The Christian Foundation, Or, Scientific and Religious Journal, May, 1880Various
Religion
The Christian Foundation, Or, Scientific and Religious Journal, May, 1880
Various
Religion and science -- Periodicals
One of the most alarming signs of this age is the ignorance and
recklessness of the youthful assailants of the Bible. Our cities, villages
and public places of resort are thronged with swarms of these Lilliputian
volunteers in the cause of skepticism. Apprenticed striplings, and sprigs
of law and physic, whose whole reading of standard authors on general
science, religion, or morality, in ordinary duodecimo, equals not the
years of their unfinished, or just completed minority, imagine that they
have got far in advance of the vulgar herd, and are both philosophers and
gentlemen if they have learned at second hand, a few scoffs and sneers at
the Bible, from Paine, Voltaire, Bolingbroke, or Hume. One would think,
could he listen to their impudence, that Bacon, Newton, Locke, and all the
great masters of science, were very pigmies, and that they themselves were
sturdy giants of extraordinary stature in all that is intellectual,
philosophic and learned. These would-be baby demagogues are a public
nuisance to society, whose atheistic breath not unfrequently pollutes the
whole atmosphere around them, and issues in a moral pestilence among that
class who regard a fine hat and a cigar as the infallible criteria of a
gentleman and scholar.
These creatures have not sense enough to doubt, nor to think sedately on
any subject; and therefore, we only notice them while defining the ground
occupied by the unbelievers of this generation. They prudently call
themselves skeptics, but imprudently carry their opposition to the Bible,
beyond all the bounds embraced in their own definitions of skepticism. A
skeptic can only _doubt_, never _oppugn_ the gospel. He becomes an
atheist, or an infidel, bold and dogmatic, as soon as he opens his mouth
against the Bible.
Were we philosophically to class society as it now exists in this country
in reference to the gospel, we should have believers, unbelievers, and
skeptics. We would find some who have voluntarily received the apostolic
testimony as true; others who have rejected it as false; and a third class
who simply doubt, and neither receive nor reject it as a communication
from heaven. But, though, unbelievers, while they call themselves
skeptics, often wage actual war against the faith and hope of Christians,
still their actual rejection of the gospel has no other foundation than
pure aversion to its restraints and some doubts as to its authenticity.
The quagmire of their own doubts, be it distinctly remembered, is the sole
ground occupied by all the opponents of the gospel, whether they style
themselves antitheists, atheists, theists, unbelievers, or
skeptics.—_Alexander Campbell, in 1835._
INFIDELITY, AND THE FRENCH AND AMERICAN REVOLUTIONS IN THEIR RELATIONS TO
THOMAS PAINE.
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