Flowers of Freethought (Second Series)Foote, G. W. (George William)
Religion
Flowers of Freethought (Second Series)
Foote, G. W. (George William)
Free thought
Some time ago I delivered a lecture in the London Hall of Science on
"Christianity and Slavery." Among my critics there was one gentleman,
and the circumstance was so noteworthy that my friend the chairman
expressed a wish, which I cordially echoed, that we might have the
pleasure of hearing him again. A few days ago a pamphlet reached me on
the subject of that lecture, written by my friendly opponent, who turns
out to be the head of the Oxford House in Bethnal Green. Mr. Henson
sends me the pamphlet himself "with his compliments," and I have read
it carefully. Indeed, I have marked it in dozens of places where his
statements strike me as inaccurate and his arguments as fallacious; and,
on the whole, I think it best to give him a set answer in this journal.
Mr. Henson's paper is not, in my opinion, a very forcible one on the
intellectual side. But perhaps that is, in a certain sense, one of its
merits; for the Christian case in this dispute is so bad that sentiment
does it more service than logic. I must, however, allow that Mr. Henson
is a courteous disputant, and I hope I shall reciprocate his good
feeling. When he opposed me at the Hall of Science, he admits that I
treated him "with a courtesy which relieves controversy of its worst
aspects." I trust he will be equally satisfied with my rejoinder.
Whenever I may have occasion to express myself strongly, I shall simply
be in earnest about the theme, without the least intention of being
discourteous. I mean no offence, and I hope I shall give none.
Mr. Henson says he is dealing in a brief compass with a big subject, but
"the outlines are clear, and may be perceived very readily by any honest
man of moderate intelligence." Well, whether it is that I am not an
honest man, or that I possess immoderate intelligence, I certainly
do not see the outlines of the subject as Mr. Henson sees them. The
relation of Christianity to slavery is an historical question, and Mr.
Henson treats it as though it were one of dialectics. However, I suppose
I had better follow him, and show that he is wrong even on his own
ground.
Mr. Henson undertakes to prove three things. (1) That slavery is flatly
opposed to the teaching of the New Testament. (2) That the abolition
of slavery in Europe was mainly owing to Christianity. (3) That at this
present time Christianity is steadily working against slavery all over
the world.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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