Daily Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1854-1855, 1855-02-01
G!t paiIp @a5ette.
Daycnport, February 1, 1865.
immaculate Conception.

THE dogmutic assumption by Papal Rome
=, tbe immaculate Conception of the
U;rain Mary, is commented on in the Lon
An Times in an article Of remarkable force
md vipor from which we take the following
extract:
To require the nineteenth century to be-
hove and that a. truth necessary to saliva
,on, fact utterly and ayowediy unknown
~ the Apostles, the early Fathers Of the
church, the Popes the Martyrs, and the
whole calender of Saints, and that upon no
hotter evidence than the opinion of the Pope
and number Of Bishops, is really stretch
~ presumption OF which we could not have
believed even the Church Of Rome to have
been capable. She is not content with
holding in her hands the Book Of Reyela-
tion. which she claims to interpret al her
will. and add to it from the resources of ira
alton, she is now inventing and improvising
new facts ard requiring them to be re-
,eived by her votaries without the slightest
Attempt at demonstration. Ii this claim
If The Pope be admitted, he may as well
change the whole Bible, and leave the
doctrines of Christianity to be taught "a
new at his pleasure. No fact is so WILL
established, no conclusion SO logical and
absolute thai he cannot at his will overthrow
it,
Indeed, it is quite evident that this matter
OF the immaculate conception cannot stay
where it is. The same necessity which
drives the Church Of Rome 10 make the I'M
macuate concipent herself the offspring of
an immaculate conception, will operate
with equal force upon the whole succession
IL. -, tLal " r.
gin Mary and the world. What is true of
the mother, may be alleged with equal force
of the grandmother, and the more remote
ancestors. 1t will only be necessary for a
Pope in difficulties 10 go one step further
backward, in order 10 add a new saint to the
calender, and new miracle to the annals
of the church Names will be wanting,
bu, Rome is not rich in nomenclature, and
the ms piration which reveals the miracle,
will not hold the name o! its object. Wien
this is done we may look for an increase up
on authority ofthe plaques ofEgypt, the day
Of creation, the number of patriarchs, or
any other firmly settled fact or number
Nothing is go true that under this system it
may not become false-nothing SO false that
il may not become true.
We shall wait with some curiosity this
bold experiment on the credulity of man
kind, and if it succeeds, though we shall not
be able to agree Mr.. Mcauley that the teach
ling OF the Church is the same in all ages,
we shall certainly be disposed 10 admit him
that after having done this with impunity,
mo amount OF absurdity, however gross-no
deception, however transparent-no fraud
or fasehood, however glazing, can shake
the empire of the Roman Catholic Church
over The minds of men, or teach them TO ap-
DIV to her the same canons of common sense
and reason with which they measure all
.other subjects. She il about TO make two
immaculate conceptions out OF one; if she
proceeds TO multiply miracles at this rate,
and si,b this faculty, she may incorporate
into Christianity in single hour, all the ~ |
Iing wonders OF the Hindoo Pantheon. We
know Of but two parallels to such astound-
'iug autacit y-Mahouet Who improved a
lchapter in Koran t. re-establish the more
than questionable character OF bis iavorite
Iwte, and Joseph Smith, who ever hada new
revelation ready 10 conceal fraud, to secure
"a mistress, to punish an enemy.