Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1859-03-05
A Religious Discussion.

Several weeks since, one Mr. Reed,
who is an itinerant advocate Of Second
Adventisn, left in this town the follow
ing written resolution, and challenged
the world to discuss it with him. he
taking the afirmatire
"IaeSoJred, that the Bible teaches
that the soul Of man dies"
After solicitation by many Of our
citizens to enlist, Rev G. II. Smith
entered the field, and both agreed up
on these terms: each should speak on
alternate evenings for the space OF one
hour; the affirmative should open the
debate and the negative close, and no
personalities should be made The
preliminaries were made by what du-
eliSts would term seconds" and the
disputants conceded.
Accordingly, Mr. Reed commenced
last Saturday evening. We learn that
from Job, Sampson and other Bible
hSiote, nc edCCtcuSi III SstdoIISiilnS
the proposition that the soul Of man
dies. He proved it beyond the "reach
Of cavil," from the ''plain statement Of
the Word of Cod Although it was
inconyenicnt for us to attend on that
evening, yet we have no doubt that he
did so succeed; and the southern slave
holder consoles his conscience that it
is no sin to hold his brother man in
bondage, because his especial pleader"
preacher shows clearly from the ''plain
statements Of the Word of God" that
such was the custom Of the "men Of
God in early Bible times, and because
it was declared by Noah that Canaan,
the son Of Ham, should abe a servant
Of servants" Brigham Young, too,
justihes his poligany by the prece-
dent established by Solomon, David,
and others. An excuse for intemper-
ance Is often urged, because Noah,
Lot, and others, ''got drunk" And
sll these sins are justified by the wick
ed as the '<piain statement of the word
Of God"
On Saturday evening, circumstances
permitted our attendance, when Mr.
Smith was equally successful in estab-
fishing the assertion that the soul Of
man is immortal. One citation we will
refer to, which Is recorded in the 9th
chapter Of Mark, I'd to 9th verse inclu-
sive, narrating the TRANSPORTATION Of
Christ on the mountain, where Moses
and Elias are said to be talking with
him. These two persons had died, and
after being hundreds of years in the
spirit world, appeared to Christ and
his companions On the mount, and pre-
dicted his death If the soul dies then
Moses and Elias did not appear. The
next evening, Mr.. Reed denied that
this was real, because Matthew says
that Christ charged them to tell the
CLottJv W III iLIttiA. ANoH. Z ttthC liiS
position that if Christ really did de-
nominate it a "vision," it was not a
phantom-an illusion. It was as real
to them as any other vision which the
prophets saw. Mark does not say that
Christ calls it vision, but he does aYel
that he told them to ''tell 10 man what
things they had SEEN" II Moses and
Elias did not talk with Jesus, then by
the same rule, all visions recorded in
The Bible, and all communications from
angels and from the Lord, are deIusive
fancies. # they did not thus sppaar
then the testimony Of the Bible is clear,
~ worth nothing in support of the
averment that ministering spirits have
given commands of God to man in the
flesh. But we have neither desire nol
time to criticise the discussion as it de.
serves.
Mr.. RS argument on the three even