,transcriber's ,note3        ,every     
effort has been made to replicate this  
text as faithfully as      possible1    
including nonstandard spellings and     
inconsistent      hyphenation4          
,italic text has been marked with       
underscores4      ,bold text has been   
marked with equals signs4               
,we have done with the kisses that      
sting1      ,the thief's mouth red from 
the feast1      ,the blood on the hands 
of the king1      ,and the lie at the   
lips of the priest4        --,swinburne 
,is the ,morality of ,jesus ,sound8     
,a ,lecture ,delivered ,before the      
,independent ,religious ,society1       
,orchestra  ,hall1 ,chicago1 ,sunday1 at
 #aa ,a4 ,m4    ,illustration    ,by ,m4
 ,m4 ,,mangasarian              ,i make 
war against this theological instinct3  
,i have found traces      of it         
everywhere4 ,whoever has theological    
blood in his veins is1      from the    
very beginning1 ambiguous and disloyal  
with respect to      everything4444 ,i  

have digged out the theologist instinct 
everywhere2 it is the most diffused1 the
 most peculiarly      ,,subterranean    
form of falsity that exists on earth4   
,what a      theologian feels as true1  
,,must needs be false3 one has therein  
almost a criterion of truth4            
--,nietzsche4          ,is the ,moral   
,teaching of ,jesus ,sound8      ,a     
great deal depends upon the answer to   
the question1 ,is the moral  teaching of
 ,jesus sound8 ,this question brings us 
to the inner and most  closely guarded  
citadel of ,christianity4 ,if it can be 
captured1 the rout  of supernaturalism  
will be complete2 but as long as it     
stands1  ,christianity can afford to    
lose every one of its outer             
fortifications1  and still be the       
victor4 ,reason may drive               
supernaturalism out of the  ,catholic   
position into the ,protestant1 and out  
of that1 into the  ,unitarian1 and out  
of that again into ,liberalism1 but     
reason does not  become master of the   

field until it has stormed and razed to 
the ground  this last and greatest of   
all the strongholds--the morality of    
,christianity4    ,if ,jesus was the    
author of perfect or even the highest   
ideals the world  has ever cherished1 he
 will1 and must1 remain the saviour1 par
  excellence1 of the world4 ,whether he 
was man or ,god1 which question         
,unitarianism discusses1 is a trifling  
matter4 ,if his ethical teaching is     
practically without a flaw1 ,i would    
gladly call him ,god1 and more1 if  such
 a thing were possible4 ,his walking on 
the water1 or his raising the  dead1 or 
his flying through the air1 would not in
 the least embarrass  me4 ,i could      
accept them all--if he rose morally head
 and shoulders above  every other mortal
 or immortal1 our world has ever        
produced4 ,it is  claimed that he did4  
,what is the evidence8    ,to facilitate
 this discussion1 and to concentrate all
 our attention on  the subject of this  
discourse1 we will waive the question of

 the  historicity of ,jesus4 ,for the   
sake of argument1 we will accept the    
gospels as history--accept the          
authenticity of the documents1 the      
trustworthiness of the witnesses1 and   
the inspiration of the texts which  we  
are to quote4 ,we will grant every      
point2 concede every claim1 allow  every
 contention of the defendants4 ,we will 
then say to them3 ,does the  evidence   
which you have presented and we have    
accepted without raising  any           
objections1 prove that the moral        
teaching of ,jesus is perfect1 or  even 
the highest the world has ever          
possessed8    ,a system of thought1 or a
 code of morals1 is much like a         
building4 ,a  serious crack in one of   
the walls1 or a post that is not secure 
in its  socket1 is enough to make the   
whole building unsafe4 ,when a building 
is  condemned1 it is not condemned for  
the parts that are sound1 but for the   
part or parts that are unsound4 ,to     
change my illustration1 the strength  of

 a chain is in its weakest link4 ,so is 
the strength of a religion in  its most 
vulnerable parts4 ,by overlooking the   
weakness and dwelling  solely upon the  
strong points1 we could make any        
religion appear as the  best in the     
world2 as a similar bias would prove the
 most rickety  building even perfectly  
safe4 ,a lawyer1 an advocate1 or special
 pleader1  may conceal1 or cover up the 
cracks in the walls of a building1 or   
the  defects of an institution4 ,but why
 should ,i8 ,my object is not to save   
the building1 but the people who are in 
it4 ,i am not interested in  saving the 
creed or the religion1 but the people   
who stake their lives  on it4 ,i am not 
trying to earn my fee1 ,i am trying to  
serve the people4  ,why should ,i1 then1
 be expected to spread the mantle of    
charity over a  building that deserves  
to be condemned1 or plead for a religion
 that  blocks the path of advancement8  
,and why1--why should any religion beg  
for charity8 ,to a cashier of a bank1 to

 a treasurer of a corporation1 to  an   
official of the municipality or the     
state1 who should beg the  examining    
committee not to look into all his      
dealings1 but only to  report what good 
they can of him1 we say3 ,you are       
guilty4 ,not only  that1 but he is also 
trying to make us his accomplices4      
,lawyer-like1 preachers often tell their
 hearers to see only the good in  the   
bible1 for instance4 ,when you are      
eating fish1 they say1 you eat  the meat
 and throw away the bones4 ,do the same 
with the bible4 ,but why  should        
anything in the bible be meant to be    
thrown away8 ,pardon me if ,i  use a    
stronger expression--why should any part
 of the ,word of ,god be  destined for  
the garbage box8    ,it is a pleasure1  
and it confirms us in our optimism1 to  
admit that in  all the religions of the 
world1 even in the crudest1 there is    
much that  is good1 as in every         
structure or dwelling there are rooms   
and walls and  posts that are perfectly 

sound4 ,religions live1 as buildings    
endure1--by  the soundness there is in  
them4 ,it is not the cracked wall or    
damaged  pillar which supports the      
building--it is the sound parts that    
keep it  together4 ,the same is true of 
religions4 ,it is the truths they       
contain  that preserve them4            
,mohammedanism1 for instance1 has       
survived for nearly  fifteen centuries1 
and its survival is due to the virtues  
and not to the  vices of the ,mohammedan
 faith4 ,this is equally true of        
,judaism and  ,christianity4 ,if human  
,society has survived for these many    
centuries1 it  is because1 imperfect as 
it is1 there is enough of justice and   
honor  among men to keep it from        
disintegration4 ,but is that any reason 
why we  should be content with what     
little justice or truth there is in the 
world1 and not strive for more8 ,and    
shall we hold our tongues on the        
terrible injustice and oppression all   
around us simply because there is  also 

