The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1889-06-02

cruelty. fOt al eRltnlN fortunes, however
prolonged, must have an end. But, ac-
cording to orthodoxy, the immense major
ity Of all that have ever lived are now in
hell, and "tho smoke OF their torment as
cendoth up forever and ever"
But, il is said, il is the fault of the lost
ii they DO not saved. for salvation has been
offered freely TO ALL In the first place,
this is not true. What of the countless
millions before Christ, who did not even
know that q little obscure people in pacs-
tine were being prepared ~ they say,
for his coming2 What OF tho countless
millions who have been born and have
died since, and who have never heard any
thing about III And, by the way, is it not
a little strange thai the Almighty God has
been at work for nearly 1000 years aud
has not been ablo TO get the news Of his
own incarnation, sullcrings, aud death
before even the superficial attention OF
more than third part OF the inhabitants
OF this little earth?
But leaving all this 10 one side, tho
J orthodox representation OF tho "in6nitc
| love aud mercy" OF God is only mockcry and
cruelty. Let us see how II looks in the light
OF an illustration. Suppose great mer-
chant should send a ship to sea. tisloaded
| with merchandise and crowded with pas.
sengers. lie knows before he leaves port
| that II is unscaworthy aud will not get half
way across before il will spring fatal leak.
| Still he sends IL. After II Is well on us way.
he, knowing what will occur, fits out and
sends after relief ship. This arrives, rs
he knew il would, Just in time to save
few Of the passengers, while the great ma
| jority sink into the waves, "unknclled,
uncottned aud unknown" But the Illus.
tration has one mcrciul feature that tho
orthodox theory has not; the poor vic
Tins will get through being drowned
some time, Tho strangling aud struggle
for breath are not endless. But what
would any fair man say OF such a mer-
chant Would lac sing hymns 10 him for
"thc few that lac saved, or oXccratc him
| for his cruelty? On this orthodox theory,
| | cannot find any voice with which TO
| praise God for the saved, for my words are
drowned in tears Of pity for those ho did
not choose 10 number with the few
| "cloct"
Not only, then, does the educated and
| unbiased head cry out against orthodoxy
but the civilized heart aud conscience re-
! jcct il as relic OF those barharous ages
when might was right aud man was only
clay in the hands Of potter who shaped
| his vessels 81 honor or dishonor as suited
! his within. There Is not one single feature
! of the orthodox "plau Of salvation" start
ing with the iall aud ending with heaven
aud hell, that does not outrage the sense
OF Justice OF any intelligent and unbiased
mind. Speaking OF the Ptolcmaic system
OF the universe, Alfonso OF CASTLE sad
that, III lac had been present at creation,
lac could have suggested better ordering
OF the heavenly bodicA.' So any intclli-
gent aud honorable man might say that,
had he been present NJ creation, he could
have suggested n better ordering of the
course OF human destiny than that sct
louh Ia the orthodox schome.
Either the critical or the moral argu
ment, "a already get forth, " fatal 90 IA,
orthodox claim. But one other considcri
ton remains, which alone Is sufficient, not
merely 10 cast doubt upon IT, but 10
demonstrate is falsily ! propose 10 cot
that forth ~ clearly a. the limits Of this
article will allow.
Every religion prcsupposes. runs back
30, roots itself in, and springs out Of. n cos
mology Or theory OF things. The Bible boz
gins with science. ~ orthodoxy has it,
theory Of thc world, Of God, Of man, Of
destiny. Tho crucial point Of this, 10 far
rs our present discussion h. concerned, is
the doctrine OF the fall oi man. Had IL
not boon for this, no such thing rs tho
plan Of salvation" would ever have been
heard Ot II came into being aud II cx-
lists simply and solely a. a means for dc.
liycring the race from the supposed effects
Of the supposed fall. Now, modern
science has demonstrated tho an
tiquty Of man aud his derivation
from lower forms Of life. These facts are
demonstrated as conclusivcly, and In pre-
ciscly tho samo way, ~ In the rotation of
the earth on It's axis or It's revolution
about the sun. II Is perfectly safe 10 say
that, but for theological bias, no compo-
tent intelligence on earth today would
think Of dirpuiing L. And what Of ~
| Why, plainly this II means n belief la
the ascent OF man, instead Of the fall Of
man. Il means that man began NJ the
lowest point, and. however slowly, has
been ascending from the llnt. And since
there has been no fall u requires no great
leap Of logic 90 reach tile conclusion that
the elaborate, unsupported and unjust
scheme Of orthodoxy is not needed. The
human race IL needy enough, but II does
not need this II has called Tor bread,
aud has received this c0nsccrnicd STONE
II does not need an imaginary cure Tor an
imaginary evil. Mans great want calls
Tor rational treatment IN the light Of the
discovered facts on 10 his origin, nature
and course oi development.
Though no necessary part Of this argu.
mcnt, which Is quito able 10 stand alone,
h is we'll worth while ior Bible rcadnu 10
note two points which are generally over
looked. To- the frs place, every scholar
knows that tho jews themselves had not
heard Of any fall Of man until they OBJ
tanned the Elcn story from tho rcrilus
during their captivity. Not little strange
h this, after ~ the talks that Abraham
and Moses are reported TO have had with
jehovah
Aud, In thc next place, II Is not n little
curious that Jesus should mover have fc-
icucd 10 II. On the suppOsllion that Jesus
was the second person In the Trinity and
that be- bad come 10 earth for no oihor
purpose than 10 rescue the race from the
effects oi this fall, II seems 10 me nothing
less than remarkable.
Tho bgici in tho fall, then, being given
IN and 10 must be soon surrendered by
every intelligent and honest man-ihc
whole orthodox scheme crumblcs aud falls.
The critical argument the moral urgu.
mont, the scientific argumcnt-Cithcr one
Of these Il fatal 10 the orthodox claim.
but, In spite VI these incon,royofiiblo
facts. thousands still cling 10 Il because,
busted with other things, they do not IN
ycsiigatc these matters, aud ~ tho force Of
tradition drifts them on. Other thousands
cling iJr reasons OF interest, social or bust.
ncss Still other thousands cling because