, 1884-02-26
BARNuMs RELIGIOUS BELIEF.
The Famous Showman's Liberal
Ideas ~Coneerning the Future state

Tho Famous Showman's Liberal
Idens Coneerning the Future state
Interview In the New York SUM-
what are your religious beliefsf'
SWELL, when / am in New York ] go to
hesr DR.. Collyer preach Formerly l went
TO boar DR.. Chaplin. II / lived near Beecher
! would go to bear him in preference to any
body else
-Then you have liberal ideas concerning
the future statefT
AZ believe there isa great Creator, infinite
In His attributes of wisdom, power, and
mercy; that His name Is Love. 1 believe He
is a God Of all justice, and that He will
chasten every person whom He created
sufficiently to reform him, in this world or
some other. In other words, i believe that no
man ever committed a sin that he did not
have 30 pay for it Even repentance will
not save him When a man who has COM
mitted a murder swings of the gallows pro
claiming Pm going to swing into an
eternity Of bliss among the redeemed 1
don't believe him That reminds me of
what the old doctor, when asked who in his
experience had died happiest replied:
'Thosa who are hanged, because they swing
OF into Paradise I don't believe that No
law Of nature or Of God can be transgressed
and the transgressor evade the penalty. even
by repentance. Suppose a poo man goes
out on a Saturday night, gets drunk and
spends his weeks age The next morning
he may sincerely repent for what he has
done, but that will not stop his headache or
bring back the money he has squandered. II
bis repentance Is sincere, perhaps hs will
not do 1t again, but whatever he does he has
to pay for, In this world or the next. In
many instances, I ave no doubt, the pay
ment Is made In the next world, which
I think will DO found much the same
as this, only that there we will not be
surrounded by so many temptations d
not believe In an eternal contest between evil
and good, in an infinite devil and an infinite
God. but believe hat God will do that which
He demands of man, overcome evil with
good so that eventually, after every one has
received proper punishment and Christening
disciplinary, and not v~indictive-eu will
become good. and holy, and happy. The
way Of the transgressor is hard, and even in
this world, II there were no future, tho man
who does wrong cannot bs so happy as the
man who does right-not even IL he is rich"
But the doctrine OF repent and ye shall
DO saved does not seem to win your ap-
provalf'
"No; l believe In the ultimate holiness and
happiness OF all mankind, but never through
repentance alone. The idea OF the suficiency
Of repentance is revolving to common sense.
Suppose a case: A pirate, who has killed In
cold blood 100 men, is caught, rspents on
the ~gallows and says: I'm sorry for what
I've done, and am going to Jesus A Ger
tain proportion of those he has killed,
say so per cent, having been cut
of In their sins, without time
for repentance, are supposed to be
damned. Is it conceivable, as consistent
with the Justice of God, that the repentant
pirate shall look over the b~attlements of
Heaven down upon those fifty whom he sent
to he'll and complacently congratulate his
redeemed soul upon his luck in having had
time to repent before he was hangedi No;
l can't believe In that. l was brought up in
the fear OF hell, and when won't to Metho-
dist prayer meetings, at the age Of Is or IA,
/ used to go home and pray and cry and beg
God to take me out of existence II he would
only save me; but l didn't see much
chance for me in the way they put
it Now. 1 don't think that fear is
the proper thing to incite people 70 do
good Putting p~unishment away of in a
din and indefinite future is not making much
of a present influence. 1t reminds me of the
chap who was caught by a deacon in the act
of stealing a piece OF silk Don't you know
you will have TO pay for that silk at the day
OF judgmentr said the deacon I'D no
idea you gave such long credit, or I'd have
taken two pieces replied the thief. All
sects do good in their way, but / prefer to
have my children believe as l do-not as 1
WINS taught in my youth, however-in a God
OF love, instead OF cruelty or vindictiveness,
and that his Establishments arc only parental
and disciplinary"