goodness and virtue among men8 ,simply  
because the human race keeps  going as  
it is1 shall we not endeavor to improve 
it8 ,and because there  is some good in 
all religions1 shall we shut our eyes to
 the dangerous  fallacies they contain8 
,is it not our duty as well as our      
privilege to  labor for a more rational 
and a more ennobling faith8    ,in the  
teachings attributed to ,jesus1 whose   
nativity is celebrated  to-day#a in     
,europe and ,america1 there is much that
 we are in cordial  sympathy with4 ,we  
can say the same of all the founders of 
religions4 ,if  any one were to point   
out to us passages of beauty in the four
 evangels1  ,i for myself would gladly  
agree to all that may be said in their  
praise4  ,but if ,i were asked to infer 
from these isolated passages that the   
ethical teaching of ,jesus is not only  
the most perfect within human  reach1   
but also sufficient to the needs of man 
for all time1 ,i would  deem it a stern 
duty to combat the proposition with all 

the earnestness  at my command4 ,it     
would then be the duty1 indeed1 of every
 one to  denounce the attempt to arrest 
the progress of the world by holding it 
bound to the thought of one man4 ,in the
 interest of morality itself1 it  must  
be shown that ,jesus is not the highest 
product of the ages1 nor is  he the best
 that the future can promise4 ,there is 
room beyond ,jesus4 ,but  not only was  
,jesus not the perfect teacher his      
worshippers claim him to  have been1 but
 there are flaws in his system--cracks  
and rents in the  walls of his          
temple--so serious and menacing1 that   
not to call attention  to them would be 
to shirk the most urgent service we owe 
to the cause of  humanity4    #a        
,christmas ,sunday1 ,dec4 #bf1 #aiji4   
,my first general criticism of the      
morality of ,jesus is1 that it lacks    
universality4 ,it is not meant for all  
peoples and all times4 ,it is  rather   
the morality of a sect1 a coterie1 or a 
secret society4 ,i object  to the       

provincialism of ,jesus4 ,jesus was not 
a cosmopolite4 ,he was a  ,hebrew before
 he was a man4 ,if we find ,jerusalem on
 the map of the world  and draw a circle
 around it1--covering the rest of the   
map with our  hands1--we will then have 
before us all the world that ,jesus knew
  anything about1--or cared for4 ,little
 did he think of the rest of the  world4
 ,the continents of ,asia1 ,africa1     
,australia1 ,europe1 and the1 as  yet1  
undiscovered ,america1 had no place     
whatever either in his thought  or      
affection4 ,the yellow millions of      
,china and ,japan1 the dusky millions   
of ,hindustan1 the blacks of ,africa    
with their galling chains1 the white    
races with the most pressing problems   
which ever taxed the brain of  man--do  
not seem to have deserved even a passing
 notice from ,jesus4 ,it  is quite      
evident that such a country as our      
,america1 for instance1 with  its nearly
 one hundred millions of people of all  
races and religions1  dwelling under the

 same flag1 and governing themselves    
without a ,king or  a ,caesar1 never    
crossed the orbit even of his           
imagination4 ,is it  reasonable to go to
 a provincial of this description for   
universal  ideals8    ,what ,jesus has  
in mind is not humanity1 but a          
particular race4 ,israel is  the nation 
that monopolizes his attention1 and even
 in that nation his  interest is limited
 to those that believe in him as the    
,messiah4 ,the  idea of a               
world-salvation was utterly foreign to  
his sympathies4 ,his  disciples were all
 of one race1 and he emphatically warned
 them against  going into the cities of 
the ,gentiles to preach the gospel4 ,he 
tells  them that he was sent expressly  
and exclusively for the lost sheep of   
the house of ,israel4 ,of course1 we are
 familiar with the ,go ye into all  the 
world and preach the gospel to every    
creature1 but ,jesus is  supposed to    
have given that commandment after his   
death4 ,in his life  time1 he said1 ,go 

not into the cities and towns of the    
,gentiles4 ,if he  said1 ,go not1 to the
 ,gentiles6 when he was living1 the ,go 
to the  ,gentiles1 after his death1 has 
all the ear-marks of an interpolation4  
,the two statements squarely contradict 
each other4 ,granting that ,jesus  knew 
what he was talking about1 he could not 
have given both  commandments4          
,moreover1 from the conduct of the      
apostles who refused to  go to the      
,gentiles until ,paul came about1--who  
had never seen or heard  ,jesus1--it may
 be concluded that ,jesus did not change
 his mind to the  very last on the      
matter of his being sent only for the   
lost children of  the ,house of ,israel4
    ,but the thought of ,jesus is as    
,hebraic as are his sympathies4 ,his    
,god is  invariably the ,god of         
,abraham1 ,isaac1 and ,jacob4 ,suppose  
he had also  called ,god1 ,the ,god of  
,abraham1 ,confucius and ,socrates4 ,ah1
 if ,jesus  had only said that6 ,the    
idea of the larger ,god was in the human

 mind1  but not in his4 ,the idea was in
 the air1 but ,jesus was not tall enough
  to reach it4 ,he did not look beyond a
 tribal ,deity4 ,the ,god of ,jesus was 
a ,hebrew4 ,to ,jesus ,david was the    
only man who looked big in history4 ,of 
,alexander1 for example1 who conquered  
the world and made the ,greek  language 
universal--the language in which his own
 story1 the story of  ,jesus1 is        
written1 and which story1 in all        
probability would never have  come down 
to us but for the ,greek language and   
,alexander2 of ,socrates1  whose daily  
life was the beauty of ,athens2 of      
,aristotle1 of whom ,goethe  said that  
he was the greatest intellect the world 
had produced2 of the  ,caesars1 who     
converted a pirate station on the ,tiber
 to an ,eternal  ,city--,jesus does not 
seem to have heard at all--and if he    
had1 he does  not seem to care for them1
 any more than would a ,gypsy ,smith4   
,the heaven of ,jesus is also quite     
,semitic4 ,his twelve apostles are to   

sit upon twelve thrones--to judge the   
twelve tribes of ,israel4 ,there  is no 
mention of anybody else sitting on a    
throne1 or of anybody else in  heaven   
except ,jews4 ,people will come from the
 east and the west1 from  the north and 
the south to meet their father1         
,abraham1 in heaven4 ,the  cosmography  
or topography of the world to come is   
also ,palestinian4 ,it  has as many     
gates as there are sons of ,jacob2 all  
its inhabitants have  ,hebrew names2 and
 just as on earth1 outside of ,judea1   
the whole world  was heathen1 in the    
next world1 heaven is where ,abraham and
 his  children dwell2 the rest is hell4 
,indeed1 to ,jesus heaven meant         
,abraham's bosom4 ,and we repeatedly    
come across the phrase1 heavenly        
,jerusalem in the ,new ,testament1 as   
the name of the abode of  the blessed8  
,is it likely that a man so racial1 so  
sectarian1  so circumscribed in his     
thought and sympathies1--so local and   
clannish1--could assume and fulfill the 

