The Bible Of Bibles; Or, Twenty-Seven "Divine" Revelations

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THE PERSONALITY OF GOD.

As the denial of the personality of God, as set forth in Chapter, has been warmly assailed by Orthodox professors since the work was issued, and as that dogma constitutes one of the principal pillars of the Orthodox faith, I propose to examine it a little further in the light of reason and science. I will present other absurdities of the doctrine in the form of questions. 1. If God is an organized personality, what should we assume to be his form, size, shape, and color? 2. How large is his body

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MORE BIBLES.

As the notices of several bibles prepared for the first edition were left out from fear of making the book too large, I have concluded to insert a brief notice of some of them here. 1. Dhammapada, or "Path of Virtue." This sacred book has constituted the moral and religious guide of several hundred millions of Hindoos for many centuries. It is probably the oldest record of the Budhistic faith. It is assumed to be a collection from the pitakas , which are principally compilations from the discour

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THE LEADING POSITIONS OF THIS WORK.

We maintain, 1st, That man's mental faculties are susceptible of a threefold division and classification, as follows: First, the intellectual department; second, the moral and religious department; third, the animal department (which includes also the social). 2d, That all Bibles and religions are an outgrowth from some or all of these faculties, and hence of natural origin. 3d, That all Bibles and religions which originated prior to the dawn of civilization in the country which gave them birth

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THE BIBLE OF BIBLES.

We live in the most important age in the history of the world. No age preceding it was marked with such signal events. No other era in the history of civilization has been characterized by such agitation of human thought; such a universal tendency to investigation; such a general awakening upon all important subjects of human inquiry; such a determination to grow in knowledge, and cultivate the immortal intellect, and mount to higher plains of development. The world of mind is in commotion. All

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THE COMING REVOLUTION.

That there is a general state of unrest in the public mind, at the present time, on the subject of religion, must be apparent to every observing person. Theological questions, long since regarded as settled for ever, are being overhauled and discussed with a freedom and general interest far transcending that known or practically realized at any previous period. This is premonitive of a speedy religious revolution. That it will come sooner or later is as certain as that seed-sowing is succeeded b

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REASON WILL SOON TRIUMPH.

The march of science and the rapid growth of the reasoning faculties peculiar to this progressive age are daily revealing the errors of our popular theology, and exposing their demoralizing effects in repressing the growth and healthy action of the intellect, and perverting the exercise of the moral faculties. And this progressive change and improvement must be a source of great rejoicing to every true-hearted philanthropist, and furnishes a strong incentive to labor with zeal in this field of r

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I. JEHOVAH.

The author desires the reader to bear it specially in mind that his criticisms on the erroneous conceptions and representations of God, as found in the Christian Bible, appertains in all cases to that mere imaginary being known as the Jewish Jehovah, and has no reference whatever to the God of the universe, who must be presumed to be a very different being. The God of Moses, who is represented as coming down from heaven, and walking and talking, eating and sleeping, traveling on foot (and barefo

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II. THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS.

Some of the representatives of the Christian faith, when the shocking immoralities of the Old Testament are pointed out, attempt to evade the responsibility by alleging that they do not live under the old dispensation, but the new , thereby intimating that they are not responsible for the errors of the former. But the following considerations will show that such a defense is fallacious and entirely untenable. 1. It takes both the Old and the New Testaments to constitute "the Holy Bible" which th

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II. THE MORAL TRUTHS OF THE BIBLE.

Some of our readers will doubtless be disposed to ask why we have not occupied a larger portion of this work in exhibiting the beauties and benefits of the religion and system of morals set forth in the Bible. The answer to the question is fully anticipated in the preceding remarks. It is simply because fifty thousand tongues and pens are almost constantly employed in this work. They do it and overdo it. This renders it a work of supererogation on our part; while, on the other hand, we find the

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III. WHY RESORT TO RIDICULE?

We hope we shall not be misunderstood or condemned by any reader for appearing to indulge frequently in a spirit of levity in attempting to expose the logical and moral absurdities of the Bible. We have assumed this license more from an apprehended moral necessity than from a natural disposition. Ridicule is now generally acknowledged by moralists to be a most potent weapon for the demolition of error. Moral and religions absurdities, according to Cicero, can be arrested and put down much sooner

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THE PRINCIPAL DESIGN OF THIS WORK.

As a critical examination of the Christian Bible discloses the fact that it contains several thousand moral and scientific errors, and as experience proves the tendency of such errors is to corrupt the moral feelings and check the intellectual growth of all who read and believe "the Hoty Book," we have, since arriving at this conviction, considered it to be our duty not only to expose these errors, but also to discourage the habitual reading of the Bible with any other view than to learn its rea

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DON'T READ PERNICIOUS BOOKS.

The Quaker Church (of which the author was once a member) have a clause in their discipline forbidding their members to read pernicious books, which are defined by one of the founders of the Church (William Penn) to be "such books and publications as contain language which appears to sanction crime or wrong practices, or teach bad morals." And hundreds of cases cited in this work prove that the Christian Bible may be ranked with works of this character. If the advice of the Hindoo editor had bee

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TWO THOUSAND BIBLE ERRORS.

One of the strongest and most solemn lessons of human experience, and proofs of the blinding effect of a false religious education, may be found in the fact that the two thousand Bible errors brought to notice in this work have been overlooked from age to age by the great mass of Bible readers. So absolutely and deplorably blinded have they been in some cases, as to lead them to conclude, like Dr. Cheever of New York, that "the Bible does not contain the shadow of a shade of error from Genesis t

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BIBLES USEFUL IN THEIR PLACE.

We do not question but that Bibles served a useful purpose for those nations and tribes by whom and for whom they were written; but as they only represent the imperfect moral and religious conceptions of that age, and have always been sacredly guarded from improvement, to make them the rule of action for any subsequent age would be to stop all moral and religious improvement. It is strikingly evident that society can make no improvement while it follows a Bible which is interdicted from improvem

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A HIGHER PLANE OF DEVELOPMENT HAS BEEN ATTAINED.

There can be no question, from the light derived from the twofold avenues of science and history, but that the great principle of universal progress, which is carrying every thing forward to a higher plane and state of perfection, has elevated the most advanced nations of the present age beyond and above the religion and morals prevalent in the world when the Jewish and Christian Bible was written, which makes it very unsuitable for the present advanced state of society. An investigation of the

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LOOK AT THE DIFFERENCE.

The moral and religions feelings of the early Jews and Christians co-operated with their animal propensities ; and the latter held supreme sway over the former: while the moral and religions feelings of the most advanced minds of the present day co-operate, not with the animal , but with the intellectual . This makes a very important and very marked difference, and makes the semi-animal religion of the past very unsuitable for the present age. Please note this point, friendly reader....

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BIBLE WRITERS HONEST.

It may readily be conceded that the writers and compilers of all Bibles were honest, and that all the errors which those Bibles embrace, and the crimes which they sanction, were honestly believed to be right, and in accordance with the will of God. For all sacred history teaches us, as an important lesson of human nature, that no errors are too gross, no crimes too enormous, no statements too false or absurd, no contradictions too glaring, and no stories too preposterous or too ridiculous, to re

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GENERAL CLAIMS OF BIBLES.

More than twenty sacred books have been found in varions countries, which, if not in all cases denominated Bibles, have at least been venerated and used as such, and, properly speaking, are Bibles. Hence we shall call them Bibles. The list in this chapter comprises nearly all which recent research has brought to light. A brief synopsis of the character and contents of each will be presented, so far as a comparative view with the Christian Bible seems to make it requisite. All of these Bibles pos

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THE HINDOO BIBLES. I. THE VEDAS.

The Veda is considered to be the oldest sacred book of the Hindoos, and is evidently the oldest Bible now extant. There is a vast amount of evidence to prove that it was written long before the time of Moses, which establishes the fact that it borrowed nothing from the Jews or Jewish writings. They purport to be the inspired utterances of very ancient and holy saints and prophets, known as Rishis, who received them directly from the mouth of the great God Brahma about nine thousand years ago, af

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II. THE INSTITUTES OF MENU.

"The Code of Menu," or "Institutes of Menu," constitutes another sacred book of the Hindoos. The Rev. Mr. Allen says of it: "It is a code of religious and civil laws, and makes a part of the Hindoo Scriptures." It is in many respects similar to the Vedas, and is almost equal to it in age; and, like the Vedas, it is a standard of faith and a guide for moral action. Hindoos call it Menu Darma Shastra , "the ordinances of God." "As these ordinances, or divine laws," says Mr. Allen, "profess to be o

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III. RAMAYANA.

With respect to age, the Ramayana is generally ranked next to the Code of Menu, and is equally adored as a holy and inspired book, and "may be classed," says Mr. Allen, "with the Hindoo Scriptures." It treats of the war in Heaven, in which the dragon, or serpent-devil, was cast to the earth. To put an end to his ravages here, the Savior and incarnate God Chrishna was sent down. Christ, we are told, "came to destroy the devil and his works." Col. Sherman tells us, in his "Recollections of an Indi

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IV. THE MAHABARAT.

The origin of this sacred book is considered to be very nearly co-eval with that of the Ramayana. It has an appendix, or epistle, called the " Bagkavat Gita ." which, on account of its high tone of spirituality, has attracted much attention in Europe. The Hindoos believe the Mahabrat is highly inspired, and that every event noticed in it was recorded before it took place; thus making it in the highest degree prophetic. "Its author, they claim," says Mr. Allen, "is no other than the incarnate God

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V. THE PURANS, OR PORANAS.

Some Hindoo Holy Scriptures, when arranged together in one book, are known as the Barta Skastra , of which the Poranas constitute a part. The last-named work treats of the creation of the world, and its final destruction and future renovation, the "great day of judgment," Divine Providence, &amp;c.; also the ordinances and rules for worship, &amp;c....

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VI. ANALOGIES OF THE BRAHMIN AND JEWISH RELIGION.

