has set the seal of ,his approval on1 we may accept as the long sought for moral teacher1 c4 ,as before1 ,i would ask1 who is to decide what particular part or parts of this book the ,ideal ,man has set the seal of ,his approval on8 or whether the ,ideal ,man ever set ,his seal upon any of it8 or1 indeed1 whether this ,ideal ,man ever had other than a purely ideal or subjective existence in the minds of men8 ,some able scholars--notably ,rev4 ,robt4 ,taylor--have1 after careful historical research1 come to the conclusion that the ,christ of the ,gospels never existed4 ,but1 be this as it may1 scholars now generally agree that whether such a person as ,jesus of ,nazareth lived or not1 we have no authentic account of ,him2 and not a syllable of ,his alleged sayings was recorded during ,his alleged lifetime1 nor for more than half a century after ,his death4 ,the reader who wishes to pursue this subject of the wholly unauthentic character of the ,gospels1 c1 c1 is referred to ,greg's ,creed of ,christendom1 ,lord ,amberley's ,analysis of ,religious ,belief1 and the great work lately published in ,england1 and now reprinted here by the ,messrs4 ,belford of ,toronto1 viz41 ,supernatural ,religion4 ,it will thus be seen that ,mr4 ,wendling's doctrinal attitude towards the ,bible and ,christianity is extremely problematical1 and a ,materialist scarcely knows where to place him1 or how to deal with his mongrel positions4 ,being1 as he tells us1 a business man1 a lawyer1 a politician1 and a man of the world1 this versatile gentleman has evidently imbibed largely of the utilitarian and humanitarian spirit of the age1 while at the same time retaining his ,christian predilections2 and hence the hybrid homily with which we have to deal1 and which he calls a ,reply to ,robert ,ingersoll from a ,secular ,standpoint4 ,that a layman1 however1 should give so uncertain a sound as to his orthodox whereabouts1 and1 in attempting to defend his positions 7whatever they are7 and answer ,freethinkers1 should bring forth such a doctrinal nondescript1 is not indeed to be much wondered at1 seeing that the clergy themselves1 being mercilessly driven from pillar to post by modern science and research1 occupy the most inconsistent and incongruous1 not to say ridiculous1 positions1 in doctrine and dogma1 in ecclesiastical formulary and ,biblical exegesis4 ,however1 though of dubious doctrine and doubtful orthodoxy1 some of ,mr4 ,wendling's positions1 or rather assumptions and assertions1 are clear enough1 and not to be misunderstood2 and in a few of the more important of these ,i propose to follow him4 ,at the outset he dogmatically postulates the assumption that what most we need is the conviction that there is a personal ,god4 ,from social1 commercial1 and political considerations this belief in a personal ,god is what we most need--so says ,mr4 ,wendling4 ,he talks as though1 were it not for this theistic belief1 everything would go to the dogs2 and universal1 moral1 social and political chaos would come4 ,this1 however1 is simply assumed without a shadow of proof4 ,he then goes on with his demonstration 787 of the existence of a personal ,god2 but it is the old1 old story over again4 ,first he assumes1 in the face of the highest authorities to the contrary1 that among every people in every quarter of the habitable globe1 there exists1 and there has existed from the very furthest reach of history1 the idea of one eternal and all-powerful ,god4 ,he then gives us a rehash of ,paley's design argument to prove the existence of a ,god1 which he considers conclusive4 ,and1 finally1 as if conscious of the weakness of the intellectual argument1 he takes refuge in the moral argument1--in conscience in man as showing the existence of a personal ,god with moral attributes4 ,this is the last refuge of the ,theist--the dernier ressort of the theologian4 ,driven utterly from the realm of reason they fly to conscience and to consciousness to establish subjectively what cannot be proved intellectually4 ,now1 this sort of evidence may do for the ,theist and theologian who are determined to believe in ,theos2 but to those who live in the light of reason1 and in the realm of intellect not wholly submerged by the emotions1 such inner-consciousness evidence will not be satisfactory2 for they experience no such subjective proof in their own minds1 and do not care to take the mere feelings of others as evidence of anything further than the existence of nervous ganglion and brain4 ,i will now take up ,mr4 ,wendling's arguments to prove the existence of a personal ,god1 seriatim1 and briefly consider them4 ,as already remarked1 before setting out to prove a ,god1 ,mr4 ,w4 postulates the necessity of one4 ,for the preservation of moral order1 social purity1 and commercial integrity1 what most we need1 it is assumed1 is the conviction that there is a personal ,god4 ,this assertion certainly has a queer look when we reflect that ,theism is at present the prevailing belief among the masses1 and has been in the past2 and that our prisons are full of persons who believe in a personal ,god2 and that believers in ,god ascend the gallows almost daily1 and are swung off to mansions in the skies6 ,here are some half dozen examples of this kind at hand1 the whole of which ,i quote from one newspaper1 a late issue of the ,kingston ,british ,whig3-- ,breaux1 who was hanged in ,new ,orleans1 ascended the gallows smiling and said he had made his peace with ,god and all men4 ,bolen1 who was executed at ,macon1 ,mississippi1 said on the gallows3 ,my mouth will soon be closed in this world4 ,i rested in the arms of ,jesus last night4 ,i am satisfied4 ,i feel guilty of nothing4 ,god is well pleased with my soul4 ,macon1 who was executed at the same place1 said1 ,i feel ready to die1 because ,god has pardoned my sins4 ,i risked my soul on the murder1 but ,god has forgiven me4 ,there is not a cloud in the way4 ,brown1 who was also executed at ,macon1 with the other two1 the same day1 said1 ,i have made peace with ,god1 and will surely go to heaven1 ,i will cross the river with a rope around my neck that will lead my wicked soul on to glory4 ,blessed be ,god6 ,i am going home6 ,stone1 who was hanged at ,washington1 and ,tatio at ,windsor1 ,vermont1 the same day as the four above1 both had made their peace with ,god1 and were on their way to meet the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,a belief in ,god did not it seems avail to keep these men1 nor thousands of others1 from crime2 nor does it1 in my opinion1 to any great extent1 operate as a deterrent of crime4 ,people with favorable organizations and good surroundings will not be apt to commit murder whether they believe or disbelieve in a ,god2 while persons born with1 bad organizations--bad heads and impure blood--will very likely1 under favorable circumstances1 continue to follow their predominant impulses1 whether they believe in one ,god or twenty1 and1 if ,christians in belief1 they will ultimately rely on that fountain of blood open for sin and all uncleanness4 ,unscrupulous men who have strong natural tendencies to crime1 and believe in the ,christian plan of salvation1 will1 in bad surroundings1 scarcely fail to indulge their propensities and finally avail themselves of the bankrupt scheme--take a bath in that impure fountain and be washed clean 787 like the gentry instanced above4 ,in ,january and ,february of this year 7#ahhj7 ,rev4 ,e4 ,p4 ,hammond1 the noted ,methodist revivalist1 made a professional tour through ,canada in pursuit of his favorite and profitable calling of saving souls 7favorite1 probably1 because profitable74 ,among other places he visited ,st4 ,catharines1 and before leaving that city1 preached a sermon for the especial benefit1 it would seem1 of the ,universalists4 ,now1 ,universalism has always been specially odious to the other more evangelical sects1 especially the ,methodists1 who seem positively shocked at the horrid idea that hell may perhaps be ultimately emptied of its human contents and all mankind get into heaven4 ,the ,universalists appear to have a good degree of that noble human quality1 benevolence1 and hence they believe that the ,god they worship is too good to damn forever any creature he has made4 ,for this good opinion of their ,creator they are duly stigmatized1 contemned and reprobated by the ultra orthodox party1 who can brook no nonsense about the possibility of the fires of hell ever being extinguished4 ,these people are evidently well pleased at the idea that there is a place of torture into which the non-elect of their fellow creatures may be turned for ever and ever4 ,how like the ,god of the ,old ,testament1 these disciples of ,his are6 ,mr4 ,hammond1 it would seem1 is of this class2 and accordingly1 in the sermon alluded to1 proceeded to unbudget himself against ,universalism and ,universalists in vigorous style4 ,the sermon was reported in the ,st4 ,catharines ,journal1 and called forth an able and spirited reply through the same-medium from the ,rev4 ,j4 ,b4 ,lavelle of ,fulton1 ,township of ,grimsby4 ,i propose to make some extracts1 quite relevant to the subject under consideration1 from the reply of ,rev4 ,lavelle1--who is a gentleman1 ,i am informed1 of exemplary character and broad intelligence1 and highly respected4 ,mr4 ,lavelle says3 ,permit me to say1 ,mr4 ,editor1 in justice to ,universalists1 both on this continent and in ,europe1 among whom are some of the ablest ,biblical scholars1 and some of the best men1 that there is not a particle of truth in ,mr4 ,hammond's representation4 99 99 99 ,mr4 ,hammond1 with other ministers of the endless misery school1 believes in the doctrine of 'imputation1' 'substitution1' or 'vicarious' suffering of ,christ1 which they erroneously1 as we think1 call the ,atonement2 and that the greatest villain1 who has lived a life of crime1 rapine1 and murder1 can take the benefit of this ,spiritual ,bankrupt ,act 7for it is nothing else7 at any time before he dies1 and 'go to heaven'--yea1 even while standing on the gallows1 swing 'into glory' and thus escape the consequences of his wicked life4 ,for instance1 ,a and ,b are two consummate villains1 and have been so for years1 but in a quarrel ,a murders ,b--of course ,b goes to an eternal hell--but1 through the labors of ,mr4 ,hammond and others of the so-called orthodox churches who visit him in his cell before his execution--he repents4 787 ,they lay this ,spiritual ,bankrupt ,act before him4 ,he sees it is the only alternative to keep out of hell2 so he takes the benefit of it1 is hanged1 and goes to heaven4 ,thus1 the murderer gets to heaven by the lucky chance of being the murderer instead of the murdered4 ,if his victim had been fortunate enough to-strike the fatal blow1 he could have changed places with him2 and so the endless destiny of each would have been reversed by the chance blow of a street fight6 ,is it1 ,i ask1 on such grounds ,god distributes rewards and punishments8 ,what must be the moral influence of such a doctrine8 ,again3 ,a lives a life of crime for sixty years1 and on the very next month or day1 repents by taking the benefit of this ,spiritual ,bankrupt ,act1 dies and goes to heaven4 ,b lives a life of virtue and goodness for sixty years1 and the very next day or month makes a false step1 or commits a crime1 and is consigned to an endless hell to suffer intense misery without relief and without end4 ,and yet we are told by the advocates of this unscriptural doctrine that this is a just distribution of rewards and punishments under the government of ,god who 'is ,love1' but above all1 ,,the ,,father4 ,look at the case of one ,ward1 who1 in one of our counties a while ago1 murdered his wife--was sentenced to death1 and attended by his ',orthodox' spiritual advisers before execution4 ,he also repented 787 and took the benefit of this ,spiritual ,bankrupt ,act4 ,when he stood upon the gallows1 he said1 he 'had but two steps to take--one into eternity and the other into glory4' ,and his poor wife--what became of her8 ,gone1 'with all her imperfections' to suffer unmitigated misery as long as ,god himself shall endure1 and this1 too1 according to the unscriptural doctrine of the same churches which teach 'no change after death4' ,again we ask1 what can be the moral influence of such teaching8 ,the truth is the burden of the most of the teaching of the day is1 to 'die right2' 'make your peace with ,god in time1' and 'get religion before you die2' thus making religion to mainly consist in one general scramble to get into heaven and keep out of hell4 ,as ,freethinkers1 we boldly impeach the ,christian plan of salvation as being essentially immoral in its tendency1--as offering a premium on vice and crime2 and for doing this on previous occasions and designating it a bankrupt scheme1 the writer of this has been the subject of severe and indignant animadversion from his intimate ,christian friends4 ,yet here is a ,christian minister who takes substantially the same position as ourselves in reference to the plan of salvation as preached by ,methodists and others1 and denounces it as a ,spiritual ,bankrupt ,act4 ,and ,i have made the above extracts from his pen to strengthen my position against ,mr4 ,wendling1 viz41 that a belief in ,god and the ,bible is not essential to social and commercial morality1 and the safety of the ,state4 ,on this subject1 ,lord ,bacon1 himself a ,christian1 says3-- ,atheism leaves a man to sense1 to philosophy1 to natural piety1 to laws1 to reputation3 all which may be guides to an outward moral virtue1 though religion were not4 ,but superstition dismounts all these1 and createth an absolute monarchy in the minds of men2 therefore ,atheism did never perturb ,states1 for it makes men wary of themselves1 as looking no further1 and we see the limes inclined to ,atheism 7as the time of ,augustus ,caesar7 were civil times2 but superstition1 that bone of contention of many ,states1 bringeth in a new primum mobile that ravishes all the spheres of government4 ,there are thousands of ,atheists in almost every civilized country1 and how is it1 if ,atheism tends to crime1 that you will seldom or never find one in prison for any crime8 ,buddhism1 one of the most ancient religions1 long ante-dating ,christianity1 is essentially ,atheistic4 ,it has had1 and has now1 hundreds of millions of followers1 and for pure morality no system of religion has ever equalled it4 ,webster1 the ,christian lexicographer1 admits that ,buddhism was characterized by admirable humanity and morality4 ,the religion of ,confucius--of him who taught the golden rule five centuries before ,christianity appeared--was also ,atheistic4 ,therefore1 what we most need is1 not a conviction that there is a personal ,god 7we have that already2 all the murderers1 thieves and defaulters believe that doctrine71 but we need more of the admirable morality of ,buddhism1 and more of the practice of the golden rule of ,confucius to do not unto others what you would not they should do to you4 ,as ,emerson has said1 ,we want some good ,paganism4 ,mr4 ,wendling's next argument for the existence of a personal ,god is the assumed universality of the belief in ,god1 among every people in every quarter of the habitable globe1 now and from the very furthest reach of history4 ,as the value of this argument turns simply on a question of fact1 and as every educated or well-read man knows that the facts in this case are against ,mr4 ,wendling1 and that his assertion is historically incorrect1 it is hardly worth while to spend much time over it4 ,however1 as some readers may not have looked into the authorities on the subject1 ,i may1 perhaps not unprofitably quote briefly from some of them1 and simply refer the reader to others4 ,to say nothing of the ,atheistic character of the ,buddhistic religion1 already referred to1 with its millions of followers1 there have been1 and are to-day1 tribes and peoples who have no belief whatever in1 or conception of1 a ,god or ,gods4 ,this fact is conclusively proved by such authorities as ,livingston1 the great ,african explorer 7himself a ,christian71 ,sir ,john ,lubbock1 ,j4 ,s4 ,mill1 ,darwin1 and even ,john ,wesley1 the founder of ,methodism1 who1 surely1 ought to be good authority with ,christians2 and him we will first put in the witness box against ,mr4-,wendling4 ,wesley says1 in his ,sermons1 vol4 #b1 ,sermon ,c3 ,after all that has been so plausibly written concerning the 'innate idea of ,god2' after all that has been said of its being common to all men1 in all ages and nations1 it does not appear that man has any more idea of ,god than any of the beasts of the field2 he has no knowledge of ,god at all4 ,whatever change may afterward be wrought by his own reflection or education1 he is by nature a mere ,atheist4 ,charles ,darwin1 the greatest naturalist in the world1 and who is proverbially careful in his statements1 has the following on this subject in his ,descent of ,man1 vol4 #a1 p4 #fb-c3-- ,there is ample evidence1 derived not from hasty travellers1 but from men who have long resided with savages1 that numerous races have existed and still exist1 who have no idea of one or more ,gods1 and who have no words in their languages to express such an idea4 ,again1 in vol4 #b1 p4 #cgg1 ,darwin says3-- ,the belief in ,god has often been advanced as not only the greatest1 but the most complete1 of all the distinctions between man and the lower animals4 ,it is1 however1 impossible1 as we have seen1 to maintain that this belief is innate or instinctive in man4 ,on the other hand1 a belief in all-pervading spiritual agencies seems to be universal2 and apparently follows from a considerable advance in the reasoning powers of man1 and from a still greater advance in his faculties of imagination1 curiosity and wonder4 ,i am aware that the assumed instinctive belief in ,god has been used by many persons as an argument for ,his existence4 ,but this is a rash argument1 as we should thus be compelled to believe in the existence of many cruel and malignant spirits1 possessing only a little more power than man2 for the belief in them is far more general than of a beneficent ,deity4 ,the idea of a universal and beneficent ,creator of the universe does not seem to arise in the mind of man1 until he has been elevated by long-continued culture4 ,i would refer the reader who wishes to pursue the subject further1 to ,livingston's writings1 to ,sir ,j4 ,lubbock's ,prehistoric ,times1 and his ,origin of ,civilization1 and also to the ,anthropological ,review for ,august1 #ahfd4 ,mr4 ,wendling's next argument to prove the existence of a personal ,god is the once celebrated but now obsolete design argument of ,catwell and ,paley2 but he seems either not to know or he ignores the fact that this design argument has been so thoroughly refuted by the sternest logic and most indisputable natural facts that the more advanced theologians of the present day have wholly abandoned it4 ,to reproduce these1 or to give any elaborate refutation1 it is unnecessary here4 ,the whole matter may be disposed of briefly by one or two simple syllogisms which everybody can comprehend4 ,the famous design argument1 then1 may be formulated into simple syllogistic propositions thus3-- ,whatever manifests design must have had a designer3 ,the world manifests design2 ,therefore1 the world must have had a designer4 ,this is the whole ,christian reasoning on the subject in a nutshell1 and it has been considered by them perfectly conclusive and unanswerable4 ,the logic is certainly unexceptionable1 that is1 the conclusion is quite legitimate from the premises2 but it so happens that the premises are unsound1 and in such a case the most unexceptionable logic goes for naught4 ,if premises be erroneous1 though the reasoning be ever so good1 the conclusion must be erroneous4 ,the major premiss of the foregoing syllogism1 that whatever manifests design must have had a designer1 is a pure assumption1 if by design is meant adaptation in ,nature4 ,so1 likewise1 is the minor premiss an assumption if by design is meant anything more than the adaptation pervading the universe1 or at least that part cognizable to us4 ,that the fitness and adaptation observable in ,nature do not establish intelligent design1 is amply shown by the highest authorities--by the most eminent naturalists 7,haeckel1 ,darwin1 c47 of the present day1 to whom the reader is referred1 and ,i need not here amplify in that direction4 ,nor is it at all necessary for my present purpose and work4 ,it is only necessary to apply the teductio ad absurdum to the above argument from design to show its utter fallacy4 ,we will admit the premises and carry the reasoning of our ,christian friends out a little further4 ,by granting the truth of their major proposition and reasoning1 logically from it we can prove more than is wholesome for the theologian1 as thus3-- ,whatever manifests design must have had a designer3 ,god1 in his alleged personality and attributes1 manifests design2 ,therefore1 ,god must have had a designer4 ,it will thus be seen that ,mr4 ,wendling's design argument from ,catwell and ,paley proves entirely too much for his own good1 and hence it is that the astute theologians of the day have abandoned ,paley and his design argument to their fate1 where they have been duly relegated by the incisive logic of the modern materialist4 ,finally1 ,mr4 ,wendling comes to the moral argument1 and in conscience finds proof of the existence of a personal ,god4 ,he complacently avers that ,god made man with this omnipresent ',i ought' implanted in his nature4 ,now1 in the first place1 it is a great mistake that this ,i ought or conscience is universally implanted in man--is omnipresent1 as ,mr4 ,wendling puts it4 ,that there are tribes without the moral sense of conscience1 is sustained by the same unimpeachable authorities referred to in proof of the absence in them of any theistic conception or belief2 and even in civilized 787 society we unfortunately find an occasional specimen of the genus homo with no noticeable trace of that variable quality we call conscience4 ,that conscience is innate in man1 and a ,god-given faculty1 instead of acquired by development1 is another convenient assumption without any substantial foundation4 ,if conscience is a ,divine gift to humanity1 how is it that consciences differ so widely1 not only in degree1 but in kind8 ,if conscience is a ,divine monitor and guide from heaven1 why is it that it so often becomes a very blind guide1 and leads people into many by-paths8 ,how is it that under the sanction of conscience the most horrid crimes and cruelties against humanity have been committed in the name of ,god1 its alleged author8 ,how is it1 if conscience is an unerring guide to conduct1 implanted by ,god1 that it has guided man1 in the name of its author1 to let out the life blood of his fellow-creatures in rivers1 on account of differences of opinion conscientiously entertained8 ,does ,god give one man one sort of conscience and another man another and wholly different sort1 leading them in opposite directions1 and then prompt the conscience of one to put the other 7his fellow7 to death for conscience sake and for ,god's sake8 ,if so1 it is very questionable work1 surely1 for a good 787 ,god to be engaged in6 ,if ,god implants the conscience in man1 why not be fair and just and give all men consciences8 and give them all the same article8 and not give one man a tolerably good article of conscience 7the ,freethinker1 for example7 and then go and give others 7some of our ,christian friends1 for example7 so poor an article1 so to speak--so flexible and elastic--that it allows them to murder1 cheat1 lie1 slander1 rob widows and orphans1 and run away with other people's money and other men's wives without compunction--without any troublesome pangs from this universal ,i ought over which ,mr4 ,wendling grows so eloquent6 ,the ,christian world has been quite long enough teaching an irrational and absurd doctrine about conscience4 ,they not only blunder as to its origin1 but as to its nature and functions4 ,nearly every ,christian writer defines conscience as an inward monitor to tell us right from wrong2 a divine faculty enabling us to judge between the good and the bad2 a guide to conduct1 c1 c4 ,in the light of our present mental science this definition of conscience is utterly false4 ,conscience is not an intelligent faculty at all--it is simply a feeling4 ,by modern metaphysics conscience has been relegated from the domain of the intellect to its proper place among the emotions4 ,hence it decides nothing1 judges nothing as between right and wrong1 or anything else1 for that is a function of intellect4 ,conscience1 instead of being a guide or judge1 is but a blind impulse needing itself to be guided4 ,it is simply a feeling for the right--a thirsting for the good--but the intellect must decide what is right2 and the nature and character of its decisions will depend upon various circumstances1 such as organization1 education1 c42 and the decisions of different individuals as to right and wrong will differ as those circumstances differ4 ,we hear a great deal about enlightening the conscience2 but it cannot be done4 ,you might as well talk of enlightening a sunflower1 which instinctively turns its head to the light2 or a vine1 which instinctively creeps up the portico4 ,the intellect1 however1 may be enlightened4 ,reason1 which is the only and ultimate arbiter and guide to conduct1 may be enlightened2 and we may thus modify1 guide and direct the blind impulses of conscience4 ,the truth is1 conscience in man1 such as it is1 is a development--is acquired rather than innate2 has been developed by ,nature instead of implanted by ,god4 ,the moral sense1 without doubt1 gradually developed in man as he rose in the scale of intelligence4 ,where there is little or no intelligence1 the moral sense would be inapplicable and incongruous1 and is not needed1 hence does not exist4 ,when it is required1 ,nature1 in perfect keeping with all her other adaptations1 develops it4 ,darwin1 in the ,descent of ,man1 vol4 i1 pp4 #fh-i1 says3-- ,the following proposition seems to me in a high degree probable--namely1 that any animal whatever1 endowed with well-marked social instincts1 would inevitably acquire a moral sense or conscience1 as soon as its intellectual powers had become as well developed1 or nearly as well developed1 as in man4 ,on this point ,john ,stuart ,mill also has the following in his ,utilitarianism1 p4 #de3-- ,if1 as is my own belief1 the moral feelings are not innate1 but acquired1 they are not for that reason less natural4 ,the reader is also referred to ,psychological ,inquiries1 by ,sir ,b4 ,brodie1 for further evidence on this subject4 ,the moral sense1 therefore1 which exists in a portion of mankind--distinct traces of which are also found in some of the lower animals--has been gradually acquired during the evolution of man from a lower to a higher condition4 ,it has come down to us from primitive barbarism through long ages of hereditary transmission4 ,the spiritual yearnings of man's nature1 thought by ,christians to prove a ,god as their author1 have1 in like manner1 been gradually acquired4 ,these subjective emotions and desires--whether you call them carnal or spiritual--are1 unquestionably1 in the light of modern science1 all matters of gradual development1 hereditary inheritance1 and education4 ,the great doctrine of ,,evolution in nature explains them all4 ,having thus dealt with the arguments of ,mr4 ,wendling in evidence of a personal ,god--a primary assumption upon which he predicates many other assumptions--there is little else in his ,reply to ,robert ,ingersoll demanding attention4 ,one or two1 however1 of his extraordinary assertions1 it may not be amiss to look into a little2 especially as ,mr4 ,wendling1 having waxed valiant over the supposed conclusiveness of his arguments1 triumphantly throws down the glove to infidelity in this wise3-- ,to my mind the great central thought of ,christianity is that every living soul1 of every race1 of every clime1 of every creed1 of every condition1 of every color--every living soul is worthy the ,kingdom 99 99 99 ,and here ,i challenge infidelity4 ,i lay the challenge broadly down4 ,i challenge infidelity to name an era or a school in which this doctrine was taught prior to the advent of the ,ideal ,man4 ,here1 again1 ,mr4 ,wendling's orthodoxy is badly out of joint1 and his facts at loose ends4 ,this central thought that every living soul is worthy the ,kingdom has no place in ,christianity4 ,it is by no means biblical doctrine1 however well so humane an idea may fit into ,mr4 ,w4's own mind4 ,hence1 to designate the brotherhood of man the great central thought of ,christianity--a system which is to consign a majority of mankind to an endless hell of fire and brimstone--is purely gratuitous4 ,to claim benevolent fatherhood or brotherhood for a religion which declares that the road to hell is broad1 and many shall go in thereat1 while the way to ,heaven is narrow1 and few shall go in thereat1 is to play fast and loose with the ,bible4 ,to say that every soul is worthy the ,kingdom1 and call this the great central thought of ,christianity1 in the face of what the ,word of ,god cheerfully tells us on this subject1 is1 indeed1 a marvellous flexibility of language1 which ,i do not at all propose to tolerate in discussion with a lawyer1 a politician1 a man of the world1 or any other man4 ,hear ye6 ,o6 non-elect1 what comforting things the ,scripture saith to you on your future prospects6 ,for whom he did foreknow1 he also did predestinate4 ,for the children being not yet born1 neither having done any good or evil1 that the purpose of ,god according to election might stand1 not of works1 but of him that calleth4 ,therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy1 and whom he will he hardeneth4 7,romans1 #hth and #ith ,chapters47 ,the wicked are estranged from the womb2 they go astray as soon as they be born1 speaking lies4 7,psalm #eh47 ,ye believe not because ye are not of my sheep4 7,john #aj47 ,ye be reprobates4 7,,ii4 ,corinth4 #ac47 ,jacob have ,i loved1 but ,esau have ,i hated4 7,romans #i47 ,he hardened their hearts1 ,that seeing they may see1 and not perceive2 and hearing they may hear1 and not understand4 7,mark #d47 ,hath not the potter power over the clay4 c4 7,romans #i47 ,he that believeth not shall be damned4 ,this is benevolent 787 fatherhood1 and the spirit of the brotherhood of humanity1 with a vengance6 ,we are distinctly told that ,god1 from the beginning1 has deliberately fixed upon the ultimate misery and destruction of a portion of ,his hapless creatures2 that ,he moulds them as clay in the hands of the potter2 hardens their hearts and blinds their eyes1 and then tells them ,he will damn them for not doing what ,he has prevented them from doing1 and what ,he knows1 beforehand1 they cannot and will not do6 ,this is what ,mr4 ,wendling calls the great central thought of ,christianity--that 'every soul is worthy the ,kingdom1'--and he calls loudly upon infidelity to name an era or a school in which this doctrine was taught before the ,ideal ,man taught it4 ,he is right6 ,we cannot do it6 ,we may search the philosophies and sacred writings of the ,pagans in vain for so fiendish a doctrine4 ,for pure1 unadulterated malevolence1 the ,vedas1 the ,shaster1 the ,zend-,avesta1 afford no parallel for this truly ,christian doctrine4 ,if1 however1 ,mr4 ,wendling challenges us to name an era or school in which the brotherhood of man 7as we understand it7 was taught before the time of the ,ideal ,man1 we unhesitatingly accept his challenge4 ,it was taught by ,buddha1 ,confucius1 and numerous ,pagan writers and philosophers long before the time of ,jesus1 for proof of which ,i refer the reader to ,prof4 ,max ,muller1 ,sir ,wm4 ,jones1 ,lord1 ,amberly1 c1 or to the writings themselves4 ,mr4 ,wendling desires us to ,tell me 7him7 why it is that all the creeds of ,christendom and all the civilized nations unite in accepting the ,ideal ,man of ,christianity despite the laws of climate and of race8 ,i will answer this question in the ,irishman's fashion1 by asking one or two others4 ,tell me why it is1 if ,christianity is a divine system1 and its author omnipotent1 that1 after eighteen centuries of active propagandism and aggression1 compassing sea and land to make proselytes1 it has to-day1 according to recent statistics1 but the meagre following of #cii1bjj1jjj2 while ,buddhism has #dje1fjj1jjj1 and ,brahmanism1 ,mohammedanism1 etc41 #ejj1jjj1jjj8 ,not nearly one-third of the world's population ,christians1 and the number rapidly diminishing6 ,tell me why it is1 if ,christianity