role of a universal teacher8    ,but not
 only was the world of ,jesus a mere    
speck on the map1 but it was  also a    
world without a future4 ,jesus expected 
the world to come to an  end in a very  
short time4 ,and what was the use of    
trying to get  acquainted with1 or      
interested in1 a world about to be      
abandoned8 ,the  evidence is very       
conclusive that ,jesus believed the end 
of the world to  be imminent4 ,he says3 
,verily ,i say unto you1 ye shall not   
have gone  through the cities of ,israel
 before the son of man come4 ,as        
,palestine  was a small country1 and its
 few cities could easily be visited in a
  short time1 it follows that ,jesus    
expected the almost immediate end of    
the world4 ,in another text he tells his
 disciples that this great event  would 
happen in the lifetime of those who were
 listening to him3 ,this  generation1 he
 says1 shall not pass away1 before the  
world ends4 ,this  belief in the        
approaching collapse of the world was   

shared by his  apostles4 ,paul1 for     
instance1 is constantly exhorting       
,christians to get  ready for the great 
catastrophe1 and he describes how those 
still living  will be transformed when  
,jesus appears in the clouds4    ,the   
earliest ,christian ,society was        
communistic1 because all that they      
needed was enough to subsist upon before
 ,jesus reappeared4 ,it would have  been
 foolish from their point of view to lay
 up treasures on earth  when the earth  
was soon to be burnt up4 ,moreover1 they
 were not  commanded to labor1 but to   
watch and pray4 ,the fruits of labor    
require  time to ripen in1 and there was
 no time4 ,the cry was1 ,behold the     
bridegroom is at the door4 ,hence1 to   
watch and pray was the only  reasonable 
occupation4 ,we can see for ourselves   
how this belief in the  near end of the 
world would create a kind of morality   
altogether  unsuitable to people living 
in a world that does not come to an end4
  ,jesus never dreamt that the world was

 going to last1 for at least  another   
two thousand years4 ,if anyone had      
whispered such a thing in his  ears1 he 
would have gasped for breath4 ,could the
 curtain of the future  have been lifted
 high enough for ,jesus to have seen in 
advance some  of the changes that have  
come upon the world during the past     
twenty centuries1--the fall of the      
,roman ,empire1 the rise of             
,mohammedanism1--carrying two continents
 and throwing the third into a  state of
 panic1--wresting the very ,jerusalem of
 ,jesus from the  ,christians and       
holding it for a thousand years2 had    
,jesus been able to  foresee the ,dark  
,ages1 the ,italian ,renaissance1 the   
,german ,reformation1  the ,french      
,revolution1 the ,american ,revolution  
with its ,declaration of  ,independence1
 and later on1 its ,emancipation        
,proclamation1--and finally1  had ,jesus
 caught even the most distant gleam of  
that magnificent and  majestic ,empire1 
the ,empire of ,science1 with its       

peaceful reign and  bloodless conquests1
 slowly and serenely climbing above the 
horizon1  bringing to man such a hope as
 had never before entered his breast1   
and  giving him the stars for eyes1 and 
the wind for wings--had but a glimpse   
of all this crossed the vision of this  
,jerusalem youth1 his conception  of a  
world soon to be smashed would have     
appeared to him as the  infantile fancy 
of a--well1 what shall ,i say8--,i shall
 not say of a  fanatic1 ,i shall not    
say1 of an illiterate1--let me say--of  
an  enthusiast4 ,the morality of ,jesus 
not only lacked universality1 but it    
was also framed to fit a world under    
sentence of immediate destruction4      
,jesus' doctrine of a passing world was 
born of his pessimism4 ,the old1        
whether in years1 or in spirit1 as      
,shakespeare says1 are always wishing   
that the estate of the ,sun were now    
undone4 ,weariness of life is a  sign of
 exhaustion4 ,the strong and the healthy
 love life4 ,the young are  not         

pessimists4 ,jesus had the disease of   
aged and effete ,asia4 ,he was  not     
,european in ardor or energy4 ,he       
contemplated a passing panorama1 a      
world crashing and tumbling into ruins  
all about him1 with ,oriental           
resignation4 ,the groan of a dying world
 was music to him4 ,he enjoyed the      
anticipation of calamity4 ,the end of   
the world would put an end to  effort   
and endeavor1 both of which the ,asiatic
 dislikes4 ,to tell people  that the    
world is coming to an end soon1--today1 
tomorrow1 is not to  kindle1 but to     
extinguish hope2 and without hope our   
world would be  darker even than if the 
sun were to be blotted out of the sky4  
,the objection against ,christianity1 as
 also against its parent1 ,judaism1  is 
that it seeks to divert the attention of
 man from the work in hand to  something
 visionary and distant4 ,it was to      
direct men's thoughts to some  other    
world that ,jesus belittled this4       
,what are you doing1 asks the preacher4 

,i am laboring for my daily bread4      
,indeed6 ,have you not heard that ,jesus
 said3 ,labor not for the meat that     
perisheth8    ,and what are you doing8  
,we are building a city4    ,what6 ,do  
you not know that it is written in the  
,word of ,god that1 ,here  we have no   
abiding ,city8    ,and you--    ,i have 
married and have decided to share my    
life with the woman ,i love4    ,and    
have you not read in ,st4 ,paul's       
,epistles1 says the preacher again1     
that they who are married neglect the   
things of the ,lord8    ,and you8    ,we
 are laboring to improve the world we   
live in--to make it a little  cleaner   
and sweeter4    ,but do you not know1   
asks the man of ,god1 that the world    
will soon pass  away1--that1 as ,jesus  
has foretold1 the sun will turn black1  
the stars  will fall1 and the elements  
will be consumed in a general           
conflagration8    ,the effect of the    
teaching of both ,judaism and           
,christianity is to  incapacitate man   

for earnest work now and here4 ,and what
 do these  religions offer in place of  
the home1 the love1 the world1 which    
they  take away from us8 ,let us ask the
 priest3    ,where then is our home8    
,yonder6--and he points into space with 
his finger4    ,where8 ,in the clouds8  
,higher4    ,in the stars8    ,higher   
still4    ,in the ether8    ,no1 higher 
yet1 far1 far away4 ,you can not see it4
 ,you have to take my  word for it4     
,and1 unfortunately1 so many of us take 
his word for it4 ,and upon what  terms  
will the priest condescend to pilot us  
to our invisible and aerial  mansions8  
,we must turn over to him now1 our      
all1--mind1 body and lands4  ,the       
doctrine of a world hastening to        
destruction1 while it has  demoralized  
the people1 it has enriched the         
churches4 ,during the middle  ages1 and 
earlier1 and also in more recent times1 
more than once the  credulous public has
 been scared out of its possessions by  
the preachers  of calamity4 ,jesus can  