Brahminism and Judaism are each old forms of religion. Each was superseded by a new and improved form of religion. Each has a story of creation. Jehovah and Brahma both created the sun, moon, and stars (so believed by millions). 1. The spirit of both moved upon the face of the waters. 2. The world is spoken in to existence by both Jehovah and Brahma. 3. The Hindoos had an Adimo and Iva, the Hebrews an Adam and Eve. 4. In each case every thing is to produce after its kind. 5. Man is in each case

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VII. ANTIQUITY OF INDIA.

Having presented a long list of analogies between the Hindoo and Jewish religions, we will proceed to prove the prior existence of the Hindoo system, and leave the reader to deduce his own inferences. "In times coeval with the earliest authentic records," says a writer, "the Hindoos calculated eclipses, and were venerated for their attainments in some of the arts and sciences." According to the learned astronomer Baily, their calculations in astronomy extended back to the remote period of sevent

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THE "HERMAS."

The sacred books, the "Hennas," or "Books of Hermas," were believed by the Egyptians to have been dictated by the God Isis, and inspired by him. In their collected capacity they constituted the Egyptian Bible, and were believed to contain "the sum total of human and divine wisdom." Their great age is undisputed. They treat of the creation of the world, the attributes of God, and the theogony of the inferior deities, which answer to angels in the Christian system, as they hold the same office, an

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ANALOGY OF THE EGYPTIAN AND JEWISH RELIGIONS.

Modern archaeological researches in Egypt have disclosed a very striking resemblance between the ancient Egyptian religion and that found in the Jewish Old Testament, which, with the evidence of the greater antiquity of the former, has fastened the conviction upon the mind of every impartial reader of history, that the Jewish religion was constructed from materials obtained in Egypt and India; and this conclusion is corroborated by the Bible itself, which tells us Moses was skilled in all the wi

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ANTIQUITY OF EGYPT.

As a full comparison will show that the religion of ancient Egypt and that of the Jews were essentially alike, not only in their general features but in their most minute details, with respect to most of their doctrines, precepts, and customs, the question arises, How came this resemblance? It is out of the question to consider it merely fortuitous: that one grew out of the other, or both were derived from a common source, we are compelled to admit. To determine which was the parent system we ha

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I. THE ZEND AYESTA.

The Persians, properly speaking, had two Bibles, or Testaments, regarded as inspired and of divine authority,—the Zend Avesta and the Sadder , which may be denominated their Old and New Testaments. With these may be classed other sacred books of Persia, known as the "Desatur" (or Revealed Will of God), the " G. Javidan " (or Eternal Wisdom), and the " Sophi Ibraham" (Wisdom of Ibraham). Hyde, in his Biography of Brittain, eighth chapter, pronounces the G. Javidan older than the writings of Zoroa

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II. PERSIAN BIBLE—THE SADDER.

The Sadder depicts "the war in heaven," in which the great dragon, or devil, Ahrimanes, is finally slain. This sacred book, as well as the Zenda Avesta, contains many beautiful precepts. The Persian sacred writings are all full of prayer and praise to God. One portion addresses him as Ormuzd , another as Ahura Mazda . None of their Holy Books countenance or show any favor either for idolatry or polytheism. The Persians have alway's opposed the making and worship of deific images; and they worshi

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ANALOGY OF THE PERSIAN AND JEWISH RELIGIONS.

Doctor Pocoke says, "Many things taught in the sacred books of the Persians are the same as those taught in the Pentateuch of Moses, and other parts of the Bible. They also contain many of the psalms erroneously called by the Jews and Christians the Psalms of David." Sir William Jones, in his "Asiatic Researches," says, "The primeval religion of Iran (Persia) is called by Newton the oldest, and it may justly be called the noblest, of all religions." It teaches "a firm belief that one supreme God

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ANTIQUITY OF THE PERSIAN RELIGION.

The historical facts to establish the existence of the Persian religion long prior to that of the Jews are numerous, cogent, and unanswerable. They have calculations in astronomy which, scientists admit, must have been made four hundred years anterior to the time of Moses. According to Berosus, fragments of their history have been found which extend it back fifteen thousand years; and he tells us it is computed with great care....

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KINGS AND SHOO.

The Chinese have varions sacred books, the principal of which are the Five Kings. They have also four Holy Books, known as Shoo, and one called Tao-te, though the word King is a term applied to all their sacred books. Some of these Holy Bibles are attributed to Confucius, one of them (Ta-heo, the Great Learning) to his grandson, and others to his disciples. Some of the sects recognize thirteen Kings, or sacred books, others only seven, and the principal sect but five. Some of these Holy Books be

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I. TA-HEO; OR, GREAT LEARNING.

This book forms the basis of the religious sect known as the Tao-ists. It treats principally of doctrines, but enjoins many important duties,—such as family government, the cultivation of the natural faculties, the acquisition of knowledge, the duty of being honest and sincere and rectifying the heart, and the moral obligation of having good rulers and a righteous government as means of making all peaceful and happy....

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II. THE CHUNG YUNG; OR, THE DOCTRINE OF THE MEAN.

This book contains the Golden Rule: "What you do not like others to do to you, do not so to them." It recommends a state of harmony in the mental faculties as the path of duty and the road to happiness and to heaven. It teaches that people should follow the dictates of their own consciences, and cultivate and fully develop their natures. On the whole, it admonishes a system of moral perfection. It declares that spiritual beings are constantly around us, and we do nothing without them, though we

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III. THE BOOK OF MANG, OF MENCIUS.

Mang, or Mencius, the philosopher, lived about two hundred years after Confucius. This Holy Book of his was not admitted into the Chinese canon till several centuries after it was written. Up to that date it was regarded as apocryphal, but is now held in high veneration as an inspired book. It affirms the essential goodness of human nature, instead of the Christian doctrine of "total depravity." It teaches that all men are possessed of more or less goodness by nature, but are often corrupted by

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IV. SHOO KING; OR, BOOK OF HISTORY.

This work is constituted of fifty-eight books. It throws much light on the history of the Chinese Empire, and bears evidence of having been written in a very remote age, but was compiled about 500 B.C. It argues that people are not bad by nature, and that it is the duty of governments to bless the good and punish the wicked. Otherwise they need not expect the blessing of heaven, or the favor of the people. It relates the case of an emperor who was reformed by reading the Holy Book....

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V. THE SHE KING; OR, BOOK OF POETRY.

This book is about as devoid of moral instruction as the Books of Ruth and Esther in the Christian Bible. It is principally a display of human emotions and social feelings. Yet almost every Chinese has committed portions of it to memory. Being gotten up in the style of a poem, it is well calculated to enlist the feelings of the devout disciple....

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VI. THE CHUN TSEN; OR, SPRING AND SUMMER.

This is principally a historical record, and is interpreted as representing spring and summer. It is held in high estimation as being the production of the "Great Divine Man," Confucius; and it is wonderful with what ingenuity its commentators and teachers have succeeded in extracting from its dry details about wars, marriages, deaths, travels, eclipses, battles, &amp;c., the most profound lessons in morals. Like the admirers and expounders of other Holy Books in all ages and countries, they

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VII. THE TAO-TE KING; OR, DOCTRINE OF REASON.

"Tao" means absolute , and "Te" means virtue ; which indicates that it teaches absolute virtue . Of all sacred books this is the most philosophical. It seems to constitute both a revelation and system of philosophy. It displays considerable wisdom and beauty, but is not free from those gross and repulsive elements which characterize the Christian and some other Bibles. It declares that God created, cherishes, and loves all the world. It has no angry God, but one enjoining love and benevolence, a

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ANALOGY OF THE CHINESE AND JEWISH RELIGIONS.

The Christian historian, Mr. Milne, expressed a fear that he might be condemned for furnishing proof, that, before Jesus was born, a morality as pure was inculcated in the celestial empire (China). As in the Hindoo, Egyptian, and Persian religions, we find the Jewish and Christian religions here amalgamated together. The Chinese had a cosmogony, or story of creation similar in some respects to those already noticed. These sacred books speak of a primitive paradise, in which was a tree of knowled

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CONCLUDING INFERENCE.

In addition to the facts and authorities we have cited to show that the Hindoo, Egyptian, Persian, and Chinese religions were all established prior to that of the Jews, there are other facts which demonstrate the absolute impossibility of any of these religions obtaining any of their religious elements or doctrines from the Jews. 1. We find both the Jewish and Christian doctrine interwoven into each one of those Oriental systems. Hence, if they borrowed one, they borrowed both. But that is impos

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I. THE SOFFEES' BIBLE—THE MUSNAVI.

The Bible of the Soffees, the "Musnavi", teaches that God exists everywhere and in every thing; that the soul of man, and the principle of life throughout all nature, are not from God , but of God, and constitute a part of his essence; that nothing exists essentially but God; and that "all nature abounds with Divine Life." Mr. Malcom, in his "History of the Moguls" (p. 269), says: "The Soffees are incessantly occupied in adoring the Almighty, and in a search after truth." They are passionately f

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II. THE PARSEES' BIBLE—"BOUR DESOT."

The Parsees' Bible is entitled Bour Desch , which means "Genesis; or, the Beginning of Things." Its cosmogony is similar to that of Moses, though more definite, and probably written at an earlier period. Its Eden, or primitive paradise, lasted three thousand years before Kipo (the Devil) entered, plucked the fruit, handed it to the woman, and thus caused her downfall, and, after her, that of the whole human race....

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III. THE TAMALESE BIBLE.

We have space for but little more than the titles of other Bibles. The Tamalese "Holy Book" was known as the " Kalivodkam ," and contains some excellent moral precepts....

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IV. SCANDINAVIAN BIBLE.

Saga, meaning "Wisdom," is the name of the Scandinavian "Inspired Volume," so called because it was believed to have emanated from the fountain of divine wisdom....

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V. THE KALMUCS' BIBLE.

Kaliocham, the Kalmucs' Bible, was believed to contain in repletion "all the wisdom of God and man."...

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VI. THE ATHENIAN BIBLE.

The ancient Athenians had what they claimed to be a "Holy and God-derived Book," called "The Testament." Dinarchus alludes to it in his speech against Demosthenes. It was read with deep, solemn awe and devoutness....

