The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-02-12

who attacks buddhism attncks MI morality.
He docs not attack goodness. justice. marcy
or anything that tends In his judgment 10
the welfare OF mankind. but no attacks
Buddhism. 10 ons attacking what IL cnllsd
Christianity does not attack Kindness.
charity or any virtue. Hid attacks some-
ia does not attack ths Hover, but what IL
believes TO be 4 parasite. III pecpis, when
they speak Ut Christianity. inGIuas tbs viz
tnes common to all religions, they should
not give Christianity. credit for I'll the good
that has bsen done. There were millions
Of y~irtuous men and women, millions gof
heroic and sslf-denying souls, before
Christianity was known"
IL does not seem possible TO me that
slouy, kindness. justice or charity ever
caused any one who possessed II prac-
ticcd these virtues TO pcrsecnte his follow
men on account Of a difference Of belief.
IL Christianity has persecutsd, some reason
must exist outside of tho virtue thnt II has
inherent in that something elae. which has
been added to the ordinary virtues.
then Christianity can properly be
held accountable for the persecution.
OF course, back OF Christianity is the na-
ture of man and, primarily, it may be re-
ssponsibls. Il there ANYTHING in Christian
ity that will account for such prosecutions
for the inquisition? 1t certainly was
taught by tho church that belief was
necessary to salvation, and it was taught
at the Same time that the fate of man was
eternal punishment, that the state
Of man was that of depravity, and
that there WIS but one way by
through belief, through faith. As long q
this was honestly believed Christians would
not allow keretics or infidels to prench q
doctrine to their wives. to their children,
or to themselves. which, in their Judgment.
would result in the Elimination Of souls
The law gives a father the right to kill one
who is about to do a great bodily harm to
his son. Now. il u father has the right to
take the life of : man simply because lie il
attacking one Of his ons how much
more would he have the right tc
take the life Of II who wal
about to assassinate the soul of his son
Christians reasoned in this way. la addi-
ton to this they felt that God would hold
the community responsible il the commu-
nifty allowed a blssphemer to attack the
true religion. Therefore they killed the
free thinker, or rather free-talker. in self
defense. At the bottom of religious perse-
.cution is the doctrine Of self-defense: that
is to say, the defense Of the soul. If the
founder of Christianity had plainly said
1t is not necessary to believe IN
order to be saved; it iB only necessary &c
do, and he who really loves his fellow men,
who ia kind, honest, inst and charitable, ie
to be forever blest;' if he lad only said
that there would probably have been but
little persecution. It ~ had added. You
must not peris.cnuptte.s mr. aa..s name. The &c,
t tis,0n 1. i sfeeh q = s. absss.a. You 90
must not imprison y 4 You
must not stretch them p0nNfackssOr hcfnsh
their bones in iron o0ts.HRYo mnsts8no
fay them alive. You muat not cut Of
their eyelids nor pour nieltBd9lead intotheil
ears. You must treat all with absolute
kindness. II you can not convert your
noiRhbor by example, persuasion, arRu-
sment. that is the end. You must never re-
sort to force; and whether he believe ns
you do or not, treat him always with kind
ness,' his followers would not have mur-
dered their fellows in his name. II Christ
was in fact God, he knew the prosecutions
that would be carried on in his name. He
through torture. And yet he died with.
out saying a word to prevent wha
he must lave known, if he were God,
would happen. All that Christianity has
added to morality is worthless and useless
Not only SO, it has been hurtful. TAKE
Christianity from morality and the useful
is left, but take morality from Christianity
back on the old assertion. by its fruits
we may know Christianity Then I think
we are justified in saying that
az Christianity consists of a mix
ture of morality and something else.
and as morality has never persecutee
a human being, ard as Christianity hat
prosecuted millions, the cause of the perse
cution must be the something elsesthat wal
added to morality. | cannot agree witt
the reverend gentleman when he says tina,
christianity has taught mankind the price
less value and dignity Of human nature.
On the other hand, Christianity has taught
that the whole human race is by nature de-
ance with his sense of justice all of the
sons of men would be doomed to eterna
pain. Human natule has been derided, has
been held up to contempt and scorn, al
our passions denounced as wicked ane
filthy.
''Dr. De Costa asserts that Christianity
has taught mankind the value of freedom
It certainly has not been the advocate Of
free thought. and what is freedom worth il
the mind is to be enslaved? DIR. De COST
knows that millions lave been sacrificed in
their efforts to be free; hat is, millions
have been sacrificed for exercising GtheiI
freedom as against the church. 1t is
not true that the church has taught and es-
tablished the fact of human brotherhood.
This has been the result of q civilization to
which Christianity itself has been hostile
Can we prove that the church established
human brotherhood by banishinP the
Jews from Spain, by driving
out the Moors, by the fortunes OF
the inqusition. by. butchering. the
covenanters of Scotland, by the burning Of
Bruno and Servetus. by the persecution Of
the Irish, by whipping and hanging Quak-
ers in New England. by the slave trade
and by the hundreds of wars waged in ths
name of Christ? We all know that the
Bible upholds slavery in it's worst and most
cruel form; and how it can be said that {
religion founded upon a Bible that up
holds the institution of slavery, has taught
and established the fact of human brother.
hood, is beyond my Imagination to con
ceive.
A Warning-Don't Use Big Words.
In promulgating e~soteric cogitations OF
nrticulating superficial s~entimentalitie.
and philosophical or psychological obser.
v%ations, beware of ~platitudinous ponder
Osity. Let your statements DOsSesS a clari-