The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1877-03-21

tions, resting upon the very word of
God - the Christian theology. The
Claim Is entirely irrespective Of its truth
that it Is Divine, not human. that it is
truth. the on Y truth that it is kncwl-
edge. and all knowledge tha. every
thing else that calls itself truth is error
II II does Dot accord with this. L, is
this system that is responsible for ,hi,
sad. bitter, desper ate Disbelief; because
1t Is this system that shuts the door
against knowledge; this system tina,
forbids the reading of books that con-
.ain knowledge; that proscribcs vol
umes reputed sacred by ell the rest of
the world; that would put out all light
that Its own light may shine; that
would discredit all bibles that its own
Bible may be read that affirms
shat is simply idle without human
reason. 1t is this system that has
abused science from the beginning
that speaks hippantly of philosophy as
vain thing; Of literature as an idle
pursuit Of frivolous minds TO waste
themselves in worthless speculations
nr writings of Tyndail, Huxley, and
Darwin are vetoed, aud earnest minds
seeking for light are warned away from
the very books that would give them
light. If they disbelieve this form of
theology what happens All the gates
are closed. all the windows barred, and
the helpless. hapless spirit thrown out
Of its single loophole of revelation into
q waste of sand. Ny poor. unknown
friend in Virginia never read with un-
derstanding Spencer. Huxley, or Oar
win. She could not Her mind had
been pre-occupied so previously pos
sessed with ideas Of another kind that
they signihed nothing. She had been
warned that such ideas as their writ
ings evinced led into atheism and she
dared not pursue them Take into
connection with this that the great
teachers Of the world have been under
the ban by this arrogant, narrow.
minded theory; all minds, however
great. which have presumed to find
knowledge not contained in the Scrip
lures. who have dared to found ideas lot
revealed in the creed, have been clssssd
among pretenders and imposters. Mo-
hammed MAS scoffed At Voltairo even
in this day is repudiatei by many. aud
yet he WAS a great champion Of reason;
none better in his day could be found.
Yet Voltalre is set down a. one Of the
pests Of the human race. So it was
with Tom Paine. His theology is good
fer nothing. His ideas never had any
value. and yet in his generation Tom
Paine was champion for liberty against
the thrsliom of Church aud State. He
was one of the emsncipators. There
YVES not one Of these DETAINED teachers
that was not believer in truth as they
understood it. But let me say with all
sincerity that tits my profound belief
that none of these men have done so
much to spread disbelief rs the less
formidable Of their opponents. I doubt
whether Voltaire ever engendered as
much disbelief as Bossuet; whether Tom
Paine epgendered rs much disbelief IS
Henry Ward Beecher; whether Francis
Edenwood Abbott engendered as much
disbelief as the rcvivalist Moody. But
my arraignment is not yet ended. In
tha. letter the woman complains that
she has lost her faith in duty--that life
seems worthless. Who is answersble
for thatl Not. as said before, those
/ men who believed and lived in the very
places of duty Where then is the re-
sponsibli,ys She had undoubtedly
! been taken into the Church She had
lost her faith in it because the primary
assumption Of the Christian system is
this:-thst the whole aim and purpose
| Of life is to save the soul hereafter
The preacher opposed this doctrine,
claiming that the present life and its
duties we'll done would fit the soul for
the hereafter. The conditions of life
should be understood. the relations Of
men and women with each other should
be apprehended: with . clear vision we
should see people and things just as
/ they are Duty rests on confidence
/ on mutual faith between persons. Con-
fidenoe is the plan on which We oil live.
upon which we mnst oil feed from day
/ to day, and whoever chills it with their
arrogance or ignorance iucurs An awful
responsibility.