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VII. THE CABALISTS' BIBLE.

Yohar, or "Book of Light," the Bible of the Cabalists, relates some wonderful cures and miracles performed by that sect. The Koran, or Alkoran, is the most modern in its origin of 22 in the list, having been penned six hundred years later than the Christian Bible. It differs from most other Bibles in being the production of a single author, and, for this reason, possesses more uniformity of style and fewer contradictions than most other Bibles. Mahomet did not claim to be its author, and did not

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TESTIMONY OF THREE WITNESSES.

BE it known unto all nations, tongues, kindred, and people unto whom this work shall come, that we, through the grace of God the Father, and oar Lord Jesus Christ, have seen the plates which contain this record, which is a record of the people of Nephi, and also of the Lamanites. Men, brethren, and also of the people of Jared. And we also know that they have been translated by the gift and power of God; for his voice hath declared it unto Us: wherefore we know of a surety that the work is true.

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III. THE SHAKERS' BIBLE.

The Bible of the Shakers is entitled "A Holy, Sacred, and Divine Roll from the Lord God of Heaven to the Inhabitants of the Earth, Revealed in the Society of New Lebanon, Columbiana County, New York, United States of America." The testimony of eleven mighty angels is given, who are said to have attended the writing of the Roll. A copy of the Holy Book has been sent to every king and potentate on earth. Its contents and style bear some resemblance to the Christian Bible; and it contains texts whi

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CHAPTER XI.—THE JEWISH BIBLE.

In a practical sense, there are other books beside the Old Testament which go to make up the Jewish Bible. The Talmud, or rather the two Talmuds; the Jerusalem Talmu (comprising the Mishna, or Second Law), compiled about 150 B.C. by a Jewish rabbi; and the Babylonian Talmud, compiled about six hundred and fifty years later,—are regarded by the Jews as equally inspired and equally binding in their moral requisitions as that of the Old Testament. In fact, they compare the former to wine, and the l

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CHAPTER XII.—THE CHRISTIANS' BIBLE.

The Christian Bible, as now accepted by Protestants (for it must be borne in mind that it has been altered and amended on various occasions, thus altering the canonical Word of God), is composed of thirty-nine books in the Old-Testament department, and twenty-seven in the New; the whole constituting a multifarious collection of old oracles, obsolete dogmas, Oriental legends, ancient myths, religious reveries, beautiful precepts, poetry, heart-touching pathos, wild fancies, preceptive admonitions

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II. SUPERIOR FEATURES OF HEATHEN BIBLES.

There is not one Oriental Bible in all the number but that is superior in some respects in its teachings to the Christians' Bible. None of them sanction so explicity every species of crime; none of them contain so much obscene language. On the contrary, the Chinese Bible, as Mr. Meadows says, " contains not one sentence but that may be read with propriety in any drawing-room in England. " Strikingly different from that of the Christian Bible, as shown in Chap. XXIII. The Mahomedan Bible is quite

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CHAPTER XIV.—THE INFIDELS' BIBLE.

We find the remarkable admission in the Christian Bible, that the moral guide adopted by infidels is superior to that book which Christians have adopted for a guide. Paul, in his Epistle to the Romans, says, "The Gentiles, who have not the Bible, do by nature the things contained in the Bible." An astonishing Bible concession, truly! He, however, uses the word "law" for Bible; but commentators tell us the law is contained in the Bible, and some writers make "law" and "Bible" synonymous terms. We

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A HUNDRED AND TWENTY-THREE ERRORS IN THE STORY OF CREATION.

As the Old Testament possesses no order, no arrangement, and no distinct system of either morals or religion, and no regular connection in its history, we have to treat it in the same unsystematic order in which we find it, and to expose many foolish errors and stories which seem almost beneath the dignity of any respectable writer to notice. But, as they constitute a large portion of the Old Testament, we have got to deal with them or nothing . And, although trifling in themselves , they have d

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THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE AND THE TREE OF LIFE.

Moses tells us God planted two trees in Eden, one of which he called "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." This tree bore fruit which nobody was allowed to taste (Gen. ii. 9). 49. Why the tree was planted, or why its fruit was forbidden to be used, are problems which the Bible does not solve, and which set reason at defiance. 50. And then it looks like a senseless act to create a tree for the purpose of bearing fruit (as we can conceive of no other purpose for which it could have been cr

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II. THE SCIENTISTS ACCOUNT OF CREATION.

1. Millions of years ago the sun in its revolution threw off, as it had done on previous occasions, a sort of fire-mist, or nebulous scintillations, which floated and rolled through space for countless ages, gradually accumulating from the atmosphere in its revolution, thus swelling in size until it became a conglomeration of gas; and, continuing to grow and progress, it ripened into a fiery, liquid mass possessing the most intense heat. 2. After innumerable ages this fiery liquid mass began to

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CHAPTER XVI.—ABSURDITIES IN THE ARK AND FLOOD STORY.

If there were no other errors or absurdities in the Bible, our faith in it would diminish at every step in the investigation of the ark and flood story as related in the sixth chapter of Genesis. The avowed purpose of the flood, the means employed, and their failure to accomplish the end desired, are all at war with our reason and our moral sense. 1. The first question that naturally arises in considering this story is, Why should so many millions of innocent beings—men, women, children, animals

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CHAPTER XVII.—THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, MORAL DEFECTS OF.

These commandments have always been regarded by Bible believers as being a remarkable display of infinite wisdom, and as being morally perfect beyond criticism; and consequently they have passed from age to age without examination, when a little investigation would have shown any logical mind that they contain palpable errors both in logic and morals. First commandment: "Thou shalt have no other Gods before me" (Exod. xx. 3); that is, as commentators have interpreted it, "Thou shalt prefer no Go

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I. TALKING SERPENTS AND TALKING ASSES.—GEN. III., NUM. XXII.

The laws of nature appear to have possessed but little force, permanency, or reliability in the days of Moses, as they were often brought to a dead halt, and set aside on the most trivial occasions, according to Bible history; and nothing could be learned of the character, habits, or natural powers of animals by their form or physical conformation, if they possessed, as represented, minds and reasoning powers supposed to be peculiar to the human species. Hence the study of natural history must h

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II. THE STORY OF CAIN, ABSURDITIES OF.

1. Did not Eve dishonor God when, at the birth of Cain, she said, "I have got a man from the Lord" (Gen. iv. 1), inasmuch as he turned out to be a murderer? 2. Did not God know that Cain would become a murderer? If he did not, he is not an omniscient God. 3. And, if he did know it, would it not make him accountable for the murder? 4. Why did God set a mark on Cain that "whosoever should find him should not slay him" (Gen. iv. 15), when there was no "whosoever" in existence but his father and mot

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III. THE ARK OF THE COVENANT, ABSURDITIES OF.—1 SAM. CHAP. VI.

We find no case in any history of superstition reaching a more exalted climax than that illustrated in the history of the Jewish ark of the covenant. It appears that up to the time of Solomon the Jews had no temple for their God to dwell in, but for some time previous hauled him about in box, about four feet long by thirty inches deep, known as the "ark of the covenant". Let it not be supposed that we misrepresent in saying that Jehovah was supposed to dwell in this box; for it is explicitly sta

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IV. KORAH, DATHAN, AND ABIRAM, ABSURDITIES.—NUM. CHAP. XVI.

These three leading men of Israel, growing tired of the tyrannical usurpations of Moses, concocted a mutiny, in which they succeeded in enlisting some two hundred and fifty persons. When Moses learned what was on foot, this "meek man" became very angry, and reported the case to Jehovah, and requested him not to accept their offering when they came to make their usual oblations. The Lord took Moses' advice, and not only refused their offering, but split the ground open where they stood, so that t

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V. THE STORY OF DANIEL AND NEBUCHADNEZZAR.

We shall not attempt to present an exposition of all the absurdities which abound in the Book of Daniel, but will merely notice a few of its most incredible statements. The most amusing chapter in the history of Daniel is his interpretation of the dreams of King Nebuchednezzar. It appears that on one occasion the king had forgotten his dream, which made it ostensibly necessary for Daniel, before interpreting it, to reproduce it. But who can not see it was not necessary for him to do either to sa

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VI. SODOM AND GOMORRAH.

Story of Sodom and Gomorrah. We are seemingly required by this story to believe that God keeps a manufactory of brimstone in heaven; for we are told that "the Lord rained upon Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven" (Gen. xix.). If we credit this story, we may infer that the Lord keeps a supply of the article on hand, perhaps to be let down occasionally to replenish the bottomless pit. The science of chemistry has demonstrated within the present century that the air is

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VII. TOWER OF BABEL.

Of all the stories ever recorded in any book, disclosing on the part of the writer a profound ignorance of the sciences,—embracing, at least, astronomy, geography, and philosophy.—that of the Tower of Babel was probably never excelled. A brief enumeration of some of its absurdities will disclose this fact. 1. We are told (in chap. xi. of Genesis), that, after God had discovered by some means that "the children of men" were building a city and a tower to reach to heaven, he "came down to see the

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VIII. STOPPING THE SUN AND MOON,—ABSURDITIES OF THE STORY.

Of all the stories that ever taxed the brain or credulity of a man of science, that of Joshua stopping the sun and moon stands pre-eminent. Think of bringing to a stand-still that magnificent and immense luminary which constitutes the center of a solar system of one hundred and thirty worlds, all of which move in harmony with it. Such a catastrophe would have broken one hundred and thirty planets loose from their orbits, and dashed them together in utter confusion, and would thus have broken up

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IX. THE STORY OF SAMSON,—ITS ABSURDITIES.

Were the story of Samson found in any other book than the Christian Bible, it would be looked upon by Bible believers as one of those wild and incredible legends of heathen mythology with which all the holy books of that age abound. But it is accepted as true because found in the Bible; and the Bible is considered to be true, partly because it tells such marvelous stories. It is assumed that they prove each other. Perhaps it is upon the presumption that "it is a poor rule that will not work both

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X. STORY OF JONAH,—ITS ABSURDITIES.

