St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-11-08
INGERSOLL NOT CHANGED.
He Insists That he still Continues
not TO Know Some Things.


He Insists That he still Continues
not TO Know Some Things.
Cleveland Special to Philadelphia Times.
Col. Robert G. Ingersoll, who was
here recently on legal business, was in
terviewed prior to his departure for the East.
''It is said that in the past four or five
years you have changed or modified your
views of religion; is this SOP" asked the cor
respondent.
1T is not so. The only changeis if that
fectly satisfied that l am right-satsted
that what is called orthodox religion is a
simply fabrication of mistaken men; salts
fed that there is no such thing as an in
spired book and never will be; satisfied that
a miracle never was and never will be per-
formed; satisfied that no human being knows
whether there is God or not, whether
there is another life or not; satisfied that the
scheme of the atonement is mistake; that
the innocent cannot, by suffering for the
guilty, atone for the guilt; satisfied that the
doctrine that salvation depends on belief is
cruel and absurd; satisfied that the doctrine
of eternal punishment is UNANIMOUSLY false;
satisfied that superstition is of no use to the
human race; satisfied that humanity is the
only true and real religion. No, sir.
have not modified my views. l detect new
absurdities every day in the popular belief.
Every day the whole thing becomes more
and more absurd. Or course there are hun
dreds and thousands of most excellent peo-
pie who believe in orthodox religion
people for whose good qualities L have the
greatest respect; people who have goud ideas
on most other subjects-good citizens, good
fathers, husbands wifes and children-gOOd
in spite of their religion. do not attack
people. l attack the mistake of people.
Orthodoxy is getting weaker every day."
'Do you believe in the existence of a
Supreme Being?"
81 do not believe in any Supreme person
atty, nor in any Supreme Being who made
the universe and governs nature. do not
say that there is no such Being-all say is
that l do not believe that such Being ex
lists. l know nothing on the subject, except
that l know that do not know and that
nobody else knows. But if there be such a
Being He certainly never wrote the Old
Testament. You will understand my
position. I do not say that Supreme
Being does not exist, but 1 do say that do
not believe such Being exists. The uni
verse-embracing all that is-all atoms, all
stars, each grain of sand and all the con-
0JClldUlOIlS, CdCu dilu VI
animal and man, all matter and all force, all
all Joy and all pain, all growth and all decay
is all there is. 1t does not act because it
is moved from without 1t acts from within.
1t is actor and subject, mean and end. 1t
is infinite; the infinite could not have been
created. 1t is indestructible and that which
cannot be destroyed was not created. [ am
Pantheist."
Don't you think the belief of the agnos-
tic is more satisfactory to the believer than
that of the atheist?"
There is no difference. The agnostic
is an atheist. The atheist is an agnostic.
The agnostic says: L do not know, but
do not believe there is any God.' The athe-
list says the same. The orthodox Christian
says he knows there is God; but we know
that he does not know. He simply believes.
He cannot know. The atheist cannot know
that God does not exist"
Haven't you just the faintest glimmer of
a hope that in some future state you will
meet and be reunited to those who are dear
to you in this?"
II have no particular desire to be de-
stroyed. l am willing to go to heaven, if
there be such place, and enjoy myself for
ever and ever. 1t would give me infinite
satisfaction to know that all mankind are to
be happy forever. 1nfidels love their wives
and children as well as Christians do theirs
l have never said word against heaven
never said word against the idea of i'm
mortality. On the contrary, l have said all
could truthfully say in favor of the idea
that we shall live again. most sincerely
hope that there is another world better than
this, where all the broken ties of love will
be united. 1t is the other place have been
fighting. Better that all of us should sleep
the sleep of death forever than that some
should suffer pain forever. If, in order to
be heaven. there must be hell, then l
say away with them both. My doctrine
puts the bow of hope over every grave; my
doctrine takes from every mothers heart the
fear of hell. No good man would enjoy
himself in heaven with his friends in hell.
No good God could enjoy himself in heaven
with millions of his poor, helpless mistakes
in hell. The orthodox idea of heaven
with God an eternal inquisitor, few heart
less angels and some redeemed orthodox, all
enjoying themselves while the vast multi
tude will weep in the rayless gloom of
Gods eternal Dungeons not calculated to
make men good or happy. 1 am doing what
can to civiliZe the churches, humanize the
preachers and get the fear of hell out of the
human heart. In this business am meet
ing with great success"