Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1885-07-19
INGERsOLL ON HE'LL.
The Civilized World Has OutgrOwn Ii
Therefore Ii II as Been Abolished.
But Talmage VIII Make sheOI inst as
Hot and Smoky and Uncomfortable.

NEW YORK, July l7.-Col. Robert G
Ingerson was corralled by Boston Record
reporter this morning and asked if lie had
read the revised Testament. He replied
"Yes, but 1 don't believe the work has
been fairly done. The clergy are not going
to scrape the butter off their own bread.
The clergy are offensive partisans, and
those of each denomination will interpret
the Scriptures their way. No Baptist
minister would countenahce revision
that favored sprinkling, and no Catholic
priest would admit that any version would
be correct that destroyed thu dogma of the
real presence So mightgo through all
the denominations"
why was the word sheol introduced in
place of hell, and how do yon like the SUBJ
stitute?"
"The civilized world has outgrown the
vulgar and brutal hell of their fathers and
founders of the churches. The clergy are
ashamed to preach about sulphurous
flames and undying worms. The imagina-
ton Of the world has been developed, the
heart has grown tender, and the old dogma
of eternal pain shocks all civilized people,
1t is becoming disgraceful either to preach
or believe in Such beastly lie. The
clergy are beginning to think that it is
hardly manly to frighten children with a
detected falsehood. Sheol is a greater
relief. 1t is not so hot as the old place.
The nights are comfortable and the
society is quite refined.s The worms
are dead, and the air reasonably
worse word to hold a revival with, but
much better for everyday use. 1t will
hardly take the place of tie old word
when people step on tacks, put up stoves
or sit on pins; bat for use, at church fairs
and mite societies, it will do about as well.
We do not need revision, excislon is what
we want. The barbarian should be taken
ont of the Bible. Passages upholding
polygamy, wars of exterminstion, slavery
and religious persecution snould not be
attributed to perfect God. The good
that is in the Bible will be saved for man,
and man will be saved from the evil that
is in that book. Why should we worship
in Gsd what we detest in man?"
"Do you think the use OF the word sheol
will make any difference to the preach
ers?'
"Of course it will make no difference
with Talmage. He will make sbeol lust as
hot and smoky and uncomfortable as hell
but his congregation will laugh instead of
tremble. The old shudder has gone
Beecher had demolished hell before sheol
was adopted. According to * doctrine OF
Evolution hell has been slowly growing
cool. Inc clndered souls do not even per-
spire. Sheol is nothing to Mr.. Beecher
but a new name for an old mistake. AS to
the effect it will have upon Heber New
ton, cannot tell, neither can he, until he
asks his bishop. There are people who
believe in wiicnes and madstones, and fat
money, and centuries hence it may be that
people will exist who will believe as firmly
in hell as DR.. Shedd does now"
"What about Beecher's sermons on evo-
luton ?"
'Bsecher's sermons on evolution will do
good. Millions of people believe that Mr..
Beecher knows at least as much as the
other preachers, and if he regards the
atonement as dogma with a mistake TOR
undstion, taey may conclude that the
whole system a mistake. But, whether
Beecher is mistaken or not, peo;.ls know
that honesty is coed thing, that graft
tude is virtue, that industry supports
the world, and that whatever they believe
about religion they are bound by every
conceivable obligation to be just and gen
erous, Mr.. Beecher can no more succeed
in reconciiing science and re ligion than he
could in convincing the world thst trian-
giles and circles are exactly the same.
There is the same relation between science
and religion that there is between astron-
omy and ast.olosy, between alchemy and
| chemistry, between orthodoxy and COM
| mon sense"