The history of Jonah is so much like numerous stories we find in heathen mythology that we are disposed to class it with them. Its absurdities are numerous, a few of which we will point out:— 1. It represents Jonah as claiming to be a Hebrew; but as it says nothing about the Jews or Hebrews, and treats entirely of the heathen or Gentiles, that is probably its source, and it was perhaps intended as a fable. 2. The ship he boarded, when making his escape, was a heathen vessel, which implies that h

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CHAPTER XIX.—BIBLE PROPHECIES NOT FULFILLED.

Having devoted a chapter to this subject in "The World's Sixteen Crucified Saviors," we shall treat the subject but briefly in this work. The Old Testament has been thoroughly searched for prophecies, and more than a hundred texts selected, by various Christian writers, and assumed to be prophetic of some future event. But a critical and impartial investigation of the subject will show that not one of them is, strictly speaking, a prophecy; but most of them refer to events either in the past, or

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CHAPTER XX.—MIRACLES, ERRONEOUS BELIEF IN.

Having treated the subject of miracles at some length in "The World's Sixteen Crucified Saviors," we shall give it but a brief notice in this work, and will comprehend the whole thing in a few points. 1. The history of miraculous achievements by Gods and men form a very large chapter in the "inspired writings" of nearly all the ancient religious systems which have flourished in the world; and to notice all these cases would require volumes enough to make a library. 2. Almost the only evidence we

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CHAPTER XXI.—ERRORS OF THE BIBLE IN FACTS AND FIGURES.

A spiritual or metaphorical interpretation, if allowable in any case, can not avail any thing towards either removing, explaining, or mitigating, in the least degree, the numerous palpable Bible errors represented by figures. "Figures never lie " and admit of no construction. The almost innumerable errors, therefore, of this character which abound in the Bible utterly and for ever prostrate it as a work possessing any authority, reliability, or credibility in matters of history, science, or even

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I. CONTRADICTIONS IN MATTERS OF FACT AND IN DOCTRINES.

1. Was it death to eat the forbidden fruit? Yes: "In the day thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die" (Gen. II. 17). No: "And all the-days of Adam were nine hundrcd and thirty years" (Gen. v. 5). 2. Can a woman, according to scripture, ever speak on religious matters? Yes: "The same man had four daughters—virgins—who did prophesy" (Acts xxi. 9). No: "I suffer not a woman to teach, but to be in silence" (1 Tim. ii. 12). 3. Should a man ever laugh? Yes: "There is a time to weep and a time to la

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CONTRADICTIONS IN HISTORY.

100. When was man created? Gen. i. 25 says after the other animal. Gen. ii, 13 says before the other animals. 107. Were seed-time and harvest to be perpetual? Yes: "Seed-time and harvest shall not cease" (Gen. viii. 22). No: "There was neither earing nor harvest" for five years (Gen. xiv. 6). 108. Did Eve see before she ate the forbidden fruit? Yes: "Woman saw before she ate the fruit" (Gen. iii. 6). No: "Her eyes were opened by eating the fruit" (Gen. iii. 7). 109. When did the earth become dry

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THE CHRONOLOGY OF THE KINGS OF JUDAH AND ISRAEL ARE A MASS OF CONFUSION.

139. Where was Ahazlah killed, and how often? According to 2 Chron. xxii. 8, he was killed at Samaria; and, according to 2 King ix. 27, he was killed again. 140. How many did Jashobeam kill? "Jashobeam slew eight hundred at one time" (2 Sam. xxiii. 8). No: It was only three hundred he slew (1 Chron. xi. 11). 141. Who killed the Amalekites? Samuel says "Saul utterly destroyed them" (1 Sam. xv. 3). But, according to chapter twenty-seven of the same book, David killed them all, "left neither man no

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NEW-TESTAMENT CONTRADICTIONS.

There is a continual conflict in the statements of Christ's biographers with respect to the various events of his life as compared with each other; and in some cases they contradict themselves. We will present some examples:— 154. Who came to worship Christ when he was born? Matthew says, "wise men from the East" (Matt. ii. 5). Luke says they were shepherds of the same country (Luke ii. 8). 155. How were they led? Matthew says they were led by a star (Matt. ii. 6). Lake says by on angel (Luke ii

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A PARTIAL LIST OF THE OBSCENE PASSAGES OF THE BIBLE.

The following figures point to texts, many of which are too vulgar to be described in any kind of language:— Gen. xvii. 2, very disgusting; xix. 8, 33, 35, a shocking case; xx. 18; xxv. 23, disgusting; xxx. 3, very obscene; xxx. 15,16; xxxi. 12; xxxiv. 2, 7, 16, 22; xxxviii. 9, loathsome; xxxviii. 29; lix. 25; Exod. 1.16; xix. 15; xx. 2; xxii. 10; xxxiv. 15, 16; Lev. xii. 15; xviii. 7, 19, 20, 22, 23, 24; xxi. 7, 20, extremely vulgar; Num. xiv. 33; xix. 6, disgusting; xxv. 1; xxxi. 35; Deut. xxi

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II. FASTING AND FEASTING.

A total ignorance of the laws of health is indicated as existing amongst the disciples of all the ancient religions by the alternate extremes of fasting and feasting. The latter is injurious to health, and the former, also, if long continued, as was frequently the case. But the subject of health did not occupy the minds of religious enthusiasts. They knew nothing of the laws of health, and cared less if possible. Fasting is reported, In some cases, as extending to an incredible period of time, c

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I. HOLY MOUNTAINS.

Those who have read the Christian Bible are familiar with the fact that the ancient Jews and early Christians had their holy mounts and holy mountains, and that they are often referred to in the Bible. Mount Sinai and Mount Horeb were to the Jews consecrated spots. They called forth their highest feelings of veneration; they occupied a place in their devout meditations, similar to that of heaven in the mind of the Christian worshiper. It may be said to have been a substitute for heaven with the

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II. HOLY LANDS AND HOLY CITIES.

Jerusalem was the principal holy city of both Jews and Christians; and Palestine was their holy land.. Here, again, we find them anticipated by heathen nations. Thebes was the holy city of Egypt, Ida the holy city of India, Rome the holy city of the Greeks and Romans, Mecca the holy city of the Mahomedans. And, like the early Christians who spent much time in visiting Jerusalem, the Mahomedans make frequent pilgrimages to Mecca. Syria was the holy land of the Chaldeans and Persians, Wisdom the h

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III. HOLY RIVERS AND HOLY WATER.

Holy rivers were quite numerous among the devotees of the ancient religions. Ganges, in India, appears to have been the first river invested with the title of "holy." Its waters were used for the rite of baptism, and were supposed to impart a spiritual life to the subject of immersion. Jordan and the Euphrates were regarded as sacred by the Jews, and the former was the chosen stream for the rite of baptism by that nation.. Even Christ appears to have believed he could receive some spiritual bene

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I. CHARACTER OF JEHOVAH.

The Old Testament is principally a history of the Jews and their God Jehovah,—a narrative of their trials, troubles, treachery, quarrels, and faithless dealings toward each other. No other God ever had so much trouble with his people; and no other nation ever showed so little respect for their God, or so little disposition to obey him, or live up to his commands. There appears to have been almost a natural antipathy between them; so that they were constantly repelling each other. The relationshi

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CHAPTER XXVII.—CHARACTER OF GOD'S "HOLY PEOPLE," THE JEWS.

As the Jews are reputedly "the chosen people of God,"—chosen by him out of all the nations of the earth to be the special recipients of his favors,—the chosen instruments through which to communicate his will and his laws to the whole human race, and chosen to be a moral example for all mankind, for that age, and for all future generations,—it becomes a matter of great importance to know their real character for morality, for intelligence, for honesty, and for reliability. And that we may, in th

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CHAPTER XXVIII.—CHARACTER OF MOSES; MORAL DEFECTS OF.

The history of Moses is so intimately and thoroughly inter-blended with that of the Jews, that, to present the character of one, is to present the character of the other. We shall therefore devote but a brief chapter to a special exposition of his character, as it will be found fully set forth in the history of the Jews, and the practical illustration of their moral character. No religious chieftain ever claimed to be on more intimate terms with God, and no writer ever presented a more dishonora

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II. CHARACTER OF ISAAC.

1. In accordance with the adage, "Like father, like son," we find Isaac carrying out the same spirit of fraud and deception practiced by his father. When "the men of the plain asked him about his wife, he said, she is my sister" (Gen. xxvi.); "and this man Isaac was another of the faithful servants of the Lord." 2. If the statement is true that the Lord struck Ananias and Sapphira with sudden death for telling a falsehood, as related in Acts v., the question naturally arises, Why did Abraham and

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III. CHARACTER OF JACOB, MORAL DEFECTS OF.

1. "Like father, like son," is again verified in the practical life of Jacob. We find this patriarch excels, in moral defects, both his father and his grandfather. 2. His conduct toward his brother Esau, in robbing him of his just and inherited rights, is an act which stamps an eternal stigma upon his character. When Jacob's father, old and blind, asked him, "Art thou my son Esau?" he replied, "I am" (Gen. xxvii. 24), thus telling a base falsehood, and deceiving his old father; and this deceptiv

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II. CHARACTER OF SOLOMON.

Solomon's writings and history both show that he was a libertine, a tyrant, and a polygamist. His tyrannical monopoly-of seven hundred wives and three hundred prostitutes, making him a practica "Free-lover" on a large scale, is an indelible stigma upon his character. It was a usurpation of the rights, and a trespass upon the liberties, of nearly two thousand men and women. It prevented them from filling the mission or sphere in life that God designed them to enjoy. The organization of the sexes

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III. LOT AND HIS WIFE AND DAUGHTERS.

The act of Abram's brother Lot delivering up his two daughters to the Sodomites, "to do to them as is good in your eyes" (Gen. xix. 8), must excite reflections in the highest degree revolting to the mind of every father who has daughters. The act of a father voluntarily offering up his virtuous daughters to gratify the depraved passions of a mob is too shocking to contemplate. And to accept such a character as a "righteous man" must certainly weaken the faith of the Bible believer in a true syst

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II. THE PROPHETS ELIJAH AND ELISHA.

