, 1881-03-27


which Is beautiful and harmonious"
ROBERT C. INGERSOLL.
HIS VIEWS on THE RELIGIOUS OUTLOOK.
The Washington correspondent Of the
Brooklyn Eagle called OH Col. 1ngersoll one
evening last week, and after chat on pol.
itics and things in general the conversation
branclled off into q religious vein by the
correspondent asking the Colonel what was
going OH among the churches that WIS
worthy of note.
"Well,'' said the Colonel, from what
little learn there has not been much doing
during the last year. There are :'26 Congre~
gational churches in Massachusetts, and zoo
of these churches have not received a new
member for all entire year, and the others
have scarcely held their own. III Illinois
there are Ash Presbyterian churches, aud they
have now less members than they had in
1879; and OF the ISL, ISL have not received a
single new member for twelve months. 4
report has been made, under the auspices of
the Pan-Presbyterian Council, to the effect
that there are in the whole world about 5, 600. :
600 Of Presbyterians This is about one
fifth Of l per cent Of the inhabitants of the
world. The probability is that Of the 3ooo,-
600 nominal Presbyterians, not more than
100000 or 100000 actually believe the doc
trine, and Of the 100000 or 3oo, 900 not more
than 800 or 600 have any true conception Of
what the doctrine Is. AS the Presbyterian
Church has only been able to induce one
fifth of per cent Of the people to even call
themselves Presbyterians, about how long
will it take, at this rate, to convert ma1l-
kindo The fact is there seems to be general
lull along the entire line, and just at present
very little is being done by the orthodox peo-
pie to keep their feIlow-citizens out OF hell"
Do you really think that the orthodox
people, now believe III tile old doctrine OF
eternal punishment, and that they really
think there is the kind Of hell that our ances-
tors so carefully describel"'
- / AM afraid that the old idea is dying out,
and that many Christians are slowly giving
up the consultations naturally sprlnglng from
old infamy is the fact that in the revised New
Testament the consoling word hell has
been left out am informed that in the re-
yiscl New Testament the word lIndes has
been substituted. As nobody knows exactly
easy to frisiiten people at reyivais By
tn satening them with something that
they don't clearly understand, After
this. when the i,npassioned orator
cries out that all the unconverted
stead Of getting frightened, will begin to ask
each other what and where that is. 1t will
take many years OF preaching to clothe that
word in all the terrors and horrors, pains and
penalties, and pangs of hell. Iaues is COM
promise. 1t Is aconcession to the philosophy
Of our day. It is Il graceful acknowledgement
to the growing spirit OF Investigation that
Hell, after all, Is barbaric mistake. Hades
is the death OF ruylyafs.. 1t cannot be used
ln 1,.;s song. t9 Il won't rhyme with anything
together more slladowy than hot. It is not
associated with birthstone and fame. It
sounds somewhat indistinct, somewhat lone
some,-a little desolate, but not altogether
is simply useless. and few conversions will
be made IN the old way under the revised
Testament" 49,.
losing ground?"
~ III, not, as you probably know, con-
consequently have to rely upon them for my
Information. It they can be believed, the
Church Is certainly in nh extremely bad
condition. I find that the Rev. Dr.. Cuyler,
GUS condition Of Brooklyl,,-and Brookiyll.
you know, has been called the City Of
Churches, stated that the great mass Of that
Christian. city was out Of Christ. and that
more protesting Christians went to the the
tainly, from their standpoint, IS most terri
bic declaration. Brooklyn, you know, is one
of the great religious centres of the world
a cityin which nearly all the people are en-
gagged either in delivering or in hearing SER
mons; city filled with the editors OF re-
ligious periodicals.; a city Of prayer and
praise; and yet, while prayer-lneetings are |
free. the theatres, with the free list entirely |
suspended, eaten more Christians than tho |
churches; and this happens while all the pull |
pits thunder against the stage, and the stage
remains silent as to the pulpit. AT the SAME
meeting i'll which the Rev. DR.. Cuyler matlo |
his astounding statement, the Rev. Mr.
Pentecost was The bearer Of the happy news
hat four out of five persons living in the city
sod and with no hope. If he had read the
'eyised Testament he would have saiI
uades,'' and the effect of the statement
would have been entirely lost. It four-tifths
II the people of that great city are destined
Q eternal pain, certainly We cannot depend
lpon the churches for the salvation of the
world. At the meeting Of the Brooklyn pas
ors they were in doubt as to whether they
houtd depend upon further meetings, or
q eox hs e aa et gtf fG1 my ss aa p
nent, it would be much better to devise ]
Ways and means to keep 4 good many people
rom fasting in Brooklyn. It they had more
aeat1 e It they e5 could get along with less meet
hat Christian town. THE real trouble
vith the Church Of to-day is that it Is behind
be intelligence Of the people. Its doctrines
% longer satisfy the brains Of the nineteenth
entury; and if the Church proposes to hold
IS power, 1t must lose its superstitions. The
ay Of reviya1s Is gone. Only tile ignorant
nd unthinking can hereafter be impressed
y preaching the orthodox creed. Fear has
! i no refprnlatory power, and the more in
elligent the world grows the more despica-
le and eontemptible the doctrine Of eternal
llsery will become. The tendency Of the
re is toward intellectual liberty, toward
ersolal Investigation. Authority is no
niger taken for truth. People are begin
ing to find that all the great and good are
ot dead.-that some good people are alive, |
nd that the demonstrations OF to-day are
lily equal to the mistaken theories Of the
ast''
ado you think, after all, the people who
"a in favor Of having you arrested for bIus-
iemy IIsla gre M acting in accordance with the real
'''.Of course they act in exact accordance
itfl many of the commands in the Old
estamcnt4 and in accordance with several |