The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 02 (of 12): Dresden Edition—LecturesIngersoll, Robert Green
Religion
The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 02 (of 12): Dresden Edition—Lectures
Ingersoll, Robert Green
Free thought
According to this revivalist, the ship of the world is going down;
Christ is the only life-boat; and yet he is not willing that a colored
man, with a soul to save, shall sit by the side of a white brother,
and be rescued from eternal death. He admits that the white brother
is totally depraved; that if the white brother had justice done him he
would be damned; that it is only through the wonderful mercy of God that
the white man is not in hell; and yet such a being, totally depraved,
is too good to sit by a colored man! Total depravity becomes arrogant;
total depravity draws the color line in religion, and an ambassador of
Christ says to the black man, "Stand away; let your white brother hear
first about the love of God."
I believe in the religion of humanity. It is far better to love our
fellow-men than to love God. We can help them. We cannot help him. We
had better do what we can than to be always pretending to do what we
cannot.
Virtue is of no color; kindness, justice and love, of no complexion.
Eternal Punishment.
Now I come to the last part of this creed--the doctrine of eternal
punishment. I have concluded that I will never deliver a lecture in
which I will not attack the doctrine of eternal pain. That part of the
Congregational creed would disgrace the lowest savage that crouches
and crawls in the jungles of Africa. The man who now, in the nineteenth
century, preaches the doctrine of eternal punishment, the doctrine of an
eternal hell, has lived in vain. Think of that doctrine! The eternity of
punishment! I find in this same creed--in this latest utterance of
Congregationalism--that Christ is finally going to triumph in this world
and establish his kingdom. This creed declares that "we believe in the
ultimate prevalence of the kingdom of God over all the earth." If
their doctrine is true he will never triumph in the other world. The
Congregational Church does not believe in the ultimate prevalence of the
kingdom of Christ in the world to come. There he is to meet with eternal
failure. He will have billions in hell forever.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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