The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 07 (of 12): Dresden Edition—DiscussionsIngersoll, Robert Green
Religion
The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 07 (of 12): Dresden Edition—Discussions
Ingersoll, Robert Green
Free thought
taken this occasion to lay up for himself what he calls treasures in
heaven, and on the last great day he will probably rely on a certified
copy of this charge. The fact that he thinks the Lord needs help
satisfies me that in that particular neighborhood I am a little ahead.
The fact is, I never delivered but one lecture in Delaware. That
lecture, however, had been preceded by a Republican stump speech; and,
to tell you the truth, I imagine that the stump speech is what a Yankee
would call the heft of the offence. It is really hard for me to tell
whether I have blasphemed the Deity or the Democracy. Of course I have
no personal feeling whatever against the Judge. In fact he has done me
a favor. He has called the attention of the civilized world to certain
barbarian laws that disfigure and disgrace the statute books of most
of the States. These laws were passed when our honest ancestors were
burning witches, trading Quaker children to the Barbadoes for rum and
molasses, branding people upon the forehead, boring their tongues with
hot irons, putting one another in the pillory, and, generally, in the
name of God, making their neighbors as uncomfortable as possible. We
have outgrown these laws without repealing them. They are, as a matter
of fact, in most communities actually dead; but in some of the States,
like Delaware, I suppose they could be enforced, though there might be
trouble in selecting twelve men, even in Delaware, without getting one
man broad enough, sensible enough, and honest enough, to do justice. I
hardly think it would be possible in any State to select a jury in the
ordinary way that would convict any person charged with what is commonly
known as blasphemy.
All the so-called Christian churches have accused each other of being
blasphemers, in turn. The Catholics denounced the Presbyterians as
blasphemers, the Presbyterians denounced the Baptists; the Baptists, the
Presbyterians, and the Catholics all united in denouncing the Quakers,
and they all together denounced the Unitarians--called them blasphemers
because they did not acknowledge the divinity of Jesus Christ--the
Unitarians only insisting that three infinite beings were not necessary,
that one infinite being could do all the business, and that the other
two were absolutely useless. This was called blasphemy.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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