_Answer._ "I greatly acknowledge our indebtedness to men like Voltaire and Thomas Paine, whose bold denial and cutting wit were so instrumental in bringing about this glorious era of freedom, so congenial and blissful, particularly to the long-abused Jewish race." _Question_. Do you believe in the inspiration of the Bible? _Answer._ "Of course there is a destructive axe needed to strike down the old building in order to make room for the grander new. The divine origin claimed by the Hebrews for their national literature, was claimed by all nations for their old records and laws as preserved by the priesthood. As Moses, the Hebrew law-giver, is represented as having received the law from God on the holy mountain, so is Zoroaster the Persian, Manu the Hindoo, Minos the Cretan, Lycurgus the Spartan, and Numa the Roman." _Question_. Do you believe all the stories in the Bible? _Answer._ "All that can and must be said against them is that they have been too long retained around the arms and limbs of grown-up manhood, to check the spiritual progress of religion; that by Jewish ritualism and Christian dogmatism they became fetters unto the soul, turning the light of heaven into a misty haze to blind the eye, and even into a hell-fire of fanaticism to consume souls." _Question_. Is the Bible inspired? _Answer._ "True, the Bible is not free from errors, nor is any work of man and time. It abounds in childish views and offensive matter. I trust that it will in a time not far off be presented for common use in families, schools, synagogues and churches, in a refined shape, cleansed from all dross and chaff, and stumbling blocks in which the scoffer delights to dwell." Fourth. Rev. Mr. Herford. _Question_. Is the Bible true? _Answer._ "Ingersoll is very fond of saying 'The question is not, is the Bible inspired, but is it true?' That sounds very plausible, but you know as applied to _any ancient book_ it is simply nonsense." _Question_. Do you think the stories in the Bible exaggerated? _Answer._ "I dare say the numbers are immensely exaggerated." _Question_. Do you think that God upheld polygamy? _Answer._ "The truth of which simply is, that four thousand years ago polygamy existed among the Jews, as everywhere else on earth then, and even their prophets did not come to the idea of its being wrong. _But what is there to be indignant_ about in that?" _Question_. And so you really wonder why any man should be indignant at the idea that God upheld and sanctioned that beastliness called polygamy? _Answer._ "What is there to be indignant about in that?" Fifth. Prof. Swing. _Question_. What is your idea of the Bible? _Answer._ "I think it is a poem." Sixth. Rev. Dr. Ryder. _Question_. And what is your idea of the sacred Scriptures?