, 1877-04-21
RscGirc1iOnS.


theme" Jesus and his disciples ii.
lights Of the world.' was reared B.,
believe this theory, which did moa
implicitly, as every child believes win, K
its friends tell il on authority. Buti,
maErrr years | began to doubt orl
question and now when told tImt ma,
WAS, and is, in fallen and lost coA E
dition--thnt he knew nothing of fa,Na
moral law un'il it WAS proclaimed H.
Jcsus--whnm God raised up lis II pgrIru
model for man TO follow. and WIN bv
being ANONYMOUSLY sacrificed became
the propciotion for the sins OF the whole
world nsk, did Jesus proclaim d single
moral principle of any practicIe utility,
that had not been proclaimed, before hN
timcI And how can one man make /
propagation tor the sins Of another? DID
Jesus intend to convert the world inlo
man worshippers, Ns all those are who
worship hlm9 Did God cXpcnl all his
energies in that direction when hr made
one decent man in the person OF Jesusl
Has he never since been able to dupl
cate, or improve upon Jesus Have not
as good, and as great men AS Jesus been
born since his timcl Are there not now
living, as good, il not better, as great, #
not greater men than Jesus 2 Is not ,Le
human race higher developed in every.
thing now than it WAS 1877 years ago
Yes. Then why should not as good
specimens Of men, physically, morally
and mentally, exist to-day, or bctter,
than existed thenl Ha, no decent speCi.
men Of man been produced since 1871
years ago! If there has, then why are
not the later productions as worthy Of
worship as the older? Why continue to
bow down to an old idol, and overlook
later and better specimens
When it is claimed that Jesus and his
disciples are the light Of the world, |
cannot help thinking Of the fourteen or
fifteen long centuries OF the supremacy
of dognatism, ignorance and superstition
under his name, that followed his ad'
vcnt--ihe stakes and iuggots the racks
and thumb.s,reWs--the prisons and
gibbets. which were the punishmcnts for
lreo.thought and dissent. Icarnot | help
seeing to-day the uncharitahlucss, the
intolerance, the odium cvincGd towards
all free thinkers and dissenters. | can.
not help seeing that all the efforts Of
these would he thought lights OF the
world are made in reference to imaginary
relations to conditions after death, H.
stead of promulgoting, "iberly, equality,
and fraternity" it is dogma and pro
scription. Instead of making n heaven
here they make themselves and every
body else very uncomfortable i'll relation
to an imaginary he'll hereafter, They
entirely ignore the tact that happiness
here is the best possible PREPARATION for
happiness hereafter. They ignore the
fact that the greatest happiness possible
here is found in knowledge of the lawsoi
our being physically, mentally, and
morally, and in living in accordance
with these natural laws, under which
regimen no member of the community
would suffer for want OF material com
forts or mental culture, but think that
sin can he rolled on as n sweet morsh
under the tongue. Under the sway
of these lights Of the world,
we see prisons, baudy.houses, and
saloons, keep pace with the mnltipIlcp
tion of the temple of dogmatism and
intolerance. We see vast sums eH
pended in temples dedicated to dogma
tism, and but niggardly support OF tue
common schools, which should DC
temples Of liberty, science, and reason
the true light of the world is the lgA'
of science and reason. The men O'
science are the lights Of the world--not
theologians. The men OF scierce pro
claim facts, truths and principes--the
theologians proclaim dogmos, faiths ana
mysticisms, peculiar alone to ba'barlsm'
ignorance and superstition. The the
ologies are conflicting and in'oIeran'
science is harmonious, charitable apd
liberal therefore, let us prcI'r sclencc
TO the theolorics and dOgmNs-prlnC'-