is true that its foundations are melting down like wax in the light of ,modern ,science8' ,tell me why it is1 if the ,bible is an inspired book1 a divine revelation1 that scarcely a single really eminent scientist or scholar of the present day accepts it as such8 ,tell me why it is that ,atheism1 ,agnosticism1 and ,rationalism are making such rapid headway among the educated and intelligent1 in every civilized country1 both in the church and out of it8 ,that the dogmas upon which ,christianity rests are doomed2 and as ,froude1 the historian1 says1 ,doctrines once fixed as a rock are now fluid as water899 ,if the ,bible can bear the light of science and historical research1 how is it that these have already irrevocably sapped its very foundations2 and that1 as a consequence1 the world is completely honey-combed with infidelity1 as a ,toronto paper recently asserted of that city8 ,the only answer ,mr4 ,wendling can give to these questions is this3 ,because ,christianity is unable to show its titles2 because the ,bible1 being human in its origin1 and1 as a consequence1 abounding in errors1 both in science and morals1 cannot bear the penetrating light of modern science and criticism4 99 ,science and ,theology1 ,ancient and ,modern4--,the ,international ,religio-,science ,series4--,rose-,belford ,publishing ,company1 ,toronto4 ,,reply ,,to ,,lynch ,a ,,crushing 787 ,,edict ,,from ,,st4 ,,michael',s ,,palace4 7,brutem ,fulmen17 ,,by ,yours in ,christ1 7,signed71 ,john ,joseph ,lynch4 ,since ,ingersoll's visit to ,canada1 ,archbishop ,lynch1 of ,toronto1-has also felt called upon to issue a bull against the ,freethinkers2 and1 ,i propose to take this bull by the horns and lynch him 7,i may say sub rosa that the ,bulls of ,rome were long ago emasculated1 yet1 strangely enough1 they still keep multiplying67 ,under the circumstances1 ,i think such a work 7lynching the bull7 will not be one wholly of supererogation1--though it may be more than a venial offence--indeed possibly a mortal sin for which ,i can get no absolution--to presume to criticise an ,archbishop1 and break a lance with his holy bull6 ,i have1 however1 desperately resolved to take my chances of purgatory or limbo and go in for the bull4 ,some of the ,archbishop's flock1 it would seem1 had ventured to exercise the natural rights of man to the very modest extent of going to hear ,mr4 ,ingersoll lecture1 and also attending some of the meetings of the ,toronto ,liberal ,association4 ,hence the fulmination of the aforesaid bull1 wherein his ,grace1 with that meekness1 charity and toleration born of piety and infallibility1 orders his people to avoid all contact with these ,freethinkers1 their lectures and their writings1 and threatens all ,catholics who go to the meetings and lectures of the ,freethinkers or ,atheists with refusal of absolution1 which priestly function1 he patronizingly tells them1 he reserves to himself4 ,now1 may we not indulge the hope1 in this age of reason1 and land of at least professed liberty1 and esoteric freedom of conscience1 that every man1 be he ,catholic or ,protestant1 will look upon this attempted exercise of medieval bigotry and intolerance with practical disregard1 and deserved contempt4 ,as for the ,freethinkers1 they can afford to smile at the impotent ,archbishop1 who seems to imagine himself in the ninth instead of the nineteenth century1 and in ,rome or ,spain instead of the ,dominion of ,canada4 ,they can but look at him and his foolish bull as most ridiculous anachronisms4 ,on reading this precious document it is plain that all this deputy ,vicegerent of ,god requires to make him a first-class modern ,torquemada is the power--the outward authority to carry out his subjective hatred of brutalized ,freethinkers4 ,but this1 thanks to science1 and consequent civilization1 he has not got4 ,the ,rationalist can1 therefore1 at this day1 afford to deride the malevolent1 though fortunately impotent1 ravings of this zealous bishop of an emasculated ,church4 ,he and his ,church 7the whole ,christian ,church7 are1 fortunately for humanity1 shorn of their wonted strength1 which1 in the past1 they have used with such fiendish ferocity and brutality on human kind4 ,the day has gone by when the ,church may light an auto-da-fe around the body of a ,bruno4 ,the time has passed when she may thrust a ,galileo into prison and force him to recant the sublime truths of ,astronomy4 ,she can no longer cast a ,roger ,bacon into a noisome dungeon because of his scientific investigations4 ,true1 she can still1 if she choose1 excommunicate a ,copernicus for what she denounced as his false ,pythagorean doctrine1 but that is all4 ,darwin1 ,huxley1 ,tyndall1 ,proctor and the rest are safe4 ,this relentless enemy of ,science and liberty1 and consequently of mankind1 can no longer clutch every young science by the throat and strangle struggling truth1 which1 crushed to earth has risen again in its might2 and history will scarcely repeat itself in the case of ,bruno the ,atheist1 or ,galileo the ,astronomer1 or ,roger ,bacon the ,philosopher1 or a thousand other victims of this ruthless ,bourbon of the world of thought--the ,church4 ,she may still continue to fulminate her absurd and innocuous anathemas1 but this is about all4 ,the ,holy ,inquisition1 with its two hundred and fifty thousand human victims2 the ,crusades with its five millions2 the massacre of ,st4 ,bartholomew with its fifty thousand2 to say nothing of the religious horrors of the ,netherlands1 of ,england1 ,scotland1 and ,ireland since the reformation--all these holy horrors1 let us hope1 are hideous blots on the history of the past never to be repeated4 ,or will it be said of the future history of ,christianity1 as has been frankly admitted of its past by one of its ardent disciples1 ,baxter1 that ,blood1 blood1 blood stains every page8 ,the tables are now turning4 ,the ,church1 to-day1 instead of burning unbelievers1 and strangling science by immuring in dungeons its votaries1 is herself being strangled by science 7with no loss of human blood1 however74 ,her cruel theology and irrational dogmas are prostrate1 writhing in their death throes1 at the feet of the ,hercules of modern science and criticism4 ,a little digression will not be out of order here4 ,our comic caricaturist at ,toronto 7of which1 on the whole1 ,canada may feel proud71 recently had a cartoon representing the theological ,gamaliel of ,st4 ,michael's ,palace1 ,toronto1 strangling the serpent ,freethought4 ,now1 though usually on the side of truth and impartiality1 ,grip has undoubtedly1 in this case1 taken an oblique squint at truth and justice1 and has for once1 at least1 got the cart before the horse4 ,facts and truth demand that the positions of the gladiators in his cartoon must be reversed1 and the zoological nomenclature corrected4 ,and if ,grip had read ,huxley and ,tyndall1 and correctly observed the signs of the times1 he would scarcely have fallen into this unpardonable error4 ,let us quote ,prof4 ,huxley on this subject of strangling serpents3-- ,it is true that1 if philosophers have suffered1 their cause has been amply revenged4 ,extinguished theologians lie about the cradle of every science as the strangled snakes beside that of ,hercules2 and history records that1 whenever science and orthodoxy have been fairly opposed1 the latter has been forced to retire from the lists1 bleeding and crushed1 if not annihilated2 scotched1 if not slain4 ,but orthodoxy is the ,bourbon of the world of thought4 ,it learns not1 neither can it forget2 and1 though at present bewildered and afraid to move1 it is as willing as ever to insist that the first chapter of ,genesis contains the beginning and the end of sound science2 and to visit1 with such petty thunderbolts as its half-paralyzed hands can hurl those who refuse to degrade ,nature to the level of primitive ,judaism4--,lay ,sermons1 p4 #bgg-h4 ,from this1 ,grip will see that instead of the fair form of reason and ,freethought 7which he represents as a snake7 being strangled by a prelate of the church1 it is the serpent1 orthodoxy1 which is being strangled by the ,hercules of science4 ,it is to be regretted that ,grip1 notwithstanding his professions of independence and impartiality1 is himself obnoxious to the very moral cowardice he has so often fearlessly and justly exposed in others4 ,else why does he represent ,freethought as a snake8 ,is it because ,freethought is yet comparatively weak in numbers1 and unpopular1 and because this sort of thing will please the ,church1 which is popular and powerful8 ,what characteristic of the snake attaches to ,freethought or ,freethinkers8 ,none2 and we fearlessly challenge ,grip and the ,church on this point4 ,freethought has none of the reptilian qualities of hypocrisy1 cunning or deceit1 but is frank and fearless4 ,amid all the obloquy1 denunciation1 persecution1 social ostracism1 calumny1 and holy bulls hurled at them1 ,freethinkers have the courage of their opinions2 and bear all these1 as well as business detriment1 for the sake of what they sacredly regard as truth4 ,what does ,prof4 ,tyndall say of ,freethinkers and ,atheists8 ,to ,archbishop ,lynch1 who1 in his pronunciamiento1 says1 ,a person who1 disbelieves in the ,ten ,commandments1 in hell or in ,heaven1 can hardly be trusted in the concerns of life2 and to ,grip who cowardly crystalizes this base assertion into a baser cartoon1 ,i quote with pride the language of this noble man1 and eminent scholar and scientist4 ,in the ,fortnightly ,review for ,november1 #ahgg1 ,prof4 ,tyndall says3 ,it may comfort some to know that there are amongst us many whom the gladiators of the pulpit would call ,atheists and ,materialists1 whose lives1 nevertheless1 as tested by any accessible standard of morality1 would contrast more than favorably with the lives of those who seek to stamp them with this offensive brand4 ,when ,i say 'offensive' ,i refer simply to the intention of those who use such terms1 and not because ,atheism or ,materialism1 when compared with many of the notions ventilated in the columns of religious newspapers1 has any particular offensiveness to me4 ,if ,i wished to find men who are scrupulous in their adherence to engagements1 whose words are their bond1 and to whom moral shiftiness of any kind is subjectively unknown2 if ,i wanted a loving father1 a faithful husband1 an honorable neighbor1 and a just citizen1 ,i would seek him among the band of ,atheists to which ,i refer4 ,i have known some of the most pronounced amongst them1 not only in life1 but in death--seen them approaching with open eyes the inexorable goal1 with no dread of a 'hangman's whip1' with no hope of a heavenly crown1 and still as mindful of their duties1 and as faithful in the discharge of them1 as if their eternal future depended on their latest deeds4 ,let the ,archbishop1 and ,grip1 and every reader ponder these brave words of so high an authority in defence of the reprobated class-stigmatised as infidels1 to which they refer2 and then1 for corroboration1 compare the testimony given with the living facts around them44 ,the ,archbishop says1 these foolish men 7the ,freethinkers7 are striving to replunge the world into the depths of ,barbarism and ,paganism1 etc41 etc4 ,to those who know that the present attitude of all the great scientists and eminent savans towards the dogmas of the ,christian ,church1 is one of undoubted unbelief and hostility2 and who are conversant with the history of the ,archbishop's own church in particular1 during the past fifteen centuries1--to them the ,archbishop's vituperation is as foolish as it is ridiculous4 ,from the days of ,constantine to this year1 #ahhj1 the ,church1 of which this learned 787 prelate is a representative1 has strenuously opposed learning1 and retarded civilization2 has tolerated no freedom of conscience or liberty of thought1 thus narrowing instead of extending the liberty enjoyed in ,pagan and ,imperial ,rome1 over whose ruins she reared her tyrannical head4 ,talk of ,paganism6 ,his ,church needs1 as ,emerson puts it1 some good ,paganism4 ,she left behind her the liberty even of ,pagan ,rome1 her maligned precursor4 ,renan tells us1 ,we may search in vain1 the ,roman law before ,constantine1 for a single passage against freedom of thought1 and the history of the imperial government furnishes no instance of a prosecution for entertaining an abstract doctrine4 ,and1 ,mosheim1 the ecclesiastical historian1 tells us that the ,romans exercised this toleration in the amplest manner4 ,the prosecutions of the ,christians by the ,pagans1 it is now universally conceded by ,christian historians1 have been greatly exaggerated2 ,christians have killed1 in one day1 for their faith nearly half as many heretics as all the ,christians put to death by the ,pagans during the whole period of the ,pagan ,empire4 7,the ,influence of ,christianity on ,civilization1 pp4 #bd-e1 ,underwood47 ,the ,archbishop's ,church is1 therefore1 no improvement in respect of liberty or toleration1 on the ,paganism he reviles4 ,what progress the world has made in liberty and civilization1 has been made1 not with the assistance of the ,christian ,church1 but in spite of its determined opposition and deadly hostility4 ,dr4 ,draper1 author of the ,history of the ,conflict between ,religion and ,science1 and other works1 tells us that3 ,latin ,christianity is responsible for the condition and progress of ,europe from the fourth to the sixteenth century1 and subsequently avers1 ,whoever will1 in in a spirit of impartiality1 examine what had been done by ,catholicism for the intellectual and material advancement of ,europe1 during her long reign1 and what has been done by science in its brief period of action1 can1 ,i am persuaded1 come to no other conclusion than this1 that1 in instituting a comparison1 he has established a contrast4 7,conflict1 p4 #cba47 ,lecky1 in his ,history of ,morals1 vol4 #b1 p4 #ah1 tells us3--,for more than three centuries the decadence of theological influence has been one of the most invariable signs and measures of our progress4 ,in medicine1 physical science1 commercial interests1 politics1 and even ethics1 the reformer has been confronted with theological affirmations that have barred his way1 which were all defended as of vital importance1 and were all compelled to yield before the secularizing influence of civilization4 7,protestant as well as ,catholic ,christianity is1 however1 obnoxious to this stricture of ,lecky47 ,the ,freethinkers striving to replunge the world into the depths of barbarism6 ,what can the ,archbishop's idea of barbarism be8 ,doubtless in his priestly mind everything is barbarism which does not square with the ,encyclical1 or with the dogmas of his infallible ,church4 ,if1 however1 barbarism is in reality just the opposite of our most enlightened and highest civilization in ,art1 ,science1 ,literature and ,ethics1 it will1 ,i have the presumption to think1 be found that those foolish men--those brutalized ,freethinkers--are leading the van of progress forward to a higher civilization1 instead of dragging it backward to barbarism4 ,the truth of this is patent everywhere1 in every civilized country1 and many of our ,christian opponents admit it1 though ,archbishop ,lynch may not4 ,a clergyman of ,toronto--,rev4 ,w4 ,s4 ,rainsford1 of ,st4 ,james' ,cathedral--7from whom the ,archbishop of ,st4 ,mary's ,cathedral might probably1 to his advantage1 take a lesson in toleration71 in a sermon preached in that city1 ,nov4 #agth1 #ahgh1 in speaking of ,freethinkers1 made use of the following language1 as reported in the ,globe of the #ahth3 ,this sort of infidelity1 that of ,materialism1 has its students in the laboratory and in the library4 ,it includes men of moral lives1 of earnest purposes1 99 99 99 men who uphold morality1 chastity1 self-denial1 perseverance with as clear a voice as ,christians do1 but on different grounds4 ,years ago the ,n4 ,y4 ,independent1 a religious paper1 made the following ingenuous admission3 ,to the shame of the ,church it must be confessed that the foremost in all our philanthropic movements1 in the interpretation of the spirit of the age1 in the practical application of genuine ,christianity1 in the reformation of abuses in high and low places1 in the vindication of the rights of man1 and in practically redressing his wrongs1 in the intellectual and moral