not very well clear himself of          
responsibility for  this1 because1 it   
was he who tried to hurry the people out
 of a world  soon to be set on fire4    
,when a young man asked ,jesus'         
permission to go  and bury his father1  
he was told to ,let the dead bury their 
dead4 ,this  was extraordinary advice to
 a son who wished to do his father a    
last  service4 ,but ,jesus was          
consistent4 ,the world was catching fire
 and there  was no time to lose4 ,the   
morality of ,jesus was the morality of  
panic4 ,he  would not give people the   
time to think of anything else but their
 own  salvation from the impending doom4
 ,this was ,bunyan's interpretation of  
the spirit of ,christianity1 for he made
 ,christian1 the hero of his  story1 to 
flee at once from the city of           
destruction1 leaving his wife  and      
children1 his neighbors and his country 
behind4 ,the morality of  panic6        
,that this superstition that the world  
was about to be destroyed  influenced   

the whole teaching of ,jesus1 as well as
 depressed his  spirits1 will be seen by
 an examination of his famous ,sermon on
 the  ,mount4 ,matthew and ,luke give   
somewhat different reports of it4 ,it is
  likely that ,luke's is the less       
embellished1 and therefore more         
representative of ,jesus' real attitude 
toward life4 ,in the third ,gospel1     
,jesus says1 ,blessed are the poor4     
,matthew gives it as1 ,blessed are  the 
poor in spirit4 ,if the first document  
had the latter form1 it is  not likely  
that a later copyist would drop the in  
spirit1 but if the  earlier simply read1
 ,blessed are the poor1 a later writer  
might find  it convenient and necessary 
even1 to soften it by adding the words  
in  spirit4 ,in ,luke there is nothing  
said about hungering after              
righteousness1 it is merely1 ,blessed   
are ye1 that hunger now3 for ye  shall  
be filled4 ,the drift of the ,sermon as 
given by ,luke1 which in  all           
probability is nearer the original than 

that given by ,matthew1 and  which is at
 any rate equally inspired1 is to wean  
men from a world  which is but a snare  
and a delusion1 and to get them to      
cultivate  other-worldliness4 ,let me   
quote a few of the beatitudes3          
,blessed be ye poor2 for yours is the   
kingdom of ,god4 ,blessed are      ye   
that hunger now2 for ye shall be filled4
 ,blessed are ye that      weep now1 for
 ye shall laugh--        ,woe unto you  
that are full2 for ye shall hunger4     
,woe unto you that laugh now2 for ye    
shall mourn and weep4#b        #b ,luke1
 ,,vi ,chap4    ,and the next world     
according to ,jesus was not really a    
better world1 but  the reverse of this4 
,some are hungry now1 some are full4 ,in
 the world of  ,jesus1 those who are    
full now1 will be hungry1 and those who 
are hungry  now will be full4 ,here     
,lazarus is suffering1 and ,dives is in 
comfort2  there1 they will change       
places4 ,that is not a world worth      
looking  forward to4 ,it is not even a  

new world1 but the old world turned     
about  and actually made much worse4    
,the suffering1 the misery1 the pain1 in
  the world1 now1 are at least          
temporary1 but there1 they will be      
eternal4 ,here1 the rich man1 at least1 
gives of the crumbs of his  table to    
,lazarus1 but in heaven ,lazarus refuses
 even a drop of water to  moisten the   
lips of ,dives in hell4 ,no healthy and 
optimistic soul could  have dreamed so  
prosaic a dream4 ,the future is a place 
of revenge  according to ,jesus4 ,such a
 future as he describes1 with thrones   
for his  friends1 and hell everlasting  
for the stranger1 would1 if really      
accepted1 smite humanity with the worst 
kind of pessimism4 ,we could  pardon    
,jesus for wishing the destruction of   
this world1 if he only  offered a better
 one in its place4    ,it is in the     
light of this belief in a vanishing     
world that the  teachings of ,jesus     
should be interpreted4 ,if any one1 says
 ,jesus1  take away thy coat1 let him   

take thy cloak also4 ,of course4 ,of    
what  use is property in a world soon to
 be set on fire8 ,besides1 according to 
the ,sermon on the ,mount1 the way to   
have property in heaven is not to  have 
any here4 ,to ,jesus1 the world was like
 a tavern--good only for a  night's     
lodging2 or to change the simile1 the   
world was like a sinking  ship from     
which1 to save ourselves1 everything    
else must be thrown  overboard4 ,who    
would care to accumulate wealth1 who    
would care to marry1  or rear children1 
on a sinking ship8 ,could such an       
alarmist be a sane  moral teacher8 ,yet1
 ,jesus must have been sane enough to   
realize that the  command not to resist 
evil1--to give to everyone that would   
borrow2 to  turn also the other cheek to
 the aggressor2 and to let the robber   
bully  people out of their              
belongings1--would upset the very       
foundations of  human society and create
 a chaos unspeakably injurious to the   
moral  life2 but what is the difference 

if we are on a sinking ship6 ,in the    
same spirit1 ,jesus advises his         
disciples to let the tares grow up with 
the wheat4 ,it is not worth while trying
 to separate them now1 the time  is so  
short4 ,and when he says that we must   
hate father1 mother1 and  children for  
his sake1 he means that to escape this  
great1 this  hastening calamity which he
 predicts1 would be better for us than  
to  cultivate the affections and the    
friendships that will soon be no more4  
,it is really impossible for anyone     
believing in a heaven to be quite  just 
to the world that now is4 ,the other    
world looks so important to the         
believer that this one becomes1 as ,john
 ,wesley expressed it1 ,a fleeting      
show4    ,the position of ,jesus on the 
important question of marriage and the  
relation of the sexes is also to be     
studied in the light of the belief  that
 the world is not going to last very    
long4    ,it certainly would be absurd  
to have any weddings1 as it would be    

cruel  to have children1 or to          
accumulate property1 or to acquire      
knowledge1 in  such a world4 ,tolstoi1  
in his ,kreutzer ,sonata1 which is a    
terrible  story1 interprets the real    
,christian attitude toward marriage4 ,he
 shows  conclusively that it is         
inconsistent for a follower of ,jesus to
 marry4  ,even as the believer must give
 up all property1 he must also give up  
the  family4 ,if he is single1 he must  
not marry2 if he is married1 he must    
live as though he was not married4      
,tolstoi proves his contention by       
quoting among other texts1 the following
 from ,jesus3 ,and everyone that  hath  
forsaken wife or children or lands for  
my name's sake--which words  are a      
direct recommendation to forsake kith   
and kin1 wife and husband1  in fact     
everything4 ,to be a ,christian1        
according to ,count ,tolstoi1 is to     
follow the example of ,jesus who        
abstained from marriage4 ,what is the   
use  of talking about divorce when      

