The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-07-25
THE ASSAULT MADE BY INeERso1L.
Not Upon the E1crescencos of Christianity,
but, Like Tint of DR.. briggs. on yta YItnls.

Not ApOh EICTebCenCot OF
but, Like That of DIR. Briggs, on Jts Vitnls.
To THE EpITon OF TIE SUN-Sir: find
In the Erenino Post OF last Saturday this ref
erence to the late Col Robert @. Ingersoll. and
l quote 1t because 1t expresses the opinion OF
many Ignorant and loose. thinking people:
The beliefs which he so vehemently attacked had,
among enlightened church members. coascd to be
held. or at least to be preached Thus people felt
II was caricntGre Of Chrstianty and not the real
thing, which he was assaiIlng. His gums were all
pointed astcrn. so far we aware. he never
showed the least comprehension OF the really criti
cal Investigations of scholars, which pro.
foundly modifying Christian theology. but went
slashing away In his rough gladiator fashion, at
1.-The mistakes Of Moses and other men of straw.
II It is true that the things in the Christian
religion which Col InRersoll attacked were
nero "caricatures." which can be drawn and
erased at will. or men OF straw" which rep
resent dogmas mo longer believed" sorry
day has dawned upon the Christian world.
In tho lectures of his earlier years Col. 1nger-
soil may have laid too much stress upon the err
rors and frailties In the lives OF eminent Chris
tlans as illustrating the errors and irailty OF
llgion itself: but his work. taken as a whole.
was determined. straightforward. direct and
undertaking assault upon tho vital aud funda-
mental doctrines OF Christianity. People
who really think that non essentials are what
he attacked are defining non essentials In q
! way that nearly wrests the confession from
them that at heart they believe as Col. Inger-
soil did. and that they lack the candor to say So
Neither was Col. Ingersoll an unlearned man.
unfamiliar with the critical Investigations OF
scholars. Those who think otherwise are ig
nornnt OF what he really said and do not know
that his arguments wore simply statements.
always pthy and at times very beautiful t and
est theological ulnlpctlcS, the latest phases
! Of, philosophic thought.
What Col Ingersol did believe and gay can
starts with the primary dogma that all this
nln n Including our conscious selves: our
! ton OF an omnipotent. omniscient and imma-
| nent God. Il is not SO much deduction from
and predetermined or foreordained" the con:
the Calvnlstic doctrine. one OF the doc:
trines we, are told are now ancicpt."
iievo; yet, obviously. to, deny It is to
cast doubt upon the essential attributes Of God
and absolute authority, TO. admit the posi-
btlity OF the uncertainty OF human M petions
can prove these doctrines Those Of foreordina-
ton. &cl to be untrue" said Jonathan Ed
a hG see of sS,ns
How clear it is that in attacking them Col. In
Central citadel Of GRrstIonityI ' Wv
| :, Col ingersoll strenuously objected to tie
nny speculative belief IS a ,conditio9 pre-
Tysi from the totlors and s"sTneI af eSs:
ed that, the Old Testament was obviously
the ordinary history q heather and semi
vious scientific errors and low morality Of such
| people. While not himself a student Of He
knew nj hon. 10 criticism nd the dia-
ots to The tho 6 H OF the
in%se MAXIM w e thusts a
While aamitt!!ne that much was pure and good
Christ endeavored to erect a aocisIistic state
of society and to impose mora code in many
that the best doctrines Of Christ were en- merely
she mG ehs of n B5Ghn IKE Ike
any wav to comprehend the idea OF a God.
o@d that there Was prSo the wSr either
Hti2n Of the existence Of future lie hut
sand Of his utterances will show. was simply
Of II the ;. ordn%y H
from the philosophy Of M: Herbert Spencer;
great men which are the common property OF
To say that his arguments were not relevant
to the vital truths OF Christianity is to show no
comprehension Of what those. vital truths are
| or what nre the logical necessities OF Christian
| belief. Those who make this criticism take
| the same general view OF theological matters
| apparently rs did the late Mr.. Beecher whom
| once heard declare in a sermon in Plymouth
| Church. III you don't like the miracles in the
| Bible why jump emf Such position is now.
| indeed practically assumed by Bishop Potter.
| who are profoundly modifying theology" in
| the way. the, Ere''inO Post describes. But i is
too bad for them to call Col lnRersoll and Mr.
Beechrr hard names md to accuse them OF
heterodoxy and unhelief. d. +. X.
| NEW YORK, July "a.