There are some peculiar features in the history of these two Hebrew prophets, for which they seem to merit a special notice. They appear to have been on very familiar terms with Jehovah; and the whole machinery of heaven, we are led to conclude, was under their control, with no special reason why they should merit such divine partiality, as they were not overstocked with practical righteousness. The acts of raising the dead and controlling the elements appear to have been to them very common-pla

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THE FEATS OR ELISHA.

The marvelous deeds of Elisha appear to be, to a considerable extent, a mere repetition of those of Elijah. Like his predecessor, he raised a dead child to life, increased the supply of oil for a widow after it had run short, and also increased the quantity of good water for the people by a supernatural process, though not by a shower of rain, as Elijah did, after a three years drought. There is evidently a disposition to imitate and outdo his predecessor: hence he brings water without the proce

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IDOLATRY: ITS CHARACTER, USES, HARMLESSNESS, AND PRIMARY ORIGIN.

There is no act, no species, of human conduct, nothing recognized as a sin within the lids of the Christian Bible, which is perhaps more fearfully or more frequently condemned, or denounced with more awful and terrible penalties, than that of idolatry. Those who practiced it are ranked with murderers and liars (Rev. xxii. 15); and it is declared, "They shall not inherit The kingdom of God" (1 Cor. vi. 9), but "shall have their portion in the lake of fire and brimstone" (Rev. xxi. 8). Now, we pro

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POLYTHEISM.—THIS WORD IS FROM POLUS, "MANY," AND THEOS,

"God;" and hence is used to denote a belief in many or several Gods, which comprehends the second form and stage of idolatry! We have spoken of the early recognition by the primitive inhabitants of the earth of the motion of the heavenly bodies as giving rise to the belief that they possessed self-constituted life and volition. But, progressing a step farther, their attention was turned to motion where there was no visible agent to produce it,—action without a visible actor. The thunder rolled a

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II. ALL CHRISTIANS ATHEISTS OR IDOLATERS.

It seems most strikingly strange that atheism and idolatry should be considered by the orthodox representatives of the Christian faith as "the most God-defying and heaven-daring sins that man can be guilty of" (as one Christian writer represents them to be), when there is not a professor of the Christian faith, and never has been, who was not guilty most unquestionably of one of these sins. It requires but a few words to prove this statement. Nearly all the early Christian writers defined atheis

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I. DIVINE REVELATION IMPOSSIBLE AND UNNECESSARY.

The Hindoos, Egyptians, Persians, Chaldeans, Jews, and Mahomedans, and various other nations, claim to have had a special revelation of God's will communicated to them for the benefit of the whole human race. But the following facts and arguments will tend to show that no such revelations have ever been made, and that there is none necessary:— We will inquire, in the first place, what a divine revelation would be. Coming from a perfect being, it would of course be perfect, and perfectly adapted

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II. REVELATION FOR ONE AGE AND NATION NO REVELATION FOR ANOTHER.

A revelation issued two or three thousand years ago could be no revelation for this age. The Rev. Jeremiah Jones admits that "a revelation can only be a revelation to him who receives it," and can not be made use of to convince another (Canon, p. 51). Bishop Burnet admits that a revelation to one man is no revelation to another. You can neither see nor feel a revelation made to another person. You can merely see the marks on the paper on which he has recorded what he claims to have been a revela

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III. A REVELATION ON THE BRAIN CALLED REASON.

I know that God has inscribed a revelation on my brain called reason, as it is ever present with me. Hence I know that it was designed for me . But I can not have this testimony with regard to a written revelation, as it was not communicated to me. Hence, as a matter of certainty and safety, I should hold to my own revelation in preference to any other. I can only be certain of my own revelation. Indeed I can not know that any other revelation was designed for me, because a dozen revelations are

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IV. THE HUMAN BRAIN SUPERIOR TO ANY REVELATION.

As an idiot can not be made to understand a revelation, it is evident that a revelation presupposes a rational mind for its reception; otherwise the revelation would be perfectly useless. Hence it is evident the brain must be right before the revelation is given, or it will not be able to understand it. This makes the brain superior to, and of higher authority, than revelation. The moment we begin to reason on the revelation of the Bible, which we are compelled to do to determine which is the tr

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V. INFALLIBLE REVELATION IMPOSSIBLE.

A Bible or revelation could only be infallible to a man or woman of infallible understanding; that is, to an infallible being. And, as no such being has ever existed, it is evident that no infallible revelation has ever been issued....

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VI. EVERY THING MUST BE INFALLIBLE.

No infallible revelation could be of any practical use to any person unless all the circumstances connected with it were infallible. The language in which it is written must be infallible; the person receiving it must be infallible; and the reader, or his understanding, must also be infallible. But, as no such state of things has ever existed, it follows that no infallible revelation has ever been given to man, and is absolutely impracticable....

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VII. NO DIVINE REVELATION WITHOUT A SERIES OF MIRACLES.

A divine revelation must be miraculously inspired; and then it must be miraculously preserved from the slightest alteration by the translator or the transcriber, and from any error on the part of the printer. And, finally, the reader's mind and understanding and judgment must be miraculously guarded from any mistake or misunderstanding or wrong conclusions relative to every text in the book. Otherwise there is no absolute certainty that the revelation is a true one, or superior to s mere human p

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IX. NO MORAL DUTY CLEARLY DEFINED BY THE BIBLE.

As the circumstances of each case of moral duty differ from every other case, so our courses of action must be different. Hence revelation, to be of any practical use, should have foreseen those circumstances, pointed them out, and instructed us how to act in the case. But this is not done in any case. We will illustrate: We are enjoined by the Bible to "bring up a child in the way he should go;" but that way is not pointed out or defined. We are not told which one of the thousand churches he sh

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X. OUR DUTIES ARE ALL RECORDED IN THE BIBLE OF NATURE.

There is not a moral or religious duty that is not inscribed on the tablet of man's soul or consciousness which he would not soon learn if his attention were not constantly directed to, and his mind occupied with, the erroneous theories of the dark, illiterate ages. The God of nature has endowed every human being with two sensations,—one of pleasure, and the other of pain,—which serve as guides in all his actions, both physical and moral. They stand as sentinels at the door of his soul to warn h

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XI. A DIVINE REVELATION ADVERSE TO HUMAN PROGRESS.

One argument against the belief in a divine revelation is found in the fact that it would tend to paralyze human effort, and thus make man a mental sloth. If a man could find all his moral and religious duties "cut and dried," and laid out before him, he would be thus robbed of the motive to study and learn his duties by the exercise of his mental powers. And having no incentives to healthy, energetic action, he would become a drone and mental sloth. We can not believe God ever made such a blund

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XII. A DIVINE REVELATION WOULD IMPLY IMPERFECTION ON THE PART OF DEITY.

It is admitted that no revelation was ever given to man for more than two thousand years after creation. This would imply that it was forgotten by Infinite Wisdom, or else the moral necessity for it overlooked. Either assumption would make God an imperfect and short-sighted being. It would appear like an after-thought. After man had lived so many years upon the earth, it just occurred to God that he had not given him a written revelation instructing him what to do and believe. The assumption of

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CHAPTER XXXIV.—PRIMEVAL INNOCENCY OF MAN NOT TRUE.

The tradition so universally prevalent among the disciples of all the Oriental systems of religious faith, as well as those of a more modern origin, and which is still a conspicuous element of the Christian system,—that man commenced his career in a state of moral perfection,—is so obviously at war with every principle of anthropology, and every page of human history tending to demonstrate the moral character of the primitive inhabitants of the earth, that I shall employ but little time and spac

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CHAPTER XXXV.—ORIGINAL SIN AND FALL OF MAN.

Having shown that man commenced his earthly career on a low moral and intellectual plane, and that therefore the assumption of his original moral perfection is a fallacy, the correlative dogma of his fall into a state of moral depravity falls to the ground of its own weight. It would be a work of supererogation to attempt to show that man never fell in a moral sense, after having shown that he never occupied an elevated moral position to fall from. It is self-evident that he could not fall if th

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CHAPTER XXXVI.—THE MORAL DEPRAVITY OF MAN A DELUSION.

It is alleged by the orthodox world that man's moral nature and reasoning faculties, both became depraved by the fall. "Totally depraved" has been the doctrine; but the gradual expansion and enlightenment of the mind by progressive science have modified the doctrine with some of the churches, and they have substituted "moral depravity" for "total depravity." But neither assumption can be scientifically or logically sustained. The assumption that our reason is depraved is made the pretext for urg

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CHAPTER XXXVII.—FREE AGENCY AND MORAL ACCOUNTABILITY.

One of the cardinal doctrines of the Christian faith is the free agency of man; but the very term is a logical contradiction. An agent must act in accordance with the will and wishes of his employer, or he will be called to account, and perhaps dismissed. Where, then, is his moral freedom? It may be assumed that his employer licenses him to take his own course; but this must be with certain conditions, or else he will act for himself, and be no agent at all. Certain alternatives are placed befor

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DEATH-BED REPENTANCE.

If there is any class of people who need to repent for misspent time, and for leading false and foolish lives, it is the colporteurs who travel over the country distributing pious tracts, containing doleful accounts of death-bed repentance, which, whether right or wrong, prove nothing. Such cases of repentance as are reported do not appertain to the moral conduct, but to the religious belief, of the sinner. It is the abandonment and condemnation of his past creeds, and not of his past conduct, w

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CHAPTER XXXIX.—FORGIVENESS FOR SIN, AN IMMORAL DOCTRINE.

The doctrine of divine forgiveness for sin is another illogical and immoral doctrine of the orthodox school, as well as that of heathen nations, which a logical analysis and the practical experience of nearly all religious countries show has been pernicious in its effects upon the morals of society. A little reflection must convince any unbiased mind that, while men and women are taught to believe that the consequences of sin or crime can be arrested or mitigated by an act of forgiveness by the

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CHAPTER XL.—CAN GOD BE SUBJECT TO ANGER?

