Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-01-12
Women Degraded by the Bible.


We have had female acrohats. female hcvclists
and female ball PLAYERS. That we now have
female atheist is what might have heen expected.
MI bob ingersoi long ago demonstrated BY the
success of his lectures that atheism NAV b. made
a profitable profession, and n people Will flock
10 hear man blaSpheme his Maker they viii
flock with still greater alacrity 10 hear woman
perform similar feat. A female atheist. being
more unusual than a male atheist. can hardly
fail to be more attractive and her blasphcmies
will have piqusncy peculiarly their own
Women ought 10 be profoundly grateful TO
the female lecturer who on Sunday last de-
nounced the Bible AMI the Christian religion AZ
the enemies OF woman. There has always been
an impression that Christianity had elevated
woman but a few Intelligent atheists have
never failed to recognize the folly OF this i'm
preston. The female lecturer fearlessly
charged the Bible with insulting enslaYtuc and
uegraaing woman. This charge Is so true and
! lorclhy expressed that Ii ought 10 win FOR the
| lecturer the enthusiastic gratitude, OF her sey
The religion of the Bible teaches that woman
! has 4 soul The lecturer evidently rerards this
as an atrocious caumny. and there can be no
| doubt that the Belief that woman has a snul I'M,
| done much TO degrade her Ii has uosda "a
! seem necessary for her to secure tie safety Of
| her alleged soul by embracing the Christian ra-
ligion. and that religion requires it's yofaries 70
! obey the laws of morality. No unYraludicea
/ person. therefore Will deny that religion en-
/ slaves woman. Nothing could be more conclu-
| siye than this argument.
The Bible has also degraded woman hv teach
| Ing the revolving dogma that We should treat
Others as we desire TO be treated. This dogma
! Is perhaps unObeCtionable when Il governs tina
| treatment OF women by men. but it degra,lcs
| woman by curtaing her liberties Ii requires
! wife TO treat her husband kindly no matter
! what her natural impulses may be- and il for
! bids a woman 10 be selfish and unTeeling I'm her
! conduct toward Others. Just SO far a. woman
/ obcys these unjust demands she becomes a
! slave. and is consequently degraded. She can
| only become free 10y renouncing CHRISTIANITY
| and treating its requirements with contempt
| Christianity. with its Insulting ASSUMPTION
/ that woman has soul. aud Its tvrannical de-
| mand that she shall be unselfish and obedient TO
the laws OF morality, is, as the lecture showed
| on Sunday last, utterly beneath the notice OF
any true woman. IL a woman is weak enough
| to want n religion, let her embrace Nohanme-
| dansm, which does not insult her by theories
as to her pretended soul, and threatens her
with no worse punishment than the whip or
/ the bowstring of her husband There, too is
/ Mormonism, which does not compel a wife to
/ live In solitude with her husband but gives her
! the company OF other wives and so eleYates her
4 mind aud morals. 1t is astonishing that the
World should SO long have accepted the claim
| That Christianity eevates woman, and lovers Of
| truth cannot be too grateful to the noble female
atheist who has exposed the falsitv of the claim
exercised for herself her natural right to shrek
1 There amt no God, and wouldn't believe
| In Him If there was Now there"