marriage is forbidden8 ,jesus said that 
,moses allowed divorce because of the   
hardness of men's hearts2 and  marriage 
is permitted1 according to ,paul1 as a  
concession to human  weakness4 ,the     
,christian ideal1 however1 is celibacy4 
,jesus is very  positive on this point4 
,you will not blame me if ,i quote his  
own words1  just as ,i find them in the 
,new ,testament4 ,in the gospel of      
,matthew1  chapter nineteen1 verse      
twelve1 ,jesus speaks of three kinds of 
eunuchs3  first1 those who were born    
deformed2 second1 those who have been   
mutilated by men2 and third1 those who  
have made themselves eunuchs for  the   
kingdom of heaven's sake4 ,this is an   
invitation to all who can to  emasculate
 themselves4 ,is not this pernicious    
teaching8 ,a man could not  teach such a
 doctrine in ,america to-day without    
laying himself open to  the contempt of 
his fellows1 but when preached by       
,jesus1 hypocrisy and  cowardice combine
 to extol it as divine wisdom4          

,fortunately1 such  teaching is         
admired--not obeyed4 ,that is as far as 
hypocrisy cares to  go4 ,it is owing to 
the healthy manhood of the occidental   
nations that  this ,asiatic superstition
 has not altogether bankrupted          
civilization4 ,in  the early centuries  
many of the followers of ,jesus         
mutilated their  bodies for the kingdom 
of heaven's sake4 ,there is in ,russia a
 sect  called ,skopskis1 with a         
membership of six thousand1 which       
follows the  practice recommended by the
 founder of ,christianity4    ,the vows 
of poverty1 chastity and obedience1 lead
 practically to  self-destruction4      
,poverty is helplessness1 or            
nothingness2 chastity is                
self-mortification2 obedience1 by which 
is meant1 absolute surrender of  the    
will to another1 is the stamping out of 
the mind4 ,goodness6 ,it is  not only   
the world that ,christianity wishes to  
destroy1 but also man4                  
,annihilation--the ,buddhist ,nirvana1  

seems to be its goal4 ,how to make a    
man a mere zero--poor1 emasculated1 and 
a mental slave1 seems to be  the ideal  
of this ,asiatic cult4 ,after two       
thousand years of modern  education1    
such is the hold of ,jesus upon the     
,christian world1 that in  our churches 
is still sung the hymn3        ,o1 to be
 nothing1 nothing6    ,with this        
doctrine of celibacy in view1 the       
indifference of ,jesus to the  rights of
 women as human beings is not a         
surprise4 ,it has been well said  that  
those who trample upon manhood can have 
no real respect for  woman4 ,jesus never
 spoke of ,god except as a father4 ,if  
the highest  principle or being in the  
universe is a he1 of course woman can   
never  hope to be on an equality with   
man4 ,motherhood will always occupy a   
secondary place as long as the father is
 a god4 ,if ,god is a father1 what      
mother can be on an equality with him8  
,he must rule2 she must obey4  ,women do
 not stop to think that                 

religion--,christianity1 ,judaism1      
,mohammedanism--is the most stubborn    
obstacle in the path of their           
advancement4 ,jesus ignored women in all
 the essentials of life4 ,he did  not   
love any one of them sufficiently to    
share his life with her4 ,he had  no    
place for the love of woman in his      
heart4 ,he kept twelve men as his       
constant companions4 ,suppose ,jesus had
 invited some gentle and devoted  woman 
to the honor of apostleship1--what an   
example that would have  been6 ,but he  
was not great enough to rise above the  
bigotry of his age4  ,surely1 there were
 women in his circle of acquaintance    
better than ,judas  ,iscariot1 who sold 
him for a paltry sum of money4 ,women   
may wait upon  ,jesus at the table1 they
 may give birth to him1 and nurse him2  
they may  fall at his feet to bathe them
 with their tears and wipe them with    
their  tresses--but to be his           
apostles--not that4 ,had ,jesus been    
really a great  genius he would have    

understood that in the work of saving   
people1 the  co-operation of woman is   
indispensable4 ,there are no better     
saviors than  women4 ,how many a husband
 has been saved from drink--from the    
gutter  even1 by his wife4 ,how many    
sons have been shielded from a          
prodigal's  fate by a mother's          
all-conquering devotion4 ,yet for this  
splendid force  or agency of reform1    
,jesus had no appreciation whatever4    
,if ,i were hanged on the highest hill  
,mother o' mine2      ,i know whose love
 would follow me still                  
,mother o' mine4    ,jesus failed to see
 in woman that which inspires the poet1 
the painter1  the hero1 to do their     
best4 ,he took the ,asiatic view of     
woman4 ,can man  be free1 sang ,shelley1
 if woman be a slave8 ,suppose ,jesus   
had said  that6    ,the bible is on the 
whole very unfair to woman4 ,this is a  
sign of its  inferior morality4 ,it is  
the bully who takes advantage of the    
physically  weak4 ,when1 in the ,garden 

of ,eden1 ,god is about to punish the   
first  couple for their disobedience1 he
 is much less considerate of the woman  
than he is of the man4 ,in the sweat of 
thy face shalt thou eat bread1  is the  
curse for ,adam4 ,that was not a curse  
at all4 ,labor is not only  honorable1  
it is also pleasureable4 ,many work who 
do not have to--they  work1 not from    
pressure1 but from pleasure4 ,many who  
retire from  business do so with regret4
 ,it is indolence that is a curse4 ,the 
divine  curse against the serpent is    
even milder4 ,he is told to walk upon   
his  belly for the rest of his life--a  
change of locomotion was his            
punishment4 ,but when ,jehovah curses   
the woman1 he shows1--,i was going to   
say1--the effect of his ,asiatic        
training4 ,unto the woman he said1 ,i   
will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy
 conception2 in sorrow shalt  thou bring
 forth children2 and thy desire shall be
 to thy husband1 and  he shall rule over
 thee4#c    #c ,genesis ,,iii3#af4    ,i

