The Trial of Henry Hetherington, on an Indictment for Blasphemy — John Shaqi
The Trial of Henry Hetherington, on an Indictment for BlasphemyHetherington, H. (Henry)
Religion
The Trial of Henry Hetherington, on an Indictment for Blasphemy
Hetherington, H. (Henry)
Hetherington, H. (Henry), 1792-1849 -- Trials, litigation, etc.; Trials (Blasphemy) -- England -- London
"Further, this said aspersing and vilifying the Bible is said by Sir J.
Campbell, at least such is the language of the indictment, which he used
arguments to sustain, to be greatly ’to the displeasure of Almighty
God.’ Who knows that? What worm dares to say that the Almighty God is
displeased with another worm for uttering or writing a few words.’ Who
is the vain and arrogant man that claims for himself the task of
interpreting the thoughts of the Most High, and demanding that a man be
punished for having displeased Almighty God? What name does the Court
deserve which, being instituted to do justice and protect the people,
punishes one of them because he displeases the Almighty? Can He not
punish those who displease Him? To doubt it, to undertake to protect or
avenge Him, to describe Him as displeased, while he showers prosperity
and contentment on the man said to displease Him, is far more impious,
more blasphemous, more dangerous to religion than anything Mr.
Hetherington ever published, or Mr. Haslam wrote. Such, however, was the
crime charged against Mr. Hetherington, which Sir John Campbell
endeavoured to substantiate, and of which a Jury, who are as much
deserving of reproach as the prosecutor, found him guilty. Such is the
crime for which the Court will hereafter pass sentence, undertaking,
like the Inquisition, to decide for the Almighty, and punish actions as
displeasing to Him, at which He, by the course of nature, shows no
displeasure.
"At the present time, when a great portion of the Whig press will
support the Attorney-General or be silent, leaving _The Sun_ to defend
the great principle of free inquiry and free printing, as they left it
to defend the same sacred and noble cause when it was assailed in the
person of Mr. Harmer, we think it our duty not to be silent. As we
should assail any Tory Attorney-General who had instituted such a
prosecution, or carried it on, so we cannot allow it to pass
unstigmatized because it has been instituted by a Whig Attorney-General.
We know that the wisest and best politicians of the party deprecate such
proceedings, and not the less because they will call forth in many
independent journals, to the injury of the Whigs, an expression of
honest indignation."
"TO LORD DENMAN, ON THE LATE PROSECUTION FOR BLASPHEMY
Mr Lord Chief Justice.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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