Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1883-06-19
BOB INGERSOLL
And His IBiidelity Reviewed by Brother
Sweeney, Pastor Of the Linden Street
Christian Church.
As a Man and a Platform Orator Bob is
30. X" but Without Religion
He isHN. Co.

The Rev Geo. w. Sweeney, Of the Linden
Street Christian church, preached TO a very
large and attentive audience on Sunday
night, completing his treatment OF the "Bible
and Iugersoll" Below il given brief syn
opsis Of the two sermons, they are the
sum of his remarks for the truth OF the
Bible and answers to skepticsl objections.
@Fbe bible aud IngersOu."
The apostle has taught Us so contend
earnestly for he faith" He himself, az veil
as other apostles, replied 10 skeptics and con
filmed LEVERS There srs two sides 10 =
questions. God gave man two ears, and,
suppose, intended We should hear botn sides.
/ have no disposition to abuse doubters and
un6elievers. / treat them as a class who
have rights TO speak and be heard. Col L.
gersoli, personally, 1 ADMIRE. AZ an Amer
lean platform orator he has, in my judgment,
no superior. l entertain for him kind re-
CARDS except in 8 religious sense. With
his illogical, loose, unscholarly skeptic-
ism, have no sympathy. His fret attack
was on the God-idea or bedrock of our
religion. He tells US that "every ma
ton makes its own Godo He accounts
for the specific conceptions of the divine
nature in Chm, IUdia, Egypt and all parts
of the world, and then after having shown
the origin of the idea "a held thus speci6-
caily, ne logically infers that the idea of
the Supreme Being is TO be accounted for the
same way. He infers that what is true If
specifies is true of the generic, aud this Is
the fallacy that lies al The root of his great
| atheistic lectures on the "Gods" Crest
skepiics on this point are in antagonism.
Ingersoll and Thomas Paine oppose each
| other at this point. Paine was a firm be-
lever in Supreme Being, while Ingersoll
| holds that every nation NJ Kes It's own God,
/ and 10 a myth of the mind. Having fin
ished his attack on the origin OF the God
| idea he lectures next on the mistakes Of
Noses" claiming if Moses made mistakes,
that the first part Of the Bible ascribed TO
| him cannot be inspired. And if not in.
spired il is unreliable and unworthy our
faith as a revelation from God. He claims
that Moses made mistakes in mis- account of
Creation"
| recorded in Genesis-that his statements are
at war with the fscts Of geology written 10
records Of rock. We only have Mr.. Iuger.
soils statement here and not the proof
Against Ingersoll stands Prof Dana, the
most eminent geologist, perhaps, in the world
Prof. Dana finds no essential variance be
tween Genesis and scieuce. He says: "Tht
order Of events in the Scripture cosmogony
corresponds essentially with that of science
In the succession of events described b,
Moses, Dana ssys: eve observe an order no
merely like that deducsd from science. Tier,
is system in the arrange ment, and a far
reaching prophecy, TO which philosophy coulc
not have attained, however instructed
Aud this fact, that Moses, far back in Egyp'
| saw and described all these events in crea
| .r,d h.f,ra h. irtb nf
ia an indubiiable proof of his inspiration
He next objects 10 Moses because he make
God the author of slavery and polygamy
| Il il rue that certain sort OF bond g
of short durition was permitted, an,
so OF polyg nv, but nowhere d
we fnd them as the result of BIB
licsl incubation. Ii is one thing L
permit thing temporarily and quite an
other 10 inculcats and enact IL. Monogram
wac The plan in the beginning, and hes F.
CONTINUE, wherever we have biblical inculca
lior.