 will greatly multiply thy sorrow4 ,and 
why8 ,is it because she is  stronger and
 can therefore endure more suffering    
than the man8 ,why  should she be struck
 a heavier and a more crushing blow8    
,and observe  that she is cursed in the 
act which constitutes the greatest and  
most  heroic service a woman renders to 
the human race1--the giving birth to    
children4 ,the pain of child-bearing is 
to be henceforth1 says the deity1  very 
much more painful4 ,well may we blush   
for ,jehovah4 ,if there is a  divine    
moment in human life1 it is when a woman
 becomes a mother4 ,all  the tenderness1
 the love1 the gentleness1 the devotion1
 the sweetness1  and the compassion1 of 
which we are capable1 will not be enough
 to  outweigh the suffering a woman     
endures to give life and light to a new 
being4 ,and think of choosing this      
delicate and helpless moment to strike  
at her6 ,and this is the being who has  
sent his son to save us6 ,but who  shall
 save ,jehovah8    ,and thy desire shall

 be to thy husband1 and he shall rule   
over thee4  ,at the threshold of life   
she is sold into slavery4 ,she is not   
given to  ,adam--to share with him the  
dignity of humanity1 the duties and     
rights  of life1--but to be his         
creature4 ,suppose ,jehovah had said3 ,a
 woman is  as much a human being as a   
man1 and because of her physical        
weakness1 ,i  shall charge myself to be 
her special protector and friend until  
man  shall have advanced sufficiently in
 culture and civilization to do full    
justice to her4 ,ah1 if ,jehovah had    
only said that6 ,in the ,episcopal  and 
,catholic marriage services1 to this    
day1 the wife is asked to  promise to   
obey her husband4 ,and this is the      
religion that pretends to  be just and  
impartial to women4 ,from the silence of
 ,jesus on this  subject1 in a country  
and at a time when woman's condition was
  deplorable1 and where the curse with  
which she had been cursed had  really   
taken effect1--as well as from the few  

words he said about  marriage1--,jesus  
shows his utter incapacity to tear      
himself from his  ,asiatic environment1 
or to rise to the nobler ideals of an   
advancing  civilization4    ,again1 in  
the light of his belief in a world soon 
to disappear1 it  becomes clear why     
,jesus ignored such subjects1 for       
instance1 as  education1 art and        
politics4 ,there is not a word in all   
the sayings and  sermons of ,jesus about
 schools1 or the acquisition of         
knowledge of  nature and its laws4 ,he  
does not devote a single thought to the 
education of children4 ,not once does he
 denounce ignorance1 which is the       
mother of all abominations4 ,in the age 
in which he lived1 ignorance was  the   
most abundant as well as the worst crop 
his own country raised4 ,and  yet1      
,jesus had absolutely nothing to say    
against it4 ,it would take time  to     
conquer knowledge1 and the time was too 
short4 ,moreover1 in the world  to come1
 such knowledge would be superfluous4   

,what wisdom the believers  needed would
 be given to them miraculously1 even as 
,god rained down  manna in the desert to
 the children of ,israel4 ,this idea    
that  everything1 even our daily bread1 
is given to us1 not acquired by us1     
explains also why ,jesus ignored the    
subject of labor--the great  transformer
 that transforms the world's waste      
places into gardens and  its swamps into
 flourishing cities4 ,consider the      
lilies of the fields1  argues ,jesus1   
with a suggestion of poetry in his      
usually severe and  solemn speech1--they
 toil not1 neither do they spin1--from  
which it is  to be inferred that1 if the
 lilies can be so fair and flourishing  
without toil or labor1 so can man1 if he
 will only put his trust in ,god4       
,the kingdom of heaven which is to take 
the place of this world when it  has    
been burned down to ashes1 is not an    
evolution1 or a growth out of  present  
conditions1 but it is a totally         
different order1 and is to be           

introduced suddenly and by miracle4     
,this idea makes human labor            
unnecessary4 ,hence1 the advice of ,paul
 to the slave1 not to seek his  freedom1
 and that of ,jesus1 to let the tares   
grow up with the wheat4 ,it  is not by  
any effort on our part2 it is not by    
human science or labor1  but by magic1  
that is to say1 by some unknown1        
mysterious and sudden  manner--like the 
thief at night1 that the kingdom of ,god
 is to come4    ,little things as well  
as great issues1 ,jesus would have us   
leave to  providence4 ,therefore his    
warning3 ,take no thought for the       
morrow4 ,in  other words labor is       
necessary for those people only who have
 no ,father  in heaven who takes notice 
of even the falling sparrow4 ,but the   
believer  has only to cast his net into 
the sea and fishes with pearls in their 
mouths will help him pay for his wants4 
,faith will not only move  mountains1   
but it can make a single loaf of bread  
to satisfy the hunger  of thousands4 ,in

 fact1 a miracle-worker like ,jesus     
could not  consistently recommend labor1
 which means application of means to    
ends4  ,jesus was a magician4 ,morality 
is a ,science4    ,but let us now       
consider ,jesus' answers to special     
problems presented to  him by many of   
his hearers for solution4 ,you know the 
story of the rich  young man who came to
 ,jesus to ask him the way to eternal   
life4 ,keep  the ten commandments1      
,jesus told him4 ,but when the youth    
answered that  he was already doing     
that1 ,jesus said1 ,if thou wilt be     
perfect1 sell  all that thou hast and   
give it to the poor and thou shalt have 
treasure in heaven4 ,i am not surprised 
that the young man went away            
disappointed4 ,what is there in poverty 
to entitle a man to eternal life8  ,is  
it not a perverse doctrine that         
associates beggary with moral           
perfection8 ,why should the mendicant be
 the pet of heaven4 ,if you give  all   
that you have to the poor1 you will have

 to depend upon charity for  your       
living1--or starve4 ,and where will the 
charity come from1 if all  men were to  
follow the advice of ,jesus and         
cultivate poverty8 ,but wealth  means   
life1 it means enjoyment of the world   
and exuberance of spirits1  which things
 ,jesus dreads4 ,poverty means          
lassitude1 asceticism1 low  vitality1   
prostration and weariness of            
life1--which things ,jesus  considered  
essential to the destruction of the     
world1 which he hoped  for4 ,it is only 
for this world1 however1 that ,jesus    
believes in poverty4  ,in the next1 his 
followers will receive a hundred-fold   
for every  sacrifice made4 ,they will be
 given thrones1 crowns1 jeweled streets 
to  walk in--and mansions of pure gold  
in which they will drink of the  fruit  
of the vine4 ,heaven1 in the opinion of 
,jesus1 is like a bank which  pays ten  
thousand per cent for every privation   
suffered in this world4  ,the most      
pronounced commercialism even is not so 