regeneration of the race1 are the so-called infidels in our land4 ,the ,church has pusillanimously left1 not only the working oar1 but the very reins of salutary reform in the hands of men she denounces as inimical to ,christianity1 and who are practically doing1 with all their might1 for humanity's sake1 what the ,church ought to be doing for ,christ's sake2 and if they succeed1 as succeed they will1 in abolishing slavery1 banishing rum1 restraining licentiousness1 reforming abuses and elevating the masses1 then must the recoil on ,christianity be disastrous4 ,woe1 woe1 woe1 to ,christianity when ,infidels by the force of nature1 or the tendency of the age1 get ahead of the ,church in morals1 and in the practical work of ,christianity4 ,in some instances they are already far in advance4 ,in the vindication of ,truth1 ,righteousness1 and ,liberty1 they are the pioneers1 beckoning to a sluggish ,church to follow in the rear4 ,the ,evangelist also1 made the following admission of the same facts3 ,among all the earnest minded young men1 who are at this moment leading in thought and action in ,america1 we venture to say that four-fifths are skeptical of the great historical facts of ,christianity4 ,what is held as ,christian doctrine by the churches claims none of their consideration1 and there is among them a general distrust of the clergy1 as a class1 and an utter disgust with the very aspect of modern ,christianity and of church worship4 ,this scepticism is not flippant2 little is said about it4 ,it is not a peculiarity alone of radicals and fanatics2 most of them are men of calm and even balance of mind1 and belong to no class of ultraists4 ,it is not worldly and selfish4 ,nay1 the doubters lead in the bravest and most self-denying enterprises of the day4 ,from a ,church which has always opposed the education of the people1 when she had the power1 and exterminated or expatriated the best intellects under her jurisdiction1 this talk of ,freethinkers re-plunging the world into the depths of barbarism comes with a very bad grace from his ,grace of ,toronto4 ,by this ,church the ,moriscoes were driven out of ,spain--#ajj1jjj of them--and this because they were the friends of progress1 of art and science4 ,buckle1 the historian1 tells us3--,when they were thrust out of ,spain there was no one to fill their places2 arts and manufactures either degenerated or were entirely lost1 ard immense regions of arable land were left uncultivated2 whole districts were suddenly deserted1 and down to the present day have never been repeopled4 ,the ,jews also were expelled1 as they1 too1 were in favor of knowledge and improvement1 and this was sufficient cause for their expatriation4 ,this relentless enemy--the ,church--of all science1 all progress in knowledge among the people1 ruthlessly exterminated the best minds within its grasp for centuries4 ,darwin1 in his ,descent of ,man1 vol4 #a1 p4 #aga-b1 says3-- ,during the same period the ,holy ,inquisition selected with extreme care the freest and boldest men in order to burn and imprison them4 ,in ,spain alone some of the best men1 those who doubted and questioned--and without doubting and questioning there can be no progress--were eliminated during three centuries at the rate of a thousand a year4 ,talk to us of barbarism and paganism6 ,a church which1 from the time1 nearly fifteen centuries ago1 when she burnt the ,alexandrian ,libraries and ,museum--the intellectual legacies of centuries--to the present time1 has never yet called off her sleuth-hounds with which she has always hunted down the sacred principles of liberty of thought and freedom of conscience6 ,a ,church which from the beginning of that unhappy contest1 as ,mosheim tells us1 between faith and reason1 religion and philosophy1 piety and genius1 which increased in succeeding ages1 and is prolonged even to our times with a violence which renders it extremely difficult to be brought to a conclusion1 to this day1 would hold the world in barbarous ignorance if its paralyzed hand could but avail against the resistless march of knowledge and truth6 ,draper1 in speaking of the condition of the people under ,catholicity in the #adth century1 thus pictures the civilizing 787 and elevating influences of that ,holy ,religion3-- ,there was no far reaching1 no persistent plan to ameliorate the physical condition of the nations4 ,nothing was done to favor their intellectual development1 indeed1 on the contrary1 it was the settled policy to keep them not merely illiterate1 but ignorant4 ,century after century passed away1 and left the peasantry but little better than the cattle in the fields4 99 99 99 ,pestilences were permitted to stalk forth unchecked1 or at best opposed only by mummeries4 ,bad food1 wretched clothing1 inadequate shelter1 were suffered to produce their result1 and at the end of a thousand years the population of ,europe had not doubled4 ,for centuries1 and centuries1 in the ,western ,empire1 subsequent to the invasion of the barbarians1 when the ,church this ,toronto prelate owes allegiance to1 had absolute control1 such was the dense ignorance that scarcely a layman could be found who could sign his own name4 ,there was very little learning1 and what little there was the clergy carefully and jealously confined to themselves2 and as ,hallam1 the historian1 tells us3-- ,a cloud of ignorance overspread the whole face of the church1 hardly broken by a few glimmering lights1 who owe almost the whole of their distinction to the surrounding darkness4 ,the same historian 7,middle ,ages1 p4 #dfj17 tells us3--,france reached her lowest point at the beginning of the eighth century1 but ,england was1 at that time1 more respectable1 and did not fall into complete degradation until the middle of the ninth4 ,there could be nothing more deplorable than the state of ,italy during the succeeding century4 ,in almost every council the ignorance of the clergy forms a subject for reproach4 ,it is asserted by one held in #iib that scarcely a single person was to be found in ,rome itself1 who knew the first elements of letters4 ,not one priest of a thousand in ,spain1 about the age of ,charlemagne1 could address a common letter of salutation to one another4 ,lecky1 in his ,history of ,morals1 vol4 #b1 p4 #bbb1 tells us that3 ,mediaeval ,catholicity discouraged and suppressed1 in every way1 secular studies1 and further1 that1 ,not till the education of ,europe passed from the monasteries to the universities2 not until ,mahomedan science and classical freethought and industrial independence broke the sceptre of the ,church1 did the intellectual revival of ,europe commence4 ,and1 ,i would ask ,archbishop ,lynch1 what was the condition of the ,byzantine ,empire during the thousand years or upwards of its existence8--,an empire under the sway of his ,church1 from its foundation by the first ,christian emperor1 ,constantine--that exemplary ,christian murderer who1 because the ,pagan priests refused him absolution for his enormities1 hastened to the bosom of the ,christian ,church1 whose priests he found more pliable1 having little compunction or hesitancy about granting absolution to the new proselyte4 ,what is the record of history touching this ,empire under the aegis of ,catholic ,christianity8 ,the historian ,lecky thus graphically sets forth its condition3-- ,the universal verdict of history is that it constitutes1 without a single exception1 the most thoroughly base and despicable form that civilization has yet assumed4 ,though very cruel and very sensual1 there have been times when cruelty assumed more ruthless1 and sensuality more extravagant aspects1 but there has been no other enduring civilization so absolutely destitute of all the forms1 the elements1 of greatness1 and none to which the epithet mean may be so emphatically applied4 ,the ,byzantine ,empire was pre-eminently the age of treachery4 ,its vices were the vices of men who ceased to be brave without learning to be virtuous4 99 99 99 ,the history of the empire is a monotonous story of the intrigues of priests1 eunuchs and women1 of poisonings1 of conspiracies1 of uniform ingratitude1 of perpetual fratricides4 ,in speaking of the condition of the ,western ,empire the same author proceeds3--,a boundless intolerance of all divergence of opinion was united with an equally boundless toleration of all falsehood and deliberate fraud1 that could favor received opinions4 ,credulity being taught as a virtue1 and all conclusions dictated by authority1 a deadly torpor sank upon the human mind1 which for many centuries almost suspended its action1 and was only broken by the scrutinizing1 innovating and free-thinking habits that accompanied the rise of the industrial republics in ,italy4 ,few men who are not either priests or monks would not have preferred to live in the best days of the ,athenian or of the ,roman republics1 in the age of ,augustus1 or in the age of the ,antonines rather than in any period that elapsed between the triumph of ,christianity and the fourteenth century4 ,the same historian1 whose accuracy ,archbishop ,lynch will scarcely attempt to impeach1 thus judicially and impartially sums up the influences of ,catholic ,christianity both in the ,eastern and ,western ,empires during many centuries when it had the fullest sway3-- ,when we remember that in the ,byzantine ,empire the renovating power of theology was tried in a new capital1 free from ,pagan traditions1 and for more than one thousand years unsubdued by barbarians1 and that in the west1 the ,church1 for at least seven hundred years after the shocks of the invasion had subsided1 exercised a control more absolute than any other moral or intellectual agency has ever attained1 it will appear1 ,i think1 that the experiment was very sufficiently tried4 ,it is easy to make a catalogue of the glaring vices of antiquity1 and to contrast them with the pure morality of ,christian writings2 but1 if we desire to form a just estimate of the realized improvement1 we must compare the classical and ecclesiastical civilizations as wholes1 and must observe in each case not only the vices that were repressed but also the degree and variety of positive excellence attained4 ,before the art of printing was discovered1 the ,church had less difficulty in keeping the people in ignorance1 but after the invention of that boon to mankind she found herself ominously confronted with the tree of life from which the people would soon learn to pluck the fruit of knowledge4 ,hence the establishment1 by ,pope ,paul ,,iv41 about the middle of the sixteenth century1 of the ,index ,expurgatorius1 whose functions1 we are told1 was to examine books and manuscripts intended for publication1 and to decide whether the people may be permitted to read them4 ,this is what his ,grace of ,st4 ,michael's ,palace1 in ,toronto1 proposes to do for the good ,catholics of that city--decide what they shall read and what they shall not read1 as though they were ninnies and not able to decide that matter for themselves6 ,the fact is1 however1 that1 in this priestly arrogance and assumption1 the ,archbishop is consistent enough2 for1 although such mediaeval tyranny is altogether inconsistent with the spirit of this age1 and ludicrously out of place in #ahhj1 in the ,city of ,toronto1 it1 nevertheless1 perfectly accords with the tenets and spirit as well as the antecedents of his ,church2 which1 while it accuses ,freethinkers of barbarism1 allows not an inch of latitude of private judgment in matters of religion1 and tolerates no freedom of conscience3 ,and what is this but barbarism8 ,all freedom of conscience was fiercely denounced by ,gregory ,,xvi4 as insane folly1 and the ,archbishop of ,toronto reiterates this unsavory stigma on civilization4 ,and why shouldn't he8 ,theology never learns4 ,the ,church changes not4 ,how can she when she is infallible8 ,yet an infallible ,pope of an infallible ,church1 not long since1 found himself1 while encompassed with many difficulties1 spiritual and temporal1 to be about like other weak mortals in flesh and blood2 and1 though infallible1 remember1 and with the power of miracles and all that1 he succumbs and whiningly complains to a vulgar world that he is a prisoner in his own palace in ,rome6 ,and the heretical and sceptical world--the outside barbarians--with a contemptuous leer1 gape at the queer spectacle of the ,vicegerent on ,earth of an all-powerful ,god being obliged so easily to succumb to heresy--to a little temporal power4 ,such1 however1 is life--or rather the mysterious ways of providence1 which ways always seem though1 as ,cromwell observed1 to be on the side of the heaviest artillery1--not the artillery of heaven1 but the base artillery of earth4 ,indeed1 this worldly artillery--the artillery of science and civilization--has1 in this nineteenth century1 been making such havoc with creeds1 confessions1 and dogmas1 that the crowning dogma of all--this fundamental pillar of the ,vatican1 the dogma of infallibility--was1 it would seem1 fast becoming a dead dog2 when the ,holy ,catholic ,church finds it imperatively incumbent upon her to attempt a resuscitation4 ,this happened in ,rome in anno domini #ahgj1 at that great ,ecumenical ,council--that unique anachronism of the nineteenth century4 ,i know not whether that mediaeval assembly of ,holy ,fathers in ,god was honored by the presence of his ,grace of ,st4 ,michael's ,palace1 in ,toronto1 or not2 but1 be that as it may1 his reverence's entire loyalty to the notorious ,encyclical and ,syllabus of that ,council is not to be questioned or doubted4 ,the miniature ,toronto bull of ,may #ith1 #ahhj1 has the true ,vatican ring of the big bull of the ,council in ,rome in #ahgj4 ,it1 too1 denounced1 with its usual1 though harmless1 anathema1 ,atheism1 ,pantheism1 ,naturalism1 ,rationalism and every other ism that failed to square with ,papal dogma4 ,by the fulmination of that ,syllabus the world learned among many other things1 that ,no one may interpret the ,sacred ,scriptures contrary to the sense in which they are interpreted by ,holy ,mother ,church1 to whom such interpretation belongs4 ,it was further decreed that ,all the ,christian faithful are not only forbidden to defend1 as legitimate conclusions of science1 those opinions which are known to be contrary to the doctrine of faith1 especially when condemned by the ,church1 but are rather absolutely bound to hold them for errors wearing the deceitful appearance of truth4 ,as examples of the holy canons which were actually fulminated and promulgated by that ,ecumenical ,council in the latter part of this #aith century1 here are a few3-- ,who shall refuse to receive1 for sacred and canonical1 the books of ,holy ,scripture in their integrity1 with all their parts1 according as they were enumerated by the ,holy ,council of ,trent1 or shall deny that they are inspired by ,god1 ,let him be anathema4 ,who shall say that human sciences ought to be pursued in such a spirit of freedom that one may be allowed to hold as true their assertions1 even when opposed to revealed doctrine1 ,let him be anathema4 ,who shall say that it may at any time come to pass1 in the progress of science1 that the doctrines set forth by the ,church must be taken in another sense than that in which the ,church has ever received and yet receives them1 ,let him be anathema4 ,these are the modest assumptions of the ,church of ,rome in this age2 and a prelate of that ,church breathes the same noxious vapors forth into the intellectual atmosphere of the ,city of ,toronto6 ,it remains to be seen whether in ,toronto there are such slaves or fools as will submit to this worse than ,egyptian bondage4 ,will intelligent ,catholics put their necks in a yoke so galling8 ,none but slaves or barbarians would do it4 ,the ,archbishop would thus fain make barbarians of his own people1 and then he would have the pagans at home without hunting among ,freethinkers for them4 ,in his lecture in ,napanee1 in ,april last1 ,col4 ,ingersoll gave it as his opinion that any man--no matter what ,church he belonged to1 or what country he lived in--who claimed rights for himself which he denied to others1 is a barbarian6 ,now1 according to this definition1 who are the barbarians8 ,the ,freethinkers1 or the ,archbishop himself and those he ignominiously holds in mental bondage8 ,in conclusion1 we thank ,archbishop ,lynch for his