INGERsoLL's ATTACK
on slavery smacks loudly Of his purpose t
gain sympathy with people in anti-slaver
sections OF the country. II he were to com
among us, as Southern people, he woul
doubtless have less to say for his infdelil
from this st andpoint OF the subject. Inger
soil makes serious objections TO the Bible be
cause of its statement concerning the Gar
and Flood" And here, too, science and uui
. versal tradition against him. They ar
both committed 10 great flood about ths
time, and in the section of that cOuntr
: where the human race obtained. The edu
} Gated ministry of our day, and chairs {
biblical literature are almost entirely sgree
that the flood was partial, and, hence, lnger
soil is left out in his objections and founder
ings about a universal food. "Josnu
commanding the sun 10 stand stilP
also ground OF much ridiculP.
scholarly ministry does not pretend 10 defen
. the account as strictly and literally true
not on the ground that God is not sb.e to ar
rest the course of the universe without dis
, sster, but on the ground If the popular US
of language in that day. Joshua simpl
prayed for time in which TO gain the victory
. and the victory was granted. Aud hence th
Language of poeticAl imagery used at tbs
day. And the writer Of the book OF Joshu
go understood it, for he quotes it, not a
! literal, bat as poetry from the book Of Jashe
AGAMEMNoN
q thus prayed in the Had: Let not the su
!. go down nor darkness fiji till 1 o'erthraw
, Priamus the soety hall, aud burn with hostil
ire his gates" Ingersol finds a coz rad ctio
, | of Scripture 10 the account OF the creation
man. IN an made of the duet OF the earth
and M sn "msde in the image of God" ar,
I held TO be contradictory statements. l al
! swer tia both statements are true. the bod
of man is made Of dust and his soul like Il
nature of God. And SO teaches chemists
. 80 TO the body of man and psychology as
: his mind. Instead Of a Contradiction, "
find both true.
c 10 his lecture on "Heretics and Heresies
i be holds the Bible and Christianity respoi
y 4 aIhla for vi al atag pn zzalpfa have dOna
the name Of Christianity and hinder the bsl
ner of thei cross; and this ia an attack c
= Christianity quite generally made by ske
. lies and csrping unbelievers. We shou
never hold the true use OF anything respoDs
= bic for its abuse Law, medicine and scien
Il should not be chargeable with the quacke
n prscticed under their banners. Chrlstisni
Z should not be held responsible for VII
y Luther, Calvin and mistaken zsalots ha'
e done under the banner of he cross. A arI
% share of popular infdelty in our day at
d IagersollIan flious,eriug is about iperve
y sious of Christiani y, and not the doctrine
8 Christianity itself The fact that two Rom'
r Catholics a household, and size
70 ward regretted the mistake OF eatIng meat
y Friday, should not be laid 10 the charge
THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION.
In his lecture on the Liberty of Ma
1t Woman and Child" he says a great man
:, beautiful things about the hum antics of if
( all Of which he seeks 10 impress on the pc
u pie are the peculiar teachings of skepiicisI
But in this Is Unfair, for the Bible teach
all these things, also, and the preachers a
! procaiming them from one end Of the lar
:. TO the other. 1t Is not p, culiar to skepticis
y to teach honesty, truthfulnsss, integrity, al
II all the great humanities and sweet Oh riti
l. of life. The 3 bic and Christianity hay
e and inculoale them also. Ingersoll groun
the fu ure judgment Of man ON inconsidera
Il and uuimportsnt points of belief the do
i trine of the Bible. That a man must ha
certain defined views on the "rib story" A
is that profess in the day OF judgment 10 hs'
4 believed in the "sib story" irrespective
i the lives they have lived, will be made we
Ia come on the right hand. And then he clair
y that it is the doctrine OF Christianity tn
n those whose characters have been exceier
8 yet have failed to believe the crib ard joni
8 stories," will be compelled 10 pass around
1t he left But 10 these respects he gross
misre presents the doctrine of Christ and II
% apostles. Faith in Jesus Christ and a GOO
Il life are held ss the ground OF future jld
n ment and salvation. 10 all his lectures
e finds great fault with
! THE BIBLE
t. because he claims it teaches a material al
II everlasting hell Much on these. points
IF doubt myself. As TO a literal fire, msteri
Of hell, L don't believe it. l believe in futu
y punishment; believe it will be terrible, i
deed, but not literal. can afford 10 no
this view and maintain my standing and fe
lowship in the Church OF which | am
=. preacher. We have no creed or formulate
faith on the question of future punishme
Al