extravagant as that4  ,the heaven of    
,jesus is more materialistic than this  
world4    ,it is often claimed that this
 doctrine of ,jesus was a great comfort 
to  the unfortunate1 who were given     
something to look forward to4 ,if they  
were poor1 here1 they could hope to be  
rich there4 ,it is true to a great      
extent that ,christianity won its way   
into the hearts of the masses by        
flattering them4 ,unto the poor the     
,gospel is preached1 said ,jesus4 ,and  
what was its message to them8--,you have
 lost this world1 but the next  will be 
yours4 ,in my opinion this promise1     
while it sounds big1 is a  very empty   
one4 ,it taught the poor to submit to   
oppression1 instead of  inspiring them  
to rebellion against injustice4 ,jesus  
did not tell the  truth when he said    
that poverty1 hunger1 ignorance1 misery1
 were  blessed4    ,you are also        
familiar with the story of the men who  
came to ,jesus to ask  him whether they 
should pay tribute to ,caesar8 ,instead 

of giving to this  question a direct    
answer1 ,jesus resorts to quibbling--,he
 asks for a  coin1 and when one is      
presented1 ,whose is the superscription1
 he asks4  ,caesar's1 is the answer4    
,render unto ,caesar that which is      
,caesar's1  commands ,jesus4 ,but one   
moment3 ,is a coin ,caesar's because his
  superscription is upon it8 ,is it not 
rather the property of the man who  has 
earned it by his labor8 ,shall ,caesar  
claim everything that he can  put his   
stamp upon8 ,was not ,jesus recommending
 the blind worship of  force when he    
told them to respect ,caesar's name8    
,suppose1 instead of  evading the       
question1 or attempting a smart answer  
to it1 ,jesus had  calmly and clearly   
explained to them that no government1 be
 it human or  divine1 is just1 which is 
not based upon the consent of the       
governed4  ,ah1 if ,jesus had only said 
that4    ,but he also tells us to ,give 
unto ,god the things that belong to     
,god4  ,god and ,caesar6 ,behold the two

 masters1 from neither of which did     
,jesus  deliver man4 ,and how do we give
 unto ,god the things that belong to    
,god8  ,if we give it to the priests1   
will it reach ,god--and how much of it  
will  reach him8 ,moreover1 if we are to
 tell the things that belong to ,caesar 
by the stamp upon them1 how are we to   
tell the things that belong to  ,god8   
,and how did the deity come to let      
,caesar in as a partner8 ,and what  will
 there be left for us after ,god and    
,caesar have had each his share8  ,it is
 difficult to understand how the robust 
occidental can find any  moral uplift or
 guidance in so whimsical a piece of    
advice4 ,jesus was  asked a great       
question1 the question of political     
autonomy and  international law1 but he 
gave to it a trifling answer4    ,let us
 take another example4 ,i have more than
 once called your attention  to the     
story of the thief on the cross4 ,there 
were really two of them4  ,to one of    
them ,jesus promised paradise4 ,what    

became of the other8 ,both  men were    
malefactors1 but one of them believed in
 ,jesus and became a  saint at the last 
moment4 ,can anything be more immoral8  
,can anything be  more arbitrary or     
fatalistic8 ,if we wished to show that  
it made no  difference how people lived1
 and that the only thing that saves is  
faith1 which is as effective at the     
eleventh hour as at the first--we  could
 not have invented a better argument    
than is furnished by this  story in the 
gospels4    ,observe that the man       
magically saved1 as this malefactor was1
 becomes  meaner and more selfish after 
he is converted than he was before4 ,he 
imagines that ,god is just waiting      
yonder to welcome him1 and that heaven  
is being put in order for his           
reception1--while his crime sinks into a
  mere nothing in his eyes4 ,like the   
thief on the cross1 he has not a  single
 thought of his victims--not a single   
pang of remorse for the  suffering he   
has caused4 ,conversion has made him    

callous4 ,whether his  victims are saved
 or damned1 he does not care4 ,all his  
thoughts are  centered upon his own     
future happiness and glory4 ,but suppose
 the thief  on the cross had said to    
,jesus when the latter invited him to   
paradise3  ,but1 what about my victims1 
,lord8 ,the men and women and children  
,i have  ruined and sent to their doom6 
,how can ,i be happy in heaven1 with my 
victims in hell--to whom ,i gave no     
chance in the last hour to believe  and 
be saved8 ,hanging on the same cross    
with you1 ,lord1 has made my  heart a   
little more tender1 and has awakened my 
conscience4 ,i have  become a better man
 since ,i met you4 ,let me then go where
 ,i can atone in  some real way for my  
crimes4 ,let my heaven consist in       
serving the people  ,i have wronged1    
until we can be saved together4 ,if     
,jesus had only  provoked that for a    
reply from the converted thief6         
,compare with this puffed-up vanity and 
meanness of the malefactor  converted by

 miracle1 the glorious behavior of      
,othello in the presence  of death4     
,jesus' company made the thief on the   
cross contemptible2  ,shakespeare's     
touch made ,othello divine4 ,as he is   
about to leap into the  arms of death1  
,othello is not thinking of his soul1 or
 of his future2  his one and only       
thought is of his victim4 ,he does not  
whine in the ears  of heaven1 nor does  
he beg to be saved from the punishment  
he deserves4  ,he is no coward trying to
 sneak into heaven while his ,desdemona 
lies in  her blood at his feet4 ,listen 
to the words the great poet speaks by   
his  mouth3                ,whip me1 ye 
devils1      ,from the possession of    
this heavenly sight6      ,blow me about
 in winds6 ,roast me in sulphur6        
,wash me in steep-down gulfs of liquid  
fire6    ,no vision of heaven1 no       
thought of glory for himself1 can tempt 
,othello  to forget his crime4 ,he      
prefers hell for himself as the only    
thing with  which his awakened          

conscience can be calmed4 ,that is the  
way to be  converted6    ,the ,christian
 doctrine of forgiveness is the doctrine
 of license4 ,jesus  commands us to     
forgive seventy times seven4 ,he does   
not seem to  realize that the more      
accommodating we are to the criminal1   
the more we  sap the foundations of     
morality4 ,judge not1 says ,jesus1 that 
ye be  not judged4 ,that is very queer  
advice4 ,we are not to see wrong or     
crime  in others lest they should find  
the same in us4 ,it is the religion of a
  guilty conscience--which abstains from
 criticising lest his own faults  should
 be exposed4 ,you say nothing about me  
and ,i'll agree to say  nothing about   
you1 is a conspiracy to defeat justice4 
,for with what  judgment ye judge ye    
shall be judged1 continues ,jesus4 ,not 
at all4 ,if a  man has slandered you1   
must you slander him8 ,if you have been 
robbed1  must you rob in return8 ,do you
 have to judge another with the same    
prejudice1 bigotry and malice with which