timely bull4 ,as a propagandist document for the spread of ,freethought1 and really in the interests of those foolish and brutalized ,freethinkers against whom it was directed1 it must prove a great success4 ,it is another illustration of the essentially bigoted and intolerant spirit of ,christianity in general499 99 ,i am well aware that the ,protestant sects of ,christianity repudiate this charge of the intolerant and persecuting spirit of ,christianity in general1 and vainly attempt to shift the whole onus and odium upon the ,church of ,rome4 ,they tell us that ,christianity itself is not persecuting--that it is not responsible for having reddened the earth with blood --but that this was all done contrary to the spirit and teachings of ,christianity by men who were not really ,christians4 ,we deny it4 ,we take the position that ,christianity itself is essentially intolerant and persecuting in spirit2 and1 we take the ,new ,testament itself to prove it4 ,we take ,christ's alleged words as reported there1 and ,paul's alleged words as reported there1 and can thereby abundantly sustain our charge4 ,he that believeth not shall be damned4 ,a man that is a heretic after the first and second admonition1 reject4 ,what is that but the quintessence of bigotry and intolerance8 ,i would they were even cut off which trouble you4 ,how kind6 ,think not that ,i come to send peace on earth1 etc41 etc ,scores of passages could be quoted from the ,new ,testament of similar import1 and the ,old ,testament is worse yet1 for it recommends putting even your wives or brothers to death should they try to persuade you to worship their ,god4--,see ,deut4 #ac1 #f1 #g and #h4 ,,reply ,,to ,,bystander4 ,i approach this part of my prescribed duty with some hesitation1 and not a little reluctance4 ,bystander is brilliant1 learned1 independent1 and honest2 and for these qualities1 though differing from him on some important subjects1 ,i entertain a respect and esteem amounting to affection4 ,i hope1 therefore1 that ,i may not write a word here having even the semblance of discourtesy2 for of that sort of treatment the gentleman in question has had a full share since he honored ,canadians by casting his lot amongst us4 ,for the benefit of some readers who1 possibly1 may not have seen it1 ,i may say that ,the ,bystander is a ,monthly ,review of ,current ,events1 published in ,toronto by ,messrs4 ,hunter1 ,rose ,co41 and written by a certain distinguished literary gentleman1 as referred to above1 whose name ,i would like to give here only that ,i feel in courtesy bound to respect the impersonality of journalism1 the protection of which the gentleman in question has the right1 and with good reason1 to claim4 ,the last three issues of ,the ,bystander 7for ,april1 ,may and ,june7 have each a paper on ,col4 ,ingersoll1 his lectures1 and cognate subjects2 the general tone of which is very liberal1 but1 at the same time1 containing strictures upon ,mr4 ,ingersoll and his teachings which ,i consider unfair and unjust 7unintentionally no doubt71 and to which ,i here propose briefly to reply4 ,having heard ,mr4 ,ingersoll lecture but once ,i am not in a position from personal knowledge to speak fully as to the alleged blasphemy1 and his general tone on the platform2 but this much ,i can say1 that ,bystander's assertion that he 7,ingersoll7 repels all decent men1 whatever their convictions2 for no decent man likes blasphemy any more than he likes obscenity1 is certainly not true of the one lecture ,i heard1 or of the score of others of his ,i have read4 ,i humbly claim to be myself a decent man1 and ,i did not find myself repelled on listening to ,ingersoll's lecture1 but rather attracted4 ,i also saw many decent people at the lecture 7some from a distance71 and they did not seem repelled2 but1 like myself1 well-pleased4 ,in ,toronto1 according to the reports in the ,evening ,telegram1 there were large audiences of decent1 intelligent people3 and instead of being repelled1 they greeted the lecturer with the most enthusiastic approbation and applause1 repeated over and over again4 ,the same reception was accorded him in ,montreal1 ,belleville and ,napanee4 ,bystander contrasts ,ingersoll's offensive tone on the platform with the gentleness and sympathy of the ,christian preacher on ,mars' ,hill1 who1 he tells us1 delivered the truths he bore at once with the dignity of simple earnestness1 and with perfect tenderness towards the beliefs which he came to supersede4 ,let us1 for a moment1 examine this claim of simple earnestness1 and perfect tenderness in behalf of ,paul the great preacher of the ,new ,testament4 ,paul says1 7,roman iii4 #g7 ,for if the truth of ,god hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory1 why yet am ,i also judged as a sinner8 ,he also tells us 7#bnd ,cor4 #ab3 #af7 that being crafty1 ,i caught you with guile1 and likewise assures us that he was all things to all men2 to the ,jews he became as a ,jew1 etc4 ,what simple earnestness this is truly6 ,and the ,church of ,christ has nearly always acted in accordance with this ,scriptural doctrine that in lying for ,god's sake the end justifies the means4 ,mosheim1 the ecclesiastical historian1 tells us that in the early ages of the ,christian ,church1 ,it was an act of virtue to deceive and lie1 when by that means the interest of the church might be promoted4 ,as to ,paul's perfect tenderness toward the beliefs which he came to supersede1 let us look a little into that4 ,in writing to the ,galatians he says tenderly ,as we said before1 so say ,i now again1 if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that you have received1 let him be accursed4 7,gal4 #a3i47 ,that is tender toleration for you6 ,again1 ,a man that is a heretic after the first and second admonition1 reject 7,titus #d3i47 ,i would they were even cut off which trouble you 7,gal4 #e3 #ab47 ,we1 ,freethinkers1 would stand a poor chance to-day if ,paul's precepts were carried out6 ,again1 ,if any man love not the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 let him be ,anathema ,maranatha 7#a ,cor4 #af3 #bb47-,what perfect tenderness this is6 ,with a vengeance are these curses and maledictions tender6 ,bystander may search in vain in ,ingersoll's lectures1 or any ,freethinkers' writings1 for such consummate bigotry1 intolerance1 and even cruelty as this ,christian preacher pours out upon all who venture to differ from him in belief4 ,and what perfect tenderness in ,paul to denounce and stigmatize even those of his own church--his co-religionists--as false apostles1 deceitful workers1 dogs1 and liars6 ,did ,bystander or anybody else ever hear such language from ,ingersoll or any other ,freethinker8 ,is it not offensive to any sensible and right-minded man8 ,does it not repel all decent men8 ,bystander admits that when ,ingersoll attacks dogmatic orthodoxy he is in the right4 ,what more does he attack8 ,this is exactly what he does attack1 and ,bystander admits that in so doing he is doing right1 thus showing that he himself does not believe in dogmatic orthodoxy4 ,now1 if the ,christian's ,god1 as described in the ,bible1 is included in dogmatic orthodoxy 7and ,he surely must be7 is ,ingersoll blasphemous in attacking ,him8 ,surely not1 according to ,bystander himself4 ,bystander may say1 however1 that he does not mean to include the ,christian's ,god in the irrational and obsolete orthodoxy1 against which he admits ,ingersoll's arguments are really telling4 ,but does ,bystander himself believe in the ,god of the ,bible8 ,from the tenor of his language he surely cannot4 ,does he believe in the ,god of whom the ,bible itself gives the following description8 7,for want of time to refer to1 and space to insert chapter and verse1 they are not given1 but every ,bible reader will recognize the passages given as substantially correct73-- ,he burns with anger2 his lips are full of indignation1 and his tongue as a devouring fire4 ,his fury is poured out like fire1 and the rocks are thrown down by him4 ,the ,lord awaketh as one out of sleep1 and like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine4 ,smoke came out of his nostrils1 and fire out of his mouth1 so that coals were kindled by it4 ,he had horns coming out of his hand4 ,out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword4 ,the ,lord shall roar from on high4 ,he roareth from his habitation4 ,he shall shout as they that tread the grapes4 ,he is a jealous ,god4 ,he stirred up jealousy4 ,he was jealous to fury4 ,he rides upon horses4 ,the ,lord is a man of war4 ,his anger will be accomplished1 and his fury rest upon them1 and then he will be comforted6 ,his arrows shall be drunken with blood4 ,he is angry with the wicked every day4 ,a fire is kindled in mine anger and shall burn unto the lowest hell4 ,i will heap mischief upon them2 ,i will spend my arrows upon them ,i will also send the teeth of beasts upon them1 and the poison of the serpents444 both the young man and the virgin1 the suckling also1 and the man of gray hairs4 ,what did the suckling do to merit this8 ,he reserveth wrath for his enemies4 ,he became angry and swore4 ,he cried and roared4 ,does ,bystander believe in a ,god like that8 whom it is blasphemy1 it seems1 for ,ingersol to attack6 ,it is true there are good qualities and attributes ascribed to ,god by the ,bible as well as bad2 but that does not affect the fact that these are ascribed to him2 while the co-existence of two diametrically opposite sets of attributes in the same ,being is simply absurd4 ,why is it blasphemy to attack such a conception of ,god1 any more than to attack any of the other ,pagan gods of antiquity8 ,as he is represented in the ,bible1 ,he is certainly no better than they2 and ,bystander himself would have little hesitancy in making an onslaught on the ,pagan gods4 ,when primitive ,judaism and ,christianity set up a ,god for our worship and adoration1 and at the same time tells us1 by the book1 that ,he commanded the cruel1 fiendish1 and indiscriminate murder of men1 women1 and innocent children1 we beg to decline to worship1 or adore1 or believe in any such ,being2 and we do not think it blasphemy to attack the false belief and the false ,god4 ,when we read in the word of ,god that the ,lord commanded one of his prophets to diet on excrement2 that the ,lord met ,moses at a tavern and tried to kill him 7see ,exodus1 #d1 #bd72 that the sun and moon stood still2 that it rained forty days and nights1 and that nearly the whole world was drowned2 that the first man--,adam--was made of clay1 and ,eve of a rib1 about #fjjj years ago2 that the world was made in six days1 and that vegetation flourished before there was any sun1--when we read of all these wonderful things1 we beg to be excused from believing them1 and claim the right to ridicule them to our heart's content4 ,if this is disrespect1 or insult1 or an ignoble spirit of irreverence1 then we plead guilty to the charge1 and are willing to abide by it4 ,we do not deny that there may be a ,god2 we only deny the existence of such a one as the ,bible sets forth4 ,we attack only the gods whom barbarous peoples have fashioned in their own imaginations and set up for our worship1 and not any high or noble conception of a ,deity4 ,we fully admit the existence of a great and mysterious power or force in the universe which we cannot understand or comprehend4 ,we believe with ,spencer in the great ,unknown and ,unknowable1 and have no attack to make upon this power1 no word of ridicule1 no blasphemy2 but1 like ,tyndall1 stand in its presence with reverence and awe1 acknowledging our ignorance4 ,while1 however1 acknowledging this unseen ,power1 we decline to anthropomorphise it--to call it a person or being1 and invest it with mental and moral functions similar to our own1 differing only in degree not in kind4 ,it is only the anthropomorphism we attack--only the superstitions1 assumptions and dogmas4 ,we only attack that which is incredible and absurd--that which shocks reason4 ,we believe in religion--the ,religion of ,humanity--to do right--a religion of works instead of faith and creeds1 and ,bystander himself admits that religion is carrying a weight which it cannot bear1 and that1 unless the credible can be separated from the incredible1 the reasonable from that which shocks reason1 there will be a total eclipse of faith4 ,the ,cosmogony of ,moses1 says ,bystander1 will1 of course not bear the scrutiny of modern science2 few probably are now so bigoted as to maintain that it will4 ,if it will not bear such scrutiny1 is it blasphemy to attack it1 or its author8 for the ,god of the ,bible is the alleged author of that ,cosmogony1 inspiring ,moses or whoever wrote it4 ,but ,bystander further remarks that the ,mosaic ,cosmogony need not fear comparison with the ,cosmogony of any other race4 ,we thank him for that favor4 ,it is exactly what we claim1 to wit1 that the ,cosmogony of ,moses1 like all the others1 is simply a human production1 for it would be absurd to talk of comparing an inspired ,cosmogony of divine origin with human ,cosmogonies4 ,hence1 according to ,bystander himself1 the ,mosaic ,cosmogony is simply1 like the rest1 human3 only he thinks it a little better than the others4 ,it will not1 however1 bear the scrutiny of modern science4 ,very likely not6 ,what then1 becomes of the fall of man1 the redemption the ,ideal ,man1 and the whole ,christian ,superstructure which rests upon the ,mosaic ,cosmogony8 ,if the pillars are taken away the building must come down4 ,it is also admitted by ,bystander that ,the moral code of ,moses is tribal and primeval2 it is alien to us who live under the ethical conditions of high civilization and the ,religion of ,humanity4 ,precisely so6 ,and for this magnificent favor also1 we again thank ,bystander4 ,no materialist or utilitarian could have possibly put it better2 albeit a ,christian would experience some moral obfuscation in trying to make out why1 if the moral code of ,moses is from heaven1 it should be alien to us and to these times8 ,he would be hardly able to understand why he should be comparing his ,divine code with ,pagan codes to see whether it is worse or better than other codes framed in the same stage of human progress8 ,let the ,freethinkers take courage4 ,bystander1 to all appearances1 will soon be squarely on our side2 and then we can truthfully say1 that though the ,christians have the greatest scientist1 probably1 in ,canada 7,prof4 ,dawson1 of ,montreal17 on their side1 we will have the greatest scholar1 historian and literateur in ,canada on our side4 ,three cheers in the ,liberal camp for ,bystander6 ,indeed1 we have some hopes1 too1 even of ,prof4 ,dawson1 whose ,mosaic orthodoxy seems to be relaxing a little of late2 and he evidently feels his isolation1 his scientific brethren all being on our side4 ,while writing this1 the ,montreal ,daily ,witness of ,june #aeth1 #ahhj1 comes to hand from a ,freethought octogenarian friend in ,port ,hope 7,wm4 ,sisson1 ,esq47 with the familiar pencil mark1 drawing my attention to a report of the proceedings of ,the ,congregational ,union1 at present in session in ,montreal4 ,from it ,i learn that ,rev4 ,hugh ,pedley1 ,b4 ,a41 made an address before the ,union on ,the ,freethought of the ,age1 from which ,i cull the following1 as reported in the ,witness3-- ,one of the principal difficulties1 he said 7of the clergy71 was the prevalence of freethought among the people4 ,there was a time when the ,new ,testament was received by almost everybody 99 99 99 ,but things had changed 99 99 99 ,some time ago the weapons of skilled historians were turned first against the ,old and then against the ,new ,testament 99 99 99 ,dr4 ,norman ,mc,leod1 writing from ,germany1 said1 ',i am informed on credible testimony that ninety-nine out of every hundred persons here are sceptics4' 99 99 99 ,germany was to-day more ,pagan than ,christian 99 99 99 ,the press passed up and down the land1 scattering into every home things which set men thinking4 ,ah6 there is the secret2 when men begin to think and reason on theological subjects as they do on secular1 good-bye creeds6 goodbye confessions6 ,goldwin ,smith1 a man who had so studied the past as to be able to interpret the present1 had told us that a religious collapse of the most complete and tremendous character was apparent on every hand4 ,it was only very recently that