The San Francisco call., 1896-02-17

the world? And if Jesus did not intend to dc
this evil recorded In Matthew he was not
600 and II only a man, he was not perfect OF
wise, take either horn that seems best.
HOW can Jesus be perfect standard of tru tn
When he predicted the end of the world to be
near at hand? and fanatics have been doing
the same ever since; How could he, if divine,
have SAID, "Biessed are the poor. but woe to
the rich" when poverty, claimed as a Catholic
virtue, is no doubt the greatest cause of misery,
wee, prostitution, intemperance and crime in
Why should Jesus, if a sensible man have
uttered such foolish sentiments about en tlless
punishment, everlasting fire against those who
ala not oeileve IN him, and that he would re-
turn In the clouds after death. And why did
ne utter such nonsense about marriage and di-
Vorce when he should have known, If God,
that there. are other just causes for divorce
than ne gives, and in his example he has set
the pattern for the unwhoIesome practice of
cenbacy among priests and nuns of the Roman
Catholic church
foundation of the Catholic faith is like the man
who sawed off the limb OF the tree upon which
he stood. How could Jesus, if perfect char
acter, have chosen thief for his associate
And that he did not know his true character
Jesus admits when he quotes aud applies to
himself the words OF David, "Mine own famil-
whom trusted. hath lifted up has heel against
me-" Showing clearly that Jesus did notknow
the character OF Jesus, and if not how could he
have been what is claimed for him?
A perfect standard of truth and Justice
would have rebuked the sin of slavery and
condemned in unmistakable terms this cruel
crime against God and man when it was the
widespread evil of his time? He found the
world In slavery and left it in slavery. And
only the heaven-born inspiration of Thomas
Paine ana the white-souled Lincoln, in his
proclamation, could say man has no right of
property in man and thus lay the ak at the
root OF slavery.
Had Jesus the attributes of God, why did he
not point out the great sin of despotic govern.
m6Qt and tyranny and taaph hot
all true government should come from the
consent OF the goverened?
Why did he not teach the Importance of edu-
cation and science, which alone has made this
world a suitable place to live in. instead of
laying the foundation of a religious despotism
IN the world? Why did he, ii he knew all
things, make wine for a. party of people when
they were already drunken and set such an
example OF lntemperance, the greatest evil in
the world? If Jesus was a standard for justice
and equal rights why did he leave woman to
suffer under the old Jewish law of divorce in
stead OF teaching our true relations in this
lie? Andso far as may be known he gave TO
the world no important, original doctrine,
knowledge, art, science, discovery or inven-
uon and furnished little new light to the un-
oerstanding upon any OF the secondhand doc
trines which he taught, and vet we are re-
CURED to believe that he was god in order to
be saved.
An infinite being could not have been born
OF woman, as other men are born; nor could
an infinite being die as Jesus died. John Huss
Venlni, Socrates and Bruno died more like
gods than did the man OF Nazareth. And from
the hall historical and half legendary accounts
OF Jesus we cannot regard him as divine in the
Christian sense, and yet we admire him for his
bravery in attacking the superstitlons of the
church in his day. and we love him as an ideal
OF benevolence. honesty and goodness and one
OF the saviors of mankind; but as to his di-
vinity, we are compelled to be unitarian, and
yet we have the highest regard for those who
sincerely differ with us in religious belief; but
hypocrisy and sham we utterly detest
In religion we are liberal. We know only
a few things, are agnostic in many things and
our realm of belief is very small. but are
doing our level best to hold our grip on COM
mon-sense and in our humble way to repre-
sent and voice the sentiments of the un-
churched, who believe that clean, honest
moral life is a sufficient passport to another
and higher life. And the above questions,
touching the cornerstone in the foundation
of the Christian church, we most respectfully
refer to Bishop Riordan, Father Wyman and
other clergy of the City, and when they will
answer these questions in such a manner as
to remove my doubts as to the divinity of
Jesus we will JOIN the Roman Catholic church
without delay.