, 1876-09-02

Principles are external and exist in the
nature OF things, and Tor their truth, do
not depend on the authority OF Tom,
Dick, Hairy, God or the devil. Ii God
should write in immense letters of light
across the lace ri the sky, that two ami
two are tour, the fact would be no more
evident to me tnan it is now. Il ms fel.
low man tells me that God has written,
Ddlclatcd 10 be written in Il book, that
three Is one, have natural and lust
rlSht t. say II Is a lie. Or if he tells me
that God couhl not forgive mems sins,
ON! through \ vicious atonement, then |
nave Il natural and just right to say that
ellhor the hook is u ne, or God an unjust
beng. II the Bible states Il truth in ref
erence to physics, morals, OF intellect,
that Is IN accordance with reason and
common sense, | can receive it; but
when It states things not in accordance
tne'ewnh, the pretended authority OF
God will not make it acceptable to me.
Would EucIld's elements OF Geometry
he ot a'y less authority if it was not
known VINO wrote II Or would it be OF
any greater authority ii claimed that
God dictated the book Z The same prn.
cIplcs that apply 10 physics and mathe.
mates IN tnis direction, apply equally to
mental and moral science. A moral
tru,h ns more requires the SPECIAL au.
th"rity Of God to give 1t credance with
man, than does u mathematical truth
When the Bible suys that God ordered
the utter destruction OF the Mdanites
(see Numbers chapter 81 men, women,
infants, suckIings, excepting tile virgins
etc, Tor tue reason that the toretathers OF
the Midmnitrs refused to let the iOretith.
ers OF tile Jews, some tour hundred wears
before, pass through their land 81 have
II just rIght to Say the statement is d
libel on God, and disgrace to the one
that wrote it, and the man who believes
1t has NOT yet 0utgrown his childhood,
mentally or morally. Or that God gave
tbs law to Moses for The children of Ia.
mel; that they should not eat or give to
their own people tn ept, diseased meat
but might sell it to tie heathens about
them, | have a just right To say-another
damnable libel ON God, told 10y some
damnable fool or rascal rs the case may
be- And 80 IN reference to any other ab-
surdity, inconsistency or contradiction
found in it.
Another surprising thing is that God
in making II special revelation to man,
could rot adapt it to their common un
derstanding, so that they could harmon.
ize in it, and 60 ON in peace and harmony
according to the intention fit, but made
1t IN such u way AS to entirely defeat its
object, and set the subjects of 1t by the
ears, and to the cutting of each others
throats over it. The whole Bible world
OF to-day is one grand sceue of inharmo.
ny, contention, quarrelling, mutual des-
pication, hypocrisy, deceit, uncharitable.
ness, bigotry ani intolerance It is true.
however, that the people have to some
extent overgrOwn this state Of things,
fire and iaggots have been laid aside,
racks and thumbscrews abolished. Pris.
ons, however, are occasionally resorted
to. Geo. Francis Train was stepped nine
months in filthy prison in New York
City within the last two or three years
or circulating, in the mails, extracts from
the Bible without comment. John A.
Liant isnow incarcerated in prison for
the free expression of his opinions in his
own paper in reference to the subject of
social reform, through the instigation
of the Y. NJ. G, A., by their tool Anthony
Comstock, sustained by an orthodox
judge.
But when will men lay aside supersti-
tion, the teachings of the nursery, bigot-
ry, intolerance, uncharitabeness, and fol-
low reason and common sensc-the teach.
ings of physical, mental and moral sci
encc, and become sreemen instead of
slaves to creeds and masters! lido not
feel to blame the creed bound, they are
only unfortunate victims of intantie
preiudices,. having been taught what
they must think under pains and penal