a sceptical work on ',supernatural ,religion' passed through a number of editions in a few months4 ,col4 ,ingersoll had recently visited the country4 ,he came1 he saw1 and in some sense he conquered4 7,cries of ,no6 ,no67 ,the second night he had a much larger attendance than on the first4 ,no matter who1 ran ,ingersoll down1 he was a man of great power of oratory and strong in those qualities which control audiences4 ,the ,rev4 gentleman then referred deprecatingly to the inadequate-college training of theological students in apologetics1 as they were not allowed to read the works of sceptics for themselves1 but had to take their tutors' version of the sceptics' arguments4 ,this putting up a little argument and then knocking it down1 he said was neither the fair nor the true way4 ,he recommended putting the very sceptical works into the hands of the students1 and he would even say to go and hear ,ingersoll if he came4 ,that man's idea of ,god rises with his progress in civilization1 ,bystander admits2 but he attempts to explain the fact away on theistic grounds1 and dilute its strength as an argument that ,god is simply a projection of the human mind4 ,he asks3-- ,if this conception 7a conception of ,god7 flows from no reality1 from what does it flow8 ,it is a phenomenon of which1 as of other phenomena1 there must be some explanation2 and we have not yet chanced to see in the writings of any ,agnostic an explanation which seemed at all satisfactory4 ,i would respectfully suggest to ,bystander that there is a satisfactory explanation1 though to him it may not be so4 ,in answering his question ,i will ask another4 ,if the conception of1 or belief in1 a devil or devils1 flows from no reality1 from what does it flow8 ,the same of witches1 fairies1 sprites1 hob-goblins1 et hoc genus omne4 ,belief in these is quite as general as belief in ,god1 though ,bystander's question seems to assume that belief in the latter is universal4 ,this1 however1 is not the case1 as has been conclusively shown in the foregoing reply to ,wend-ling4 ,therefore1 this conception argument1 like the famous design argument1 proves too much1 and consequently proves nothing4 ,as to the origin of the belief in spiritual agencies1 and conceptions of ,god1 ,darwin tells us it is not difficult to comprehend how they arose4 ,he says1 ,descent of ,man1 vol4 i1 p4 #fc-e3-- ,as soon as the important faculties of imagination1 wonder1 and curiosity1 together with some power of reasoning1 had become partially developed1 man would naturally have craved to understand what was passing around him1 and have vaguely speculated on his own existence 99 99 99 ,the belief in spiritual agencies would easily pass into the belief of one or more ,gods4 ,bystander1 while freely admitting that the ,theistic theory is compassed with difficulties2 and requires re-statement1 reminds us that the-materialistic hypothesis is not free from difficulty4 ,the difficulty he discovers in materialism relates to the order of priority of matter and force4 ,he asks3-- ,which of the two is the ,first ,principle8 ,force cannot have been produced by matter1 for without force1 matter cannot move1 change1 or generate at all4 ,matter cannot have been produced by force1 because force is nothing but the impulsion of matter4 ,apparently there must have been something before both1 which produced them and determined their relations2 and it must be something beyond the range of sense4 ,bystander4 ,i think1 has not correctly apprehended the materialistic position here1 and hence the argument for a something before both matter and force which produced them1 being built upon a postulated premiss which we cannot accept1 has no weight in establishing the existence of a ,god behind matter and force4 ,his error lies in the assumption of the possibility of matter and force existing separately and independently4 ,he asks1 ,which of the two is the ,first ,principle8 ,our answer is1 there can be no first as between matter and force1 for there can be no matter without force1 and vice versa4 ,the two are inseparable1 even in conception1 and the existence of one is absolutely essential to the existence of the other4 ,hence the argument proceeding from the assumption of their divisibility and possible independence fails4 ,the ,theist has no right whatever1 logically speaking1 to assume that there must have been something before matter and force which produced them4 ,so long as matter and force are amply adequate 7as far as we can discern7 to the production of all cognizable phenomena1 we are not warranted in assuming the existence of any being or thing behind them4 ,as soon as the ,theist does this1 we have the logical right to carry his reasoning further1 and at once assume something else behind it again1 and thus not only one but a thousand gods could be postulated without the shadow of real proof of one of them4 ,there is an ultimate ground1 however1 upon which the ,theist and ,materialist may meet in common1 and1 so far as ,i can see1 the only ultimate position they can occupy in perfect corelation4 ,the universe exists2 man as a part of the universe--a mode of existence--is here2 in this we agree4 ,man1 then1 being himself the highest intelligence he knows of1 continually seeks an explanation of the universe and of himself as a part of it4 ,this is the common ground upon which we all stand--,rationalist1 ,theist1 ,agnostic1 ,atheist--barbarous and civilized--the weakest and the mightiest intellect4 ,all seek to explain the great mystery of the universe--some one way1 some another--from the rude thaumaturgic fancies of the primitive barbarian up to the abstruse speculations and subtle reasonings of the cultured ,pantheist1 intellectual ,agnostic1 and logical ,materialist4 ,it is true one may be more reasonable and logical than the rest 7as ,i undoubtedly think is the case71 yet they all occupy the common ground of uncertainty4 ,not one can demonstrate his position1 and in this we are all alike4 7,one1 however1 among all the rest thinks he knows he is right and can prove it1 viz41 the dogmatic ,christian ,theist47 ,we may all1 therefore1 stand together in the presence of ,nature and acknowledge our ignorance4 ,though each school has its theory1 its hypothesis1 its solution1 yet the mystery of the mighty universe is still an unsolved problem4 ,,reply ,,to ,a ,,rationalist ,we have another reply to ,ingersoll in a pamphlet of twenty pages1 issued in ,toronto1 with the following modest title3--,a ,refutation of ,col4 ,r4 ,g4 ,ingersoll's ,lectures1 by ',a ,rationalist4' ,this proemial announcement is certainly calculated to excite high expectations2 but it is only necessary to look into the rational 787 refutation 787 to see that the names the writer has given himself and pamphlet are both misnomers4 ,how such an irrational jumble of orthodoxy1 heterodoxy1 obsolete philosophy1 and moribund metaphysics could by any possibility pass for rationalism1 even in the eyes of its author1 is one of those profound mysteries which no fellah can understand4 ,is it not a little singular that all these replies and refutations from the orthodox side come from theological nondescripts--from men who are but half orthodox 7the other half not being recognizable71 and not one reply from a thoroughly orthodox champion8 ,a correlative fact1 not without much significance1 is that1 though no argument comes from the orthodox side1 the denunciations all come from that source4 ,on the other hand in proportion as the opposing champion is unorthodox1 in that ratio is he tolerant1 courteous1 and in favor of free speech and equal rights4 ,a ,rationalist's essay is pervaded by the kindliest spirit personally towards his opponent1 and this1 in a measure1 redeems its literary and logical defects4 ,though ,rationalist zealously defends the ,bible1 and argues for a ,god1 it is impossible to tell how much of the ,bible he accepts1 or what ,god he believes in4 ,he says1 every jot and tittle of the ,bible is inspired1 yet in another place tells us1 ,the ,apostle ,paul is not one of the inspired writers1 as ,his words will not bear a spiritual interpretation4 ,it would1 therefore1 seem that no part of the ,bible is inspired except that which will stand this method of spiritual interpretation4 ,to get rid of the numerous errors1 absurdities1 and immoralities contained in the ,bible1 ,rationalist spiritualizes them4 ,he has a first-class recondite and spiritual meaning for every one of them1 which seems to be entirely satisfactory--to himself4 ,with the utmost facility everything is explained away2 and armed with his occult style of ,bible exegesis he can laugh at the infidel scientist4 ,he says we must rub off the literal meaning in order to get at the spiritual1 and by this convenient method every difficulty between the two sacred lids vanishes into thin air4 ,this rubbing off business he also applies to the ,god of the ,bible1 whose characteristic anthropomorphism ,rationalist1 of course1 rubs all off1 even his intelligence4 ,so that there would seem to be little more left of the ,jewish ,jehovah1 under modern scriptural exegesis1 than what ,beecher describes as a dim and shadowy influence4 ,rationalist divests ,deity of intelligence to escape the effects of the following argument3-- ,intelligence presupposes a greater intelligence1 ,god has intelligence1 ,therefore1 there must be an intelligence greater than ,god4 ,seeing the logical force of this1 he quibbles thus3 ,we do not say that ,god has intelligence1 but that ,god is wisdom in form and love in essence1 and therefore the infinite source of all intelligence4 ,this will not do1 ,mr4 ,rationalist6 ,it is entirely too vague4 ,you must either contend for a personal or an impersonal ,god4 ,give us either ,deism or ,pantheism1 and not an incongruous mixture1 and then we will know on what ground to meet you4 ,if you mean that ,god is simply the aggregate1 or even the essence1 of all intelligence1 all love1 all good1 why this is a mere abstraction1 and even an ,atheist might accept it2 but if you are contending for anything like the ,christian's ,god1 as set forth in the ,bible1 you will have to alter your definitions very materially4 ,as a specimen illustration of ,rationalist's spiritual method of resolving ,scriptural difficulties ,i give below his version of the story of ,elisha1 the children1 and the bears1 under the rubbing off process4 ,we1 ,freethinkers1 he says1 will not object to the bears when we understand what the story means1 and here is his elucidation1 verbatim et literatim3-- ,elisha represents the external or literal words of ,holy ,writ on which the mantle of spiritual truth still rests4 ,children represent affections--don't fond mothers even yet call them 'little loves8'--,they also correspond to the opposite1 and so evil loves which destroy obedience to the external life of goodness1 taught in1 at least1 some of the literal words of ,scripture1 naturally mock at the baldness of ,elisha4 ,baldness1 since it refers to the head1 and the head corresponds to that union of will and intellect in man which rules1 and is1 the life1 and ultimates in the very extreme of its very minute external1 corresponds to the most external of the will and thought of ,elisha1 who represents the literal meaning of ,scripture4 ,so this incident means that evil loves could see no ultimate good to themselves in the doing of any good in a practical every-day way even where that was clearly enjoined1 and rendered as beautiful externally as hair is1 and therefore mocked at it1 or rather at what seemed to them the lack of it4 ,then the bears1 which correspond to the animal passions of the animal man1 came out of the woods--woods correspond to the natural perceptions of natural truth in man--and utterly destroyed these evil loves out of the life4 ,again you see we find the same truth2 that the ,lord implants remains of goodness and truth in every degree of man's life1 even in the natural man1 fitted to cope with and conquer his evils1 if man himself will but permit it4 ,there's a sample of spiritual interpretation for you6 ,and what clearness is there1 dear reader6 ,just return to the fourth sentence of the above extract1 commencing with ,baldness1 and re-read it1 and see if you can make anything out of it4 ,what the sentence does really mean is to me as profound a mystery as the incantations of a ,gypsy thaumaturgist4 ,it would be interesting to get ,rationalist to try his hand at spiritualizing some of the following passages of ,holy ,writ3-- ,in the same day shall the ,lord shave with a razor that is hired1 c4 ,and it came to pass by the way in the inn1 that the ,lord met him 7,moses7 and sought to kill him4 ,i have seen ,god face to face4 ,per ,contra3 ,no man hath seen ,god at any time4 ,i am the ,lord1 ,i change not1 ,i will not go back1 neither will ,i repent4 ,per ,contra3 ,and ,god repented of the evil that he said he would do unto them1 and he did it not4 ,there is no respect of persons with ,god4 ,per ,contra3 ,jacob have ,i loved1 and ,esau have ,i hated4 ,i am a jealous ,god1 visiting the iniquities of the fathers upon the children4 ,per ,contra3 ,the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father4 ,it is impossible for ,god to lie4 ,per ,contra3 ,if the ,prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing1 ,i the ,lord have deceived that ,prophet4 ,be not afraid of them that kill the body4 ,per ,contra3 ,and after these things ,jesus would not walk in ,jewry1 because the ,jews sought to kill him4 ,and the anger of the ,lord was kindled against ,israel1 and he moved ,david against them to say1 ',go number ,israel4' ,per ,contra3 ,and ,satan provoked ,david to number ,israel4 ,i bear witness of myself1 yet my record is true4 ,per ,contra3 ,if ,i bear witness of myself1 my witness is not true4 ,a man is not justified by the works of the law4 ,per ,contra3 ,ye see1 then1 how that by works a man is justified4 ,there shall no evil happen to the just4 ,per ,contra3 ,all that will live godly in ,christ ,jesus shall suffer persecution4 ,wisdom's ways are ways of pleasantness and all her paths are peace4 ,per ,contra3 ,in much wisdom is much grief and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow4 ,it shall not be well with the wicked1 neither shall he prolong his days4 ,per ,contra3 ,wherefore do the wicked live1 become old1 yea1 are mighty in power4 ,thou shalt not3 commit adultery4 ,per ,contra3 ,then said the ,lord unto me1 ',go get1 love a woman1 an adulteress4' ,here1 certainly1 is ample scope for exegetical ingenuity4 ,the passages quoted1 besides scores of others1 many of them too indecent for these pages1 would seem to require the touch of ,rationalist's spiritual interpretation wand4 ,when the literal meaning is rubbed off1 the occult1 spiritual meaning will appear4 ,as a sample of ,rationalist's metaphysical philosophy ,i give the following3-- ,will and love are identical444 ,will or love is life4 ,a man cannot think unless he wills to think2 and he can only think that which he wills--only that and nothing more4 ,he can only do what he wills and thinks4 ,there is no action which is not the effect of will and its thought4 ,a man wills in order to think1 etc4 ,he also tells us that ,god gave man a will as free as ,his own4 ,matter is spoken of as mere dead inert matter4 ,is more evidence than this needed that ,rationalist is living in the past1 and has utterly failed to grasp modern thought8 ,his philosophy is bad1 but his metaphysics is worse4 ,any man who at this day attempts to refute ,materialists should at least be somewhat acquainted with the results of modern thought and scientific research2 but ,rationalist has apparently advanced no further than the occult ,swedenborgian mysticism of the last century4 ,further1 to talk to-day of dead inert matter1 is to talk the language of an obsolete philosophy of the past2 for modern science and philosophy alike agree that matter is not that mere empty capacity which philosophers have pictured her to be1 but the universal mother who brings forth all things as the fruit of her own womb4 ,as ,pope says3-- ,see thro' this air1 this ocean1 and this earth1 ,all matter quick and bursting into birth4 ,equally absurd is this talk about ,free ,will and ,free ,moral ,agency4 ,these metaphysico-theological dogmas have melted in the light of mental science1 and are now as dead as a door