 he judges you8 ,and must you  refrain  
from passing any righteous judgments    
from fear of being  misjudged or        
misunderstood by the world8 ,were we to 
follow this false  teaching1 we would be
 giving crime a free sway1--with every  
tongue tied  against it4    ,but did not
 ,jesus say ,love one another1 and is   
not that enough8 ,if it  were enough1   
the past twenty centuries would have    
been centuries of  peace and            
brotherhood4 ,instead1 they have been   
centuries of war and  persecution4 ,the 
world is in need of a ,jesus who can    
make people love4  ,if ,jesus has this  
power--why is ,europe still armed to the
 teeth8 ,i do  not deny the good        
intentions of ,jesus4 ,i question his   
power4 ,he has  not even succeeded in   
making his own followers1 ,catholics and
  ,protestants1 to love one another4    
,christianity has had a good1 long      
chance to show results4 ,a religion     
which is split up into an               
ever-increasing number of sects is not  

going to bring about unity and          
brotherhood4 ,he that believeth not     
shall be damned1 and depart from  me ye 
cursed1 takes from the rose of love both
 petals and perfume1 and  leaves only   
the thorns4    ,but ,jesus also said    
,love your enemies4 ,the advice of      
,confucius to  love our benefactors and 
to be just to our enemies1 is more      
sensible4  ,it is neither practical nor 
desirable to love one's enemies4 ,can we
 love  the slanderer1 the oppressor1 the
 murderer8 ,if our enemy is not all     
this1 he is not an enemy4 ,but we can be
 just to the people who are mean1       
deceitful1 spiteful or pitiless toward  
us4 ,did ,jesus love his enemies8  ,why 
then was not ,judas saved8 ,and why did 
he say to his disciples that  for the   
people who rejected them there awaited  
the awful fate of ,sodom  and ,gomorrah8
    ,but did not ,jesus pray for his    
murderers on the cross8 ,was his prayer 
answered8 ,if there is any truth in     
history1 the ,jews have suffered for    

their supposed participation in the     
tragedy of ,calvary more than words  can
 describe4 ,i have always thought that  
the prayer1 ,father1 forgive  them1 for 
they know not what they do1 was put in  
,jesus' mouth1 at the  last moment1 for 
a theatrical effect4 ,if the atonement  
was one of the  eternal decrees of ,god1
 the people who put ,jesus to death were
 only  carrying it out4 ,if1 however1   
knowing that ,jesus was a ,god1 they1   
nevertheless1 wanted to kill him1 they  
must have been imbeciles to  suppose a  
,god could be murdered safely2 but if   
they did not know the  truth and        
committed the crime ignorantly1 they    
were not forgiven for it1  and the bible
 describes the fearful punishment       
prepared for them4    ,another much     
commended saying of ,jesus is the       
following3 ,inasmuch as ye  have done it
 unto the least of these1 ye have done  
it unto me4 ,this has  been interpreted 
as a command to help and succor even the
 poorest of the  poor4 ,i admire the    

thought4 ,i applaud the generosity4 ,but
 would it not  have been grander1 if    
,jesus1 instead of saying1 ye have done 
it unto  me1 had said1 ye have done it  
unto ,humanity4 ,for my sake is not so  
large and noble as for ,humanity's sake4
 ,one of my neighbor preachers  said the
 other day that he loved the poor and   
the lost because ,jesus  loved them4    
,then1 it was ,jesus he loved1 and not  
his fellows4  ,evidently he would not   
love them1 if ,jesus did not4 ,what     
would become of  this preacher's        
interest in his fellowmen1 should he    
ever lose his faith  in ,christ8 ,that  
explains why people often say that      
without religion  there can be no       
morality4 ,we desire a morality that can
 outlive all the  gods4 ,christ or no   
,christ1--can we still be kind and just 
and  compassionate toward the weak and  
the unfortunate8    ,if you take ,jesus 
,christ out of the world1 the world's a 
carcass1 and  man's a disaster1 cries   
the preacher at the top of his voice4   

,of  course4 ,if everything is to be    
done for ,jesus' sake1 what will become 
of  morality1 civilization or humanity  
with ,jesus dropped out8 ,we need no    
better excuse for summoning all our     
energies to combat a religion that      
commits the destinies of our world to   
the keeping of one man1--and he1  in all
 probability1--a myth4#d    #d ,read the
 author's ,the ,truth ,about ,jesus--,is
 ,he a ,myth8    ,let us recapitulate3  
,jesus taught a magical1 not a          
scientific morality4  ,it was by being  
born of water and the ,holy ,ghost1     
whatever that might  mean1 and not by   
intellectual and moral effort1 that     
people were to be  saved4 ,he placed the
 creed above the deed1 and himself above
 humanity4  ,believe in me1 do good for 
my sake1 gives to morality a sectarian  
stamp1 or taint1 which is bound to      
corrupt it4 ,morality is born of        
liberty4 ,christianity is the religion  
of absolutism1 in which ,jesus or  ,god 
is everything1 and man a mere puppet4   

,christianity denies to man the  right  
to reason4 ,he must only obey4 ,there is
 no morality where there is  no liberty4
 ,by his doctrine of an impending       
catastrophe1 a future hell1  and by his 
promises of fabulous wealth and glory   
beyond--,jesus helped to  disturb and   
distort the judgment of the weak and the
 fearful1  preventing thereby the       
cultivation of sane thoughts of life4   
,the  morality of ,jesus was the        
morality of panic4    ,and what do we   
offer in place of supernaturalism1      
whether it be  ,christianity1 ,judaism1 
,mohammedanism1 ,brahmanism1 or any     
other ism8 ,in  place of magic or       
miracle1 we offer science2 in place of  
belief1 we  offer knowledge--the open   
light of day and the unhampered         
interchange of  human love and thought4 
,in place of ,christ or ,god--both      
absent1 and  neither dependent upon     
anything we can do for him--we offer    
,humanity1  forever at our side1 and in 
daily need of our bravest service and   

most  unstinted love4           ,,the   
,,story ,,of ,,my ,,mind   ,,or   ,,how 
,i ,,became ,a ,,rationalist    ,price1 
,fifty ,cents     ,in this latest       
publication of the ,independent         
,religious ,society1 ,m4 ,m4            
,mangasarian describes his religious    
experience--how1 starting as a          
,calvinist1 a graduate of ,princeton    
,theological ,seminary1 and a pastor of 
the ,spring ,garden ,presbyterian       
,church in ,philadelphia1 he thought and
  fought his way up to    ,,rationalism 
,the book contains a dedication to ,my  
,children1 in which the author  says3   
,i am going to put the story in writing1
 that you may have it with      you when
 ,i am gone1 to remind you of the aims  
and interests for      which ,i lived1  
as well as to acquaint you with the most
 earnest and      intimate period in my 
career as a teacher of men4     ,,order 
,,through     ,,the ,,independent       
,,religious ,,society   ,,orchestra     
,,hall ,,building ,,chicago