Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1843-05-31
VERMONT TELEGRAPH.
Brandon, "wednesday, May 81, Is43.
REWARDS AND PUNIsHMENTs.

J IL nau us origin IN ignorance ana 0aTOar'
ism. Itmusl be dore away before the
world can be filled with peace and hap
piness. Ii is not consistent with love. Ii
fills with fear and makes wretched. Il is
the experience Of man that fear hath tor.
ment love aud fear cannot dwell TO.
gelher-that the one must give place 10
] the other.
This doctrine OF rewards and punish
ments lies at the foundation of The violent
and corrupt government we have had 10
church and in state, by which mankind
have been driven abou! in fear, and kept
in degradalion and darkness. The bears
will catch you. The constable will catch
you. The devil will catch you. This
has been the motive held out by parents,
Legislators and priests.
will not say that there has not generally
been very much honesty and sincerity in the
been. But the time has come for human
beings to be moved differently. AT least il
is time for better doctrine 10 be preached
by as many as discern a better and truer.
The present views and practices will be ad
hered 10, of course, until substitute is pre-
sented that shall! be seen to be preferable.
venture a prediction. This generation
shall not pass without great and radical
reformation in this great and fundamental
matter
The system TO which am now Directing
is perfect imposition. No reason has ever
been given for its adoption, worthy TO be re-
ceived by an enlightened mind in the mid
die Of the 18th century. In fact little or
nothing has ever been done by way OF at
tempting 10 present reasons for its reception
and adoption as rule Of life. All has been
assumed = taken for granted = forced and
driven. Those who have written ii in a
book have only made assertions. Those
who have preached il from the book have
done likewise. Ii is club law, the whole of
it. II treats man as brute, and not as
rational being. IL breaks his head. IL does
not melt his heart. II says believe or be
damned. As if il were optional with a
thinking being what 10 believe and what not
TO believe. As if there could be belief ia
the absence Of evidence or unbelef in the
presence of il.
The doctrine that unbelef is sinful had
its origin ia the same Ignorance and heath
enism, and is a part Of The same system
which has been confusing and desolaling
mind. There may be, and is such thing
as unfailhfulness TO conviction OF truth.
And this is sinful. And there is too such
thing as refusing to investigate, for fear of
being convicted Of wrongs and Inconsistent
cies held and adhered 10. This also is sin
against the soul Of the one who does il.
BIT these very sins believe will ofIenesl
be found attaching to those who hold unbe-
lief of certain things 10 be sinful. will Of
fer an illustration Of my view Of the fallacy
and ab.urdity Of these doctrines united as a
system in theory, and Of their despolism
and outrage in practice. | approach hu-
man being with statements which require
10 be believed. The statements are that
have oeen standing, naked, for half hour,
in the mids; Of a burning furnace of fire, and
have come out unharmed, without the smell
of fire upon me. The person whom | adj
dress expresses unbelief. ] persist in re.
curing him TO believe. He continues in
credulous, protesting that have shown no
good and convincing proof Al length |
raise club over his head, and threaten him
that unless he believes shall dash his
brains out. This is effectual. Rather than
have his brains dashed out, he consents to
believe.
This is the way belief is extorted-this is
the way faith is enforced-in the proceed
ings that have hitherto governed The reiig-
ious world. In this part of the world fire
and birthstone is The club. Judgment is
delhroned and thrust aside. Reason is
tramped in the dust. Thought is annihi-
lated. Manhood is crushed. The frag-
ments that are left Of mind are taken off into
darkness and chaos in a chariot of faith.
Those who thus deal with mankind in mat
tiers Of religion deal with them otherwise in
other things. In matters of dollars and cents
they leave man TO be a rational, intelligent
being. But in things which they make to
be Of the utmost importance TO him. they
require him to begin his work by unbalanc.
ing his mind, suppressing lis best faculties,
and allowing himselfto be blinded, shachled
and led about BY others. II is TOO shameful