Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1880-09-08
INFIDELITY AND COMMUNIST.

Infidels o. all ages found their strongest
arguments against revealed religion upon
what they regard rs improbable. And yet
we are not called on 10 believe anything
more incomprehensible than our own ex-
istence. We might with about the same
degree of reason deny this fact as TO refuse
TO believe in "a future existence. We know
that we live in this world. Is it unreason-
able to believe that we may live in another
world? If we are to believe nothing but
what we understand, we should 90 through
life incredulous and aimless. We are
ready enough to believe on information
the things that relate to this world But
we are slow to believe in prophecy and
revelation, though both are corroborated
| by observation, experience and events
Inidelity, claiming superiority in treason"
and common-sense, asks US to believe that
all of grandeur and sublimity, all of vast
ness and power, in the beautiful heavens
and upon the bountiful earth, comes by
chance; that everything is self created and
self-existng; and that law, order and har-
mony are accidents. Those who accept
this theory would find its application to
their business affairs anything but advan-
tageous. Infdelity and communism are
kindred in character, and aim by different
methods to undermine the sanctions and
securities upon which the worlds welfare
and happiness rest. Inidelity strikes at
religion; communism at property. One
seeks to weaken our faith, and the other
demands Tor the idle and worthless an
equal share in the savings of the industr,
Gus and frugal. Agrarianism Communism
| of ,niI,Iar typpl pump In ne Gonna forty
years ago from England, with Fanny
Wright and Robert Dale Owen as its
apostles. This bad element has been re-
inforced by communism from France and
Germany. All three are working out their
destructive mission in Il city where unhap-
PLY they find corporation and sympathy
70 these birds OF i'll omen comes inideiity,
equally aggressive, with Robert g. lngrr-
soil as its teacher. If it be said that unlike
the communislic leaders, Mr.. Ingersoll is
gentleman and scholar" the danger
is intensified The wonder is why man
of good character and associations should
take pleasure in teachings whose practical
effect is to make his hearers and readers
worse instead of better. The strongest
argument urged against Christianity, from
the days of Voltaire and Paine, is that bad
men make profession of il; that hypo
critics are found in all our churches. This
is true. But is it not equally true that
everything intrinsically valuable gets de
based? Frauds are practiced in business.
The richest fabrics have their limitations
Cold and silver coins are debased or coun
terfeited The evils, however, resulting
from impositions of this nature, are not
serious. The intelligence of our people
and the penalties to which offenders are
subjected, afford adequate protection; and
for one hypocrite who makes a false pro
fession, there are at least nine conscien
tious, devoted Christians. Another argu
ment against religion is that our Savior
was an imposter, and that as corollary
His teachings exert a baneful influence
And yet both of the accusations are dis
proved by the experience of TWO thousanc
years. If Jesus of Nazareth had been al
imposter, His name and everything con-
nected with it would hardly have survived
second generation. There would then
have been no occasion for the labors oI
Voltaire, Paine or lngersoll. Other ant
numerous false teachers have appeared ant
disappeared. But time and truth have
been attesting the divinity of our Savior.
His apostles and their successors, in obe-
dience to instructions, have carried and are
carrying glad tidings to the uttermost ends
of the earth. AS far and rs fast as this
gospel travels, the world is civilized anC
its inhabitants benefited.