Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-07-16
BLACK on TyGERSOIL.
The Christian Religion Attacked and Defended

''s w. ~ ct PAGES Oi us August DUIlDer 10 a
paper by Col Robert g. Ingerson on the Christ
Ian religion and the reply to Ingersoll BY Judge
Black IT need scarcely be said by those who
have heard the lectures OF Col IneersoIl that he
makes the strongest presentation OF the case
That the side which he takes will admit of while
Judge Blacks defence of the Christian religion
IKE all his controversial papers is written in
tnat vigorous and mastery style in which he has
out few rivals and no superior. Col Ingersolrs
motto Is: In the presence Of eternity the
mountains are as transient as the clouds" whilst
Judge Black flies this quotation from the Mer-
chant OF Venice: " Gratiano speaks an infinite
deal OF nothing-more than any man in Venice;
his reasons are as two grains of wheat hid in two
bushels or chaf; you shall seek all day ere you
nhd them. and when you have them they are not
worth the search"
THE CAUSE AND THE ADVOCATE.
Mr. Ingers0ll is not, Judge Black says as some
have estimated him, the most formidable enemy
that Christianity has encountered since the time
OF Julian the Apostate. But he stands at the head
OF living inf1dels ''by merit raised to that bad
eminence." His mental organization has the
peculiar defects which fit for such place. He is
all imagination and no discretion. He rises
sometimes into region of wild poetry, where
he can color everything to suit himself. His
motto well expresses the character of his argu-
mentaton Mountains are as unstable as
Clouds, fancy is as good as q fact. and high
sounding period is rather better than logical
demonstration. His inOrdinate self-cOnfdence
makes him at once ferocious and fearless. He
was practical politician before he took the
stump against Christianity, and at all times he
has proved his capacity TO ''split the of the
groundlings" and make the unskillful laugh
The article before is the least Objectionable of
All ms productions Its style is higher and bet
Ter suited 10 the weight of the theme. Here the
violence of his fierce inyective is moderated; his
scurrility gives place to an attempt at sophistry
less shocking il not more true and his coarse
Jokes are either excluded altogether or else
yelled III the descent obscurity of general terms.
Sucn paper from such a man. at a time like the
present. Is not wholly unworthy OF grave con-
tradiction
He makes certain charges which we answer by
an explicit denial, and thus an issue is made
upon which. as pleader would say, we put
ourselves upon the country" He AYERS that
certain something called Christianity is q false
faith imposed on the world without evidence;
that the facts il pretendS to rest are mere in
ventions; that its doctrines are pernicious that
1ts requirements are unreasonable, and that its
sanctions are cruel. deny all this, and assert
On the contrary that its doctrines are divinely
revealed; its fundamental facts incOntestaby
proved; its morality perfectly free from all faint
OF error. and its influence most benefcent upon
society In general. and upon all individuals who
accept it and make it their rule of action
want a decision upon sound judicial principles.
Mr. IngersOlis first specification against
Christianity is the belief of its disciples that
there is personal God, the creator Of the ma
terlal universe" Ii God made the world it was
most Stupendou5 miracle and all miracles
according TO Mr.. Ingersolrs idea, are the ''chil-
dren of meDdacity." To admit the one great
miracle of creation would be an admission that
other miracles are at least probable and that
would ruin his whole case But YOU cannot
eaten the leTiathian of atheism with a hook
The universe. he says. is natural-it came into
being oil its own accord it made its own laws
at the start. and afterward improved itself con-
sideraoiy 10y spontaneous evolution. 1t would
kp
the proofs which show that the universe was
created by pre-existent and selfconScious
Being, OF power and wisdom to us incOnceiy-
able. The notion that all things owe their
origin and their harmonious arrangement to
the fortuitous concurrence of atoms is kind
OF Iulicy which very few men in these dayS are
afflicted with
But Mr.. Ingersol asserts that. at all events
this material world had not good and benef-
heent CREATOR it is a bad. savage. cruel piece of
work. with its peStilences, storms. earthquakes
and volcanoes: and man. with his liability to
sickness. suffering and DEATH is rot success
out, on the contrary, a failure. To defend the
creator of the world against an arraignment so
loui as this would be almost as uhbecOrning as
70 make the accusation. Meantime we do not
discredt our mental independence by taking it
ior granted that the Supreme Being has done all
Shlngs We'll Our Ignorance of the whole scheme
makes Us poor critics upon the small part that
comes within our limited perceptions.
DIRECTIONS TO MOSAIC LAW
Dlsmissin@ in scathing words Col Ingersolrs
charge against the moral code Judge Black
aliudes 70 his structures the civil code of the
Jews, which ln@ersol pronounces so bad and
unjust that the law-9iyer by whom it was estaip
llshed must have been as savagely cruel as the
Creator that made storms and Pestilences; and
the work of both was more worthy of a devil
than God: His language is recklessly bad
very defective in method, and altogether lacking
IN precision lind four objections to the Jew
lsh c0nstitutiOn-not more than four-which are
definite enough TO admit of an answer. These
relate to the provisions of the Mosaic law on the
subjects of y Blasphemy and IdOlatry: (21 War:
90 Slavery; ~ Poygamy. In these respects he
pronounces the Jewish system not only unwise,
but eriminaliy unjust"
appeal from his prOfane maledction to the
conscience of men who have a rule to judoe nv
first, lie regards the punishments inflicted for
piaspheiny and idolatry as being immOderately
cruel Considering them merely as religious
onenses-as sins against God alone-Iag agree that
civil laws should notice them not at all But
sometimes they affect very injuriously certain
social rights which it is the duty of the state to
pfotect- "antonly to shock the religious feel
ings OF your neighbor is q greyOus wrong. To
utter blasphemy or obscenity i'm the presence of
q Christian woman is hardly better than to strike
her In the face. Still neither policy nor Justice
requires them to be ranked among the highest
crimes In a government constituted like ours.
But things were wholly different under the Jew
ish theocracy where God was the personal head
OF the state. There blasphemy was a branch of
political allegiance; idoatry was an overt act Of
treason; to worship the gods of the hostile
heather was deserving to the public enemy and
giving him aid and comfort
Is GOD A TYRANT?
Mr.. Ingerson not only ignores these consider
atlons, but he goes the length of calling Cedar
hglous prosecutor and tyrant because He does
not encourage and reward the service and devo-
tlon paid by His enemies TO the false gods Of the
pagan world He processes to believe that all
KINDS oil worship are equally meritoriOus and
should meet the same acceptance from the true
God IL is almost incredible that such driyel as
this should be uttered by any body.
"a CARNIyEROUs AMERICAN FULL OF BEEF"
As to the sacriticial soiemnities of the Jewish
religion and their manner of making war, 1.-The
killing OF those animals was he says "a terri
bic system" shedding of innocent blood"
shocking 70 refined and sensitive soul" There
Is such depth of tenderness i'm this feeling and
such a spleDdor OF refinement that give up
without struggle to the superiority of the
man who merely Processes it. carniv-
orous American, full of beef and mut
ton, who mourns with indignant sorrow
because bulls and goats were killed i'm Judea
three thousand years ago. has reached the
climax OF sentimental goodness and should
De permitted 10 dictate on all questions of peace
and war. ct t.rDtiuS VatfaI and p,tr