Arrows of FreethoughtFoote, G. W. (George William)
Religion
Arrows of Freethought
Foote, G. W. (George William)
Free thought
THE REIGN OF CHRIST.
(January, 1880.)
Christmas and Easter are fruitful in panegyrics on Jesus and the
religion which fraudulently bears his name. On these occasions, not only
the religious but even the secular newspapers give the rein to their
rhetoric and imagination, and indulge in much fervid eloquence on the
birth or the crucifixion of the Nazarene. Time-honored platitudes
are brought out from their resting-places and dexterously moved to a
well-known tune; and fallacies which have been refuted _ad nauseam_
are paraded afresh as though their logical purity were still beyond
suspicion. Papers that differ on all other occasions and on all other
subjects concur then, and "when they do agree their unanimity is
wonderful." While the more sober and orthodox discourse in tones
befitting their dignity and repute, the more profane riotously join in
the chorus; and not to be behind the rest, the notoriously misbelieving
Greatest Circulator orders from the profanest member of its staff "a
rousing article on the Crucifixion," or on the birth of Jesus, as
the case may be. All this, however, is of small account, except as an
indication of the slavery of our "independent" journals to Bumble and
his prejudices, before whom they are obliged to masquerade when he
ordains a celebration of his social or religious rites. But here and
there a more serious voice is heard through the din, with an accent of
earnest veracity, and not that of an actor playing a part. Such a voice
may be worth listening to, and certainly no other can be. Let us hear
the Rev. J. Baldwin Brown on "The Reign of Christ." He is, I believe,
honorably distinguished among Dissenters; his sermons often bear marks
of originality; and the goodness of his heart, whatever may be thought
of the strength of his head, is sufficiently attested by his emphatic
revolt against the doctrine of Eternal Torture in Hell.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account