All Bibles, and nearly every religious nation known to history, have taught that God often gets angry at the creatures of his own creation. But, in the light of modern science, nothing could be more transcendently absurd, or more absolutely impossible, than that a being possessing all knowledge—a being infinite in power, infinite in wisdom, and filling all space throughout the boundless universe—should be a victim to the weakness and ungovernable impulse of passion. The very idea is revolting an

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CHAPTER XLI.—ATONEMENT FOR SIN, AN IMMORAL DOCTRINE.

Having appropriated a portion of two chapters in "The World's Sixteen Crucified Saviors" to an exposition of the doctrine of the atonement, we shall treat the subject but briefly in this work. 1. It is shown in the work above mentioned, that the doctrine of the atonement is of heathen origin, and that it is predicated upon the assumption that no sin can be fully expiated without the shedding of blood. In the language of Paul, "Without the shedding of blood, there can be no remission for sin." A

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CHAPTER XLII.—SPECIAL PROVIDENCE, AN ERRONEOUS DOCTRINE.

All the holy books, and nearly all holy men who have figured in the world, have cherished a belief in what is termed "special providences,"—a doctrine which teaches that God individually and personally superintends the affairs, not only of all nations, but of each individual human being, now amounting in number to about fourteen hundred millions. It seems strange that the striking absurdity of such an assumption has not struck every mind possessing the power to reflect or investigate. The though

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CHAPTER XLIII.—FAITH AND BELIEF, BIBLE ERRORS RESPECTING.

"Faith" and "belief" seem to be among the most important words in the Christian New Testament. No words are much more frequently used. They occur in nearly every chapter, and are used more than two hundred times. The following is a specimen of the manner in which these words are used:— "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." This text, and the sentiment it contains, have caused more misery, cruelty, and more butchery than all the edicts of a

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CHAPTER XLIV.—A PERSONAL GOD IMPOSSIBLE.

Most of the Bibles, and nearly all the religious teachers of the world, have represented God as being a personal being, and, at the same time, an infinite spirit. But that is another of the "thousand and one" absurdities that have been taught and believed in the name of religion. A personal being must, in all cases, be an organized being. This is so self-evident as to need no argument; and that an organized being can not be an infinite being is almost equality self-evident. An organized being mu

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CHAPTER XLV.—EVIL, NATURAL AND MORAL, EXPLAINED.

The problem of the origin of evil has been the great theological puzzle to all theologians and with all religious systems, and has turned the heads of more good people, and sent more devout Christians to the lunatic asylum, than any other theological question, excepting that of endless punishment; and yet modern science, which furnishes the principles for solving all the "holy mysteries" and miracles embodied in the religious creeds and Bibles of the past ages, shows the question to be quite sim

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CHAPTER XLVI.—TRUE SALVATION, OK THE RATIONAL VIEW OF SIN.

We will now attempt to show what reason, science, and God's eternal Bible teach as the nature of sin and its consequences. The orthodox world represents sin to be a personal affront against a personal God. But we take a broader, and, we think, a more rational view of the matter. We believe that no act of ours, whether good or bad, can possibly affect an infinite, omnipresent, and impersonal Deity in any way whatever. Nothing we can do can either offend or gratify such a being. He is infinitely t

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I. THE BIBLE SANCTIONS MURDER.

We find a scriptural warrant for the highest crime known to the law,—that of murder. God is represented as saying to his holy people, "Go ye out and slay every man his brother, every man his companion, and every man his neighbor" (Exod. xxii. 27). And, relative to the dissenter from the faith, he is represented as saying, "Ye shall stone him with stones that he die." Now, if such texts are not calculated to foster the spirit of murder, and to extinguish the natural repugnance to cruelty and bloo

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II. THE BIBLE SANCTIONS THEFT OR ROBBERY.

Robbery, practiced under the false pretense of borrowing, is another crime claiming the sanction of God's "Holy Word" and that "Holy Being" whose morality we are taught to imitate by the injunction, "Be ye perfect, as your Father in heaven is perfect." We are told (in Exod. xii.) that the Jews, or Hebrews, when leaving Egypt, robbed or stole from the inhabitants to such an extent, that "they spoiled the Egyptians," which leads to the conclusion that the robbery must have been very extensive: and

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III. THE BIBLE SANCTIONS WAR.

Another immoral feature of the Christian Bible, and one which proves it to be a relic or record of barbarism, and a very unsuitable book to "constitute the fountain of our laws, and the supreme rule of our conduct" (as recommended and urged by the Evangelical Christian Union), is found in its frequent sanction of human butchery; and a just and righteous God is represented as leaving his throne "in the heavens" to come down to take a part in their savage and bloody battles with different nations

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IV. THE BIBLE SANCTIONS THE EVIL OF INTEMPERANCE.

There are a number of texts in the Bible, which, if human language can mean any thing, most unquestionably furnish a warrant for drunkenness, whatever might have been the intention of the writer; and that they have had the effect to sustain and promote this evil, the practical history of Christian countries furnish proof that can not be gainsaid. That teacher of Bible morality—that wise man who is said to have received his wisdom directly from God, and must consequently be considered good author

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V. THE CRIME OF SLAVE-HOLDING SANCTIONED BY THE BIBLE.

The Bible contains a warrant for the perpetual enslavement of men, women, and children. It is well known to the pioneer-laborers in the antislavery reform, that this book constituted a strong bulwark in support of the system; that it was one of the principal obstacles in the way of effecting its extermination. Its defenders quoted such texts as the following: "Of the heathen round about you, shall ye buy bondmen and bond maids, and they shall be your possession for ever" (Lev. xxv. 44). Among Ch

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VI. THE BIBLE SANCTIONS POLYGAMY.

The practice of polygamy is indorsed by the Christian Bible. It is frequently sanctioned in the Old Testament, both by precept and example, while it is nowhere condemned by the Book, either in the Old or New Testament. This fact makes Mormonisin an impregnable institution; and this is the reason it bids defiance to the efforts of a Christian nation to put it down. It is a Bible institution. Hence a Bible-believing nation dare not attack it. The hand of the government is powerless to put it down,

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VII. LICENTIOUSNESS IS SANCTIONED BY THE BIBLE.

It can hardly be wondered at that so many Christian professors fall victims to licentious habits, as is evident from reports almost daily published in the periodicals, from which one traveler has collected more than two thousand cases of priests, the professed teachers of morality, who have fallen victims to the vice of illegal sexual intercourse within a few years; and probably the number whose deeds are never brought to light is much greater. As we have already remarked, this licentiousness am

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VIII. THE BIBLE SANCTIONS WIFE-CATCHING.

In the Book of Judges (Judges xxi. 20) we learn that the Israelites of the tribe of Benjamin were instructed in the art of wife-catching. "Go and lie in wait in the vineyards; and behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances, then come ye out of the vineyards, and catch you every man a wife" (Judges xxi. 21). "And they did so." Now it was certainty rather shameful business for God's oracles to be engaged in,—that of advising rude and lustful men to hide in ambush in the vineyar

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IX. THE CRIMES OF TREACHERY AND ASSASSINATION.

In the fourth chapter of Judges we find a case of barbarity related, comprising the double crime of treachery and murder, for which a parallel can scarcely be found in the annals of any heathen nation, and which appears to have received the approval of the Jewish Jehovah. It is exhibited in the history of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite. We read, that as a poor fugitive by the name of Sisera was fleeing from "the Lord's holy people," who were pursuing him with uplifted swords with the determi

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CHAPTER XLVIII.—IMMORAL INFLUENCE OF THE BIBLE.

With the characteristic moral teaching of the Christian Bible, presented in the preceding chapter and throughout this work, we see not how to escape the conviction that the Bible has inflicted, and must necessarily inflict, a demoralizing influence on society wherever it is read and believed . It is morally impossible for any person to read and believe a book sanctioning, or appearing to sanction, so many species of crime and immorality without sustaining more or less moral and mental injury by

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CHAPTER XLIX.—THE BIBLE AT WAR WITH EIGHTEEN SCIENCES.

The word "science" is from the Latin scire ("to know"). Hence every statement incompatible with the teachings and principles of science is simply ignorance arrayed against knowledge . It may surprise some who have been taught that the Bible contains "a perfect embodiment of truth," or who believe, with the redoubtable Dr. Cheever, that "the Bible does not contain the shadow of a shade of error from Genesis to Revelations,"—it will doubtless surprise all such persons to be told, that, so far from

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THE MORAL BENEFITS OF INFIDELITY.

An additional argument to prove the Bible is not a moral necessity to teach the practical duties of life is the fact that that class of persons known as "infidels," who entirely reject the book as a guide or as a moral instructor on account of its very defective and contradictory system of morals, are admitted by leading orthodox journals and representative men in the nation to possess better moral characters and habits, and to lead better moral lives, than Bible believers. As a proof of this st

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BURNING THE WORLD'S BENEFACTORS AS INFIDELS.

It will be perceived, from the preceding orthodox testimonies, that the class of people usually stigmatized as infidels are the true exemplars in practical morality, and the true benefactors of society. And Christian countries owe them a debt of gratitude for all the reforms and improvements which have proved such signal blessings to society within the last few hundred years, and for their own elevation out of the groveling ignorance of barbarism into the glorious sunlight of civilization. What

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"THE BIBLE AS A MORAL NECESSITY."

3. It is a policy that must be deplored by every true philanthropist, that the Christian world expends millions of dollars every year to convert the heathen to a religion that can neither improve their morals or their intellect, but inculcates bad lessons in morals and science, and, in many cases, is a worse religion than that already established in those countries. (For evidence, see Chapter 50.) 4. And this policy becomes still more reprehensible when coupled with the fact that there are sixty

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I. HINDOO'S ANSWER TO THE QUESTION.

Well, brother Hindoo, will you be so good as to answer this question, "What shall we do and believe in order to be saved?" "Oh, yes!" responds the devout worshiper of Brahma, pointing to a stone arched pagoda. "Go and prostrate yourself in that holy building, made venerable by a thousand years' devotion, and offer up prayer and praise to Brahma, and, if you have committed any sins, implore his forgiveness. You must also believe in his Holy Book, the Vedas, and obey its precepts, which enjoin vir

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THE EGYPTIAN'S ANSWER.

