Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-11-29
THE CHR1SrIAN bsEIGr0y.

THE CHRISTI.4N EELIGION.
Is the church sufficiently aroused to the
act. that unbelief is making gigantic
tribes in Christian kinds? The signs Of
he times are full OF portents of evil i'm,
port. Clearly, the influence of the church
S weakening. Theological dogmas are
osieg their power. Religion itself too
slightly molds and fashions the lives of
vast numbers Of its professors.
What mean the large, jubiaant, roll
licking audiences that greet that
high priest of atheistic infidelity, Col.
Robt. G. Ingersoll? As he goes through
the country the people flock to greet him
and he is met by an almost continuous
ovation. ALI classes of people gather to
hear him; even members of churches do
not hiash to be seen in his assemblies.
From such. Ingersol alone, neither the
church, nor the religion which it is set to
defend would hive much to
fear. The attention paid to
him is but type Of the underlying scep-
ticism. and unsettEng belief existing in
community. Even the church itself is
full of it, while its professors keep the
outward forms of orthodoxy. Is this
assertion charge of widespread hypoc-
risy? Then be it so, for the fact exists.
Ingersoll is wordy blasphemer. He car
ries his pointsby ridicule and sarcasm
strength of argument, and fairness of
investigation are absent from his har-
hic iLo1 L. Al.
unthinking. thoughtless crowd with him.
He is extolled for his genius and brillian-
cy, and encouraged by the plaudits of the
crowd to use the powers given him, to in
suit the very author of his existence, going
so far even, as to deny the existence of an
intelligent, overruling, omnipotent power.
This blasphemer has his imitators in
men of lesser intellectual endowment, and
who essay. like him, to insult the very
majesty of heaven.
There is small daily journal in thriv-
ing town in Minnesota. conducted by a
vdlgar-mended, indecent infidel. His col
umns have been polluted by
the most indecent and obscene bias.
phemy, characterizing Jesus Christ as
bastard, his mother, the Virgin Mary
as prostitute, and in sneering malignity
recommends to Jehovah himself to take
lawful wife, instead Of polluting virgins.
And yet, this fellow of the baser sort, is
tolerated in Christian community, his
smutty publication is admitted into
Christian families, church members
subscribe for and advertise their business
in paper OF this character. And thus re-
ligion itself. by the thoughtlessness of its
devotees, is receiving most grievous
wounds i'll the house of its friends.
We have noticed, also, that many small
weekly journal is used by its conductor to
give vent to his sacreligious, unreasoning
lnidelity. These journals are established
as political and business publications, and
as such solicit the patronage of communi-
ties and take advantage of their oppor-
tunities to SOW the seeds of unbelief and
infdelity. They thus gain patronage un-
der false cover, for were they to avow
openly that their issues were infidel organs.
established to injure, defame and
break down the Christian religion, the
could not exist for single day. With
draw the support of the moral and relig-
ious portion of communities, and these
immoral and indecent sheets would perish
to be succeeded by more wholesome news
paper literature.
But the church, in Col. IngersoIl
and his small-fry imitators and fol-
lowers, does not encounter its greatest
danger. There is class of infidel think
ers, scientists, and publicists of intellectual
power and erudition, whose plausible the
cries and attractive speculations, are large
ly undermining the faith of the people.
Herbert Spencer, who has just visit
ed this country, is sample of
these false and dangerous teachers of a
subtle infidelity. Henry Ward Beecher is
among the Agnostics. He is disciple of
Herbert Spencer, and believer in, and a
teacher of Darwin's theory of evolution, to
account for the origin of human species.
rejecting Bible revelation. It is clear
ly learned from his avowals.
that Mr.. Beecher anticipates revo-
luton in theology, and displacement of
that Christianity which has been the foun-
dation and bulwark of the church since the
days of Christ and his apostles.
1t is high time for the church to buckle
on its armor anew, and with vigor born
of the profoundest convic-
ton array itself to breast
the insidious and baleful incoming
influences that are wreckine its
foundations. The shallow scoffing ssBob
1ngersoll' and his petty followers, are
comparatively but flecks in the religious
world. From them the chief danger is not
to be feared. But the subtle infidelity of
Spencer and Beecher, which is having a
strong and even alarming growth, is to be
met and vanquished, if vanquished at all.
by the Christian church, buttressed by the
revealed word of God.