The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 01 (of 12): Dresden Edition—LecturesIngersoll, Robert Green
Religion
The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 01 (of 12): Dresden Edition—Lectures
Ingersoll, Robert Green
Free thought
Then I turn to Luke, and he gives an account of this same last
conversation, and not one word does he say upon that subject. Luke does
not pretend that Christ said that whoso believeth not shall be damned.
Luke certainly did not hear it. May be he forgot it. Perhaps he did not
think that it was worth recording. Now, it is the most important thing,
if Christ said it, that he ever said.
Then I turn to John, and he gives an account of the last conversation,
but not one solitary word on the subject of belief or unbelief. Not one
solitary word on the subject of damnation. Not one. John might not have
been listening.
Then I turn to the first chapter of the Acts, and there I find an
account of the last conversation; and in that conversation there is not
one word upon this subject. This is a demonstration that the passage in
Mark is an interpolation. What other reason have I got? There is not one
particle of sense in it. Why? No man can control his belief. You hear
evidence for and against, and the integrity of the soul stands at the
scales and tells which side rises and which side falls. You can not
believe as you wish. You must believe as you must. And he might as well
have said: "Go into the world and preach the gospel, and whosoever has
red hair shall be saved, and whosoever hath not shall be damned."
I have another reason. I am much obliged to the gentleman who
interpolated these passages. I am much obliged to him that he put in
some more--two more. Now hear:
"And these signs shall follow them that believe." Good!
"In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new
tongues; they shall take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing
it shall not hurt them. They shall lay hands on the sick and they shall
recover."
Bring on your believer! Let him cast out a devil. I do not ask for a
large one. Just a little one for a cent. Let him take up serpents. "And
if they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them." Let me mix up a
dose for the believer, and if it does not hurt him I will join a church.
"Oh! but," they say, "those things only lasted through the Apostolic
age." Let us see. "Go into all the world and preach the gospel, and
whosoever believes and is baptized shall be saved, and these signs shall
follow them that believe."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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