Well, brother disciple of the old Egyptian religion, let us hear your answer to the question, "What must we do and believe in order to be saved?"—"Well," replies the believer in this ancient order of faith, "if you would make a sure thing of escaping the pangs of hell, and being saved in the heavenly mansion, you must not neglect to pray daily to the great God Tulis, crucified some twenty-eight hundred years ago for the sins of mankind; and, if you have committed any sin, you must pray to him to

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THE CHINESE ANSWER.

We will now interrogate the representative of the religion of "The Five Volumes," and hear his answer to this most important question that ever occupied the thoughts of the human mind. Well, then, brother Chinaman, please tell us what we shall do and believe in order to reach the heavenly kingdom when compelled to quit the things of time. "Why, the most important thing of all is, to perform your daily vows to God, and worship him through images prepared to represent him, whether those images are

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THE PERSIAN'S AND CHALDEAN'S ANSWER.

Brothers of the religion of Iran, can you tell us what to do and believe in order to be saved? "Yes, indeed. First of all, you must believe 'God's Living Word,' the Zenda Avesta; for that is the meaning of the term. Zenda means 'the life' or 'the living,' and Avesta, 'the word of God.' And you must live up to its holy precepts, which will keep you from committing sin, and prompt you to lead a virtuous life. You must also say grace, both before and after eating, as that was their ancient custom.

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THE JAPANESE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION.

We will now hear from a "heathen" nation distinguished for good sense, good morals, and practical honesty. Tell us, then, brother Japanese, what we must do and believe in order to be saved. "Well, first of all, you must keep the Christian Bible out of your houses. Don't suffer it to enter your doors. Let all Bibles alone, and obey the inward monitions of your own souls. Your own conscience and experience and moral sense will teach you that it is wrong to lie, wrong to swear, wrong to steal, wron

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THE MAHOMEDAN ANSWER TO THE QUESTION.

Brother disciple of the Koran, will you please to tell us what the one hundred and fifty million of followers of the great prophet believe is necessary to do and believe in order to be saved? "Yes, certainly. The devout believers in this soul-saving religion have understood this question for more than a thousand years, and know exactly how to answer it. You must believe that the Holy Book (the Koran) is God's last revelation, and his last will and testament to mankind; and you must shape your pr

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THE CHRISTIAN CHURCHES' ANSWER TO THE QUESTION.

And now, brethren of the Christian faith, we will listen with attention to your answer to the important question, "What shall we do and believe in order to be saved?" But Christian sects are so numerous, and their views so conflicting, we can only find room for the answers of a few of the leading churches....

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THE CATHOLIC'S ANSWER.

Well, brother Roman Catholic, as you represent the oldest Christian denomination in existence, we will first hear from your Church in answer to this great question, "What shall we do and believe in order to be saved?"—"Well, the question is easily answered. You must believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God; that Jesus Christ is the son of God; and that St. Peter, succeeded by the Pope, is his vicegerent on the earth. You must also worship, or at least believe in the divinity of, the Fa

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THE GREEK CHRISTIAN'S ANSWER.

Well, brother disciple of the Greek Church, "what shall we do and believe in order to be saved?" What do you think of the Roman Catholic's answer? Is it correct? "No, indeed: far from it. It is an insult to God the Father and God the Son both to put either St. Peter or the Pope at the head of the Church. That is the office and mission of Jesus Christ the Savior; and he will never save you while you believe such blasphemous doctrine." Away then goes the old mother-church, with her hundred and fif

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THE PRESBYTERIAN'S ANSWER TO THE QUESTION.

Well, brother of the Presbyterian order, we will now listen to your answer to the great question, "What shall we do and believe in order to be saved?" How about the Greek Christian's answer to the question? Is it right? Does he hold the true doctrine, or not? "No: very far from it, indeed. Like the Roman Christian, he believes in the divinity of the Virgin Mary, and consequently he is an idolater and no idolater can be admitted into the kingdom of 'Heaven." So away goes the old Greek Church, wit

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THE UNITARIAN CHRISTIAN'S ANSWER.

Our Unitarian brother will now please come forward, and tell us "what we must do and believe in order to be saved." Do you indorse any of the answers already obtained, or agree with any of the churches which have been interrogated upon this subject, or not? "No: very far from it." What! you don't dissent from the views of the Presbyterian Church upon this question, do you? "Yes, I do: for they worship 'the man Christ Jesus' (as Paul truly calls him), and, being but a man, they are idolaters (lik

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THE JEW'S ANSWER TO THE QUESTION.

Brother Jew, can you show us the road to salvation, or tell us what to do and believe in order to be saved? "Oh, yes! it is a plain question, and easily answered. You must believe that the Old-Testament Scriptures are the inspired word of God, and believe in its miracles and prophecies, though you are not to interpret or construe any of its prophecies as foretelling the coming and mission of Christ; for, as we wrote them, we of course know exactly what they teach, and how to understand them. And

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THE BAPTIST'S ANSWER

Brother Baptist, will you give us your opinion, or answer the question, "What shall we do and believe in order to be saved?" —"Oh, yes! the Bible is so plain upon that subject that no honest reader can misunderstand it. You are to believe in the Bible; believe in Jesus Christ, and live up to his precepts; and believe in, and practically observe, the sacred ordinance of water-baptism,—without which, according to the Bible, it is impossible to reach the kingdom, or inherit life everlasting."—"Stop

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THE QUAKER'S ANSWER.

Brother Quaker, as you profess to get light from above, perhaps you can throw some light on this dark question. We have not yet heard your answer to this puzzling question. Can you tell us "what to do and believe in order to be saved"? "Most certainly I can," replies the inspired disciple of Fox and Penn. "There can be no mistake about what the Bible teaches on the subject. It is perfectly plain, and easily understood. You are to retire into the quiet, and turn your minds inward with a prayerful

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SIX HUNDRED ROADS TO HEAVEN.

We are swamped with endless difficulties in determining what to do and believe in order to be saved either by the Bible or the churches, when we look at the fact that there are, as some writers have computed, more than six hundred conflicting churches, each one claiming to preach and to teach the only true and saving faith of the gospel and yet differing heaven-wide with respect to what constitutes that true and saving faith. They point out six hundred roads to heaven, when Christ says there is

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ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY BIBLE TRANSLATIONS AND COMMENTARIES.

When we learn that there have been no less than one hundred and fifty different translations and commentaries upon the Bible put in circulation, we can see at once that this is calculated to greatly augment the difficulty of ever arriving at any thing like a unity of belief among the churches, or of settling the question as to what it is necessary to do and believe in order to be saved, or of finding the road to heaven through the churches. Translation after translation of the Bible has been mad

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THE FALL AND CURSE.

We will now notice some of the awful consequences said to have resulted from eating the forbidden fruit,—"the worldwide curse " pronounced upon the human race as the penalty for that act. Several distinct effects are enumerated as consequences of the deed. But a critical investigation of the matter in the light of the present age will show, that instead of being curses, they are blessings, and have added greatly to the enjoyment and happiness of the human family; and, consequently, we should now

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THE CURSE OF THE SERPENT.

The curse pronounced upon the serpent was of a twofold character. He was doomed to crawl upon his belly. How he traveled previous to that period we have no means of knowing, as revelation is silent on this momentous subject. He must have crawled on his back, or hopped on his head or tail,—either of which we should consider a much more difficult mode of traveling than that inflicted on him by the curse. I can see no curse or punishment in an animal or reptile traveling in its natural way, and by

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THE SECOND SCHEME OF REDEMPTION.

The God of Moses, after having tried the expedient of cursing his children,—the cunning workmanship of his hands,—and grieved over the failure for more than a thousand years,—he (the God of Moses) came to the conclusion to try another expedient. He concluded to select a few of the choicest specimens of the genus homo , in order to preserve the race and start anew with some of the best stock or material that could be found. Accordingly, old drunken Noah—the most righteous man that could be found

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THE THIRD AND LAST PLAN OF SALVATION.

The atonement was the third and last resort. The third experiment in any case generally ends the siege whether successful or unsuccessful. After a few thousand years more had elapsed of grief, anger, and disappointment in the practical history of Moses' God, he ventured to try one more experiment in the effort to get his people in the right track,—not so much, however, to get them in the right way, as to have his own wrath appeased. In this way he sanctions the greatest crime ever perpetrated by

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THE RELIGION FOR THIS AGE

Is a religion founded upon truth and goodness;—a religion freed from the old, worn-out superstitious, Oriental myths. The people are becoming too Enlightened to tolerate them much longer; they are becoming tired of being fed on the stale food of past ages; they have been kept in a state of spiritual stagnation long enough. They are becoming too intelligent to wish to listen to old mythological doctrines which have been preached by Christians for centuries. We want a religion better adapted to th

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ADDITIONS, ALTERATIONS, AND INTERPOLATIONS.

We have a vast amount of testimony to prove that councils, churches, and clergymen arrogated to themselves a lawless license to change, insert, and leave out various texts, chapters, and even whole books, from "God's unchangeable word," till it may now be assumed to be thoroughly changed. From a large volume of testimonies we will cite a few: The version of the Old Testament made under Ptolemy Philadelphus, 287 B.C.,—the most reliable version extant,—Bishop Usher pronounces a spurious copy, full

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FORGED GOSPELS AND EPISTLES.

The Unitarian Bible says, in its preface, "It is notorious that forged writings, under the name of the apostles, were in circulation almost from the apostolic age." Mosheim testifies that "several histories of Christ's life and doctrines, fall of pious frauds and fabulous wonders, were put in circulation before the meeting of the Council of Nice;" and he states, like William Penn, that he had no confidence in their ability to distinguish the true from the false. We will here quote another statem

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LOST BOOKS FOUND OR RE-WRITTEN.

