Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-08-12


that Christianity is the delusion of the
centuries, as some have pronounced it
propose to show you what has beer
accomplished by this chimera, thi:
fallacy, this hoax, this swindle of the
ages.
And, in the first place, l remark that
this delusion of the Christian religion
has made wonderful transformations
Of human character. will 90 down the
aisle of any church in Christendom
and will find on either side that aisle
those who were once profigate, pro-
fame, unclean of speech and unclean of
action, drunken and lost. But by the
| power of this delusion of the Christian
religion they have been completely
transformed, and now they are kind
and amiable and loving and useful
Everybody sees the change. Under the
power of this great hallucination they
| have quit their former associates, and.
whereas they once found their chief
| delight among those who gambled and
swore and raced horses. now they find
| their chief joy among those who go TO
prayer meetings and churches, so COM
plete Is the delusion. Yea, their own
| families have noticed 1.-THE wife has
| noticed ii, the children have noticed
it. The money that went for rum now
goes for books and for clothes and for
education. He is new man. All who
know him say there has been a won
derful change What is the cause of
this change? This great hallucination
Of the Christian religion. There is as
much difference between what he is
now and what he once was as between
rose and nettle, as between a dove
and vulture, as between day and
night. Tremendous delusion!
Admiral Farragut.
Admiral Farragut, one of the most
admired men of the American navy,
early became a victim of this Christian
delusion, and, seated not long before
his death at Long Branch, he was Civ
ing some friends an account of his
early life. He said: MY father went
down in behalf of the United States
government to put an end to Aaron
tuII ltDtulOu L was ii CdblI btN
and went along with him. could
swear like an old salt. l could gamble
in every style of gambling. knew all
the wickedness there was at that time
abroad. One day my father cleared ev-
erybody out of the cabin except my
self and locked the door. He said:
David, what are you going to do?
What are you going TO be-? Well l
said, father, | am going to follow the
sea- Follow the sea and be a DOOR,
miserable, drunken sailor, kicked and
cuffed about the world, and die of fe-
yer in foreign hospital oh, nor
said. Father, will not be that; will
tread the quarter deck and command
as you do No, David my father
said; no, David, person that has
your principles and your bad habits
will never tread the quarter deck or
command My father went out and
shut the door after him, and / said
then, will change, will never swear
again, | will never drink again, | will
never gamble again. and, gentlemen,
by the help of God, have kept those
three VOWS to this time. soon after
that became Christian, and that de-
cided my fate for time and for eter-
nifty"
Another captive of this great Chris
tian delusion. There goes Saul of
Tarsus on horseback at full gallop.
Where is he going? To destroy Chris
tians. He wants no better play spell
than to stand and watch the hats and
coats of the murderers who are mas
sacring Gods children. There goes the
same man. This time he is afoot.
Where is he going now? Going ON the
road to Ostia to die for Christ. They
tried to whip it out of him, they tried
to scare it out of him, they thought
they would give him enough of it by
putting him on small diet, and denying
him a cloak, and condemning him as a
and bowling at him through
the streets; but they could not freeze
it out of him, and they could not sweat |
it out of him, and they could not pound |
it out of him, so they tried the surgery |
Of the sword, and one summer day in
66 he was decapitated. Perhaps the |
mightiest intellect of the 5000 years of |
the worlds existence hoodwinked, |
cheated, cajoled. duped by the Chris
tian religion
'.DeIusion" of Chriatianity.
All, that is the remarkable thing |
lbout this delusion of Christianity! 1t |
overpowers the strongest intellects.
Gather the critics, secular and reli-
yious, of this century together and put
| vote to them as to which Is the
greatest book ever written, and by
arge majority they will say Paradise
Lost" Who wrote Paradise Lost?"
One of the fools who believed in this
Bible, John Milton. Benjamin Frank
in surrendered to this delusion, if you
nay judge from the letter that he
wrote to Thomas Paine begging him
o destroy "The Age of Reason" in
nanuscTi. and never let il go into
ype, and writing afterward, in his old
lays. "Of this Jesus of Nazareth !
ave TO say that the system of morals
lie left and the religion he has given us
ire the best things the world has ever
ieen or is likely 10 see" Patrick Hen
Y, the electric champion of liberty, en-
laved by this delusion, SO that he
avs. The book worth all other books
'ut together is the Bible Benjamin
lush, the leading physiologist and
of his day, the great medical
cientist-what did he say? "The only
rue and perfect religion is Christian
ty." Isaac Newton, the leading phi
osopher of his time-what did he say?
That man surrendering to this delu-
ion of the Christian religion, crying