nail1 of which fact ,rationalist will be convinced if he will take the trouble to look into ,hamilton1 ,combe1 ,mill1 ,buckle1 ,lewes1 ,spencer1 ,huxley and ,tyndall1 and he will then1 probably1 write no more such nonsense as quoted above4 ,it is not necessary1 however1 for any observant and thoughtful man to go to any authorities outside his own mind to be convinced of the fallacy of the ,free ,will dogma1 for his own observation and reflection will do it4 ,and ,rationalist can have the same conviction without the aid of science or philosophy1--without even observation or reflection4 ,let him turn to his ,bible1 which he champions1 and read it1 and he will find abundant proof 7such as it is7 that man's will is not free4 ,let him read the #hth1 #ith and #aath ,chapters of ,romans4 ,let him then read ,phil4 #b1 #ac1 ,for it is ,god which worketh in you both to will and to do of ,his good pleasure4 ,then read ,isaiah1 #df1 #iaj1 ,i am ,god and there is none like me1 declaring the end from the beginnings and from ancient times the things that are not yet done1 saying1 my council shall stand1 and ,i will do all my pleasure4 ,now1 ,i submit that if an omnipotent and omniscient ,god has declared the end from the beginning1 and ordered all the things that are not yet done 7and you have his word for it here7 how is it possible for mortal and finite man to do any thing contrary to the thing ordered1 or accomplish any end but the one declared from the beginning8 ,here you1 who believe in ,god and the ,bible1 have his word for it that he has declared all things from the beginning4 ,man then must do and think as ,god has declared1 and can do nothing else1 hence he is not free4 ,the idea that a man cannot think unless he wills to think is too preposterous 7laying the ,bible aside7 for any reasonable man to accept who is not a slave to creeds and dogmas4 ,let ,rationalist1 after reading this sentence1 stop reading1 and assume a quiescent state 7for of course his free will will enable him to do this7--a state of mental passivity1 as it were1--let him will nothing for the time being1--and then see if thoughts of some kind do not spontaneously arise in his mind4 ,and then let him will to have no thoughts for the space of five minutes1 and see if the thoughts do not steal into his brain 7providing of course he has one7 unbidden1 and in spite of him--in spite of all his boasted freewill power4 ,let any reader put this impossible and absurd dictum of ,rationalist to the test1 and he will have a living demonstration in his own brain1 which will render any further argument on this point entirely superfluous4 ,rationalist worries himself into inextricable confusion over causes and effects1 first causes1 first causes and last effects1 etc41 etc4 ,because ,ingersoll has said a first cause is just as impossible as a last effect1 ,rationalist well nigh swamps himself in a most ludicrous muss-of-a muddle-of-a-jerry-cum-tumble of bad diction and worse logic to prove that by such reasoning as ,ingersoll's we come to chaos and to nothing1 7hasn't the gentleman himself come to chaos if not to nothing87 ,we reason everything out of existence1 he says1 and just now we will have left no nature1 no ,god1 no man1 no matter 7it would be no matter if some bipids were gone7 no force1 no nothing-- literally nothing4 ,shades of ,bacon6 let us take breath2 for this would certainly be a very bad state of things1 from which good ,lord deliver us6 ,it would be nearly as bad as before the creation1 when nothing existed throughout the infinite realms of space save ,jehovah himself4 ,i will endeavor to make what materialists mean by the impossibility of a first cause or last effect clear to ,rationalist4 ,we believe in one existence1 and only one--the universe--which1 though never itself having been created or brought into existence 7being eternal71 is the primal 7or first if you like7 cause of all phenomena ,rationalist will thus see that in one sense there is no first came as the universe is eternal1 yet in another sense there is a first cause1 viz43 the universe1 as it is the primal cause of all phenomena4 ,as to a last effect1 it should be obvious to every rational mind that as matter and force are indestructible1 and hence eternal in duration1 there can be no last effect2 for as long as matter and force exist effects must of necessity ensue4 ,,reply ,,to ,,rev4 ,a4 ,j4 ,,bray ,it is a great relief to a ,freethinker to find a man among the clergy like ,mr4 ,bray1 in point of religious liberality4 ,it is like coming upon an oasis in the waste desert of orthodox bigotry and intolerance4 ,mr4 ,bray is the able editor of the ,canadian ,spectator1 of ,montreal2 and also preaches1 ,i believe1 every ,sunday in ,zion ,church in that city4 ,unlike his clerical brethren generally1 when ,mr4 ,ingersoll lectured in ,montreal1 in ,april last1 ,mr4 ,bray went to hear him1 and answered him from his pulpit the two following ,sundays4 ,these ,discourses were published in the succeeding numbers of his paper1 the ,spectator4 ,hear him on free speech3-- ,in a free country all kinds of freedom must be allowed1 and ,mr4 ,ingersoll had just as much right to come here and say his say in his own manner1 and according to his own discretion1 as ,mr4 ,hammond has to come and preach and teach in his way4 ,if men are free to agree with us1 they are also free to differ with us2 to differ a little1 to differ much1 to differ altogether4 ,if the ,mayor had found a law by which he could prohibit ,ingersoll from lecturing against our religious beliefs1 ,i would have started an agitation at once for the repeal of that absurd and antiquated law4 ,if hearing arguments against our faith is likely to unsettle us1 then we had better be unsettled4 ,we are badly off with all our religious literature and preaching1 if we cannot endure any kind of criticism1 and witticism1 and argument4 ,these are brave words1 and every fair-minded man in this ,dominion will agree with ,mr4 ,bray in his liberal and courageous utterances4 ,they are timely words to go forth in that city where the war of sects has waxed so hot and virulent of late4 ,montreal needs more men like ,bray in her churches1 to mollify the bigotry1 and stamp out the bitter feuds1 and fierce antagonism of ,christian against ,christian4 ,as this pamphlet has already reached a much greater length than originally intended1 ,i have but little space to devote to ,mr4 ,bray's ,reply to ,ingersoll4 ,one or two points1 however1 must be noticed4 ,mr4 ,bray falls into the same error as ,bystander in accusing ,ingersoll of attacking a theology which1 he tells us1 is opposed to all reason1 and now well nigh obsolete4 ,i would simply say if it is obsolete1 it is the stock in trade of the ,christian ,church today4 ,take away from it this obsolete theology 7which is opposed to all reason17 and there is nothing left of ,christianity worth speaking of2 for the morality ,christianity contains does not of right belong to it ,it is ,pagan4 ,it has been appropriated by ,christianity1 and is not original with it4 ,there is not a single moral precept in the ,bible1 but was taught before that book was written4 7,for proof of this1 see ,sir ,wm4 ,jones1 ,max ,muller1 ,lord ,amberly1 and ,supernatural ,religion47 ,therefore1 when you take away the dogmas of ,christianity--its obsolete theology--you take away ,christianity itself to all intents and purposes4 ,and hence the utter inconsistency and absurdity of our opponents in taxing us with merely attacking a dead theology1 when that dead theology is all there is of a religion which they defend and wish to perpetuate4 ,seeing1 then1 that the theology of ,christianity is admittedly dead1 why not give it up and come over to us8 for all you have left--the brotherhood of man--belongs to us3 it is our ,,religion ,,of ,,humanity4 ,as the only salient point1 to my mind1 in ,mr4 ,bray's reply to ,ingersoll is dealt with in the following letter1 which ,i addressed to the ,spectator1 and which appeared in its columns1 ,i have only space here to reproduce that letter3-- ,to the ,editor of the ,canadian ,spectator3 ,sir1--,in your issue of the #ajth instant1 in a discourse in reply to ,col4 ,ingersoll1 ,i find the following3-- ,the lecturer1 who seemed to imagine that he understood everything else1 was compelled to acknowledge that he did not understand why there should be so much hunger and pain and misery4 ,why1 the world over1 life should live upon life4 ,when he has cast ,jehovah out of the ,universe1 he is pained and puzzled to account for the presence of wrong and sorrow4 ,with ,god he cannot account for it2 without ,god he cannot account for it4 ,if ,col4 ,ingersoll1 or any other of that school1 can give me an intelligent theory of life1 and satisfactory solution of the problem of the presence of evil and pain without ,god1 ,i am prepared to consider it4 ,now1 ,sir1 having the honor 7or dishonor1 as the case may be17 to belong to that school1 ,i venture to take up the gauntlet thus thrown down4 ,from our stand-point we are able1 we think1 to give an intelligent theory of these things2 and although it may not be wholly devoid of mystery1 we claim it is less mysterious than the ,christian theory4 ,we claim that the ,materialistic explanation of the ,universe and its phenomena is more reasonable and less mysterious than the ,theistic2 and this is why we find ourselves compelled to adopt it and become ,atheists4 ,on the ,materialistic hypothesis of development and evolution we are certainly not puzzled to account for the presence of wrong and sorrow1 however much we may be pained at their fearful prevalence4 ,it is only on the hypothesis of being under the governance of an omnipotent and infinitely benevolent ,being that we are utterly unable to account for such-a state of things4 ,although the ultimate tendency of the forces of the-,universe seems to be towards a higher1 and higher1 and more perfect condition1 not only for man1 but all animals1 and even plants1 yet these-forces are1 as ,science abundantly proves1 utterly without mercy--without pity for man or any other animal4 ,therefore1 on the evolution philosophy of things1 we can reasonably predicate pain1 sorrow1 and wrong2 and are not puzzled at their existence4 ,it is only on the theory of a good ,god controlling the ,universe that we stand dumb with confusion and wonderment in the presence of all this woe1 pain1 misery1 and wrong-with which the world is filled--this terrible struggle for life1 where the-strong prey upon the weak1 where animal eats animal1 and man eats-man6 ,the theologians have had upwards of two thousand years to reduce the ,materialistic paradoxes of ,epicurus on the existence of evil1 but have they done so8 ,if there be a ,god1 and ,he is all-powerful1 ,he could remove the surplus evil and pain from the world1 and if ,he is all-good ,he would remove it1 is an argument which has never yet been answered by a ,paley1 a ,butler1 a ,dawson1 or any other ,christian ,theist or ,bible apologist4 ,i use the phrase surplus evil and pain for this reason3 ,as a sort of apology for the rank malevolence abroad in the world1 and as an argument for the existence of a beneficent ,god1 ,christian ,theists tell us that pain is necessary as an antecedent to the proper enjoyment of pleasure2 that it is necessary to the growth and development of character2 that the storm of the ocean is an essential pre-requisite to the adequate enjoyment of the subsequent calm2 that all smooth sailing would be monotonous and insipid4 ,now1 we will admit this for the sake of the argument2 but there yet remains the mass of surplus evil to be accounted for1 which is wholly unnecessary for such corrective and distributive purposes4 ,it may1 perhaps1 be necessary that the tempest toss the ship about on the bosom of the ocean in order that the living freight may have a keener appreciation of the succeeding calm1 and also to develop awe and sublimity in their breasts2 but to accomplish this it is scarcely to the purpose to send all to the bottom of the ocean6 ,that we may have a proper relish for our food and a due appreciation of the blessings of a good appetite1 it may be necessary that we feel the pangs of hunger and starvation occasionally2 but to give us this wholesome discipline it would seem hardly necessary that millions of human beings should actually be starved to death6 ,now1 on the theory of inexorable law99 instead of a beneficent ,providence1 we are not surprised that a ship which is not strong enough to ride the storm should go to the bottom1 even though five hundred bishops and clergymen be aboard supplicating an unknown ,god for succor4 ,on the theory of inexorable and merciless law in which we are fast bound1 we are not puzzled that millions of human beings should starve to death when these laws or conditions of ,nature are violated in over-population and a false political and social economy4 ,or when a ,tay bridge goes down with its living freight under the pressure of train and tempest1 the ,atheist is neither surprised nor puzzled3 but the ,christian1 who worships a benevolent 787 ,god and believes that not a hair falls from his head without ,his notice1 can only look at such a malevolent horror in dumb silence and amazement--he has no explanation4 ,our theory of the presence of evil in the world is1 therefore1 at least rational2 but1 is the ,christian theory rational8 ,is it rational to-suppose that all the pain1 sorrow1 and evil in the world have been caused by the puerile circumstance of a woman eating an apple8 ,this would be as monstrously unjust as it is irrational and absurd4 ,as to the origin and maintenance of life without ,god1 it is quite as comprehensible and rational without ,god as with one with the ,christian conditions and qualifications4 ,an universe of matter containing the promise and potency of all forms and qualities of life is as intelligible and comprehensible as a ,god outside the ,universe embodying the potency of all life4 ,from the time that ,lucretius declared that ,nature is seen to do all things spontaneously of herself without the meddling of the ,gods1 and ,bruno that matter is the universal mother who brings forth all things as the fruit of her own womb1 down to ,prof4 ,tyndall1 who discerns in matter the promise and potency of every form and quality of life1 scientists have never been able to discover the least intrusion of any creative power into the operations of 99 ,materialists1 in using the phrase law of ,nature1 use a popular expression1 but not in the popular sense as presupposing a law-giver4 ,by law of ,nature we simply mean natural sequence--the uniformity of ,nature's operations4 ,nature and the affairs of this world1 or the least trace of interference by any ,god or gods4 ,in the primeval ages of ignorance and barbarism the gods were supposed to do everything1 from the production of wind1 rain1 tempest1 thunder and lightning1 earthquakes1 c1 down to dyspepsia and potato-bugs4 ,science now explains all these things and a thousand others4 ,indeed1 in modern philosophy there is no room for the gods in the ,universe1 and nothing left for them to do4 ,and there cannot be any room beyond it for them1 for above ,nature we cannot rise4 ,the ,materialistic theory 7and to it we subscribe7 is that there is but one existence1 the ,universe1 and that it is eternal--without beginning or end--that the matter of the ,universe never could have been created1 for ex nihilo nihil fit1 7from nothing nothing can come17 and that it contains within itself the potency adequate to the production of all phenomena4 ,this we think to be more conceivable and intelligent than the ,christian theory that there are two existences--,god and the ,universe--and that there was a time when there was but one existence1 ,god1 and that after an indefinite period of quiescence and masterly inactivity ,he finally created a ,universe either out of ,himself or out of nothing--either one of which propositions is philosophically absurd4 ,and in either case1 to say that ,god would be infinite would be equally absurd4 ,respectfully1 ,,allen ,,pringle4 ,napanee1 ,ont41 ,april #bc1 #ahhj4 ,,the ,,oath ,,question 7,,to ,,canadian ,,freethinkers47 ,as this ,pamphlet will be widely circulated throughout ,canada 7especially ,ontario71 it will come into the hands of most ,canadian ,freethinkers1 and ,i have therefore thought this an