Dupin says a portion of the books of the Old Testament were burned in wars, and others lost by the Jews themselves; and in the Second Book of Chronicles (xxxiv. 14) we are told that Hilkiah found the Book of the Law after it had been lost eight hundred years. This law appears to have constituted the most important portion of the Jewish sacred writings. The circumstance gives rise to some very strange reflections and conclusions. It appears from this circumstance that the Lord's holy people had b

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IMPOSSIBILITY OF POSSESSING A RELIABLE TRANSLATION.

It is quite evident, from the facts presented and from others which will hereafter be presented, that, if God ever gave forth a revelation of his will to the founders of the Jewish and Christian religions, the world is not in possession of it now, and can not find it in a book as old as the Christian Bible, and written by simply stringing consonants together in a line without any vowels, and without any distinction of words, and which must necessarily be an enigma that would puzzle any scholar t

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MANY DIFFERENT CHRISTIAN BIBLES.

Owing to the multiplicity of Bible translations, which differ widely in their doctrines, precepts, and the relation of general events, making a different collection of books to constitute "the word of God," various churches, and even individual professors, have assumed the liberty to compile and make a Bible for themselves. The Roman-Catholic Bible differs essentially from that of the Protestants', having fourteen more books. The Bible of the Greek Church differs from both. The Campbellites have

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I. THE RELIGIOUS SKEPTICS OF INDIA.

It is generally assumed by the disciples of the Christian faith that the people of India are on a low scale of mind and intelligence, and that this accounts for the tardy success of the missionaries in the work of converting them to the Christian faith, and the obstacles which lie in their pathway, which makes the cost of conversion bear an enormous proportion to the few proselytes won over to the religion of Jesus. This matter is interestingly controverted by the Rev. David O. Allen, who spent

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II. SECTS AND INFIDELS IN GREECE AND ROME.

When we arrive at Greece we find a nation possessing a mental caliber seldom equaled, and furnishing many philosophers with brains sufficient to enable them to see through the errors and the absurdities of any system of religion. Hence infidels were more numerous than sectarians; and those infidels (better known as philosophers) nearly succeeded, by the force of superior logic and wisdom, in banishing all systems of religious superstition from the nation. But questions of controversy were more o

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III. SECTS AND SKEPTICS IN EGYPT.

Ancient Egypt was characterized by a considerable amount of intellectual mind, and no inconsiderable proficiency in the arts and sciences. And hence, as would naturally be expected, a considerable portion of her people, in the course of time, broke from the trammels of the popular religious faith, and became infidel to all the systems and sects in the nation; while those of a secondary order of intellect abandoned some dogmas, modified others, and started new sects. This gave offense to the pare

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IV. SECTS AND SKEPTICS IN CHINA.

China, though characterized by less mental activity than most other religious nations, has had her sects and her skeptics, and not a very small number of the former, though less in proportion to her religious population than either Egypt, India, Persia, Chaldea, or Arabia. Some of her sects manifested a disposition to borrow dogmas from other religions; while others attempted an improvement on the ancient faith established by Confucius, although in its moral aspects it was the best system of rel

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V. PERSIAN SECTS AND SKEPTICS.

Persia has possessed sufficient intellectual mind to make very considerable changes in her religion. According to tradition, she was once overrun with idolatry. But now, and for at least three or four thousand years (and before the time of Moses), that nation has manifested the greatest abhorrence to images, excelling in this respect even Moses, who probably borrowed his antipathy to idolatry from that country. Sects have arisen which have condemned not only the doctrines of the primary system,

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VI. MAHOMEDAN SKEPTICS AND SECTS.

Mahomedans have paid very particular attention to education, and the cultivation of the arts and sciences, and have produced and published a number of literary works. A number of scientific men have arisen among them from time to time; and schools and colleges have been established, in which many have obtained a literary and scientific education, Hence there will be no difficulty in understanding why thousands of infidels or skeptics have arisen amongst them, and avowed their disbelief in the re

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CHAPTER LVII.—SECTS, SCHISMS, AND SKEPTICS IN CHRISTIAN COUNTRIES.

The practical history of Christianity, ever since the dawn of civilization, has been that of schisms, sects, and divisions, all indicating the natural growth of the human mind, and its thirst for knowledge, its struggles for freedom, and its unalterable determination to be as free as the eagle that soars above the clouds. The number of church sects is estimated to be more than five hundred, and the number is still increasing. And the multiplication of infidels has kept pace with the increase of

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CHAPTER LVIII.—MODERN CHRISTIANITY ONE-HALF INFIDELITY.

When Martin Luther left the Roman-Catholic Church, and adopted the motto, "Liberty to investigate," he sounded the death-knell of every orthodox church that should afterwards spring up outside the jurisdiction of the Pope. Luther was bigotedly orthodox, and something of a tyrant: but he had more intellectual brain and mind than most men of his time; and that intellectual ability, though warped by education and enchained by bigotry and superstition, struggled for freedom as minds of that characte

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CHAPTER LIX.—CHARACTER OF THE CHRISTIAN'S GOD.

The object in selecting and presenting the list of texts quoted in this chapter is to show that Bible writers entertained a very low and dishonorable conception of the "all-loving Father," and that, on this account, the reading of these caricatures of Infinite Wisdom must have a demoralizing effect upon those who habitually read them, and accept them as truth. Even if they were all accepted as metaphors, or mere figures of speech, that would not prevent or destroy their injurious effect upon the

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I. THE MORAL AND RELIGIOUS ERRORS OF CHRIST.

In "The World's Sixteen Crucified Saviors" we have, under the above heading, shown (1) that Christ possessed a very ardent religious nature; (2) that he was unenlightened by scientific culture, (3) and that consequently he often indulged in the most extravagant views of the duties of life; (4) that he inculcated a moral and religious system carried to such extremes as to render its obligations utterly impossible to be reduced to practice; (5) that his injunction, "Take no thought for to-morrow,"

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II. SCIENTIFIC ERRORS OF CHRIST.

The following scientific errors of Christ, a portion of which are exposed in "The World's Sixteen Crucified Saviors," show that he was neither a natural nor a moral philosopher: (1) He assumed that disease is produced by demons, or evil spirits. (2) He generally treated disease, not as the result of natural causes, but as produced by evil beings. (3) His rebuking a fever (Luke iv. 39) discloses an ignorance of the science of physiology. (4) His declaration about the stars falling (Matt. xxiv. 29

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III. CHRIST'S ERRORS OF OMISSION.

Had Christ been an all-wise and omniscient God,—the character his orthodox disciples claim for him,—he would have noticed and understood, and consequently have condemned, various demoralizing practices, customs, and institutions then existing in society. He would also have discovered and taught the grand moral and scientific truths and principles which have since been brought to light, and have proved such signal blessings to society, so that the world could have enjoyed them two thousand years

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CHAPTER LXI.—CHARACTER AND ERRONEOUS DOCTRINES OF THE APOSTLES.

Christ's apostles, although reputedly inspired, were very far from being exemplary characters. Quarrels, jealousies, and emulations are frequently disclosed in their practical lives. We are told there were "envyings and jealousies and divisions" among them (1 Cor. iii. 8), and that "they disputed among themselves who should be the greatest" (Mark ix. 34). This implies that there was selfishness and worldly ambition at the bottom of their movements. Paul also represents them as " defrauding " and

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2. CHARACTER AND ERRONEOUS DOCTRINES OF PETER.

In his practical life St. Peter was a singular and angular being. He presents us with the opposite extremes of virtue and vice. He appears to have been about as distinguished for wickedness as for piety. He told the same falsehood repeatedly, and backed it up with an oath (Matt, xxvi.): hence lying, cursing, and swearing are laid to his charge. And then, we are told, he was put in possession of the keys of the kingdom of heaven (Matt. xvi. 19). How a man, guilty of such moral derelictions, could

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CHAPTER LXIII.—IDOLATROUS VENERATION FOR BIBLES.

A Christian writer, in attempting to portray the Protestant view of the Bible, says, "It is a miraculous collection of miraculous books. Every word it contains was written by miraculous inspiration from God, which was so full, complete, and infallible, that the authors delivered the truth, and nothing but the truth. The Bible contains no false statements of doctrine or faith, but sets forth all religious and moral truth which man needs to know, or which it is possible for him to receive, and not

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CHAPTER LXIV.—SPIRITUAL OR IMPLIED SENSE OF BIBLES.

The practice seems to have been very early conceived and adopted in various countries by the disciples of different Bibles, which have been long extant in the world, of attaching to all the offensive texts of their sacred books (which, when taken literally, convey either a vulgar, immoral, or foolish sense) a new and more acceptable meaning than earlier custom had sanctioned, or more devout minds had ever thought of. As the growing intelligence of the people was constantly disclosing long-unnoti

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CHAPTER LXV.—WHAT SHALL WE SUBSTITUTE FOR THE BIBLE?

The disbelievers in Christianity in all past time, when objecting to it as being fraught with too many moral defects to constitute a basis or guide for the religious opinions and moral actions of men in an age more free from superstition, and much farther advanced in a knowledge of the true science of morals and the general principles of philosophy, have been met with the reply, "Show us a better system before you pull down Christianity and throw aside the Bible. Let us know what you are going t

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CHAPTER LXVI.—RELIGIOUS RECONSTRUCTION; OR, THE MORAL NECESSITY FOR A SCIENTIFIC BASIS FOR RELIGION.

A philosophical analysis of the human mind, viewed in connection with the practical history of man from the early morning of his existence, fully demonstrates it as an important truth, that individual happiness and the moral welfare of society depend essentially upon the uniform action and harmonious cooperation of all the mental faculties; and that, on the other hand, their individually excessive and inharmonious action constitutes the primary source of nearly all the crime, misery, and discord

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CONCLUSION.—SEVERAL IMPORTANT POINTS.

1. As this work was announced several years ago, it seems proper to explain the causes of the long delay in its publication. Want of health for completing it, and want of means for publishing it, furnish the true explanation. But by the practical application of a remedy constituting a new and extraordinary discovery in the healing art, the author's health has so far improved as to enable him to resume the work, and re-write nearly the whole of it in a few weeks time. The work advertised embraced

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