Charles Bradlaugh: a Record of His Life and Work, Volume 2 (of 2): With an Account of his Parliamentary Struggle, Politics and Teachings. Seventh EditionRobertson, J. M. (John Mackinnon)
Religion
Charles Bradlaugh: a Record of His Life and Work, Volume 2 (of 2): With an Account of his Parliamentary Struggle, Politics and Teachings. Seventh Edition
Robertson, J. M. (John Mackinnon)
Bradlaugh, Charles, 1833-1891
Mr Mursell spoke to Mr Bradlaugh as to fresh arrangements, but Mr
Bradlaugh had never wanted to meet Mr Grant, and now would only do so
if a dozen clergymen put him forward as their representative; "then,
and then only," he said, he would meet him, "not as Mr Grant, but as
the representative of those dozen clergymen." For his part, he would
be no party to doing anything voluntarily towards renewing such scenes
as they had just had. Strange as it must seem to any one who has read
the pages of these debates, Mr Grant found fifteen clergymen willing
to vouch for him as a fit and proper person to represent their views
on Christianity, and another (and happily, final) debate was arranged
for the following year. My father, in order to show that he did not
measure all clergymen by Mr Grant's inches, selected Mr Mursell to
represent him in the preliminary arrangements, just as on the previous
occasion he had consented to abide by the decision of the Rev. A. J.
Harrison. The debate was to be held on one night in each week for six
weeks,[12] and by securing South Place Chapel as the building in which
it should be held the Committee were ensured against the possibility
of intolerant proprietors closing the doors of the hall upon them in
the midst of the discussion. The subject to be argued as chosen by
the Committee was, "Is Atheism, or is Christianity, the true Secular
Gospel, as tending to the improvement and happiness of mankind in this
life, by human efforts, and material means?" Mr Grant was to lead on
the first three nights, with objections to show that Atheism was not
the true Secular Gospel. Mr Bradlaugh on the remaining three nights was
to show that Christianity was not the true Secular Gospel. As might
have been expected, this debate was only a modified repetition of
what took place on the previous occasion; Mr Grant was certainly less
free of speech, but with all that he could not keep clear of personal
accusations and epithets which at times provoked much unseemly uproar
and confusion.
[Footnote 12: June and July 1875.]
Much has been said at one time or another about Mr Bradlaugh's
adoption of the views of Spinoza, and to leave his position perfectly
clear on that head I will quote the words he himself used in answer
to his opponent on the third night of this debate. "It is perfectly
true," he said, "that the argument as to one existence was adopted
from Spinoza.... The precise distinction between the views of Spinoza
and myself is this: Spinoza contended for the infinite attributes
of extension and intelligence. I cannot conceive the possibility of
attributes, except as the characteristics of the thing conditioned,
the mode thought, and, therefore, cannot conceive infinite attributes
at all. Spinoza held one existence, which, to him having infinite
intelligence, made him a Pantheist; and I, not able to conceive that,
stand to Spinoza in the relation of Atheist, and that is just the
distinction between my thought and that of Spinoza."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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