opportune time to bring this question1 in which we are all so deeply interested1 before the ,freethinkers of ,canada1 and urge upon them the necessity of agitation for reform4 ,the time has come1 ,i think1 for action in petitioning ,parliament to remove the serious and most unjust disabilities under which we1 as a class1 are now placed1 and thus have equal rights extended to all citizens4 ,as the law now stands we are deprived of our rights in the courts1 and the ends of justice are often defeated1 not only to our detriment but that of ,christians themselves4 ,if the presiding judge choose to adhere to the strict letter of the law the testimony of ,atheists is refused4 ,it is very easy to see how the gravest injustice could be inflicted upon ,freethinkers and ,christians alike under this unjust law4 ,a ,freethinker may be the only witness to a case involving the interests of a ,christian1 or he may be the only witness for himself as against a ,christian2 and by his not being eligible as a witness the ends of justice are defeated4 ,or an unscrupulous believer may claim that he is a ,freethinker to get rid of giving evidence altogether4 ,it is true there seems to rest with the ,judges a large amount of discretionary power as to whom they will or will not accept to give evidence2 and the majority1 perhaps1 of our ,canadian ,judges exhibit a commendable spirit of liberality in the matter of accepting the testimony of ,freethinkers4 ,but occasionally one is to be met with1 too full of religion and bigotry to recognize our rights or extend any discretion in our favor4 ,in the city of ,toronto1 a few months ago1 the testimony of two respectable and intelligent witnesses was refused because they did not believe the dogmas of the popular religion499 ,as an offset to this1 however1 an ,ottawa-,judge recently showed his fairness and liberality by allowing a ,juryman ,freethinker1 who declined to take the oath1 to make an affirmation4 ,the ,grand ,juror referred to1 ,mr4 ,john ,law1 of ,ottawa1 is described as-a gentleman of unimpeachable honor and probity1 and hence his simple affirmation being1 as he stated1 fully binding on his conscience1 would1 or certainly ought to1 have more weight than the oaths of many witnesses 7believers7 who are taken into the witness box4 ,the presiding ,judge1 doubtless1 so regarded the matter1 and therefore1 in his discretion1 magnanimously allowed ,mr4 ,law to affirm4 ,in ,england1 under ,the ,evidence ,amendment ,act of #ahfi1cb99 and #cc ,vic1 c4 #fh1 s4 #d1 ,atheists can make the following affirmation instead of taking the ,christian oath1 and the ,court must allow all ,freethinkers to do so who demand it3 ,i solemnly promise and declare that the evidence given by me to the ,court1 shall be the truth1 the whole truth1 and nothing but the truth4 ,we want a similar ,act in ,canada1 and then ,counsel will not be able as now to badger witnesses about infidel belief1 and turn the court into an inquisition2 nor will a bigoted judge have it in his discretion to order ,atheists down from the witness-box as not fit to give evidence4 ,at almost every sitting of our courts it is demonstrated beyond a doubt4 that believers in the ,bible1 who take the oath on that ,book1 do not all tell the truth under oath4 ,every judge and lawyer in the land knows this1 and all know it who have much to do in courts of law4 ,the simple word or affirmation of an honest man1 whether ,christian or ,infidel1 is better than a thousand oaths of many believers in the ,bible1 who are without hesitation taken into the witness-box4 ,moreover1 the ,atheist in making the above affirmation under the ,act referred to1 is subject to the same penalties for perjury as the ,christian is in taking1 the usual oath4 ,there is1 therefore1 no good reason why we should6 not have a similar ,act here1 and it behooves us to begin to move towards its consummation4 ,freethinkers are getting numerous in ,canada1 and they are1 to say the least1 as exemplary citizens1 socially and morally1 as their ,christian neighbors8 ,why then should they be longer denied equal rights with their ,christian neighbors8 99 ,since writing this ,i have been informed by one of the witnesses alluded to1 that no blame can be fairly imputed to the presiding ,judge in this case1 as he felt compelled1 against his sympathies1 to carry out the unjust law4 ,in ,england they still have a ,state ,religion1 yet the rights of ,rationalists in this respect are conceded to them4 ,here we have no state religion1 and yet we suffer under religious disabilities which are utterly out of keeping with the spirit of the age1 and which are fast being swept away in every civilized country4 ,the ,bradlaugh imbroglio recently in the ,english ,house of ,commons has had the effect of opening some people's eyes1 especially those conservative ,christians who are still afflicted with lingerings of that bigoted1 intolerant1 and persecuting spirit which formerly lighted the fires of ,smithfleld1 hung quakers1 imprisoned so-called blasphemers1 and violated civil contracts in the name of ,god4 ,in the last election in ,england1 a few months ago1 ,charles ,bradlaugh1 the eminent ,atheist and ,republican1 was elected to the ,english ,house of ,commons for the borough of ,northampton1 and in entering the ,house he claimed his right1 instead of taking the ,parliamentary oath1 to affirm under the ,act referred to above4 ,the ,house at first refused1 vacillated1 appointed ,committees1 and vigorously debated the matter2 while the bigoted members at once proceeded to unbudget themselves in true ,christian style against the vermin ,atheist4 ,meanwhile the levelheaded ,atheist knew what he was about1 and1 as the sequel showed1 proved himself more than a match for the ,english ,house of ,commons4 ,meanwhile also1 the people of ,england--the working classes--were-watching the whole business1 and finally when ,bradlaugh was refused both oath and affirmation1 and the intention to keep the ,atheist out of ,parliament became manifest1 they 7the people7 promptly came to the front4 ,just then it began to dawn on the powers that be that vox populi1 vox ,dei had more truth than poetry in it4 ,the people of ,england--the producers--7called lower classes by the upper non-producers7 assembled in scores of thousands in indignation mass-meetings all over ,england1 demanding the admission of ,charles ,bradlaugh 7their best friend7 to his rightful seat in the ,english ,house of ,commons4 ,the aforesaid powers that be took the alarm4 ,seeing that the voice of the people was even more potent than the voice of ,god1 they prudently bowed to its mandate4 ,they perceived that no ,clock ,tower1 or other tower in ,england would hold the workingman's friend even for the space of seven days4 ,bradlaugh must be released or the ,house of ,brunswick might peradventure soon be in mourning--not1 probably1 for spilled blood1 but for a crown1 aye1 a crown6 ,no wonder the ,english ,government feared to see ,charles ,bradlaugh enter the ,house of ,commons4 ,he had impeached the ,house of ,brunswick4 ,and it was no soft impeachment4 ,no1 but a terribly hard indictment6 ,was it ever answered8 ,no1 it was too true to answer4 ,the only answer was from ,lord ,randolph ,churchill in the ,house of ,commons1 and it was characteristic4 ,this rabid monarchist1 with much more ,christian zeal than knowledge or discretion1 took ,bradlaugh's ,impeachment of the ,house of ,brunswick and cast it viciously under his feet on the floor of the ,house of ,commons4 ,that was the way the ,impeachment was answered6 ,well1 as ,shakspeare says1 let the galled jades wince6 ,but the ,atheist had his revenge6 ,they had put him in the ,tower1 but they very soon let him out4 ,he had been somewhat accustomed to fighting the ,english ,government1 having beaten them twice1 and he feared not4 ,he was imprisoned one day1 but released the next4 ,an ,act was speedily passed giving more even than ,bradlaugh at first demanded--giving every member who wishes in future1 the right to affirm instead of taking the ,christian ,oath4 ,bradlaugh has accordingly made his affirmation as he at first demanded1 and has taken his seat in the ,english ,house of ,commons as ,m4 ,p4 for ,northampton199 ,and now let every ,freethinker throughout the civilized world rejoice1 for this is a great victory for our cause6 ,the eloquent champion of our dearest rights has achieved a glorious victory on the very threshold of the ,english ,parliament before he enters it6 ,let us take courage6 ,the indomitable and invincible ,iconoclast has now attained a position where his voice will be heard in behalf of liberty and the rights of man the world over6 ,he is called coarse by some over-cultured people1 but his coarseness is of the kind the world needs1 and therefore we do not object to it4 ,the superstitions1 and errors1 and wrongs1 and oppressions still weighing down our fellow-men need bare-handed 7coarse7 handling1 without gloves1 and ,bradlaugh wears none of these1 but fearlessly throws down the gauntlet to falsehood and oppression whenever and wherever found4 ,but ,i fear ,i am getting a little off the ,oath ,question here in my enthusiasm for ,charles ,bradlaugh1 ,member of ,parliament for ,northampton4 99 ,the press of ,canada1 with very few exceptions1 have done ,mr4 ,bradlaugh a great injustice in connection with the oath question1 as they have 7perhaps unintentionally7 utterly misrepresented him4 ,they have charged that he flaunted his ,atheism before the ,house of ,commons1 that he at first refused to take the oath on conscientious grounds and subsequently swallowed his scruples and offered to take the oath2 and that1 therefore1 the ,atheist is without conscience and without principle1 sacrificing all for place4 ,now1 this is all utterly untrue4 ,he did not flaunt his ,atheism before the ,house4 ,he did not refuse to take the oath1 but simply claimed to be allowed to affirm4 ,the ,speaker having intimated to ,mr4 ,bradlaugh that if he desired to address the ,house in explanation of his claim he would be permitted to do so1 ,mr4 ,bradlaugh said1 ,i have repeatedly1 for nine years past1 made an affirmation in the highest courts of jurisdiction in this realm3 ,i am ready to make such a declaration or affirmation4 ,and subsequently when ,mr4 ,bradlaugh offered to take the oath1 it was after he had made an explanation that although a portion of it to him was a meaningless form1 yet that the oath as a whole1 if he took it would be binding on his conscience substantially the same as an affirmation4 ,these are the facts1 all taken from authentic official sources1 and not from what bigoted and prejudiced correspondents have sent us across the ocean4 ,my authority is the record of the proceedings of the ,parliamentary ,committees on the ,bradlaugh case1 where the facts ,i have stated were distinctly brought out in evidence1 to which source ,i beg to refer the newspapers of this country and call upon them to make the amende honorable by setting this matter right before their readers4 ,in conclusion1 ,i beg to again urge upon my fellow ,freethinkers throughout ,canada the necessity of taking such action as will secure for us our legal rights in the ,courts of this country4 ,i trust that the petitions to ,parliament for an ,evidence ,amendment ,act1 which we design ere long to put in circulation1 may be numerously signed and diligently circulated by the liberal friends in the various places to which they will be sent4 ,selby1 ,lennox ,co41 ,ont41 ,july1 #ahhj ,it can do truth no service to blink the fact1 known to all who have the most ordinary ,acquaintance with literary history1 that a large portion1 of the noblest and most valuable moral teaching has been the work1 not only of men who did not know1 but of men who knew and rejected1 the ,christian faith4--,j4 ,s4 ,mill4 ,the history of ,christ is contained in records which exhibit contradictions that cannot be reconciled1 imperfections that would greatly detract from even admitted human compositions1 and erroneous principles of morality that would hardly have found a place in the most incomplete system of the philosophers of ,greece and ,rome4--,rev4 ,dr4 ,giles4 ,that any human creature1 be he peer or peasant1 man or woman1 pauper or millionaire1 should be visited with pains and penalties because of his or her speculative opinion on a subject whereon but few even of professing ,christians are agreed1 is a bitter satire on our vaunted liberty4 ,my ,lords1 it is the spirit which lighted the martyr-fires of ,smithfield1 and led to the stake gallant and noble souls such as ,bruno4 ,it is a noble2 company you are placing me in1 my ,lords1 and ,i shall thank you for it4--,ibid4 ,who shall number the patient and earnest seekers after truth1 from the days of ,galileo until now1 whose lives have been embittered1 and their good name blasted1 by the mistaken zeal of ,bibliolators8 ,who shall count the host of weaker men whose sense of truth has been destroyed in the effort to harmonize impossibilities--whose life has been wasted in the attempt to force the generous new wine of ,science into the old bottles of ,judaism1 compelled by the outcry of the same strong party4 ,prof4 ,huxley4 ,thou shalt not kill1 even the smallest creature4 ,thou shalt not appropriate to thyself what belongs to another4 ,thou shah not infringe the laws of chastity4 ,thou shalt not lie4 ,thou ,shalt not calumniate4 ,thou shalt not speak of injuries4 ,thou shalt not excite quarrels1 by repeating the words of others4 ,thou shalt not hate4 --,moral ,precepts from ,buddhistic ,sacred ,books4 ,i discern in matter 99 99 the promise and potency of all forms and qualities of life4--,tyndall ,a poor man1 in our day1 has many gods foisted on him2 and big voices bid him ',worship or be --------' in a menacing and confusing manner4 ,what shall he do8 ,by far the greater part of said gods1 current in the public1 whether canonized by ,pope or ,populas1 are mere dumb asses and beautiful prize-oxen--nay1 some of them1 who have articulate faculty1 are devils instead of ,gods4 ,a poor man that would save his soul alive is reduced to the sad necessity of sharply trying his gods whether they are divine or not1 which is a terrible pass for mankind1 and lays an awful problem upon each man4--,tomas ,carlyle ,these ,gospels1 so important to the ,church1 have not come to us in one undisputed form4 ,we have no authorised copy of them in their original language1 so that we may know in what precise words they were originally written4 ,the authorities from which we derive their sacred text are various ancient copies1 written by hand on parchment4 ,of the ,gospels there are more than five hundred of these manuscripts of various ages1 from the fourth century after ,christ to the fifteenth1 when printing superseded manual writing for publication of books4 ,of these five hundred and more1 no two are in all points alike3 probably in no two of the more ancient can even a few consecutive verses be found in which all the words agree4--,dean ,alford1 ,how to ,study the ,new ,testament4 ,i find ,armenian ,christians who say that it is a sin to eat a hare2 ,greeks who affirm that the ,holy ,ghost does not proceed from the ,son2 ,nestorians who deny that ,mary is the mother of ,god3 ,latins who boast that in the extreme ,west the ,christians of ,europe think quite contrary to those of ,asia and ,africa4 ,i know that ten or twelve sects in ,europe anathematise each other2 the ,musselmen disdain the ,christians1 whom they nevertheless tolerate2 the ,jews hold in equal execration the ,christians and ,muselmen2 the ,fire-worshippers despise them all2 the remnant of the ,sabeans will not eat with either of the ,other sects2 and the ,brahmin cannot suffer either ,salbeans1 or ,fire-,worshippers1 or ,christians1 or ,musselmen1 or ,jews4 ,i have a hundred times wished that ,jesus ,christ1 in coming to be incarnated in ,judea1 had united all the sects under his laws4 ,i have asked myself why1 being ,god1 he did not use the rights of his divinity2 why1 in coming to deliver us from sin1 he has left us in sin2 why1 in coming to enlighten all men1 he has left almost all men in darkness4 ,i know ,i am nothing2 ,i know that from the depth of my nothingness ,i have no right to interrogate the ,being of ,beings2 but ,i may1 like ,job1 raise a voice of respectful sorrow from the bosom of my misery4--,voltaire4